“Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless?"
I'm a reader. I'm sure anyone who knows me knows this little thing about me. Well... it's not that little. I'm pretty obsessed. I spend all my extra money on books. It's a terrible habit, but I really want to have a super amazing library someday.
So what am I reading right now? I have a start in too many books. Why can't I just read one at a time? I just want to read everything and know what happens in every story! My calendar is full of release dates for upcoming books that I'm really excited about reading. I know... I'm such a nerd. I got my bachelor's degree in history... what did you expect?
Anyway, I just started reading President Monson's biography....oh my gosh... it is beyond amazing. I was only on page 3 of the introduction when just this overwhelming thought came to me about what an amazing spiritual giant President Monson not only is, but has been his whole life. He wasn't just thrown into the position as the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of our day; he has been trained his entire life to become the amazing person he is. I felt so obscure when I started reading that book. I felt like I could never be good enough. President Monson is constantly serving. He never thinks of himself. He has the faith to move mountains that the scriptures teach about, and that was just overwhelming. I mean, I've just started reading this book and I'm already loving this man more than I did before. He just has a way of making your life seem significant, even if you are just a poor woman in a hospital bed. We all are children of God, and President Monson makes sure we know it. He never pushes people aside for his own wants/ needs, because serving people is his want/ need. I was reading about his wife as well, and wow! What a stellar woman!! She stood by him through some very rough years. Rough, because he was called as a new Bishop at the age of 22, right after they got married. Rough because at age 27 he got called into the stake presidency. Rough because at age 31 he was called as a mission president in Canada. Rough because at age 36 he was called into the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, and this last October marked 50 years of his service as an Apostle of the Lord. I'm not saying these would cause a rough life; I'm saying it requires a lot of work to magnify those callings, and to be supportive... wow. I can't even imagine her life. And she was so supportive! She was there for him, she was able to help him in his calling, she raised their kids, and she helped him become the man he is today. I just couldn't believe what an amazing person she was. It really just was such a humbling moment for me. I started thinking about my life, and how I could never ever be as good as these two people, and why my life is just not as good as the life that it could be. I felt insignificant, and overwhelmed and wishing that I could be a better person... and then I had this thought come to me that we are all able to reach that potential. We all can become like the Monson's, and turn our lives over to the Lord and be ready to serve at a moments notice. We all can reach out to those in need and help lift up the world.
I loved that quote from the Ensign this month about the best time to plant a tree being 20 years ago, the second best time being now. I feel like so many times I, well all of us, get discouraged and think we will never be able to be good enough or smart enough, or pretty enough, or talented enough for anything we are trying to get. I hear it all the time "I'm not good enough for this job," "I'm not skinny enough for that boy," "I'm not funny enough to talk," "I'm not sociable enough to have friends..." So many of us think about our lives and say "I'm not good enough, so I'm not going to try." I could have felt that way while reading about President Monson. I could have given up and said "Well, I'm not that good, and I'm 24, so I guess I'll never be that good." That's the lie that Satan likes to plant in all our minds. He likes to tell us we're not good enough. He likes us to eat off of that lie and let it pull us down from our potential to be great disciples of Christ to mediocre human beings. I hate watching Reality TV shows where the people cry about their past and say "because this happend, I deserve this." All of us have stories about deaths in the family, dramatic family members, job loss, feeling alone... we can all relate to each other, because we ALL are given TRIALS. It's not just a select few who are tossed to and from the storms of life. We all are given our own trials, and that means we all need one thing- Christ. He can save all of us, and He asks us to help with his work. He asks us to "bear one another's burdens, that they may be light; ... mourn with those who mourn, yeah, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places." (Mosiah 18:8-9)
President Monson, the Prophet of God on the earth today, has taught us what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ. Yes, we're not perfect, and yes, we're not going to be perfect in this life; but, we can serve the Lord still, even if we just start slow by praying for those we love, and eventually being able to hear the Lord's promptings and act upon them. If we look at examples such as President Monson, or other Prophets that have been on the earth, we can become better people. I think it's so great that we can get to know the Prophets through their biographies. I love reading the Ensign because that is the scripture of our day; President Monson's biography is very much like scripture- he is a Prophet and he is teaching us how to be a great example. So, don't get discouraged that maybe today "you're not good enough." If you are willing to serve those around you, you will be good enough.
