One of the greatest gifts God has given us is emotion, to feel something so deep our thoughts impact our hearts. We feel great pain with heaviness at times, and we cry tears that seem never ending. Sometimes we feel so full of joy, it's hard to comprehend life could ever be so good. Emotion plays a huge part in our lives, good or bad, we all experience this hammer to our heart.
A hammer is known to be a tool of building or taking apart. It helps destroy or fix to build something better, but there's a trick to this simple yet significant tool, the beholder is the one who gets to decide the outcome.
It works this way in life as well, we determine what will break or fix us , not the situation or problem itself at hand, but inside our deep desperation of hopelessness and confused thoughts, we will always have the decision on what we let define us. Do we give up and let the hammer destroy? Or do we decide to realize that with time and sincere faith for a better outcome, we have to continue to build a better creation no matter how difficult it may be at the time. Beautiful things aren't just built in one day, but through the best teacher, the best creator, if we listen closely and really pay attention close to what he's trying to teach us, we can fix what was once broken and create something new, something better, something to feel good and at peace with. Sometimes it's as simple as building something to have hope in.
My first semester in college I lived in Hawaii, attending Brigham Young University. I had so many hopes and dreams of accomplishing and becoming something great. I had the love and support from all of my family and friends. Everyone that knew me personally was routing for me and was so excited for this brand new adventure I was setting out on. I felt so confident in the person I was and what I was setting out to become.
With time things began to change not only around me, but within me as well. Being out there by myself I experienced adversity I had never known before, I didn't understand what I thought was love and I had never felt so insecure about myself and yet to everyone who knew me I was living an absolute dream that people couldn't even comprehend! Even when I was in a car accident and had lost a dear close friend or the night when my father left my family, those huge trials seemed nothing compared to what was happening to me then and yet it was the hardest thing I've ever experienced.
One night me and a friend went to eat out at 7 Brothers, as we walked in I noticed two sister missionaries, one of them I knew I recognized from social media and I got so excited that I wanted to meet her! I finally got the courage to talk to her and make my little "fan debut" and I made my way over to her and her companions direction. Immediately within minutes of just talking to them I felt peace I hadn't felt in a long time. We started talking about reasons why they chose to serve. Time ran out and we decided to meet up another time to talk more. As they walked away it dawned on me why I felt I was struggling so much in life recently. I had lost the light of Christ. In the midst of trying to find who I was I had lost sight and left what really did make me the happy person I usually was. I was trying to find happiness on my own, without anybody's help and going off of what I saw the world enjoy as happiness, but all along I was missing the main piece of me that really made me who I was- Christ.
Where the ocean meets the land our shoreline resides. Waves that are constantly rolling in, touching the sand and then going back into the ocean. Back and forth all day, the shoreline wades, despite harsh winds, stormy days or perfect warm sunshiny weather, the shoreline will be found. You can't take away the shoreline without the ocean and together they create beautiful islands that people pay thousands of dollars to vacation every year. This beautiful creation put together brings people all over the world true beauty and peace. The soft sand, the cool waves coming in and out and the peaceful sounds of the ocean.
It was an late October evening and I sat on the beach watching the sun go down as soft tears poured down my face and gently fell to the ground. I watched as they were soaked up by the sand, dissolving instantly like I hadn't even been crying. I thought deeply about the choices I had made the past couple of months. I thought about the people I encountered, the places I went and the experiences I now possessed that were engraved deeply in my mind. In ways I loved the lessons I learned, but some of them hit me harshly, because I knew I could have avoided them. There are things in life everyone needs and should experience, but when you let stupidity take over your judgment, because you give in to a temporary moment, you feel betrayed and it hurts worse in my opinion. I was deceived and played and my young heart didn't understand. Slowly the impact of my choices caught up with me and my emotions began to mix together. I was a complete mess.
My grades were slipping and I kept sleeping through my morning classes. I quit praying to God, because I felt like I had to prove I could do things on my own, that I could fix these problems without anybody's help and then when I got my life back in order, when life was good again, I could continue to pray to God. I think at the moment I was trying to show him that I hadn't lost my testimony, but in reality, I was losing it by avoiding him. Without my daily prayers and scripture study my life was truly falling apart. I was fighting with my family who were miles away and money was becoming a bigger issue for me, I was not good with financing money! Life just seemed to be slipping through my fingers and I didn't have enough hands to catch myself- I was lost.
