"Move On"
Today has been full of good stuff! I've been catching up on Institute reading for a class I'm technically not even taking... but I wanted to! And then one of my wonderful friends gave a FANTASTIC lesson in Relief Society that has left me thinking all day. Now, I've been a wee bit emotional lately so maybe that's why it touched my heart so much, but I'm pretty sure I would have been just as touched either way!
So her lesson was based on two talks about Choice and the Atonement. It reminded me of my favorite lyric in one of my favorite musicals: "The choice may have been mistaken, the choosing was not. You have to move on."
Think about that statement for just a moment.
As we all know, choices are really hard for me to make. Especially big, life-changing ones.
So let's go back to the lyrics: "You have to move on."
We have to make choices, we have to keep moving forward. Another friend (that teacher-friend quoted!) said, "God can't drive a parked car." Yes. We are the parked cars. We have to make choices! We have to choose a path. We have to have faith and we have to MOVE. If we don't move then the Lord can't tell us if we are right or wrong and guide us to where he needs us to be.
"The choice may have been mistaken, the choosing was not."
We will make wrong choices. We will have blunders. But the act of making that choice was not wrong. We need to make choices to learn and to progress! If we don't make choices we are stagnant and nothing happens. We do not progress to the next step. Progression is basically the point of this life! We progressed from pre-mortal existence to mortal existence. While in our mortal existence we need to make the choice to make different covenants with the Lord and to follow Him so we can progress to eternal life with our Father in Heaven.
So what happens if we were wrong in our choice? What if we REALLY mess up? What happens if we sin? "The choice may have been mistaken. The choosing was not. You have to move on." We turn to Him. We use the Atonement.
Remember how I have a hard time making choices? Well, I also have a tendency to think I am the scum of the earth or unworthy of love and friendship. I really do quite often feel like the worst person and friend ever.
The Atonement is there for me and it is there for you. All it takes is HOPE. A DESIRE to believe that Christ is there. When we turn around our Christ isn't miles and miles away, he is RIGHT there the entire time just waiting for us to turn to Him and ask for His help and guidance. His love never diminishes. He doesn't love you any less than He loves his prophets and apostles. He goes after every lost sheep. no matter how or where we are lost, He will find us. We are all loved equally. You cannot change that. To know God is to know love. From another, more well-known musical, "To love another person is to see the face of God." His love is constant. He is unchanging in His divine love for us. He knows what we can achieve even if we don't and he is so excited for us to slowly figure it out. He wants us to return to him for eternity. But to get to Him we need to always choose Him. We will never be wrong so long as our choice is always Christ. And if we make a choice that isn't Christ? "Move on." Use the Atonement. Don't dwell on your mistakes and imperfections of the past. Look to the present and to the future. The past is behind you. It can influence and change you, but always let it be for the better and to propel you into the next step.
"Look at what you want, not at where you are, not at what you'll be. Look at all the things you've done for me."
We want to return to our Heavenly Father. Don't look at the state of unworthiness you feel like you are in or what you feel like you may become tomorrow or where you want to be in a week. In fact, don't focus on YOU. Focus on those around you. Feeling super unworthy? Try to stop and remember the good things you've done for others. "Opened up my eyes, taught me how to see, notice every tree, understand the light, concentrate on now." Open your eyes. See the world and the good around you. See what you have done to bring light into other's worlds or what others have done to put light into yours. Then concentrate on what you are going to do right NOW to turn to Christ and to share that light. Make that choice. Turn to Him. Love Him. He is love.
What doesn't matter to Christ? Our skill set, who is more talented than who, how well we speak, etc. etc. etc.
What matters to Christ? That every single one of us is His child and that He loves us.
Inspirations for this blog post are the lovely Rebekah Taylor (teacher-friend!), Taegan Hutchinson (quoted by teacher-friend!) and the 2 addresses Bekah based her lesson on that brought up a lot of these thoughts were:
Choices- President Thomas S. Monson &
He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
I am no where near as eloquent or put together as all of these people and the way I worded a lot of this is rather jumbled and thrown around, but it helped me today so I hope it maybe helps a few of you to remember to keep choosing! The choosing is never wrong! USE the agency we have been given! And also remember that the Atonement is there for YOU. You are not exempt from the blessings it provides. You are loved.
