Have you ever asked your mom or dad a question, and they call you every name in the book (including your dog's name), except for yours? That is a common occurrence in my house! Wouldn't it be nice to be remembered by someone all the time?
In the world today, it is easy to get lost in ourselves, and the world. There are so many ads, commercials, shows, magazines, and people of influence telling us that if we don't have something, we are nothing. The latest and greatest possessions become your identity. As a girl, I can definitely attest to the fact that the pressure is everywhere to conform to society in the way that one dresses, acts, speaks, and the things we possess. It can be hard to figure out who we really are, without those things.
Take a minute to think about these questions, posed in a talk given by Lawrence E. Corbridge in June of 2002,
"What kind of person will you become? By this I do not mean what role in life will you take. I don't mean will you be a cowboy, lawyer, surfer, homemaker, engineer, computer programmer, accountant or the like. I do not refer to what kind of car you will drive; what kind of clothes you will wear; what kind of house you will live in; what kind of spouse you will marry or what kind of family will you raise. I mean, when all of that is removed and there you stand alone, who will you be? I mean, you.What personality will you have; what strengths; what knowledge; what character; what emotional state; what presence; what qualities; what virtues? What will you look like? What will you sound like? What will it be like to be around you? Who will you be?"
"This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God...we have a spark of eternal fire burning within our breast. We have the incomprehensible promise of exaltation...And it is God’s great desire to help us reach it."
There is so much more in store for us than what we own here. If we are faithful to the end, and-
"... press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men...if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."
These are the blessings that are promised to us. We are children of God, each of us, and with that divine heritage, we are so much more than the finest set of jeans or the fastest car made. None of these possessions will follow us into the eternities. What will follow us will be our knowledge and, if treated right, our families. I know that as we work on our divine qualities, and strive to be like God, the very Father or our spirits, we will feel more fulfilled in our lives. We will have peace in the Savior's promise that,
"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."
My challenge to you is to pick an attribute that you want to work on. Patience, kindness, happiness, love...those kinds of things. For a week, make a daily goal for yourself of how you want to increase in this attribute. We are spiritual beings sent here to have a mortal experience. These are all qualities that we already have, but that require more refinement during this time we have on earth. I promise that as you as you do this, people will notice a difference. You will be happier as you trust the Lord to help you change and become the person that He already knows we can be.
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