Thursday, January 30, 2014

More Patience With Ourselves

I've been thinking lately about being patient with myself. It's hard to do--and I often want patience NOW, not on the Lord's timetable. I think we often hand out harsher judgments on ourselves than we do for others. Perhaps that is one of the hardest things in this life--self criticism. We often let go of the wrongs of others so much more easily, but hold ourselves accountable to a higher standard. Maybe it's just me.

I love this song by Michael McLean entitled, "Gentle." I first heard it when I was a freshman in college. We were having an activity and a singing/dancing group from the college performed many songs, including this one, but this is the only one that stuck with me.

"Gentle"
(Words and Music by Micheal McLean)

Like a gentle wind can blow the clouds from the sky,
Like a gentle touch can ease the pain of goodbye,
Like a gentle smile embraces empty souls in lonely places,
We should be more gentle with ourselves.

Like the friend who gently builds us up when we're down,
Like a gentle kiss can turn our world all around,
We've been hurt by others often,
We've forgiven and forgotten,
We should be more gentle with ourselves.

Life can be hard but
we need not be so hard
on ourselves,
If we will see

Like the Shepherd leads his flock with gentle commands.
With his gentle voice that only hearts understand.
One thing we can know for certain, He has borne the awful burdens
so we can be more gentle with ourselves.

One thing that I know for certain:
He will bear my every burden,
So I can be gentle with myself.

Christ's Atonement is for us. It is for our sins, but it is also for our healing. Jesus knows all of the pains we suffer, all of the trials we go through, all of our sadness, fears, hopelessness, despair....all of it. He felt it in Gethsemane, the pain of which caused him to bleed from every pore. He wants us to be patient, to be gentle, with ourselves and to use His Atonement as our healing balm. We shouldn't try to do it alone. 

I wrote this mainly for myself, but hopefully you will be personally touched as well. xo

© Wendy 2014

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

You Are Not Alone

It's interesting how often, at the worst times in our lives, we feel completely alone, abandoned, hopeless and question how we can get through the current trial. Recently, I was feeling this same way as I'm working through some difficult things.

Almost instantly, a thought came to mind that Christ will never abandon me. He says it numerous times in the scriptures:
"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." (John 14:18)
"... I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." (Joshua 1:5)
"...Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9)
There are many times where He says "I will not leave thee" or other similar phrases that all declare that the Lord is with us no matter the circumstance; We are never alone.

Even if those around us are not able to comfort us, care for us or support us and may even abandon us when we need someone the most, The Lord is with us "withersoever thou goest." When we put out trust in the Lord, use His healing Atonement and strive to do what is right, He will be there in our time of need. It may still be quite difficult, but we will be sustained through Him.

You are not alone; You always have the Lord.

© Wendy 2014 

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Words of Inspiration

It seems that there are times in our lives when certain quotes, scriptures or song lyrics will suddenly jump out at us where they hadn't before. It's like they suddenly have meaning, or we're finally ready to hear them. I think the Lord has a hand in this--placing things we need to hear in our path when we need them the most. I've been struggling with some personal matters recently, when I heard a song. Really, for the first time I actually heard the lyrics. I had sung along before, but never really listened. I wish I could find an online version of the song, but just reading the lyrics will have to suffice for now.

"I tucked the pain away
So deep that no one else could see it
I guess that I believed
If I buried it I wouldn't have to feel it

I tried to run
I tried to hide
But the shadows seemed to follow me
Lord, won't You please

Find me
In my hidden places
Come find me
Even where the shadows hide
Strike a match
Bring a torch
Illuminate this deep divide
And find me

I've tried a hundred times
To find my way out of the darkness
But every road I took
Was leading me right back where I started

A place too deep
Somewhere too far
I'm in desperate need of rescuing
Lord, won't You please

Find me
In my hidden places
Come find me
Even where the shadows hide
Strike a match
Bring a torch
Illuminate this deep divide
And find me"

~Hilary Weeks~
I had never had lyrics describe so perfectly exactly what I had been going through--or perhaps the way I had dealt with it. There's been times with scriptures or quotes here and there, but nothing has hit me this hard before. I truly believe that God and His angels are waiting to help us--whether through other people, song lyrics, a feeling in our heart or any other means we are receptive to. He knows what we need when we need it. It doesn't mean that we should try to solve or figure out our problems, but it is usually during these times that His help comes. 

Has this happened to you? 

© Wendy 2014

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Improve Yourself!

Making resolutions last year-roundThe beginning of a new year generally inspires us to make resolutions and to set goals. The purpose of this is ultimately to improve ourselves, to polish our strengths and to chip away at our weaknesses. Elder M. Russell Ballard of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said:
"We can become the masters of our own destinies by practicing self-discipline and by setting worthy goals that will lead to higher ground so that we can become what our Heavenly Father wants us to become."
Learning to master ourselves is one of the main purposes of this earth. We learn, grow, change and improve ourselves. God loves us just the way we are, but like parents, He does want us to learn to walk on our own two feet. We each have an amazing potential inside of us, we just need to discover it and work at it. As President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said:
"May I invite you to rise to the great potential within you. But don’t reach beyond your capacity. Don’t set goals beyond your capacity to achieve. Don’t feel guilty or dwell on thoughts of failure. Don’t compare yourself with others. Do the best you can, and the Lord will provide the rest. Have faith and confidence in Him, and you will see miracles happen in your life and the lives of your loved ones."
As you set goals this year, consider objectives that will make you a better person, improve your life and the lives of those around you and that will ultimately lead to joy and happiness. Maybe you want to spend more time with your family, read scriptures daily, pray several times a day, serve others, and lose bad habits like being judgmental, gossiping, negativity or other practices that are best left alone. Making improvements in yourself will lead to more happiness and satisfaction and quality of life.

For more ideas on goals and setting realistic ones, read my article on familyshare.com: "Making Resolutions Last Year-Round."

Inspirational blogs:
Dreaming About Someday
A Mouse in my Kitchen