This Life Is A Difficult Journey
We have all experienced life enough to know that it’s hard! And has been a difficult journey since birth. There is a plethora of experiences that build us up and some that tell us, “You have been weighed. You have been measured. And you absolutely have been found wanting.” (A Knights Tale) Many of us will build walls and put up doors to try to protect ourselves from such experiences. Anyone that has known me through the years, know that, because of my insecurities, I do not like to be in the spotlight for any reason. So......because I have allowed myself to be found ‘wanting’ in so many areas, walls have been built to protect me. I think for all of us, the hope is that through the years, we can grow out of our ‘brokenness’ and leave that world behind. But, out of no where, reminders come and we realize we are still vulnerable and unprotected from life’s experiences. I feel I have grown in so many ways through my cancer challenge. Gratitude to be on the healing side has been huge. Blessings have come and I have gained strength in overcoming. Having my hair begin it’s return has been such a blessing!! Being without has been an interesting journey in itself. The challenge to feel confident in going amongst the masses sporting a ‘new look’ can be quite daunting. Months ago, this challenge would have brought self judgment and tears only because, ‘how I looked’ mattered to me. It’s where I thought my value lie. A Better Way Needless to say, I have been through an in-depth training in ‘pride’ the last 8 months. I am opening myself to a better way and have allowed myself to surrender the natural tendency to feel ‘naked’ and ‘ugly’ in front of others and live without my normal fears and inhibitions. This change in my attitude has come because of a very special blessing that is available to all of us.....in fact we were born with it. We just don’t understand or remember that it was given to us before we came here to this earth. You will remember in my last blog ‘Get A Life’, I talked about the importance of knowing our true identity....our divine inheritance. Knowing we are a Child of God can change us in ways we never understood before. It can empower us with hope, direction and courage to do things we never would have done prior to that knowledge. We can enjoy a better way and become magnified in our journey......as a Child of God.....with no limitations! This knowledge is priceless!!! Divine Love.....My Super Power With the knowledge of being a Child of God comes another special gift....the love of Heavenly Parents. If I were to have a superpower, I would say that it was Divine Love. This is how an Apostle of God explains this love, “Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount--that is the measure of God’s love for you. He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked.” ~ Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf Knowing I am loved by my Heavenly Parents is so powerful and so enduring. It has strengthened me through some events that have had the potential to destroy me..... IF I didn’t open up to that pure and infinite love. This last week I went out with my ‘new look’, with the purpose of serving the Lord. I knew in my heart that it wasn’t about me and tried to focus on my purpose. All went well and I wasn’t concerned until at one point something happened and I became the focus of everyone around. A spotlight that lasted forever! I began to do my normal retreat behind my self fabricated walls, when I remembered. I remembered I was loved by my Heavenly Father and my Heavenly Mother. They knew my heart and they knew my desires. With that love I was able to remember my purpose and immediately began to refocus on my service....I was there to bless the life of another. I was able to stand strong and to wait confidently until things could move forward into their normal routine. Magic happens when we can be filled with a love far greater than we know. Our Heavenly Father and Mother never lose sight of our eternal potential even when we waiver. Their presence in our lives remind us that we are divine, that we are beautiful and more glorious than we can possibly imagine. “The Lord is in the details of our lives, He knows us , He is mindful of us, He hears and answers our prayers. He wants to bless us. He Loves us, He truly loves us!” ~ Pres. Thomas S. Monson Divine Love Is The Source Of Our Highest Bliss. Love is the power needed to create our joy and become what we seek. Only when I opened my heart to God’s love was I able to put aside my worldly inhibitions and feelings of inferiority. With a larger purpose in mind I could feel God’s love for me....His Child. This love became the source of my highest bliss and empowered me to love another and to desire to put them first and serve them with all my heart. My concerns for myself forgotten. I was lifted. “Yea it is the love of God....[that]...is the most desirable above all things...yea, and the most joyous to the soul.” (1 Nephi 11:22-23) When we are filled with God’s love, it changes everything: we can endure pain of any kind, it will quell our fears, anxieties, panic and distress. We can forgive more freely and avoid contention. God’s love renews our strength and distills upon our minds precious truths and answers our righteous petitions. Our joy...our bliss, now and forever, is completely tied to our capacity to love. Our lives as children of a loving God, will become filled through His love and our own loving hearts. Love will warm our hearts and our journey through this life will be joyful. ARTWORK: Titled: Running Away We have all experienced life enough to know that it’s hard and we sometimes wish we could just run away from it all. When we are filled with God’s love, it changes everything: we can endure pain of any kind, it will quell our fears, anxieties, panic and distress. We can forgive more freely and avoid contention. God’s love renews our strength and distills upon our minds precious truths and answers our righteous petitions. “Yea it is the love of God....[that]...is the most desirable above all things...yea, and the most joyous to the soul.” (1 Nephi 11:22-23)
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Have you ever thought “I really have to get a life!” or have you ever wanted to tell someone, who has been annoying you, to “Get a life!”. Thoughts like these come when we are frustrated with a present situation. But have you ever thought to actually pursue a new life or think of it as a real possibility?
