A New Goal: "Bloom Where You Are Planted"

My attitude since arriving in St. George:
-Negative
-Pessimistic
-Resentful
-Doubtful
-Fearful
-Frustrated
-Unhappy
-Confused
-etc…(See… I actually am human. While this blog portrays my general day to day life which is usually good and full of joy, are you surprised to know that at times there are trials, weaknesses and heartache? I generally like to keep it to myself, that’s all)

What I learned from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk “The Best Is Yet to Be”

First… just call me Lot’s wife, assuming, of course, that I haven’t turned into a pillar of salt. Yet. (By the way, you’ll need to be familiar with the story of Lot and his family to understand most of this. It’s found in the Old Testament of the Bible. Genesis 19)

Now, onto what the good man Jeffrey R. Holland has to say:

“Just what did Lot’s wife do that was so wrong? What was wrong with Lot’s wife was that she wasn’t just looking back; in her heart she wanted to go back.

It is possible that Lot’s wife looked back with resentment toward the Lord for what He was asking her to leave behind.” (umm…guilty as charged)

“It isn’t just that she looked back; she looked back longingly. In short, her attachment to the past outweighed her confidence in the future. That, apparently, was at least part of her sin.

So a more theological way to talk about Lot’s wife is to say that she did not have faith. She doubted the Lord’s ability to give her something better than she already had. Apparently, she thought that nothing that lay ahead could possibly be as good as what she was leaving behind.” (Oh dear… VERY guilty of this)

“The past is to be learned from but not lived in. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future.

The poet Robert Browning wrote:
‘Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in his hand
Who saith, “A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!’

To all such of every generation, I call out, ‘Remember Lot’s wife.’ Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us…”

“Keep your eyes on your dreams, however distant and far away.”

So my goal right now is to take Jeffery R. Holland’s advice, and to, essentially, “Bloom where I am planted.”

Hopefully, my next post will include an attitude change and some much more interesting updates about my beautiful girls and how they are growing and changing every day.

A link to the entire talk by Jeffrey R. Holland:
http://lds.org/liahona/2010/01/the-best-is-yet-to-be?lang=eng&query=best+yet

(Just to reassure everyone, we are doing good and are very blessed. We are also human, imperfect, and having a few struggles that I am confident we will get through with the Lord's help. I just feel that it is good sometimes to share personal hardships with others. You never know if someone feels like you and can take something away from what you share.)