Life goes by so quickly.
Sometimes, this fact is awe-inspiring to me. How one day I can look back and see how far I’ve come, or how quickly a lovely moment turns into a memory.
Oftentimes, though, life’s fast pace is quite jarring to me. How is it that we are already more than halfway through this year? That I am now in the midst of Summer and her magic? That by November of next year I will have reached adulthood?
Let’s slow down on that last one, actually.
Yes, life moves very fast. Though time is relative, isn’t it? A long car journey feels very different depending on if you are the one driving or if you are in the backseat with a nice movie to watch the whole time. Our mortal journey is the same. We can view life as going by too fast, and then in the same breath wonder how every day feels so long.
The scriptures tell us we grow “line upon line”. Well, what if you’re like me, and “line upon line” seems like it will never make you grow?
We are told to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in Him”(Moroni 10:32), but what if perfection seems too far away? What if we feel too imperfect, too broken, to ever reach- or even survive in- eternity?
I know I feel like this.
And sometimes I feel, in the midst of my darkness, that I am a failure to feel like this.
It’s funny, too, because I’m not consciously THINKING “I am now going to be so prideful I ignore God and His doctrine.” No! Of course not! I can’t think of anyone who would consciously bring despair and anxiety upon themselves.
And yet, our biggest trials can happen within our own minds- the one thing we thought we could always trust.
What do we do in instances like this? Where our thoughts and emotions seem to betray us?
Perhaps- and I hope I can add structure to my rant by saying this- what we must do is shift our focus just a bit, and remember what I alluded to in the beginning of this post: Time.
A concept which we mortals find so difficult to understand.
Perhaps, if time is so irrelative here- one day can feel like a moment in hindsight, and then like an eternity in the present- it could be just as such in the eyes of Heaven?
Perhaps God sees the course of our lives differently than we do?
Oh, my dear friends, if there is anything I am learning in the time I have not posted here, it is that we progress. Our potential is so much bigger than our anxiety. Our small efforts will do so much to grow stronger than even our wickedest habits. God sees beyond our moment of anxiety, depression, or even blind pride, and sees us. Spirit children with potential.
That same verse in Moroni that speaks of perfection doesn’t just throw the notion out there without giving us a way to achieve it. Moroni also says later in the verse, “by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ” (Moroni 10:32, emphasis added). Jesus Christ is there to help us! He will not assign us to anything we cannot attain! All He asks is that we put in the work and try our best. And through this process of progression, He has promised perfection and all that He has. Isn’t that beautiful?
Brothers and sisters, press forward. Don’t give up! Don’t quit just yet! It’s so beautifully miraculous on this planet- yes, life can be so hard, but diamonds are so hard too, and we call them beautiful.
Much love and thank you for reading my message,
Emma
OKAY NOW DON’T GO YET, BECAUSE NOW THAT I HAVE CONCLUDED THE SPIRITUAL PORTION OF THIS POST I CAN TALK LIKE THIS IN ALL CAPS
Phew, I’m going to stop yelling at y’all there.
So, I started this blog maaaybe a year ago? Two years? Besides the point, I’ve been very inconsistent with my posting since then- including my many-month-spontaneous hiatus. But doing something like this- regularly recording my thoughts, and sharing them in a healthy and safe way- is something I feel very passionate about. I’ve been feeling small nudges to begin posting again, but no huge revelations. And honestly, I think that is because God wants me to choose for myself. He can’t tell me EVERYTHING I’m supposed to do, after all.
So. Since I’m still pretty new to the regular posting thing, I’m going to make you all a promise:
I will make a blog post every week.
I can’t promise a specific day yet, or what the theme of said blog post will be. I also can’t promise that I won’t post more than once in a week! But, I can promise at least one post a week.
Sounds good!
Okay! I can’t wait to see where this takes us. I don’t know when my next post will be, considering I have youth conference this week, but I shall see you all when I see you!
oxoxo,
Blissfully yours,
Emma
