Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says, "Oh Crap, She's up!"

-author unknown

The most important idea for any of us is that this life, with all its advantages and disadvantages, is only temporary. It is part of a larger whole, Our challenge is to develop the perspectives to realize and the strength to act upon the realization that the really important achievements of this life are those that carry enduring, favorable consequences for the eternities to come.

Dallin H. Oaks, "Values." Clark Memorandum, Spring 1991, 10-15.

A Man

I have read this talk over and over again through the years. It's been so inspiring to me especially in trying to raise 3 great boys into manhood. I hope it's as inspirational for others as it's been for me:

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=e3aa6a4430c0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

Our Own Road Block

I am faced with serious challenges right now and have found myself thinking about things and came to this thought:

In our lives we find that many things demand our attention-many good and important things. We are, in general, a hard working and goal setting people. Some seasons of our lives are so hard and so full that we have to be very careful where we are willing to spend our time and energy.
During these times of stress and difficulty we can find ourselves sinking into depression from dealing with regular demands as well as life's changes. It's a real challenge to make the choices that help us overcome our despair.
One thing that is key in life is to do away with any pride we might have. It sounds a little odd, maybe, that this would be the key to warding off despair and depression. But hear me out on this one. We've heard the term "Pride comes before the fall" or something like that, right? Well, in our hearts and souls there is only so much room for emotions. We only have so much energy within ourselves to handle the things going on in our lives. And everyone is a tad bit different in what they can handle. When we allow pride in this sanctuary of limited resources, we find that our perceptions are limited. We find that we have unwanted and dampening roadblocks that take away from our abilities to discern what our positive and productive moves might be in our day and for our life. We find a murkiness like a muddied body of water in our head. Do we have time for that?
I thought about this over and over. I continue to learn so much from others by talking to them and observing their choices and applying things that seem best for my life and family. I noticed that those of us who allowed pride, even a little bit of it, into our hearts had a darkening in our eyes, a stiffening of our responses, and a more uncertain and questioning countenance in place of the faith that we otherwise had had before.
If we take the energy and time to make the choice to substitute gratitude for pride, viola! We have more energy! Can you believe that it can be that simple? The power of a grateful heart. Wow. I wish I had realized this sooner. Think about it. If our hearts and souls are filled with gratitude instead of pride, our minds are quickened in a real sense. We are able to discern and decide on a higher more productive level free of that cloudy, dismal sense of discouragement, full of life and light. Gratitude therefore is the answer.
If I receive accolades for some accomplishment in my busy life and let pride in, I actually will slow down my abilities. But if I accept the accolades with a grateful heart, things are in perspective, my mind is clear and can continue to function in the things that are most important. I won't have to stop and wonder as much about decisions. I won't have to stop and question and mull over problems as often. I won't let things get to me as much, which is a slowing thing.
If I work at having a grateful heart, problems will have their accurate place. The worst things will have their appropriate level of attention from me and I'll make it through the trials of my life with less scaring. Pain will seem to be more of a learning experience than a moment of victimization. No more poor me. There's only room for capable, learning me.
Changes. Life is FULL of changes. From a spiritual standpoint, in reading the scriptures and you can pick any one of them, there is constant evidence that life is full of change and challenge. The Savior isn't shoving anything down our throats in the solutions that His gospel offers. So there is no pride from Him in His example and explanation of happy living. He offers instead the perfect example of seeking light and understanding, in doing away with the roadblock of pride and taking on the characteristics that bring real joy in this otherwise very challenging existence. (See Moroni 7:45-47 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
I am so grateful for the thoughts that have come to my mind and heart this week on this topic. I really needed the insight. I love the simplicity of real pure solutions. That means that I can work on it, simple me. I hope this helps someone else, too.
Have a wonderful light filled day.
I am grateful for you!
I love you ( 'cause I know that anyone who reads this whole entry is a kind person with a big heart ;) )

Problem Solving

Two great quotes. My sister sent the first one and my Dad the second:

"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot further the brotherhood of men by encouraging class hatred.
You cannot help the poor by discouraging the rich.
You cannot establish sound security by spending more than you earn.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves."

