Hey, everyone! I felt like I should hop on here and give you guys an update- mostly because my mindset says that if I’m not posting about my life events, it didn’t happen 😅. But I’m chill with these thoughts, you know why? Because they don’t define me. My life is defined by who I become, not what Instagram sees of me. Remember that, ‘cause it’s important.
Anywho, on the vein of updates:
Two weeks ago (? right?) I traveled to Florida with my brother, my aunt and uncle, and my cousins for spring break. It was lovely to see my extended family in person, and getting to be out on vacation was very relaxing. (I still miss you guys!!! 😢)
While on vacation, I realized something. I’m happiest when I’m free. I feel like I often tie myself down by so many things- the order I do things in a day, my schoolwork, how much time I spend on my phone, what I post on Instagram, and so many others.
But would God send me here just to watch me tie myself down? No. Because His home is in the heavens- and to get back to him, I must learn to fly. But you can’t fly if you’ve got chains attaching you to the ground, can you? No. Fortunately, God is the keeper of the keys I need to unlock the latches on those chains and set myself free. And for me, finding freedom is very simple.
First, I cannot define myself by what I do or what others see me do. Like I said earlier, I’m defined by who I am and who I become. Who do I want to be? For me personally, I want to be a good disciple of Jesus Christ. That’s it! That’s very simple to me. And I think that relieves me of worrying about all those mortal things that tie me down- I don’t need to worry about them; I just need to worry about being an obedient disciple. Once you put that into perspective, everything else falls into place.
Secondly, I think I need to remember the three things that always help me stay on the covenant path: Faith, Hope, and Charity. It always comes back to those three. The talks in Sacrament today primarily focused on hope (random comment: my mom was one of the speakers!!! And her talk was really awesome!!! Go, mama!!!), and something I learned about hope that struck me is this: the way the world defines hope and the way Christ defines hope are two different things. The way the world defines hope is more of an uncertain thing- like, “I hope we win the game,” or, “I hope I can be better,” or, “I hope it doesn’t rain.” The way Christ defines hope is more of a peaceful feeling even in the middle of imperfection and uncertainty. While the world says, “I hope I can be better someday,” Christ says, “You’re imperfect now, but you can still have hope in Me.” Do you recognize that feeling of hope now that you think about it? It’s like this warm feeling of peace you get, even when the world is freaking out ‘cause everything’s falling apart. It’s a hope that’s more fulfilling than anything the world could ever offer you. That’s the power of the Atonement. That’s what happens when you run to Jesus.
And, don’t worry, Faith and Charity fit in here too! Watch how they play off of each other. For me, once I’ve prayed to God and received that feeling of hope, I feel motivated to exercise my faith. And, more often than not, how can I exercise that faith? By striving to show charity- the pure love of Christ- to myself and my fellow man! They all fit together, see? That’s why they’re so important. They aren’t repeated multiple times in the scriptures for no reason.
I hope if I’ve taught you anything from my thoughts here, it’s this: even if life gets messy and imperfect, if we run to Jesus and lay our burdens on Him, He will reveal a simple way (well, simple in terms of words, it may be a little tricky to actually do it😉) for us to find light. His way will always always always be the best way. We might not see it at times, but if we follow Him, we will be made stronger. I promise.
Aaannnd that’s all from me! Hope you’re having a BEAUTIFUL Sabbath! God bless you all :)
oxoxo,
blissfully yours,
Emma💛🌻🍯