Sitting there on the sand I thought back to the sister missionaries that brought me the peace I had been searching for the past couple of months. I was so ashamed that I could forget my Savior after the amazing opportunities he had given me, I would never be where I was in life without His constant love and devotion for me. I glanced down at the beach and realized where I wanted to be- standing on the shoreline. I slipped off my sandals and walked slowly to the ocean, to the edge of the water as it met the land. I knew then what I really wanted in life and where my true happiness would be found-barefoot on the shoreline.
The shoreline was where my Savior, Jesus Christ had been all along. Constant and always there no matter what type of weather. My Heavenly Father letting his son reach the shore to all who would come and enjoy the great gift he brought. Without the ocean there is no shoreline, my father in Heaven was the ocean. I decided I didn't like this "one foot in the door - one foot out the door" lifestyle. I needed to dive right in with both feet into the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Dedicating my whole heart to him and making the necessary changes in my life to be near Him, no matter how difficult the decision was going to be. I needed to take off my sandals and walk along side him, leave my sins behind and move forward in His constant all loving grace, it was time to walk along the shore.
Despite the situation you are in or the way you may be feeling at any given moment, happy or sad, you always have the choice to what you let defines you. Life isn't about figuring out who you are, life is about creating yourself! You always have the chance to build your life the way you want it to be! Through every storm, there really is true light. You just have to hold on and let the storm pass to see it. The Savior has been true hope and divine peace for me. I may be paying for consequences now, based on choices I made in the past, but how I'm choosing to move forward and let the Savior come upon the sand to help clean my slate off is all that matters to Him and me. I'm focusing on building a better me and I have already seen huge blessings and love from both my Savior and family as I've put my life back in His hands.
Every day we are faced with problems, it's just a part of life that everybody goes through! Hectic day to day situations, family drama, loss of loved ones, financial situations or simply finding out what really makes us happy. Through the Savior I know that it's never too late for enjoyment and peace. Life is meant to be enjoyed! Not just endured. We can be happy NOW, even during the hard times, we just have to choose to want to seek the happiness! Life is a beautiful thing, everything we go through creates our story. I'm not perfect and I never will be, but by continuing to never give up despite my shortcomings is all the Savior asks. Sincerely I love my life! My crazy family, the trials I've been through and the experiences I get to have truly are a blessing. Life sure is complicated, if anyone figures it out please let me know!! As for now I'm taking baby steps to a better and happier me. You can find me at barefoot at the shoreline :)
HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE
A hammer is known to be a tool of building or taking apart. It helps destroy or fix to build something better, but there's a trick to this simple yet significant tool, the beholder is the one who gets to decide the outcome.
It works this way in life as well, we determine what will break or fix us , not the situation or problem itself at hand, but inside our deep desperation of hopelessness and confused thoughts, we will always have the decision on what we let define us. Do we give up and let the hammer destroy? Or do we decide to realize that with time and sincere faith for a better outcome, we have to continue to build a better creation no matter how difficult it may be at the time. Beautiful things aren't just built in one day, but through the best teacher, the best creator, if we listen closely and really pay attention close to what he's trying to teach us, we can fix what was once broken and create something new, something better, something to feel good and at peace with. Sometimes it's as simple as building something to have hope in.
My first semester in college I lived in Hawaii, attending Brigham Young University. I had so many hopes and dreams of accomplishing and becoming something great. I had the love and support from all of my family and friends. Everyone that knew me personally was routing for me and was so excited for this brand new adventure I was setting out on. I felt so confident in the person I was and what I was setting out to become.
With time things began to change not only around me, but within me as well. Being out there by myself I experienced adversity I had never known before, I didn't understand what I thought was love and I had never felt so insecure about myself and yet to everyone who knew me I was living an absolute dream that people couldn't even comprehend! Even when I was in a car accident and had lost a dear close friend or the night when my father left my family, those huge trials seemed nothing compared to what was happening to me then and yet it was the hardest thing I've ever experienced.
One night me and a friend went to eat out at 7 Brothers, as we walked in I noticed two sister missionaries, one of them I knew I recognized from social media and I got so excited that I wanted to meet her! I finally got the courage to talk to her and make my little "fan debut" and I made my way over to her and her companions direction. Immediately within minutes of just talking to them I felt peace I hadn't felt in a long time. We started talking about reasons why they chose to serve. Time ran out and we decided to meet up another time to talk more. As they walked away it dawned on me why I felt I was struggling so much in life recently. I had lost the light of Christ. In the midst of trying to find who I was I had lost sight and left what really did make me the happy person I usually was. I was trying to find happiness on my own, without anybody's help and going off of what I saw the world enjoy as happiness, but all along I was missing the main piece of me that really made me who I was- Christ.
