You matter to Him. Never give up.

Lift

This hit deep in my soul, and brought tears to my eyes.

Religious or not, this video is a good reminder of what really matters in life.  And how to be happy. 

:-)

Peace.

The worth of souls is great!

As I was walking down the hall to work this morning,

I passed girl who was looking at the ground, avoiding eye contact as we crossed paths.

I don't know why she avoided eye contact, but it got me thinking--

A lot of times we avoid eye contact with people because we feel shame,

Or, maybe for some reason, we are afraid of what we will see in their eyes.

What will we see?

Maybe we'll see reality? 

 (I wrote a post about that in January)

Sometimes, when we look into another person's face, I think we look for reassurance.

Reassurance of our worth, by their reactions to us.

Maybe that's why we fear to look at another's face sometimes,

--Because we're afraid we won't be validated.

I don't know for sure.

But this I do know:

We each, individually, have 

infinite worth.

Forever, always.  

Your worth is unlimited.  Absolute.  

It will never change.

And the same is true for the worth of everyone else around you.

Yes, everyone.

Next time you look at someone's eyes,

Search not for your own worth,

But seek to get a glimpse of theirs.

{photo from lds.org}

:)

- peace - 

Our powerful roles as women, and men. As God's children.

Though I don't know everything, I know this:  

I am a daughter of God, my Heavenly Father, who loves me, and has great plans for my growth and happiness.  

This speech is pretty long (almost an hour), but it is worth listening to, especially if you have concerns about how Mormon's regard and treat women.  Please, listen with an open heart to the beliefs of Sharon Eubank, director of Humanitarian Services and LDS Charities.  I enthusiastically agree with her.  There is more to life than this temporary world!

Link is here

A glass half full

{image from fearlessmen.com}

This analogy gets a lot of use, and a lot of criticism.  But there's really something to it: we do get a lot more out of life, and are a lot happier, when we focus more on the positive than on the negative.

This works especially when people are involved.  

Progress and happiness grow in love, not fear.  (2 Timothy 1:7)  

People grow through love, not fear.  

When people feel loved rather than criticized

--when they know that they're enough, and worthy of love--

they have a greater capacity to grow, succeed, and serve.

{image from raya's paradise}

That's why I believe "constructive criticism" is rarely constructive (to use the words my Dad has said).  People can often feel attacked and belittled when receiving "constructive" criticism, no matter how true the criticism might be.  In one book of scripture (D&C 121:42-43), God commands us to be gentle, patient, long-suffering and show kindness to others as the general rule -- only giving correction when "moved upon by the Holy Ghost" (aka when God tells us to) and then being sure to express an increase of love towards that person, so that they know we are on their side.

So instead of focusing on what's wrong in others and ourselves, why not seek to catch them doing something right?  

For example,

Why not focus more on how kind it was of so-and-so to open the door for what's-her-name, instead of criticizing so-and-so's outfit?

Why not focus more on how much we enjoy doing [insert physical activity here], instead of hating ourselves for being overweight? 

Why not focus more on how we can make someone's day a little better, instead of wishing what's-her-face would make our day better?

There is a time and a place for the negative.  But in my book, it should be far, far outweighed by the positive.  As we keep our eyes single to hope, gratitude, love, forgiveness, etc., we will be able to see clearly, and recognize that though bad stuff exists, it does not have nearly as much power over us as we once thought.  Even though there are things you want to change in yourself and others, keep working on your goals, and being grateful for the good in yourself, others, and the world around you.  As you do this, the bad stuff will eventually fade away like shadows overpowered by a bright and glorious light.

{image from lds.org}

It's true.  :)

--Big thanks to my Dad who sparked the idea for this post, and both Dad and Mom who proofread this!--

A twist

This little email I received really puts things into perspective:

I AM THANKFUL: FOR THE WIFE WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT,

BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME, AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

FOR THE HUSBAND WHO IS ON THE SOFA BEING A COUCH POTATO,

BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.

FOR THE TEENAGER WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES

BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME, NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY

BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED .

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK

BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING, WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING, AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT

BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION.

FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL

BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM.

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH WHO SINGS OFF KEY

BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR.

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES AT THE END OF THE DAY

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS

BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

.<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

I truly believe we can find something good in any situation.  

Now that's beautiful.

light streams in to warm a dark and cold place 

(photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thebbp/2784562781/in/photostream)

Chemistry and the Gospel

The sun

image from: sherbornpastor.blogspot.com

Is the source of all energy on earth.

Light from the sun enables

Plants to create sugars (which provide energy) using photo-synthesis.

Animals and humans then eat the plants and/or other animals who eat plants,

And thereby get the sugars created by the plants via photo-synthesis,
To use as energy for needed physiological processes.

