I've decided that once a week I'm going to try and write the things that are on my mind and the things that inspire me. I'll try not to bore you.
Today's thoughts are called "Choose Your Life".
Now this may sound like I'm going to talk about making your life whatever you want it to be--be a Rock Star, go skydiving--but actually that's not really what I mean. A few weeks ago, I realized that I was making choices for the wrong reasons. I think that it's so easy as wives and mothers (and women) to feel like there is a singular path that we must follow. Any straying from that one path results in harsh judgments from others. So I was trying to fit myself onto that path. I found myself justifying every choice I made to everyone. Then it hit me: It's my life! It serves me no purpose to live it for anyone else. How can I feel good about myself if I'm making choices to please others? So what I really mean is to choose the life that you are already living. Choose to live it for you. Choose to love every choice you make because you know it's what is right for you. (Obviously this all involves the Spirit and following Jesus Christ but I'm writing this on the assumption that we are all worthy and capable of listening to the Spirit.)
So in closing... we all have agency. Agency REQUIRES action. You can't not act and being passive about your life is still a choice. Picture yourself on this journey. Are you following a crowd of people with your head down, kicking rocks along the way? Or are you being led by the Spirit, looking forward with confidence, regardless of what anyone else thinks?
"Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves--to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life."
-2nd Nephi 10:23
I hope you are all loving and choosing YOUR life.
Thanks for sharing! I needed to hear exactly what you said! I hope all is going well for you and your family.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your wisdom Stacy. It is incredibly freeing to act for myself without any thought of what people are thinking and if they approve (outside of what the Lord thinks, of course). I still fall into the trap far too often though. As with Angela, I needed this reminder.
ReplyDeleteI was in a situation like this about a year ago and I loved where I was living and loved the area but what we were doing was making me a unhappy person. I felt like I was walking on egg shells all too often so some people wouldn't get offended or I wouldn't get in there way. I found out I was loosing myself adn I had to ask....Who is the real me? The spirit has helped me a lot on finding ME again and following the spirit always brings Joy! Thanks for sharing!
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