Rev. William J. H. Boetcker, 1916

"For every complex problem there is a simple solution . . .

and it is wrong."

H. L. Mencken

Self Assured

Mark was teaching a lesson last Sunday and referred to Hebrews 11:1.

1 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

As we were discussing faith and applying it, it occurred to me that having faith manifests itself in others when they are self assured (notice the word assurance in the scripture). I'm not talking about proud, cocky, or smug. I am talking about the people who have a pleasant demeanor about them even while dealing with difficult people, circumstances and trials.

I have felt this feeling at times and thought that it was pretty wonderful to have a calm strength like that.

So it seems even more obvious as to why Faith is the first principle of the gospel.

Simply put, I think that the Lord intends for us to get our sleep more often than not and not be panicky about life's challenges. If we go to him in faith and act in faith, we will find that things go better than we might have supposed. At least we will save ourselves from our own panic attacks, our own misgivings and our own lack of knowledge and control.

He intends for us to have self assurance-the product of faith.

Our Own Tormentors

Back in June I posted this blog: http://lifespringsfromdeeperthings.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html

I was relaying some thoughts that had occurred to me and found them to be far more reasonable than what the traditions have taught me.

I really do believe that like in this life, when we die, we will be our own hell, our own tormentors. We have that kind of power in this life already to work on our choices, correct them if needed, enjoy the good and keep on living.
The Atonement is such a key aspect of not living in hell. When we repent, really repent, not just say I'm sorry but really focus on our harmful actions and remedy them, we find new hope and new life. Having the atonement is an essential gift that lets us see moments of heaven where we are free from sin and torment. We find that strength in being clean as a whole or in that one area in our lives.
If we are not really done fixing, we will not have an overwhelming peace. We might have comfort but not the strength of purity and the sense of progression.

Here are some quotes that I read this week:
“God has decreed that all who will not obey His voice shall not escape the damnation of hell. What is the damnation of hell? To go with that society who have not obeyed His commands. … I know that all men will be damned if they do not come in the way which He hath opened, and this is the way marked out by the word of the Lord.”12
“The great misery of departed spirits in the world of spirits, where they go after death, is to know that they come short of the glory that others enjoy and that they might have enjoyed themselves, and they are their own accusers.”13
“There is no pain so awful as that of suspense. This is the punishment of the wicked; their doubt, anxiety and suspense cause weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.”14
“A man is his own tormentor and his own condemner. Hence the saying, They shall go into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone [see Revelation 21:8]. The torment of disappointment in the mind of man is as exquisite as a lake burning with fire and brimstone. I say, so is the torment of man. …
“… Some shall rise to the everlasting burnings of God, for God dwells in everlasting burnings, and some shall rise to the damnation of their own filthiness, which is as exquisite a torment as the lake of fire and brimstone.”15 (Joseph Smith)

This is the life to prepare to meet God, right? We need to act in faith being self assured (Heb 11:1) as we go that we are one with our Savior's wisdom and love for us and our love ones. We need to repent. We need to grow in the process. If we allow ourselves to live without real repentance and don't make important changes, we will be miserable now and forever. We need to forgive and love and be careful how we act. The Savior knew this and so he gave us all kinds of solid instruction on what consists of loving, pure behavior culminating in 1 Corinthians (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_cor/13/1-13#4) with the definition of the characteristics of Charity.

The long and short of it is is that our joy is a choice that we make. We are our own worst enemy. We have the controls on our progression here in this existence and where we are able to go after we're done here. Do we want regrets? Or as others say, do we want our own hell? I don't know that many people do. I have a hope that we all want real happiness and should just keep pushing on working our best to be in "heaven". It seems very difficult at times but if it was impossible, it wouldn't be asked of us.

Happiness is living with no regrets.

In that last paragraph of quotes it says that God dwells in everlasting burnings. I hope that living in the everlasting burnings of purity and love and joy is all that I and my loved ones ever see.