The past...

I have been thinking a lot lately about how things have been going so well in my life. I feel like I have been reborn. I have a new desire to help others and I have seen some great opportunities for such. I am concerned, however, that in an effort to help I have actually damaged a friendship that I worked hard to build. I had no intention of damaging the relationship, but I feel that sometimes we cannot control how someone will react to things we say. I feel strange because I feel that maybe I should not have shared so much. At the same time I feel like maybe I shared exactly what needed to be shared. I am very confused. Whatever the case may be, I know that God is in command. The reason I have titled this entry "The past..." is because I want to leave the past the past. I am tired of having my past follow me. It is time to look to my future. That is where the true beauty lies. I see that my future is full of wonderful bumps and obstacles to be overcome. I am excited to meet those obstacles faithfully with my family and friends by my side. I love the Lord. I love his teachings. No matter what anyone says about me, I know that I am clean. CLEAN. N0body can take that from me. So to my past I say, "Good riddance!" and a faithful "Hello" I express to my future.

I LOVE YOU

Have I told you lately that I love you? I am sorry if I haven't. I may know you very well or maybe we have never met.. but I want you to know, right now, today, that I love you. I LOVE YOU! Have a good day.

D&C 1:27-28

D&C 1:27-28:

27 "And inasmuch as they sinned they might be ^achastened, that they might ^brepent;

28 And inasmuch as they were ^ahumble they might be made strong, and blessed from on high, and receive ^bknowledge from time to time."

I was reading this passage of scripture tonight and I did what I was instructed to do, and I applied it to my life. My thoughts were that the Lord wants to chasten us only to the point of repentance. Nothing further. The Lord's only goal in chastening us is to get us to the point where we begin the repentance process. The Lord will bring that chastisement in different ways depending on circumstance. It may be as simple as a tiny whisper/thought that we shouldn't stay up so late. Or it may be as outwardly public as an intervention put on by those that love us. Or it may even be as serious as a near death experience. However the Lord needs to get our attention, He will. When we begin to sorrow in our hearts for our sins, the Lord ceases to chastise us. Then as we repent the Lord will ensure that we will be "made strong, (be) blessed from on high, and receive knowledge from time to time" (italics added). The Lord does not promise that we will receive his knowledge every minute of every day after that. We receive knowledge from TIME to TIME. The Lord knows what we need and when we need it. That is why He is Lord and we serve Him. Let us be mindful of who is in charge. He has not and will not ever lead us astray.