#34: G is for Good Things

I found this article in the Ensign and absolutely loved it! The author talks about how she has this bad habit of beginning to miss good moments in life before they are even over. She says:

"I have always had a hard time facing change and am hesitant to let go of good things. I miss the past even while it is still the present, desperate to enjoy fully moments in which I consciously and determinedly live. I know when I have a good thing, and I want to hold on and never let go.... Usually when I realize how good things are, I instantly begin thinking of how everything is fleeting, that it will eventually be lost to time or circumstance"

The realization that she had was that good things keep on coming!

I know that may not be profound for some of you but this was life-changing for me! Just like the author, I begin to miss the past while it's still the present (on a regular basis). Usually I'm so desperate to suck all the good out of each experience before it's over--to the point that it's counter-productive because it stresses me out.  Heavenly Father isn't done blessing us though. He's never going to look at you and say, "Well, I'm sorry but that event back there was the climax of your life. Hope you enjoyed it..." He loves each of us WAY too much for that.

The author goes on to say,

"Change is the Lord’s way. He wants us to be happy and growing, to be excited to move on with our lives. Life is a journey, and while still enjoying the present and preparing for inevitable challenges, we must move forward, remaining optimistic, our hearts open to the experiences and good things that are undoubtedly on their way."

So this is my resolution for the new year. My mantra has now become "Good things keep on coming". And I know that good things are on the way for you as well. Because God loves us each that much.

 

G is for Good Things

#29: B is for Becoming

This video was shown to me by a very good friend. It's the story:

"The Missing Piece Meets the Big O" by Shel Silverstein.

While I'm sure this story could have many interpretations, I wanted to focus on what we can learn by letting the Big O represent our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Savior doesn't have any missing pieces. He is complete. His offer to us is to follow His example and become complete ourselves. Like the Missing Piece in the story we may try to find others to "complete us". That didn't provide lasting happiness for the Missing Piece though, and it won't provide lasting happiness for us either.

Yes, there will be bumps and falls along the path of becoming like our Savior. It probably didn't feel good for the Missing Piece to "lift, pull, flop" over and over again. It may have been uncomfortable to have the sharp corners worn off. But ultimately, that's what transformed the Missing Piece into a shape that could stand and move independent of those around it. That's exactly what the Atonement of Jesus Christ offers to us.

Not only did the Savior's life provide the example of what we're trying to become, His Atonement provides us the enabling power to actually change our nature and become more like He is. And as we become more like Him our light shines brighter, illuminating the path for others to follow.

 

B is for Becoming

#28: A is for Attitude

Talking with my companion this morning I related an experience I had over a year ago before this whole crazy adventure started. It was back in the spring of 2011 and I was getting ready to graduate. I had spent the last 18 years of my life in school. My whole life to that point had been focused on my formal education. Don't get me wrong—I had church, friends, family, extracurriculars, work, etc. tied in there as well—but for the past 18 years if someone had asked me what I did or who I was, my response was "I'm a student." My identity was wrapped up in my schooling.

I was a student. That’s what I did. That’s who I was.

With graduation looming, and in the midst of the excitement of finally finishing my degree I was struck with a moment of panic. I wouldn’t be in school any more.

And if I wasn’t a student…

...then who was I?

Yes, panic took over for a moment. Fear of the unknown was starting to creep in and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to find out what life outside of college looked like. The mountain in front of me looked awfully intimidating. But then I had this wonderful sense of freedom come over me. I wasn’t a student anymore. I wasn’t anything right now. And that meant I could be anything I wanted. I didn’t have any labels; I wasn’t stuck in any ruts. I was at the bottom of the mountain and I could pick any trail I wanted to climb. And with that simple change of attitude about the situation, my perspective was transformed and what was initially frightening became exciting and engaging.

Any situation we find ourselves in can be transformed into an opportunity if we will approach it with the right attitude. I’m not perfect at this but I’m working on it and every time I get a little closer, I find greater joy for life and its many opportunities. I know the same can happen for you.

A is for Attitude

#19: I've been out here for how long?!

Six months ago today I said goodbye to life as I knew it and walked into a totally new phase of my life. Looking back, I still can't believe I made this decision. I've already realized that it's going to effect every aspect of the rest of my life. And I'm only 1/3 of the way through this crazy experience!

