Standing in Holy Places

"We must be vigilant in a world which has moved so far from that which is spiritual. It is essential that we reject anything that does not conform to our standards, refusing in the process to surrender that which we desire most: eternal life in the kingdom of God. The storms will still beat at our doors from time to time, for they are an inescapable part of our existence in mortality. We, however, will be far better equipped to deal with them, to learn from them, and to overcome them if we have the gospel at our core and the love of the Savior in our hearts."

Thomas S. Monson, "Stand in Holy Places", Liahona and Ensign, November 2011

When I stand in holy places

and am careful of the things I

watch, listen to and participate in,

it's easier for me to feel the Holy Ghost

and I am better able

to weather the "storm" of

depression in my life.

The temple is the only place

where I don't feel depressed

and that's why I go

there so often.

Temples are definitely

holy places.

Rolling up my Sleeves and Getting to Work

"The Lord’s way is not to sit at the side of the stream and wait for the water to pass before we cross. It is to come together, roll up our sleeves, go to work, and build a bridge or a boat to cross the waters of our challenges."

—Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Providing in the Lord's Way", Liahona and Ensign, November 2011

For the past 8 years

or so I felt like I was

just waiting for this trial to pass.

I was wandering in the wilderness

as it reads in  1 Nephi 17:4,

"And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea, even eight years in the wilderness."

Lehi's family was "sojourning" but
I definitely just wandered.
I didn't feel like I was making progress or

moving forward in my life.

I sort of just let my depression take over,

wandered about in the "wilderness"

and waited "for the water to pass."

The last year and half

I've been fighting back

and trying to take control

over my own destiny.

I usually can't control whether or not

depressing thoughts come into my mind

but I can control how long I let them stay.

Staying on the Path

A few weeks ago

I felt like I had reached my limit.

I was sooooo tired

of being depressed.

I told my husband,

"One of the hardest

things I face in

 dealing with depression

is that I feel

like I am doing everything right

and yet I'm not happy."

Today I watched a video

(about someone who also deals

with a mental illness)

that echoed what I had said earlier to my husband.

She said,

"It was just so hard for me to understand

why [having a mental illness] happened,

especially

when I was being so faithful

 and trying so hard to do what

 Heavenly Father

wanted me to do."

The challenge is

to keep doing what

I need to do

in order to return to my

Heavenly Father.

I know He is aware of me,

I know He knows how unhappy

I feel at times,

and I know He will send the

comfort and help

that I so desperately

need.

Below is a link to the video I watched.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=1146&sid=19704326&title=living-with-mental-illness-and-social-anxiety



Seeking after Praiseworthy Things

I love reading about or watching inspiring stories.

It's so uplifting

as I see other people

face obstacles

in their own lives

and overcome them

and then go on to help others.

The following is a story about

a 10 time cancer survivor.

TEN TIMES!!

Wow.

His Attitude

and Faith

are amazing.

The news article on his story reads,
"...he pushes on with faith that
God has a reason for afflicting him.
In fact, Travis says
he believes that he is blessed
to have such a 'visual' trial.
People know that he is sick,
and everyone rallies
to support him
and his family."

He knows what his purpose here on earth is.

 

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=1137&sid=21124706&title=man-stricken-with-cancer-10-times-considers-himself-blessed#ooid=xxNTBjNTosEWfKaIrPNOnRB53ZGBuhhJ

 

 

Prayer

"Not a day has gone by that I have not communicated with my Father in Heaven through prayer. It is a relationship I cherish—one I would literally be lost without. If you do not now have such a relationship with your Father in Heaven, I urge you to work toward that goal. As you do so, you will be entitled to His inspiration and guidance in your life."

               —Thomas S. Monson, "Stand in Holy Places", Liahona and Ensign, November 2011
                                                      Topics: Heavenly Father, Prayer

I read this quote the other day

and it went along with something that I

overheard

 while my husband was listening to his scriptures on his iphone.

In 2 Nephi 10 : 20

certain words of this scripture stood out to me,

"...let us remember [God],

and lay aside our sins,

and not hang down our heads,

for we are not cast off...."

I've heard it said that we speak to God through

PRAYER

and that many times He speaks to us

when we read our scriptures.

Sometimes before I say my prayers

I feel like I've been a

disappointment to my Heavenly Father.

One more failed night of not going to bed early,

one more wasted day when I've been irritable and depressed, etc.
I know these are just lies from the adversary,
but sometimes I "buy" into them.

I felt like my Heavenly Father 

was telling me to NOT

hang down my head

thinking He was disappointed in me

and that I was cast off.

I love the a-ha moments where

the Holy Ghost

whispers the exact words that I need to hear.

And with that,

I'm going to bed on time tonight!!

Positive Thoughts

My Mr.

ROCKS!

I was having difficulty trying to add a button to my blog

and my smart husband accomplished this difficult feat (at least it is to me)

in under a minute or so!!

Thanks go to my sister for recommending

Hillary Weeks awesome website about keeping track of how many

positive thoughts deeds one does during a day.

I wanted to share a few of the ideas they suggest of what to click for,

"Anything that lifts, motivates and inspires us to live our potential is clickable!"

Individually

• positive thoughts
• compliments given and received
• things to be grateful for
• smiles given and received
• i love yous
• noticing the good in someone
• noticing the good in a situation
• noticing the good in yourself
• things you believe
• each time you have hope
• each time you see the hand of God
• acts of kindness
• each time you resist temptation
• each step closer to a goal
• minutes of exercise

With your spouse



• compliments given and received
• things you love about each other
• i love yous
• each time you think of your spouse
• noticing the good in your spouse
• acts of kindness
• each time you make each other smile or laugh

With your family

• acts of service
• acts of kindness
• kind words
• compliments given and received
• completed chores - homework, making beds, brushing teeth, etc.
• minutes of reading
• minutes spent together
• expressions of gratitude
• have a contest to see who can click the most in a day or a week

With your friends

• things you appreciate about each other
• compliments given and received
• kind words
• check in each day to support each other in your clicking goals
• have a contest to see who can click the most in a day or a week

With your Church group

• thoughts of the Savior
• minutes spent reading scripture
• thoughts of gratitude
• choose a topic (faith, hope, love...) and click each time you witness it in your life
• set a goal to reach a certain number of clicks together
• acts of kindness

In the work place

• acts of kindness
• each time customers are serviced
• going the extra mile
• each time a goal is seen in action
• positive words
• expressions of success





Here's to a lot of clicking!!

I'll post my clicks and see how the number changes.

Thank you, sis!

—Alma 36:3-4, Book of Mormon


"And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that

whosoever shall put their TRUST in GOD 

shall be SUPPORTED

in their trials,
and their troubles,
and their afflictions,
and shall be lifted up at the last day.

And I would not that ye think that I know of myself--not of the temporal but of the spiritual, not of the carnal mind but of God."

Trust HIM

and I will feel supported

in ALL my trials,

troubles,

and afflictions.