Good People

"I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph, and there is purpose and worth to each and every life." ~ Ronald Reagan

This is a great quote, I think as humans we are really hard on others, but mainly ourselves.

Sure life can be tough, and we make mistakes. I think there isn't one day that I haven't made at least one mistake. But that is why I am grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As I learn how to live life, and how to follow Him and Our Father, I am so grateful that even when I make mistakes there is a way for me to repent and be clean of all the past mistakes I have made.

My life has never really been hard. Honestly. Things have always fallen in place for me, even when I think they are going completely wrong. Lately I have had a huge change in how I look at life, and others. I have seen the quote above. I have seen how all people, are good people. And that "what is right will always eventually triumph".

Yesterday I was driving home from church when something amazing happened. I was listening to an old familiar song from a Seminary CD (something they give us when we are teenagers). I looked up at the sky and it was turning from bluish colors, to cream, to orange, and finally to red. It was probably the best feeling of peace that I have had in a long time. It was almost like He was saying, "You're doing the right thing. You're getting to where I need you to be at this moment."

I turned off the music and drove in silence to my house. I wanted more than anything to keep that feeling. There aren't many other words that can describe that feeling.

I invite you to drive without music one day. By yourself. Just go down the street, and travel from Point A to Point B thinking about things. Look at the beautiful that is life. Love everyone that you come in contact with. 

Not One to Boast.

So.

I'm taking a College Algebra course. Which is incredibly difficult because I haven't really even thought about any type of "algebra" for the last three years. Well, today a quiz was due, I started studying, and have taken a couple of breaks.

I just got done with my quiz. The system allows us to take it three times before the grade is submitted. The first time I got a 98%. I had ONE WHOLE HOUR to take it another two times. I'm not going to lie, I almost said to myself, "Self, a 98% is a really good grade. Go to bed." But I didn't, and I'll tell you why.

Yesterday I was able to go to a devotional for the Young Single Adults (YSA) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in my region. There was a fairly old gentleman that spoke to us. He talked about how we can develop Gifts of the Spirit (or the Holy Ghost). Along with many other wonderful topics, he mentioned that the people that are known worldwide for their physical gifts (Mozart, Michael Jordan, etc.) had to have spent at least 10,000 hours doing that one thing they were famous for.

When he mentioned that, I could not shake that from my mind. 10,000 HOURS?! I've been alive for about 8,206 days. So. If from birth I started playing the piano at least one hour a day, I would have been a pro.... in another 1,794 days.

Long reason why I kept on going taking my math quiz. I have learned I need to be more diligent with doing the right thing. And that was just one of many decisions I will make to be more diligent about being the best in what I do.

Anyway. I took my math quiz another time. Second time 'round, I got a 88%..... I was not happy, to say the least. I really was about to go to bed, saying to myself, "Self. You might not be able to beat that 98%. Go to bed." BUT! Did I? NO!

I had another thirty minutes to take the final quiz. I knew in the back of my mind the system would take the highest of the three scores, but that 100% was so close! So I took it again. And I got a 100%. I was quite satisfied at that moment, and wish I could have jumped for joy... But the rest of the house was asleep, and seeing how most really need the sleep... I might have just done a couple of fist pumps (Okay, okay, maybe 5 or 6, with some pointing at the screen involved, and exaggerated whispering.)

There is a really funny movie called "Galaxy Quest" (Tim Allen is the star in it). If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Mainly for the humor. We meet Tim Allen as a retired actor of the popular Sci-Fi TV Sitcom "Galaxy Quest". He's abducted by aliens that believe the show is 100% true. The aliens cannot defend themselves from their enemies, and plead for Tim Allen (and the other actors of the sitcom) to help them. And they are quick to the famous line of Tim Allen's, "Never give up! Never surrender!" (No matter how much they are getting whooped).

So! To my fellow travelers in whatever "Galaxy Quest" (Hopefully that's not a copyright infringement) you might be in, "Never Give up! Never Surrender!" Whatever your goals are, you can reach them. It might take a couple of plateaus before you can get as high as you would like; As long as you are moving in the right direction, you will get there. Trust me. 

Virtue

"The true test of a mans character is what he does when no one is watching." - John Wooden

So true.

Isn't is James 3:4 "Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth."

A lot of people refer to this scripture to help us think of the tongue. But I would like to think that a thought is even smaller than our tongue.

While I was on my mission, I was given a Manual called "Preach My Gospel". It's purpose is to help missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints understand and build testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Within this wonderful Manual is a section about the Christlike Attributes, and how we can develop them. One of the attributes it goes into depth for is Virtue. The following is a paragraph that I think ties very closely with today's quote.

"Your mind is like a stage in a theater; in the theater of your mind, however, only one actor can be on stage at a time. If the stage is left bar, thought of darkness and sin often enter the stage to tempt. But these thoughts have no power if the stage of your mind is occupied by wholesome thoughts, such as a memorized hymn or verse of scripture that you can call upon in a moment of temptation. By controlling the stage of your mind, you can successfully resist persistent urges to yield to temptation and indulge in sin. You can become pure and virtuous."

I believe that when we are alone, that is really when we see who we are. And sometimes we have to be brutally honest about things that we believe and love. What we truly love. And the best part about it, we can choose what appears on the stage. We are not victims, tied to the theater chairs with our eyes forced open. Nope, we can close our eyes, and "boo" those bad thoughts and images off to stage left, and to never come back.

We also have Divine help in this endeavor. I know personally that Heavenly Father and His Son are always trying to inspire us, through the promptings of the Holy Ghost. If we can pay attention to Them, we will easily be able to cast those thoughts off of our stage. That is the greatest help that we can receive. All you have to do is ask for it, and follow the promptings you receive. Then will your stage be full of wonderful acts, inspiring you to be better.