Things I've done in the last 6 months (in no particular order):

-seen the ocean
-seen people find lasting happiness by following a few simple commandments
-eaten an artichoke
-knocked on strangers' door and invited them to learn more about Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon
-learned that it is humanly possible to be joined at the hip to someone 24/7 for 6 solid months. (That's 264,960 minutes straight, for the record)
-seen people use the Atonement of Jesus Christ to become better than they were
-eaten shrimp
-learned how to make things out of duct tape
-had my core convictions challenged by very angry people
-looked those very angry people firmly in the eye and told them exactly what I believe
-realized that God is the best planner. Ever. Period.
-prayed for miracles
-seen miracles
-checked an empty mailbox one more time (just to make sure we didn't miss anything)
-volunteered to give up chocolate for a MONTH just to get someone to stop smoking
-broken into a baptismal font just so someone could make covenants with God
-grown closer to Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost than I've ever been in my life

Obviously this list doesn't even come close to everything that's happened in the last 6 months. But it's a start.

I am so grateful that Heavenly Father took a chance on me and let me come out here. I may have come out here to try and pay Him back for all He's done for me--but I ended up even more in debt to Him. Guess that's life.

I love my life!

#16: Energy-efficient lighting

I flicked on the lightswitch in our bedroom the other day and it got me thinking...

We have those new energy-efficient lightbulbs that everyone's getting these days. You know the ones that take forever to actually get bright? I was thinking about how our testimonies are kinda like that. When we first gain a testimony of something, it's kind of like switching on the light. At first you notice a big difference because you've gone from total darkness to being able to see what's around you. But then, if you keep waiting the light gets brighter. Sometimes it happens so slowly that you don't really notice a change at first. But if you compare how much brighter it is from when you first turned the light on, you can definitely tell that the light is getting stronger.

Strangely enough, the scripture at the top of my blog has this same principle in it. (And I didn't even plan that!)  :)

"That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." -D&C 50:24

Take a minute and look at something you have a testimony of (prayer, scripture study, following the propeht, paying tithing, etc.) Think about when it first really clicked with you. Now look where you are. It's a lot brighter huh? The important thing to remember though is that you have to leave the electricity running through the lightbulb long enough to let it get bright. Just the same, you have to keep feeding and building your testimony if you expect it to get brighter and stronger.

#15: Embrace this day!

This blog isn't very original (as if the other ones are...) but I read an article that one of my sisters sent me (you can read the whole thing here) and it had some wonderful pointers on how to grow closer to the influence of the Holy Ghost and how to stay focused on the most important things in our lives. I wanted to share the author's thoughts with you in the hopes that they affect you as much as they affected me when I read them.

* Embrace this day with an enthusiastic welcome, no matter how it looks. The covenant with God to which you are true enables you to become enlightened by him, and nothing is impossible for you.

 

* When you are physically sick, tired, or in despair, steer your thoughts away from yourself and direct them, in gratitude and love, toward God.

 

* In your life there have to be challenges. They will either bring you closer to God and therefore make you stronger, or they can destroy you. But you make the decision of which road you take.

 

* Put all frustrations, hurt feelings, and grumblings into the perspective of your eternal hope. Light will flow into your soul.

 

* God knows that you are not perfect. As you suffer about your imperfections, he will give you comfort and suggestions of where to improve.

 

* God knows better than you what you need. He always attempts to speak to you. Listen, and follow the uncomfortable suggestions that he makes to us--everything will fall into its place.

 

* Avoid any fear like your worst enemy, but magnify your fear about the consequences of sin.

 

* When you cannot love someone, look into that person's eyes long enough to find the hidden rudiments of the child of God in him.

 

* Never judge anyone. When you accept this, you will be freed. In the case of your own children or subordinates, where you have the responsibility to judge, help them to become their own judges.

 

* If someone hurts you so much that your feelings seem to choke you, forgive and you will be free again.

 

* Avoid at all cost any pessimistic, negative, or criticizing thoughts. If you cannot cut them out, they will do you harm. On the road toward salvation, let questions arise but never doubts. If something is wrong, God will give you clarity but never doubts.

 

* Avoid rush and haste and uncontrolled words. Divine light develops in places of peace and quiet. Be aware of that as you enter places of worship.

 

* Be not so much concerned about what you do, but do what you do with all your heart, might, and strength. In thoroughness is satisfaction.

 

* The pain of sacrifice lasts only one moment. It is the fear of the pain of sacrifice that makes you hesitate to do it.

 

* Be grateful for every opportunity to serve. It helps you more than those you serve.

* And finally, when you are compelled to give up something or when things that are dear to you are withdrawn from you, know that this is your lesson to be learned right now. But know also that, as you are learning this lesson, God wants to give you something better.

I know that some (or most) of these bullet points are easier said than done but I felt the truthfulness of these statements when I read them and I know that acting on them will lead to greater happiness. Even if you can only pick one to focus on, let that one idea change you and bring you closer to the person God wants you to be. As it says above, "God knows better than you what you need. He always attempts to speak to you. Listen, and follow the uncomfortable suggestions that He makes to us--everything will fall into its place."