So what am I reading right now? I have a start in too many books. Why can't I just read one at a time? I just want to read everything and know what happens in every story! My calendar is full of release dates for upcoming books that I'm really excited about reading. I know... I'm such a nerd. I got my bachelor's degree in history... what did you expect?
Anyway, I just started reading President Monson's biography....oh my gosh... it is beyond amazing. I was only on page 3 of the introduction when just this overwhelming thought came to me about what an amazing spiritual giant President Monson not only is, but has been his whole life. He wasn't just thrown into the position as the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of our day; he has been trained his entire life to become the amazing person he is. I felt so obscure when I started reading that book. I felt like I could never be good enough. President Monson is constantly serving. He never thinks of himself. He has the faith to move mountains that the scriptures teach about, and that was just overwhelming. I mean, I've just started reading this book and I'm already loving this man more than I did before. He just has a way of making your life seem significant, even if you are just a poor woman in a hospital bed. We all are children of God, and President Monson makes sure we know it. He never pushes people aside for his own wants/ needs, because serving people is his want/ need. I was reading about his wife as well, and wow! What a stellar woman!! She stood by him through some very rough years. Rough, because he was called as a new Bishop at the age of 22, right after they got married. Rough because at age 27 he got called into the stake presidency. Rough because at age 31 he was called as a mission president in Canada. Rough because at age 36 he was called into the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, and this last October marked 50 years of his service as an Apostle of the Lord. I'm not saying these would cause a rough life; I'm saying it requires a lot of work to magnify those callings, and to be supportive... wow. I can't even imagine her life. And she was so supportive! She was there for him, she was able to help him in his calling, she raised their kids, and she helped him become the man he is today. I just couldn't believe what an amazing person she was. It really just was such a humbling moment for me. I started thinking about my life, and how I could never ever be as good as these two people, and why my life is just not as good as the life that it could be. I felt insignificant, and overwhelmed and wishing that I could be a better person... and then I had this thought come to me that we are all able to reach that potential. We all can become like the Monson's, and turn our lives over to the Lord and be ready to serve at a moments notice. We all can reach out to those in need and help lift up the world.
I loved that quote from the Ensign this month about the best time to plant a tree being 20 years ago, the second best time being now. I feel like so many times I, well all of us, get discouraged and think we will never be able to be good enough or smart enough, or pretty enough, or talented enough for anything we are trying to get. I hear it all the time "I'm not good enough for this job," "I'm not skinny enough for that boy," "I'm not funny enough to talk," "I'm not sociable enough to have friends..." So many of us think about our lives and say "I'm not good enough, so I'm not going to try." I could have felt that way while reading about President Monson. I could have given up and said "Well, I'm not that good, and I'm 24, so I guess I'll never be that good." That's the lie that Satan likes to plant in all our minds. He likes to tell us we're not good enough. He likes us to eat off of that lie and let it pull us down from our potential to be great disciples of Christ to mediocre human beings. I hate watching Reality TV shows where the people cry about their past and say "because this happend, I deserve this." All of us have stories about deaths in the family, dramatic family members, job loss, feeling alone... we can all relate to each other, because we ALL are given TRIALS. It's not just a select few who are tossed to and from the storms of life. We all are given our own trials, and that means we all need one thing- Christ. He can save all of us, and He asks us to help with his work. He asks us to "bear one another's burdens, that they may be light; ... mourn with those who mourn, yeah, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places." (Mosiah 18:8-9)
President Monson, the Prophet of God on the earth today, has taught us what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ. Yes, we're not perfect, and yes, we're not going to be perfect in this life; but, we can serve the Lord still, even if we just start slow by praying for those we love, and eventually being able to hear the Lord's promptings and act upon them. If we look at examples such as President Monson, or other Prophets that have been on the earth, we can become better people. I think it's so great that we can get to know the Prophets through their biographies. I love reading the Ensign because that is the scripture of our day; President Monson's biography is very much like scripture- he is a Prophet and he is teaching us how to be a great example. So, don't get discouraged that maybe today "you're not good enough." If you are willing to serve those around you, you will be good enough.
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