Guest Post: "Yes I Can!"

Below, you'll find a beautiful post, written to me in an email. It really touched my heart so I asked and received permission to share it with you. I hope it lifts your soul and brings you closer to Christ. - Cristina

Celebrate!

So - everyday I have at least 2 reasons to look forward to going to work. The first is contributing and being rewarded financially. And second: I get an email every day with the holiday of the day.

I know it may seem silly - but I like having a little reminder of something fun. This month has been a great one. Some of my favorites were Dinosaur Appreciation Day, National Thesaurus Day, National Rubber Ducky Day, Penguin Awareness Day, and National Popcorn Day. And we just had a great one - National Answer Your Cat's Questions Day, and even better ones to come (National Chocolate Cake Day, and Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day).

This is a big month, people! And guess what, it's only going to get better as the year goes along. We have a lot of reasons to celebrate. Probably some of the best advice a friend told me was to find little things to look forward to. So one of the ways I do that is to celebrate the awesome, random days we have, and maybe on January 28th, I'll find a Kazoo to celebrate National Kazoo Day. We'll see. 

Find little things that make you smile - every boring/awful/stressful day has something good to offer. Remember to find joy.

Stop Struggling

This is another post about agency – you’ve probably noticed that I can’t stay away from the topic. And this post promises to be more ‘stream of consciousness’ than some others.

I’ve been reading from the Doctrine and Covenants, and I have found that as I read and think about the people mentioned. More than any other book of scripture, we actually know about these individuals. Their likes and dislikes, their talents, their frustrations, and to a degree their conversion.

In Section 58 we get the famous scripture to be anxiously engaged in a good cause, but there are other nuggets of wisdom in that section, and in other nearby sections that have been on my mind. As I read it, I learn about their unique circumstances and trials, leading them to turn to Christ to ask for help. And, I got to thinking about agency. I continued to think about it when I came across the scripture warning both the rich and the poor to stay away from pride. And, I’ve decided that your specific circumstances only matter because of their unique ability to either bring you closer or push you further from Christ, eternally shaping your character.

We have heard that it doesn’t matter in the eternal scheme of things if we were rich or poor. Well, I’m backing that up today. But, it’s not just about money. It applies to every aspect of your life. There are things that will bring you to the wall of faith, that touch your heart, that nothing else can – at least to that degree.

In ‘The Fiddler on the Roof’ the main character, a poor farmer, asks God if it would spoil some vast eternal plan, if he was a wealthy man.  “Elder Oaks said, "Yes, Tevye, it might. Let us give thanks for what we are and for the circumstances God has given us for our personal journey through mortality."

There is a plan. We must deliberately choose. If we are poor, we have certain challenges and we need to learn how to turn to God because of them. If we are unhealthy, we have different challenges, but the end goal is the same – to trust God enough to turn to Him. Our challenges are tests of our agency, that is why we are here, and that is what all challenges are for. How is your context shaping you?

As I re-read this, I hear opposing arguments. Nature and nurture (biology and one’s environment) really do matter. They change us. They challenge us. But to what end? Where are we going? Are we deliberately in charge of our lives or are we spectators?

We will always struggle, so my title is a little irrelevant. But, it isn’t at the same time… that makes sense to someone. Deciding and choosing is really hard. Really. One can’t just choose to stop hurting – but one can choose to learn and grow, keeping things in perspective and they can continue to press forward even when things don’t make sense, and hurt, and realize that they probably are the right things anyway. So, for now, just choose for today to be a little more faithful, to keep going, at least for today. And, you can probably keep going tomorrow too. But, we’ll revisit this again tomorrow, and any day as needed.

Peace in the Sadness

Yesterday, someone very dear to me passed away. I don't have much time to write the tribute she deserves, but she was a remarkable woman. I will miss my grandma, Dana Lou Jensen.

After raising her 5 wonderful children, she helped raise me (and my siblings). But, after 18 and a half years of separation from her dear husband, I am certainly glad she didn't have to wait another day. She passed away peacefully, surrounded by family.

We are all still hurting, but we are strengthened by each other and feel closer to heaven today, and there is peace in our sadness. Here is a link to her obituary.