Ben is one of my very best friends. About three years ago he passed away while serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I decided to write this blog post to him because I felt most comfortable addressing it to someone I knew and loved.
Hello Ben! How are you doing?! I can only imagine all of the people you are teaching. Some day I may get to meet them! I want to tell you about some interesting things that have happened this week which have led to this blog. It's been a real learning experience...
Where to begin...
So I began to recognize my need to set some personal goals earlier in the week. Oh Ben, it has been very difficult for me to set goals. I have been scared to set any new ones...scared of failure! Silly, right? But, "the Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom [or what] shall I be afraid?" (Psalms 27:1). So my first goal this week was....... to set one goal : ). I thought that was a pretty easy goal to meet. Therefore, my second goal (to meet my first goal) was to start a blog in which I would share my experiences to become better. Just small and simple steps to become more like my Heavenly Father. And now I've met my second goal! "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13)
Then this morning I received a prompting which came in the form of a gentle self-reprimand. I sorta stopped and looked at myself in the mirror and said, "Samantha... you are living way below your potential and privilege. You can be doing so much more and so much better."
...In the past I have experienced very discouraging thoughts, Ben. A lot of self-negativity. You were always so good at helping me see all the best parts of me! And making me laugh when my natural reaction was to cry ;-) Kindling my self-worth has been a struggle. It's the kind of thinking that made me compare myself to others and giving up when I didn't quite measure up with the expectations. But the thoughts I had this morning were exactly the opposite. I'll be honest, Ben, it took me by surprise! I knew the thought didn't just originate with myself. Heavenly Father knows that I can be doing better, and I am sure in my heart that it was His way of saying, "I love you, Samantha. You are my child, and there is more that I can offer you. There are more blessings to come. I know you can work harder, and I created you for better things than this."
Yesterday I read the General Conference talk by Jean A Stevens titled, "Fear Not; I Am With Thee". She talks about God's hand in each of our lives, especially in our efforts to become more like Him. Stevens says:
"And so it is for all of God's children. Our Father in Heaven reaches out for each of us with His infinite love. He has power over all things and desires to help us learn, grow, and return to Him. This defines our Father's purpose: 'to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.'" (Moses 1:39)
There is one more quote that I wanted to share with you before I say sign off!
This one hit me hard:
"Our Heavenly Father sees our real potential. He knows things about us that we do not know ourselves. He prompts us during our lifetime to fulfill the measure of our creation, to live a good life, and to return to His presence." Where Your Treasure Is, by Elder Michael John U. Teh
Heavenly Father knew that He could help me see a better Samantha this morning. It was so encouraging...a kind of taste of what He has in store for me! When I see you again I hope you don't recognize me! I hope that I will have become so good that I completely outshine the young lady you knew three years ago! Haha
Hey Ben, I just want to end by sharing my testimony with you...
I know God lives. I know that his Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, died for us so that we can return to live with Him again. I know that because of His Atonement I can become better each day by small and simple steps. I know that because of His Resurrection I will be able to see you and all of my loved ones again. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church, and I know that Joseph Smith is a Prophet. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that Heavenly Father loves me and that I am his daughter.
I love you, Ben!
Always,
Samie
P.S. POW
