Never Give Up

Just a quick thought from an Apostle of the Lord:

"The challenges you face, the growth experiences you encounter, are intended to be temporary scenes played out on the stage of a life of continuing peace and happiness. Sadness, heartache, and disappointment are events in life. It is not intended that they be the substance of life. I do not minimize how hard some of these events can be. When the lesson you are to learn is very important, trials can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining focus of everything you do. Your life can and should be wondrously rewarding. It is your understanding and application of the laws of God that will give your life glorious purpose as you ascend and conquer the difficulties of life. That perspective keeps challenges confined to their proper place—stepping-stones to further growth and attainment." Richard G. Scott

I know this to be true. Never give up and endure to the end.

Rainy Days

This is more of a reminder for me. Life is a roller coaster. One day can be the ultimate high the next can be the ultimate low. We will have rainy days. We may have rainy weeks or even rainy months. But happiness and peace is possible if you rely on the Savior. And you know what, if you need to cry it out for a while and let out your emotions than do it. Get on your knees, let it out, get up and move forward with faith. Patience through your trials will make you stronger. You may want something so bad your heart aches. You may not understand why things are the way they are. But it will be OK if you ask the Lord to help you do his will and put faith in Him. Rainy days will come. But the sun can shine through the rain. Just keep going.

Easter

Easter has brought with it a lot of thought and reflection. I have had my sweet kids with me for the weekend and we have enjoyed our time together. Although Easter is a celebration of our Savior, it is fun to watch easter egg hunts and laughing children. They bring so much joy into my life and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for the opportunity to be a father.

There are two phrases that I am trying to live by. "One day at a time" and "God is in charge." Certain events in my life lately have helped me to realize how important it is that we remember this. Our lives are a constant progression with ups and downs and hardships and triumphs. At times, we want so badly for things to work out in a certain way. We may pray for it or focus on it a lot. We may want time to move faster or be able to skip necessary steps. But the Lord has a plan for all of us and he really is in charge. Our decisions definitely can help determine the outcome but it is all in God's time frame. Each day is a gift and an opportunity to become better. As we strive to do what is right, God will lead us down the right path. Sometimes it is very hard to have this faith. It can be difficult to completely rely on Him. But it will all work out in the end. One way or another, our lives will be great as long as we endure to the end and we use the Atonement constantly in our lives.

An incredible person in my life told me that "God misses us and one day at a time we'll get closer to succeeding at life and make it back to Him." Focus on the positive. Focus on living a Christ-like life. Focus on helping others and being the best you can. Realize and admit your shortcomings and weaknesses. Ask God for forgiveness constantly. I am so grateful for Easter Sunday, the Atonement and Resurrection, and living angels that are in my life. I have so much more to improve on and to accomplish. I know that I have challenges and struggles ahead of me. But this is my comfort and motivation:

One day at a time. God is in charge.

A Full Heart

Today was a day that I can honestly say that I felt like my heart was full. We had a ward conference today and it was focused around the Atonement. It really touched me as I heard testimonies of the sacrifice that our Savior has made for us. He not only atoned for our sins but our pains, afflictions, infirmities, trials, and sicknesses. He suffered for ALL men. Every single one of us will need access to the Atonement throughout our lives. Whether it is for a major sin, a death of a loved one, a sickness, or a wayward child. We constantly need the healing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Over the past 7 months I have experienced guilt and pain that is hard to describe. I have spent many nights alone with my tormented thoughts. I have had daily if not hourly reminders of my past and mistakes that I have made. I have been so overwhelmed with grief I have at times wondered if I had anything at all I could offer. But through it all I have felt the redeeming power and love of the Atonement in my life. It is real. The Savior lives. Our Father in Heaven lives and they desire for us to be happy and have peace of mind. We all can feel this power. We all can put our pasts behind us and allow the Atonement to work its miracle in our lives. No matter how dark and dreary our pasts may be, we can change and be healed through our Savior.

Life is a progression. We learn from our mistakes and if we put in the effort and if we are sincere we can change for the better. A quote I read recently says "no pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God...and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father in Heaven." I know this to be true and I am a witness of it.

