Straighten Your Crown!

We are children of a King, offspring of the Most High, and we were placed on this earth for a

purpose. Each day we live on this earth affords us the opportunity to discover that purpose. We will stumble and fall, and sometimes lose our way, but each new day is another opportunity to correct our course and get back on the path.
We are entering the beginning of the most turbulent times we will ever face in this world, and now, more than ever, is the time to get our houses in order. Now is the time to call upon the Lord. Now is the time to earnestly strive to fulfill our divine callings, to be better than we were yesterday, to live better than we lived yesterday. Only by doing this can we come to truly know and understand who we really are. Only by turning our hearts to the Lord and holding fast to God's word can we safely stay on the path to reach the royal reward our Heavenly Father has in store for us.
Yesterday has passed and has already been lived, and new trials are before us, but we will overcome the trials as long as we remember who we are. Let us don our crowns and remember that with Christ, we can do all things. We are loved more than we know, and we are never alone.

Just Let Go

"Release all offenses against you, let them go. Forgive and forget those who have wronged you. Be glad, let go, rejoice, and be free. Seek out the joy in all you do today. Celebrate every blessing with true thanksgiving to the One who rejoices over you." ~ Jonathan Cahn

We all know that life would not be complete without opposition, and many times that opposition comes because of offenses against us, the pain delivered by the hands of others. There are many reasons people hurt other people, and none of them are good - there is never a good reason, but this is just a fact of life. Agency is a beautiful thing and a gift beyond price, but sadly, many abuse their agency by afflicting others with pain and suffering.

One of the most important parts of overcoming the offenses of others is forgiving and moving on. Letting anger and hurt fester and grow inside us hurts us more than we know, attracting so much darkness, we walk around with a virtual cloud over us, and to keep from getting caught in the downpour, others tend to stay away. True, there will be a few who will wallow in the mud puddles with you, but the best companions are the ones who will don sturdy rain boots and try to pull you out of the storm. Those are the true angels.

Life is so beautiful, and every day and moment we are here is a blessing. Life is too short to hold on to anger. So just let go. Open your heart, pour your pain into the hands of the Master, and just let go.

Removing the Cord

"Destroy any paths leading to your past and make a clean break. Be fearless and focused on the Kingdom that is ahead of you and the One who holds the keys to your future." ~ Jonathan Cahn

As humans, we all make mistakes. None of us are perfect, and as imperfect beings, we stumble and fall many times along our way through life. Yes, we are bound to make poor choices, but instead of repenting of our sins, weaknesses, and shortcomings and moving on, many of us don't move on, or we do move on a little ways but drag the past along with us.

Even though the Lord forgives our sins and forgets them, we don't forget them, which is okay. It's right that we don't forget, because they are a reminder and a deterrent, hopefully swaying us not to repeat those offenses again. But in many cases, we unnecessarily drag the past around with us. Instead of overcoming, we let the past hang around our neck like a flaxen cord that we can't escape.

We need to understand that we do have an escape. God gave us that escape when He gave us His Son. Christ paid the escape fee, He paid our ransom, and our debt is clear. When we've truly repented and made a change in our life, we need to allow ourselves to move on and focus on that Kingdom that is ahead of us, not the crumbling city we left behind. We must not be like Lot's wife in the book of Genesis, who turned back to look with longing at the city God had just helped them escape. When she did this, her life was immediately forfeit, and for her, all was lost. Each time we look back on our old life, we lose a little more of ourselves and our growth is stunted.

The atonement of our Savior was gifted to us for a reason. When we truly apply it in our lives, we become strong enough to overcome all- all the poor choices, all the trials, all the pain, and all the regret. This is coming from a person who knows, so trust me on this.

As we begin this new year, may we all change the direction of our vision. May we intently fix our eyes on the glorious Kingdom ahead of us, not the abandoned, desolate city, state, country, island, etc. behind us. Now more than ever is the time to get our hearts, minds, and lives in order. We were given the means to do this long ago. That escape is ours for the taking. May we all vow to take the key offered, unlock the door, step through, then lock it behind us. If we walk through that door with our hand in the Savior's, there will be no danger of being pulled back through. He has promised this, and

He never goes back on His word.

Happy New Year!

Riding the Storm

Opposition is a natural part of life and we learn and grow with each trial we face. The greater the hardship, the stronger we become when we overcome it. We just need to remember that no matter what we face, we never have to face it alone. The Savior is always there to carry the burden and shoulder the pain, but only when we allow Him to.