Basically, the energy you and I use to move, think, and even just exist,

Ultimately comes from the sun.

Similarly,

And much more importantly,

The Son, Jesus Christ, is the source of all energy in the universe--in heaven and on earth.

image from: https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/woman-taken-in-adultery-948852?category=jesus-christ&lang=eng

beautiful thing:  sweet symbolism

Heaven's help is there

this one-minute video is beautiful.

very, very well worth your time.  i promise.

#didyouthinktopray?

this video brought me back to my knees.

Pain

Wandering into my bedroom--

Alone, weary, frustrated.

I collapse to my knees

And utter a silent plea:

Why these feelings?

With so much to be happy about,

Why do I have painful,

Confused, frustrating feelings?

An image comes to mind

A clear and quiet understanding:

You endure the pain of exercise--

Of resistance training,

Of running--

With pleasure and gratitude,

Knowing it will lead to greater gains in strength.

This is no different.

peace

This really hit my heart strings (and tear ducts) tonight.

I needed it.  

I hope it helps you, too.

<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>

"To the individual who is weak in the heart,

fearful in the heart:

be patient with yourself.

Perfection comes not in this life, but in the next life.

Don't demand things that are unreasonable,

but demand of yourself improvement.

"As you let the Lord help you,

through that, He will make the difference."

Peace in the knowledge of God,

and our identity as His children,

is beautiful.

<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>

Rethink how you treat others

It's only about 3 minutes.  You'd spend that much time trying to decide whether or not to watch this, anyways!  I promise you won't regret pressing play.

Beautiful:  The Savior loves each and every one of us, His children, more than we can comprehend.

Our Savior's Love

I was so moved by how much the Lord loves and cares for this man.

He longs to embrace you, too.

peace.

Resistance training

Disclaimer:  

These are my own sincere thoughts, and do not represent the views of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  (except for direct scriptural quotes).  

If I make a mistake, it is my mistake and not the Church's, or God's.

Just look at this guy.  
What do you see?  (Besides the popping veins.)

In my Exercise Physiology class, we've been learning about resistance training and all of its health benefits.  

(There's a ton)

What is the purpose of resistance training?  

To grow, to increase our muscular strength.  How do you think this olympian got shoulders as big as his head?  By training, with weights.  Do you think he had to put a lot of effort into it?  Please.  Just look at his face.

But what if he had been training without weights?  Try doing a bicep curl with no weight.  It's pretty easy, huh?  But will you get stronger doing this exercise without resistance?

It's kind of like life on earth.  

Here, we experience constant opposition.  Constant resistance.  We need it in order to grow, and increase our spiritual strength.  To come out better and closer to God than we were before; closer to our potential than we were before.  It requires all our effort.  Just look at people's faces, and you can tell.  You can really tell.

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things."
 - 2 Nephi 2:11 -

"Know thou, my son [or daughter] that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good."
- Doctrine and Covenants 122:7 -




peace

Perfection

{Image from the Mormon.org Facebook page}

"There is certain frustration awaiting anyone who attempts to perfect themselves without the aid of the Holy Spirit.  It is not uncommon for someone to make a list of everything they feel they should be doing in their lives, then select a few to begin working on.  As wholesome as this sounds, it will only create feelings of impotence and frustration.  Read all the scriptures, and nowhere is there an account of someone achieving spiritual power by making lists of needed improvements, and then working the list!

They all did it by obedience to the voice of the Lord.  You must also; there is no other way...The Lord knows the exact course our lives should take, which sin should be eliminated first, which weakness should be addressed first, and which blessings we will need to accomplish these things...He will direct us, step by step...He will change and purify our hearts...

The way to perfection is not through the disciplining and reshaping of the soul by the will of man, but through the discipline of obedience and reshaping of the soul by God...To what are we to be obedient?  It is the voice of the Lord in our hearts and minds."
(see Enos 1:10-11, 1 Nephi 22:2)

- John M. Pontius -
From the book Following the Light of Christ into His Presence

between those ears

What do your thoughts look like?  Are they full of faith?

"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."

- D&C 6:36 -

This is a good depiction of how I visualize the God's admonition to "let virtue garnish thy thoughts." 

(click on the hyperlink for the scripture reference)

peace out

Just keep swimming! ;)

You know what's beautiful?

Your faith.

It's an amazing, and powerful thing.

And you don't have to be religious to have faith.

All you've got to do is believe what's true, even when you're tempted to doubt.  

Especially when you're tempted to doubt...

But faith,

Is what fuels our ability to push through the hard times,

Knowing that if we are true to what's right,

It will all work out.

Not saying we have to be miserable and put off our rewards until everything's perfect.

Not at all.

But there are inevitably going to be hard times when all you can do is push through.

So do it.

Push your hardest.