Where the ocean meets the land our shoreline resides. Waves that are constantly rolling in, touching the sand and then going back into the ocean. Back and forth all day, the shoreline wades, despite harsh winds, stormy days or perfect warm sunshiny weather, the shoreline will be found. You can't take away the shoreline without the ocean and together they create beautiful islands that people pay thousands of dollars to vacation every year. This beautiful creation put together brings people all over the world true beauty and peace. The soft sand, the cool waves coming in and out and the peaceful sounds of the ocean.
It was an late October evening and I sat on the beach watching the sun go down as soft tears poured down my face and gently fell to the ground. I watched as they were soaked up by the sand, dissolving instantly like I hadn't even been crying. I thought deeply about the choices I had made the past couple of months. I thought about the people I encountered, the places I went and the experiences I now possessed that were engraved deeply in my mind. In ways I loved the lessons I learned, but some of them hit me harshly, because I knew I could have avoided them. There are things in life everyone needs and should experience, but when you let stupidity take over your judgment, because you give in to a temporary moment, you feel betrayed and it hurts worse in my opinion. I was deceived and played and my young heart didn't understand. Slowly the impact of my choices caught up with me and my emotions began to mix together. I was a complete mess.
My grades were slipping and I kept sleeping through my morning classes. I quit praying to God, because I felt like I had to prove I could do things on my own, that I could fix these problems without anybody's help and then when I got my life back in order, when life was good again, I could continue to pray to God. I think at the moment I was trying to show him that I hadn't lost my testimony, but in reality, I was losing it by avoiding him. Without my daily prayers and scripture study my life was truly falling apart. I was fighting with my family who were miles away and money was becoming a bigger issue for me, I was not good with financing money! Life just seemed to be slipping through my fingers and I didn't have enough hands to catch myself- I was lost.
Sitting there on the sand I thought back to the sister missionaries that brought me the peace I had been searching for the past couple of months. I was so ashamed that I could forget my Savior after the amazing opportunities he had given me, I would never be where I was in life without His constant love and devotion for me. I glanced down at the beach and realized where I wanted to be- standing on the shoreline. I slipped off my sandals and walked slowly to the ocean, to the edge of the water as it met the land. I knew then what I really wanted in life and where my true happiness would be found-barefoot on the shoreline.
The shoreline was where my Savior, Jesus Christ had been all along. Constant and always there no matter what type of weather. My Heavenly Father letting his son reach the shore to all who would come and enjoy the great gift he brought. Without the ocean there is no shoreline, my father in Heaven was the ocean. I decided I didn't like this "one foot in the door - one foot out the door" lifestyle. I needed to dive right in with both feet into the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Dedicating my whole heart to him and making the necessary changes in my life to be near Him, no matter how difficult the decision was going to be. I needed to take off my sandals and walk along side him, leave my sins behind and move forward in His constant all loving grace, it was time to walk along the shore.
Despite the situation you are in or the way you may be feeling at any given moment, happy or sad, you always have the choice to what you let defines you. Life isn't about figuring out who you are, life is about creating yourself! You always have the chance to build your life the way you want it to be! Through every storm, there really is true light. You just have to hold on and let the storm pass to see it. The Savior has been true hope and divine peace for me. I may be paying for consequences now, based on choices I made in the past, but how I'm choosing to move forward and let the Savior come upon the sand to help clean my slate off is all that matters to Him and me. I'm focusing on building a better me and I have already seen huge blessings and love from both my Savior and family as I've put my life back in His hands.
Every day we are faced with problems, it's just a part of life that everybody goes through! Hectic day to day situations, family drama, loss of loved ones, financial situations or simply finding out what really makes us happy. Through the Savior I know that it's never too late for enjoyment and peace. Life is meant to be enjoyed! Not just endured. We can be happy NOW, even during the hard times, we just have to choose to want to seek the happiness! Life is a beautiful thing, everything we go through creates our story. I'm not perfect and I never will be, but by continuing to never give up despite my shortcomings is all the Savior asks. Sincerely I love my life! My crazy family, the trials I've been through and the experiences I get to have truly are a blessing. Life sure is complicated, if anyone figures it out please let me know!! As for now I'm taking baby steps to a better and happier me. You can find me at barefoot at the shoreline :)
HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE
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