E.A. Bucchaineri said, “A new challenge keeps the brain kicking and the heart ticking." This is such a true statement. If we didn't have trials, our growth in this life would be stunted and there would be no way we could reach our full potential. Without sorrow there can be no real joy. Sure we all love the times in life when everything is smooth sailing, but only because we have experienced the rocky seas first. I consider the joy that come after the pain celestial favor, and though it is sometimes hard to see the end of a storm, eventually, it does come.

One of my favorite quotes is from the movie The Count of Monte Cristo. In the movie, the Count is attending the birthday dinner of Mercedes' son, Albert Mondego. He gives the birthday toast and during that toast he says something that has always stuck with me. When talking about the storms of life, he repeats something Albert said weeks earlier when he was accosted in an alleyway, and adds some extra words of wisdom to it. He said, "When those storms come, say to them, 'Do your worst, for I will do mine.'"

Every single one of us has times in our life when storms rage and we wonder if one of these times we will be washed away with the tide. Yet somehow we stand strong. We are somehow gifted with the strength to withstand the raging waters and go on. We will be told at different times in our lives that God will not give us more than we can handle. He lets it rain and He lets the winds blow, because He knows it is for our good. He knows exactly what lessons we need when we need them. How grateful I am for that truth.
So when we faces those storms in life, let's quote the Count of Monte Cristo and say "Come on! Do your worst, for I will do mine!" Then we will lean on the strength of the Lord and learn and grow from the experiences.

Thoughts From a Mother of a Reformed Wayward Child

Today I want to talk about a painful subject that many parents deal with. This is the trial of having a wayward child.

Every parent has gone through these steps with their children:

First: Oh, I can't wait until he can he's born.

Then: I can't wait until she can sit up on her own.

I can't wait until she can crawl.

I can't wait til he can walk.

I can't wait until he can talk.

I can't wait til she's out of diapers.

I can't wait til she can go to nursery.

I can't wait til he can go to pre-school.

I can't wait til he can drive. (Well, maybe some of us aren't sure about that one.)

I can't wait til he can get a job.

I can't wait until he graduates.

I can't wait until she's married.

Then: I can't believe how quickly time has gone.

We all want our children to grow to be strong individuals with integrity and righteous morals. But since we all come to this earth gifted with agency, there is no guarantee that that path will be taken.

When a child strays, as parents, we have a tendency of wondering what we did wrong, or what we could have said or done to prevent or deter that child from making the choices he or she has. Sometimes we doubt our ability to be a good parent. Sometimes we wonder if God hears our pleas for the child, and wonder why He doesn't stop the child from straying off the path. Sometimes we even blame ourselves for something we might have done in our own lives and wonder if this is our punishment. This thinking could not be more wrong. I know this because I once felt these very things.

Sometimes we parents see a teenager beginning to make bad choices and try to help him or her see the consequences that are sure to follow those choices. We even try to help them see how the choices they make now will affect their future. We can see it all clearly, but the teen can't because their brains don't work that way. They think they know so much, they even think they know more than we do.

Then the teen becomes a man or woman and lives a destructive life. Does this mean we as parents have failed in our calling to love and guide this child that God has entrusted to our care?

No, it doesn't.

Basically all we can do is all we can do. We teach them what's right, then we place them in God's hands.

If you have done your best to raise your children right and one or two stray off the path that God wants them on, please don't beat yourself up over it. Agency is a powerful thing, and all you can do is pray that they finally understand that enough to use it wisely. You can't let it destroy you.

All we can do is turn our children over to our Heavenly Father - because they were His first.

Letting Go and Moving On

How true this quote is, and in many different contexts, but I choose to use it in reference to healing.
Part of healing and overcoming poor choices of the past is learning to forgive ourselves, letting go and moving on. Yes, there are lessons to be learned and those lessons will change the course of our lives - hopefully in a good way - but each time we look back and rehash, we stunt our growth, which is not what God wants. We can never forget mistakes, but we should also never forget how far we have come.
Overcome the past by looking forward, and be grateful for how far the Lord has brought you.
Always be grateful.

Keeping Our Eyes On the Prize

Helen Keller said, "Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and

you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost.” 

We all have things to overcome in life, whether it be trials or maybe even our own weaknesses. We have times when we feel successful, then there are other times when we stumble and fall. Falling is a part of life and it happens. But when it does, instead of beating ourselves up over our mistakes and letting hopelessness descend upon us, we need to recognize them, make amends within ourselves, and then start again. Falling doesn't mean we forget the progress we have made, it just means we need to be a little stronger the next time. When we fully lean on the Lord, He will give us that strength.

With all the things I have personally experienced in my life and how far God has brought me, giving up is not an option. If I did that, I would let down my Savior and myself. As long as I keep going, I am able to find joy in every weakness I overcome.
I pray that we can all persevere, keeping our eyes on the heavenly prize that is ours when we succeed.
And we will:-)