So her lesson was based on two talks about Choice and the Atonement. It reminded me of my favorite lyric in one of my favorite musicals: "The choice may have been mistaken, the choosing was not. You have to move on."
Think about that statement for just a moment.
As we all know, choices are really hard for me to make. Especially big, life-changing ones.
So let's go back to the lyrics: "You have to move on."
We have to make choices, we have to keep moving forward. Another friend (that teacher-friend quoted!) said, "God can't drive a parked car." Yes. We are the parked cars. We have to make choices! We have to choose a path. We have to have faith and we have to MOVE. If we don't move then the Lord can't tell us if we are right or wrong and guide us to where he needs us to be.
"The choice may have been mistaken, the choosing was not."
We will make wrong choices. We will have blunders. But the act of making that choice was not wrong. We need to make choices to learn and to progress! If we don't make choices we are stagnant and nothing happens. We do not progress to the next step. Progression is basically the point of this life! We progressed from pre-mortal existence to mortal existence. While in our mortal existence we need to make the choice to make different covenants with the Lord and to follow Him so we can progress to eternal life with our Father in Heaven.
So what happens if we were wrong in our choice? What if we REALLY mess up? What happens if we sin? "The choice may have been mistaken. The choosing was not. You have to move on." We turn to Him. We use the Atonement.
Remember how I have a hard time making choices? Well, I also have a tendency to think I am the scum of the earth or unworthy of love and friendship. I really do quite often feel like the worst person and friend ever.
The Atonement is there for me and it is there for you. All it takes is HOPE. A DESIRE to believe that Christ is there. When we turn around our Christ isn't miles and miles away, he is RIGHT there the entire time just waiting for us to turn to Him and ask for His help and guidance. His love never diminishes. He doesn't love you any less than He loves his prophets and apostles. He goes after every lost sheep. no matter how or where we are lost, He will find us. We are all loved equally. You cannot change that. To know God is to know love. From another, more well-known musical, "To love another person is to see the face of God." His love is constant. He is unchanging in His divine love for us. He knows what we can achieve even if we don't and he is so excited for us to slowly figure it out. He wants us to return to him for eternity. But to get to Him we need to always choose Him. We will never be wrong so long as our choice is always Christ. And if we make a choice that isn't Christ? "Move on." Use the Atonement. Don't dwell on your mistakes and imperfections of the past. Look to the present and to the future. The past is behind you. It can influence and change you, but always let it be for the better and to propel you into the next step.
"Look at what you want, not at where you are, not at what you'll be. Look at all the things you've done for me."
We want to return to our Heavenly Father. Don't look at the state of unworthiness you feel like you are in or what you feel like you may become tomorrow or where you want to be in a week. In fact, don't focus on YOU. Focus on those around you. Feeling super unworthy? Try to stop and remember the good things you've done for others. "Opened up my eyes, taught me how to see, notice every tree, understand the light, concentrate on now." Open your eyes. See the world and the good around you. See what you have done to bring light into other's worlds or what others have done to put light into yours. Then concentrate on what you are going to do right NOW to turn to Christ and to share that light. Make that choice. Turn to Him. Love Him. He is love.
What doesn't matter to Christ? Our skill set, who is more talented than who, how well we speak, etc. etc. etc.
What matters to Christ? That every single one of us is His child and that He loves us.
Inspirations for this blog post are the lovely Rebekah Taylor (teacher-friend!), Taegan Hutchinson (quoted by teacher-friend!) and the 2 addresses Bekah based her lesson on that brought up a lot of these thoughts were:
Choices- President Thomas S. Monson &
He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
I am no where near as eloquent or put together as all of these people and the way I worded a lot of this is rather jumbled and thrown around, but it helped me today so I hope it maybe helps a few of you to remember to keep choosing! The choosing is never wrong! USE the agency we have been given! And also remember that the Atonement is there for YOU. You are not exempt from the blessings it provides. You are loved.
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