What is Success?

I can't count how many times I have heard so-called motivational speakers, presenters and celebrities talk about what they have accomplished and achieved in this life, counseling others on how they, too, can have the good things in life if they would just believe in themselves. To the world, success is that big house, that expensive car, that six-figure job or prestigious position. To some, success is being able to travel wherever and whenever they please, to marry that "perfect" spouse and have those "perfect" children. They feel accomplished when they get that degree or that promotion, when they climb that corporate ladder.
Many look on these achievements with pride - with pride in themselves for what they have done.

Now, to others, success is being able to pay their bills, put food on the table and still have a little money to tuck away in savings. Or raising children who grow up to be productive people in society and understand that they must work for what they want in life. Or being able to have children, period.
For some, success is just being able to get out of bed each morning and put one foot in front of the other to get through the day. For others it is successfully making it through another day without giving in to that alcoholic drink, that drug, that cigarette, that urge to self-mutilate, or allow themselves to sink into despair and doubt of self-worth (once upon a time I related to those things well.) Success mean many things to many people. For this latter group, the pride may be of a different kind, but it is still there.

Regardless of which group we fall into, no matter the importance of these achievements, and despite what the world would have us believe, we do nothing on our own. Any and everything that is good in our lives comes from God.

Sadly, material things have become more important than God, the One who gave us life, the One who gave us all. Also sadly, the only time many of us remember to call upon Him is in times of despair. When all is right in our own little worlds, we forget Him when we should be praising and thanking Him all day every day for all we have been given. He gives us so much and asks for so little.
And this weekend, we will celebrate His greatest gift to us: the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.
I pray that we will all look upon each day as a blessing, and give gratitude to our Father in Heaven for successes, both big and small, because we accomplish nothing that is truly good in this life on our own. I also pray that we can remember that nothing we could ever accomplish or gain in this life will ever be more important than what we will accomplish and gain eternally if we will but put the Lord first and remember the source from which our blessings flow.

Hurting God

"When you are tempted today to do what you shouldn't do, consider the pain you'll be causing the One you love. And be done with it." ~ Jonathan Cahn

Choice is a beautiful gift, one that is constantly abused by all of us. Not all of us abuse agency intentionally, but each time we choose to do something contrary to God's teachings, we have abused that privilege, and when we choose wrong, we don't just hurt ourselves and others, we hurt God the Father. We also hurt His Son, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, the One person who suffered all for us.

Though the Atonement happened long ago, its effect is ongoing, forever working to make up the difference for our shortcomings. Now, whether we utilize it is another story. This Gift wasn't something we earned or something that was owed to us, it was given freely. The Savior, our Elder Brother, gave Himself for us. God gave His only begotten Son for us. When we knowingly make poor use of our agency, it is like we are saying to God, "Thanks, but no thanks. I don't need it. I'll be fine without it." No, deep inside, many don't feel that way, but actions speak louder than words.

I know that I am a sinner. I am a vile creature, lower than the dust, and an enemy to God. I know this. I also know that each time I go against God's wishes and against His will, I don't just hurt myself. I also hurt my family because it draws me farther from that goal of eternity with them. It also draws me farther from my Father, and I know that hurts Him.
So I choose to pray every day all day that I might do His will. My prayers for His help in this are constant, and doing this helps to keep me safer than not asking for His help and guidance and living according to my own will.

When I think of the drops of blood my Savior shed on my behalf, I feel a physical ache inside. I believe several glasses of those drops were drawn from Him during my past - because of my own choices, as well of the choices of others that were inflicted upon me and the pain they produced. And those glasses have probably trickled over a little each day since. But I know each drop was given in love, so now I lean on that love, more than I ever have before. My daily, hourly, minute by minute repentance is the way I lean on that love. All I can do is pray, plead and hope that His grace washes over me and the righteous intents of my heart are accepted. This is all any of us can do.
But it all starts with what we choose.

So the next time we use our agency - which is a second from now - let us consider the pain we will cause the Father should me choose to do that which is contrary to His will. Consider the painful drops of blood Christ shed for us in Gethsemane. Because as I said, the effects are ongoing - the pain and the sorrow of our willful choice to abuse the agency we've been given.
Then consider the joy our Father and our Savior will feel if we bend to the Father's will instead of our own.
I pray that we can all align our will to God's and reap the joy and blessings He is anxious to bestow upon us, blessings we will receive both now and in the eternities.
At this time in life, with the world growing more wicked by the day, exercising our agency wisely and fixing our eyes on the Savior is more important than we know. Only by doing this can we truly hold fast to hope - hope for ourselves, our families, and the world.

God's Purpose

‘If the solar system was brought about by an accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was also an accident, and the whole evolution of Man was an accident too. If so, then all our present thoughts are mere accidents—the accidental by-product of the movement of atoms. And this holds for the thoughts of the materialists and astronomers as well as for anyone else’s. But if their thoughts—i.e. of materialism and astronomy—are merely accidental by-products, why should we believe them to be true? I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give me a correct account of all the other accidents. It’s like expecting that the accidental shape taken by the splash when you upset a milkjug should give you a correct account of how the jug was made and why it was upset.’
C.S. Lewis, The Business of Heaven

In today's world, there are many beliefs being pushed and taught about why we are here and how we got here. But those of us who truly know who we are and who our Father is, know that nothing and no one was put here by accident. That is nothing accidental or coincidental about why we are here. God has a purpose for everything, and He has a purpose for us as well.
Sometimes life seems like an uphill battle of dealing with one trial after another, making many wonder what it is all for and why should they keep going on. True, there is opposition in all things, but some may feel that all they experience is opposition and it is hard for them to see any good in life.
But there is good.
We need to learn to look past the bitter in life and seek out the sweet, because it is always there. Yes, this is easier said than done, but it can be done, believe me, I know. If the Savior can help me through the harrowing storms and devastation I have experienced in my life and carry me to those sunny days, He can help anyone. The secret to latching on to the Savor's help is believing you are important and significant enough to seek His help. With each passing day, we need that help more than we know.

So remember, God loves us and has a purpose for everything He does. He does nothing by accident and His plans never involve coincidence.
There is always a purpose.
We are that purpose.

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.