We were all given the ‘gift of life’ when we came into this world. But, do we really understand this LIFE? What is life?....What is the meaning of this life? Why is it important?. How did you get the life you have?....What have you done with it? Sometimes it takes a life threatening circumstance for us to wake up to the life we have.....the one we have created. What choices have we made that has got us to this point? Have we created the life we want? During my fight to overcome cancer and the effects of the chemo treatments, I felt like life was being sucked out of me, I wasn’t able to do the things I had done before....things that I thought were important....things that brought me joy! It was hard and vexing to say the least. I contemplated what I thought my life was before and if it was the life I wanted to continue living. Being without it for a time, changed me and what I wanted...what I felt was of more value. I concluded that I did need to change up a few things. It was hard letting go of the life I had created...It was mine and I was comfortable! But now I see that it was missing some key elements and the only way I was to actually “get a life” was to take a big detour. My desires were to ‘get a life’! A life that had a more engaged and diligent me at the helm. The change I was seeking required me to review, more intently, the big picture. The first thing to contemplate: What is LIFE? The world’s greatest thinkers, including the Greek philosophers Plato, Aristotle and Socrates, have struggled with this question. Scientists and theologians have dedicated lifetimes trying to find the keys that unlock the mystery of human existence. I find it interesting that the One who created life in the first place is the only one that can supply the answers. From the scriptures and living prophets we have been blessed with a clear vision and understanding of our true identity. They have taught us that we are beloved spirit sons or daughters of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. (“The Family: A Proclamation to the world,”) Spiritually we are of noble birth, the offspring of the King of Heaven. Simply put, we are a Child of God......giving each of us a divine identity! We all know that.... In the beginning, God created us and all things for our benefit. This gives us a spirit lineage to Heavenly Parents. That parentage defines our eternal potential to seek the best that is within us. That knowledge can give us strength to embrace more fully, the challenges that come up in our lives. As a Child of God, we were created in love and given a very special purpose....to come to this earth and obtain a physical body and be tested or proven to see if we would obey Him even when we were away from His presence.....because, that’s how we can return to live with Him and how we can become as He is! One of the great truths that we learn from the account of the Brother of Jared, in the Book of Ether (Book of Mormon), is the clear understanding about who we were as pre-mortal spirit children of God. We were individual, separate persons, with agency, a being with a name prior to our entry to earth. We existed in heaven with the Father of our Spirits. We grew in knowledge and wisdom until our designated time to come to earth. When we come to know God, our Father, on a higher level of appreciation, we can each experience the power of understanding our divine identity. Applying principles and concepts that are learned from studying the Saviors life helps us come to know the Father. Christ’s every word and deed reveals the true nature of God and our relationship to Him. Brigham Young taught us that God, the Creator of our spirits is our Father....our Heavenly Father. He said that If you were to see him you would see a being with who you have long been acquainted. You would fall into his embrace and He would receive you into his arms. As we come to know the Father that relationship changes everything, especially our hearts. His loving and gentle ways confirm our true identity and great worth in His sight. One thing that I learned as I struggled through each chemo treatment was that my Heavenly Father would never desert me. He is always there, loving, encouraging and giving me the strength to go on. I also cherish the times that I knew that He knew me....as a parent knows their child. He has comforted me and has sent the answers that I was so desperately needing at my time of want. We cannot do it on our own, we need Him! He walks with us when we seek Him through prayerful pleadings, scriptural searchings, and obedient strivings. I love this scripture in Acts 17 where Paul teaches us, in verse 28, “For in him we live and move, and have our being; .....For we are also his offspring.” Created in the image of God, we can have a life, a more exalted life, with no limitations, for we are his child! What kind of LIFE can you create with that knowledge? What challenges and struggles can you overcome knowing and understanding your divine identity? Can you.....experience the power that comes with understanding your divine identity? Doesn’t that make you want to be better and do better? To become more elevated in your thoughts and actions? To become just like Him? My diagnosis of cancer was a gift.....it’s given me an opportunity to review a deeper meaning and define who I really am. I’m finding that I am more inclined to focus on more important things. I’m wanting to have a better relationship with my Creator, my Heavenly Father....to know Him better. I have desires to follow in His footsteps and spend time on things that will make a difference in the lives of those who matter to me. I want to be a better steward and take better care of my health and my body. I want to make fearless choices and stand up for what I know is good. I want to love and lift and encourage anyone that is facing challenges and trials.....and I can, because I know I am a Child of God! LIFE, is knowing you are a Child of God, and can live a life without limitations. LIFE is about knowing who you are and that you can obey Him even when you are away from His presence. LIFE is creating the lifestyle that reflects your potential and choice to become as your Father is. LIFE is love, love from our Heavenly Parents, love we then give to another. I’m grateful that I can now have a better LIFE. Live a LIFE that matters....the LIFE you were created to live! “At the end of life, what really matters is not what we bought but what we built; not what we got but what we shared; not our competence but our character, and not our success, but our significance. Live a life that matters. Live a life of love.” ~Author unknown Wishing you a LIFE with no limitations. Love, Jeannie ARTWORK - Titled - I AM A CHILD OF GOD, and he has sent me here. We are of noble birth, the offspring of the King of Heaven. Simply put, we are a Child of God......giving each of us a divine identity! We were created in love and given a very special purpose....to come to this earth and obtain a physical body and be tested or proven to see if we will obey Him even when we are away from His presence.....thats how we can return to live with Him and how we can become as He is! Live a life that matters. Live a life of love. |
AuthorHi I'm Jeannie Puzey, Archives
October 2018
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