No matter what opposition faces you, 

No matter what distractions divert your path,

Get back on the right path,

And keep longing.

Keep trying.

Keep praying.

Keep loving.

Keep moving, and hoping, and working at it.

And I promise, 

You will be rewarded.

God promises,

You will be rewarded:

"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your ^breward in heaven: for so ^cpersecuted they the prophets which were before you."

Matthew 5:12

(I believe this applies even when the persecution is all in your head.)

If your reward hasn't come yet,

It will.

Have faith.

(As much as I love Josh Groban, he's not the most important person who loves you ;) But this song is great.)

If you could see yourself grow and glow are you're going through this,

You would be in awe of the person you are becoming.

peace out

A Champion

(pronounced "Addict to Athlete")

This is an amazing group of people who, though they've all struggled with addiction, have found a new way of life through taking care of their bodies and becoming physically fit.  

I am starting an internship with them, and have already felt so welcomed by the group members.  They're like a family who supports and encourages each other to do hard things.  They run together, do yoga, walk, play sports, and work together to live positive, active, healthy lives.  There is someone to represent every range of athletic ability, but that's not what's emphasized.  What's emphasized is your attitude and your effort.  

a group of us doing yoga together a few weeks ago.

Though the blog post below is aimed specifically at these Athletes, I think it applies to all of us:

"Coach, am I a Champion?

That question can be music to my ears or can be the prelude to another disappointment. Claiming to want to be a champion is the easy part. Understanding what is actually required to become an AIIA Champion requires more than working out, racing or competing. Sobriety, focus, heart and investment are only the precursors to becoming an AIIA Champion. By creating a more excellent way to live a substance free life one must completely commit to do what is necessary to become a champion.

Wanting to be a Champion, wanting to be the best at everything, whether it is in recovery, treatment, education or in athletics requires the same basic process as sobriety; an understanding of the subject, a knowledge of the limitations, a love for the subject. Becoming a champion requires a strong work ethic and a willingness to sacrifice old habits, friends and relationships in order to achieve success in athletics, healthy living and of course…sustained sobriety.

There are many individuals who have bought into the lie that they can never be a Champion. They tend to stumble upon the notion of being a champion after years of being stuck in life’s deep emotional ruts. The last thing they believe is that overcoming adversity strengthens them from the core-out and that a little self belief can create a fire that has the potential to create the Champion. But there lies the key, the foundation of success;

You see, True CHAMPIONS are made, not born. CHAMPIONS are created through adversity. Yes, bad days, stressful situation, heartaches, emotional pain and losses are all necessary elements in the production of a CHAMPION. Your character is built in the storm life offers. It is not built in success, it is built in adversity. You develop strength when you are in difficult spots yet, the key is learning to handle opposition with courage and integrity and rising when you fall, so you become that CHAMPION.

Characteristics of an AIIA Champion:

• The Athlete discovers how great they can be

• The Athlete talks soft and plays loud

• The Athlete loves the battle more than the victory

• They are not afraid to lose

• The Athlete faces their giants to reach their goals

• They compete with purpose and passion

• The Athlete learns from losses

• They live in the present moment

• The Athlete produces continuous improvement

• The Athlete knows how much they’re worth

So what are you waiting for? I once heard that every story has a hard part in the middle. Take a look at your life, where you currently stand. If you are having difficult times or circumstances seem overwhelming, congratulations this is the middle, not the end. Even greater than that is the undaunted fact that those adversities can be the platform you need to take a stand, rise up, flex the muscles and overcome that which keeps you stuck. Then you, will know, exactly who you are! You Are A……………."

from the AIIA blog

We can all be champions!

And that's what makes us beautiful.

peace out

Readjust your lens

Sometimes what we think is super important

Really doesn't matter at all.

And sometimes what we think isn't a big deal,

Makes the difference between life and death.

Like little choices, added up.

It's time for me to readjust my lens, 

to see as God does.

Not as man.

beautiful thing:

truth

peace out.

Wake up!

The most important things we can do:

Love God

Love ourselves

Love each other 

that's beautiful.

[peace]

we are all different, and that's the way it should be

"While the Atonement is meant to help us all become more like Christ, it is not meant to make us all the same. 
Sometimes we confuse differences in personality with sin. We can even make the mistake of thinking that because someone is different from us, it must mean they are not pleasing to God. This line of thinking leads some to believe...that each one should look, feel, think, and behave like every other. This would contradict the genius of God, who created every man different from his brother, every son different from his father....

"As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are united in our testimony of the restored gospel and our commitment to keep God’s commandments. But we are diverse in our cultural, social, and political preferences.

"The Church thrives when we take advantage of this diversity and encourage each other to 
develop and use our talents to lift and strengthen our fellow disciples."

- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf -
Second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints