Progress

Progress:

Increasing in truth and light

Progress is such a beautiful thing! Many people in our day, especially members of the church, have a common weakness. We (I say "we" because I know we all do it, at least somewhat) lie in bed every night and instead of thinking about the things that we accomplished or the good things that we did, we think about the ways we messed up or the things that we did wrong. We worry that we weren't as affectionate, as respectful, as beautiful, as professional, or as responsible as we or other people wanted us to be. There are people that have such a hard time with self criticizing or self disappointment  that they sink into a state of depression that only hinders any improvement they might have made. I know that many people spend a lot of time worrying about the day of judgment and the things that our Heavenly Father will say to us. I know that we all worry that we will never be good enough to again enter into His presence or live with Him again. However, I know that all that God requires of us is to improve, to try just a little harder each day. He never has and never will require perfection, only the movement towards it. Progress is another one of those merciful and gracious gifts that God has given us. We should show our gratitude for that gift by loving ourselves for who we are, not worrying about perfection, and only trying to improve every day.

Mercy

Mercy:

Tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook error

Mercy is beautiful. It is generosity, kindliness, and grace. It is a blessing. It is every blessing. It is a newborn baby held in a mother's loving arms. It is a warm place to sleep on a cold, winter night. It is a rainbow after a storm. Mercy is our Savior, "sorrowful...unto death" (Matt. 26:38), suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is the sacrifice that He made on our behalf, that we may return to live with Him and our Father in Heaven. It is the final moments of His, our Savior Jesus Christ's life when He cried, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) Mercy is love. 

"Mercy is of the very essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The degree to which each of us is able to extend it becomes an expression of the reality of our discipleship under Him who is our Lord and Master...He, the Son of the everlasting Father, was the epitome of mercy. ...His sacrifice on the cross was an unparalleled act of mercy in behalf of all humanity"

Gordon B. Hinckley, Blessed are the Merciful

"And thus He shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety..." 

Alma 34:15,16

Patience Continued

This post's purpose is simply to bring your intention to this week's scripture of the week because I thing it goes along great with this week's word.

Patience

Patience: 

the quality of bearing offences without anger or revenge;

trusting the timetables of the Lord

I believe that patience is one of the most important qualities a human being may possess. If one has patience, everything else in life seems just a little bit easier. Weeks spent waiting to find a job and where grocery money is running low don't seem as long, far-off dreams of a beautiful home and a loving family aren't so far away, and years spent widowed and lonely can be more bearable, if only we rely on the Lord and have patience in his intentions.  I hope that I can do better on this in my own life and know that any person who is willing to work on it will find that it makes a difference in all areas of life.

"...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith" Hebrews 12:1-3

I love Running!

Once upon a time, there was me. I was lazy and boring. Then, I joined cross-country, the love of my life. The end. I love to run! Really, I LOVE it. Today, after a couple weeks of doing homework (and, maybe a little bit of my laziness was returning) I went on a lovely little run. I didn't go very far but where I went was beautiful still the same. Since I moved and the cross-country season ended, most of the time I go running, it's up in the mountains or along the river. What beauty! I am very blessed to live where I do. But, today, I was able to recognize the beauty in town too. Running through the Tree Streets is quite a treat. Running is always a treat, but through Oak Hills is even more fantastic. Side note: as I was running up around the temple, I stopped just to look for a little bit. I could see me in my neon orange t-shirt reflected in the upper windows. I look forward to the day when I can really be inside (not wearing my orange t-shirt). I am so grateful for the temple and the blessings that it brings to my life.

Wisdom

This week, as I was struggling through the end of the term, I was very grateful that this week's word was "peace". I noticed the difference as I tried to think of it as I worked. Hopefully, this upcoming week's word will be equally as fitting.

Wisdom: the exercise of sound judgement, 

discerning between truth and error