Once again, it has been too long since I have posted on my blog. I have had many thoughts lately and I feel like today would be a good time to write them.
Many of you know what has transpired in my life over the past few years. I love and appreciate all of my friends and family who have supported me and lifted me up. I have the utmost love and respect for all of you and have gained strength from your support. I have always been very open with my experiences with the hope of helping others who may be struggling with trials. I have come to find that EVERYONE is struggling with something in their lives and EVERYONE needs the love of a Savior to overcome. I hope that my thoughts today can help you all to reflect on your life and if nothing else, generate some thoughts and feelings about yourself or a loved one.
Today, almost 4 years since I was excommunicated from the LDS church, I was able to baptize my sweet 8 year old Hallie. For those of you that don't know, excommunication from the LDS church is not an act of hate or rejection. It ultimately provides an opportunity for people to change and return to living a life based on the principles and ordinances that have been outlined in the scriptures and church doctrine. Unfortunately, my life had spiraled out of control and I had to suffer some serious consequences. I had allowed the adversary to lead me astray from the covenants I had made and looking back I realize that my excommunication is what I needed to truly change. I have been blessed beyond what I ever imagined. But I still had to make a choice. I will never forget sitting across from my bishop and he told me that I could make 2 choices. I could choose to give up and leave everything and everyone behind and continue down my current path. Or I could make the most difficult choice of all...to CHANGE. In that moment he promised me that I would be happier than I have ever been in my life if I chose to change. Even though I could not see the future, and the future was going to try me almost to my breaking point, I chose to change. And from that moment forward my loving Heavenly Father immediately began blessing me. The blessings that came in to my life and the experiences I have gained over the past 4 years could fill a book. I strongly believe that the choices we make today determine our destiny.
So here is what I want to get at today. At the end of this I would also like some honest opinion but I will get to that in a second. Let's set aside religion for just a minute. I think most of us believe in God. Most of us have faith that God is real and that he cares about us. Most of us at some point have felt God in our lives. We don't need a church to tell us that. What has God said to be the greatest commandments? LOVE. Love God and love others. I believe, and I believe it without an ounce of doubt in my heart, that God loves us as his children. His love is a love that I can only compare to the love I have for my kids and then magnify that love beyond what I am able to comprehend. How comforting is that? No matter who you are, what you have done, where you are at in your life, tall, short, young, old, and anything and everything in between, he LOVES you. And he wants us to share that love with everyone around us. He wants us to love our families, our friends, our coworkers, our acquaintances, our neighbors, ourselves, everyone. That I believe is a universal truth and we all will benefit from an increased effort to love and allow others to love us back. Let's all make the CHOICE to LOVE more.
Part 2 of this post is my belief in a religion and my choice to follow it. I do believe and stand by the doctrines and principles of the LDS church. I believe this church is lead by God. I believe in a living prophet. I believe in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I believe in the need for baptism. I believe in the holy temple. I believe in eternal families. I believe in the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. I believe that we as God's children should seek out truth. I encourage anyone who has a desire to know if these things are true to kneel and ask our Heavenly Father in prayer and to put it to the test. I understand that there are many things that can be argued here. But I believe it because of my own personal experiences and I want to share it. I respect everyone's beliefs, but I feel a strong desire to share my experiences with others. Whether someone believes in the church or not, I believe that what I can share is very universal.
This leads me to what I need some opinion on from you as my friends. I have a strong desire to share my experiences on a greater scale. My desire to do this is simply based on a strong desire to help others who are struggling through this life. I have contemplated compiling my experiences in to a book. I have also batted around some social media ideas via instagram or FB. Can I get some honest feedback? Any suggestions? Any ideas? I would also like any comments on my thoughts about LOVE and CHOICES. Please leave comments on my FB page if you feel so inclined. Once again I love and respect all of you and appreciate any and all feedback.
Thanks,
Matt