#13: That which we persist in doing...

I love a good quote. Douglas L. Callister said that we "thrill to hear...sublime thoughts in perfectly chosen words. I suppose that the language of heaven, properly spoken, may approach a form of music. Did C. S. Lewis have this in mind when he wrote: 'Isn’t it funny the way some combinations of words can give you—almost apart from their meaning—a thrill like music?'" That's how I feel about quotes.

So with that little prologue, I want to share something I learned today from one of my favorite quotes

(and yes, I have LOTS of favorite quotes).

Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

I've grown and improved so much in these last 4 months and I've seen the progress I've made in a lot of things that are hard for me. But I was reflecting on how far I still have to go and I was wondering why certain things haven't become easy for me yet.

Then I re-read the quote. Mr. Emerson doesn't say anywhere in there that the task will ever become EASY. Only that it will become EASIER.

And even though I still struggle with certain tasks, the things I've been working on have definitely become easier. So there is hope! Think about your own life and the things you're working on. Don't get discouraged when something you've been working on hasn't become easy for you yet. Look back on where you started and be grateful for the improvement you've made.

I'll bet you've come farther than you think.

#10: Driver and Co-driver...it's a beautiful thing

Being a missionary brings lots of different experiences. For one thing, you're with the same person 24/7 for as long as you're assigned to work together. And you do everything with this person. Including driving. How does that work? Well let me tell you. In a normal car situation, you have a driver and a passenger. In a missionary car you have a driver and--are you ready for this?--a co-driver. Pretty exciting right? The driver is the one that's actually steering the car but the co-driver is there to help them navigate and to basically do whatever they can to make sure the driver gets where they need to go.

What does any of this have to do with you, you say? Well, let me tell you.

The other day we were driving around and I was giving my companion directions to our next appointment. See, I'm the co-driver and I'm the one with the map in hand so periodically I would tell her turn right at this stop sign...take a left at the next light...and so forth. It hit me that I was only giving her one direction at a time. I wondered if she was bothered by the fact that she really didn't know exactly where she was going. I didn't give her all of the details at once on how to get to our destination; I only gave her one turn at a time and she was fine with it. She knew that I would tell her when to turn and which direction to go when it was relevant for her to know and she was content to wait until it mattered.

Have you figured out where I'm going with this yet? Life is exactly like this! We have the best Co-driver in the universe to guide our decisions in life and He will get us where we're going one turn at a time. I didn't know a year ago that I would be serving a mission right now but I didn't need to know at the time. I don't know where I'll end up after my 18 months is done here but I don't need to know right now. When I get to the point where those decisions need to be made my Co-driver will speak up and let me know which direction to go. I just need to make sure that I'm keeping that line of communication open with Him so that when He speaks I can hear Him.

Have you checked in with your Co-driver lately?

#3: Lean into the curves

This lesson learned may be a bit of a stretch so just go with me for a moment. I spent the other day with a different missionary companion than normal. We call these exchanges and the point is to learn from someone else's wisdom. Sister Powell was my exchange sister and we instantly connected over how much we have in common--namely, we both get carsick really easily. And it just so happened that our area was all mountains. If you're one of the fortunate ones that don't get carsick driving on mountain roads, send up a little prayer of thanks right now. I envy you. For those of you that get queasy just thinking about driving up a road filled with switchbacks, let me share the wisdom I gained from my weekend with Sister Powell:

Lean into the curves.

Simple right? I hadn't ever heard this advice before but I was definitely willing to try anything that might make driving more enjoyable. She told me to lean into the curves like you would if you were steering. So I tried it. It definitely took a conscious effort and I noticed two things right away. First, I noticed that it's instinctive to lean away from the curves. I had to remind myself to lean into the curves. The second thing I noticed is how much smoother the ride was when I did this. I didn't get nauseous at all! (this was a small miracle in and of itself by the way).

We were laughing about how that was the biggest lesson I learned the whole weekend--something that didn't even have to do with missionary work. As I thought about it later, I realized that there was a hidden meaning behind that advice. Just like traveling down the road, there are times in life when we're the passenger in a situation and there's someone else at the wheel. Whether it's your boss at work, your leader at church or your parents at home, there are times when someone else is driving and they take you around a curve in the road. When this happens, it's instinctive to lean away and say, no, we were going in another direction. You want to fight it. But if you lean into the curve--go with the change--things run a lot smoother. It takes conscious effort on our part, but by supporting our boss, leader, parent or whoever is driving we make the transition a much more pleasant experience and we are then free to enjoy the experience of arriving at our destination. So lean into the curve!