Lessons from my Childhood

FAITH

Sorry its taken me a bit to update what it is I'm doing this month (and next.) Rest assured, I have not been slacking or quitting.
In Texas my stake president* had a famous saying that he would give each time he spoke to the youth "Good choices = happiness." So simple. We all knew that when he spoke to us it would come up at some point. I suppose it was very important for him to know that we knew it.
"Perseverance in making correct decisions is what leads us to happiness.
Happiness comes as a result of our obedience and our courage in always doing the will of God, even in the most difficult circumstances."-Benjamin De Hoyos
I've heard this said different ways. Once the message went something like "living beneath the standards you hold for yourself will bring you unhappiness." Most people have a moral code. I'm aware yours may not be the same as mine, but it doesn't matter if it is or not when applying this principle. If you are living below the morals you have for yourself you will not be happy. When your actions reflect the opposite of who you truly are, you will not be happy.
I think the world and all the broken things about it scream at us to just lower our standards, lower our morals and we can be happy that way. I suppose its true... for a moment.
Its possible to have a crazy night of laughing and messing around that will look just like happiness. But the next morning, if you remember it, your happiness might leave you with a headache, an embarrassing story or photo, a disappointed friend or family member. I promise you true happiness does not come with negative consequences. Promise.
I guess what I'm trying to tell you (and myself) is not to lower your standards or morals to fit into someone else's "happy" story. The only way it will be your happy ending is to know who you are, what you stand for, and to live accordingly.


On that note.. this month I'm putting into action the things I've heard since I was primary aged.
1. Read the scriptures daily. I've been doing this since my first month so I've already got a pretty good head start on this one.
2. Pray every morning and night. Whats funny is that the three things that the church stresses to us is "read the scriptures, pray, and go to church," but what I've realized throughout this last month and a half is that you have to do all of them together for it to work. I've been reading the book of Mormon every day, but I haven't been praying and building a relationship with God or Christ... it hasn't felt the same. So this is one I'm really working on improving.
3. Attend a temple session each week. If you're not LDS this won't make any sense to you, but essentially at the mysterious Mormon temple we go to make promises with God. Like any promise, commitment, or resolution its easy to forget about it as life goes by. Going each week will remind me the standards I've committed to and make it easier to keep them.
4. Excel in my church calling. K so far I've failed this.. I am a "Visiting Teaching supervisor." The women of a ward are assigned a companion and at least 2 other women to visit and teach. This is the Lord's way of making sure His daughters are individually looked after and taken care of. I am responsible for visiting the girls, but I also have to keep track of whether or not every other girl in my building has visited theirs.
5. Bear testimony to what I believe every chance I get. I have opportunities through my job to tell people about the LDS church because the PCC is so closely connected to it. I don't usually take chances when someone brings it up, but I do hope that they can at least feel the loving spirit that Christ offers (hopefully) through me serving them.

Religion is a tough topic. There is so much in my heart that I wish I could express about how important it is. We live in extremely tough times where happiness is hard to find. I doubt I'll convert someone through a blog post, but in the chance that you're reading this and you're feeling lost, lonely, or unhappy... give Christ a chance. I would love to point you in the right direction of a ward family or 2 guys in nice suits who can uplift you and help you understand lasting happiness.
Love you all! Have a wonderful day today!













*For those who don't know what a stake president is.. The LDS church tries to keep congregations smallish. They separate a city into different "ward" boundaries based on how many members will be in each congregation. A bishop presides over an individual ward. The wards are grouped into stakes based on region and a stake president presides over the group of wards.