I am so grateful for the blessings in my life. I have been blessed with literal angels in my life. People who have come into my life and shown me christlike love. People who I cherish and respect. People who understand the Atonement and who have taught me priceless lessons. People who have helped to bring happiness back into my life. People who see me for who I am and who I am striving to be. I love you. I am grateful for my children and their sweet spirits. They love me unconditionally and I love them. They are my little angels.

Today my heart is full and I owe it all to my Savior. I will have hard and trying days ahead of me. But I know that no matter what comes my way, I can find peace and healing through the Atonement.

Trust in God

"for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day" Alma 36:3

I read this scripture this morning and it brought me a lot of comfort. Sometimes, when facing a trial, we try to put our trust and confidence in the "arm of the flesh". We attempt to overcome our trials on our own or through others. Although other people are vital to our success, it is God who we need to put our complete trust in. We are his children and he loves us. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. He knows how we think and react. He is our Father. He is completely reliable and trustworthy. He is truth and light. Therefore, when faced with a trial, he is the one who can heal and comfort.

Russell M. Ballard of the Quorom of the Twelve Apostles for the LDS church recently spoke about overcoming trials and addictions in a church conference. He said that the most important thing we can do when faced with a trial is to fervently pray to our Heavenly Father. Fervent is described as having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, and enthusiasm. So ask yourself, how do my prayers compare to that description? Do I really believe that God is listening to my fervent prayers? Do I believe that God can heal me?

I know that God can heal anything if we put our trust in him and fervently pray for his help. It may not come in our timeframe. Answers may come in ways we don't expect. But his presence will be felt. It is undeniable. It is wonderful. It is how God intends it to be. I KNOW that he lives and he cares for us. He wants us to be happy and his greatest desire is to help us return to him. I know that if we go to our knees and give thanks to our Heavenly Father and fervently pray for his help, he will help us through ANYTHING.

I have seen this in my life. Every day he shows me that he loves me and that he is there. Trust in God. He is the ONLY one that will never falter. He will never leave you alone. He will never give up on you. Even when, for a time, you have given up on yourself, he will be there to lift you up. He is real, he lives, and he is waiting. Get on your knees :)

Keep Going

It has been a blogging drought for me. I have missed the past couple weeks so I am happy to be able to share my feelings today. I hope I am able to share them clearly.

LDS General Conference is always a blessing to listen to. You can always find a message that you can relate to your personal life. As I listened this weekend, the message that came to me was "keep going". When you have made big mistakes in your life, listening to prophets and apostles speak about the effects of sin can be a very painful reminder. You listen to them speak about how you are supposed to live and realize how, in the past, you did not live right. Those feelings of guilt, self-doubt, fear, shame, and misery can come flooding back. Even when you are living righteously, the past can come back to haunt you. This can be very difficult and hard to avoid. But although it is very difficult, the message that the Lord's servants have for us is to keep going, never give up, and rely on the Savior. We can change, we can make good decisions, we can be forgiven. We just need to KEEP GOING.

During a hard trial we may go through a long stretch of happiness and "easy days". These days are a blessing and help us to realize we are making good decisions and that we are on the right path. But we will inevitably have very difficult days still. We will have reminders of our mistakes. We will have emotional days that test our endurance and obedience. These hard days are a test for us. They are opportunities for us to make the right decisions. They are opportunities for us to do what is right. I strongly believe that without difficult trials and times in this life, we will never become who we need to be. We will never reach our full potential unless we have to fight for it. That is why it is so important that we KEEP GOING. There is nothing in this life that we cannot overcome. Yes, we can make the wrong decisions. We can give up or give in. We can call it quits. But it is not worth it. If we just keep going, keep being obedient, keep making right decisions, it will all work out in the end and we will be happy and peaceful.

Don't be too hard on yourself. Don't beat yourself up. That will only make it harder. Look for the good in yourself and use these reminders of your past to make you stronger. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much. We can be forgiven for our sins. We can be comforted during times of pain. We can overcome any type of addiction. We can make it through ANY trial. But it is only in and through the atonement of Jesus Christ and by following his teachings. Strive to do better and be better. Look to improve upon your weaknesses. You will be happy as you do what is right and KEEP GOING!