“What if we lived each day as if the promised blessings we seek were already granted?” This question from a friend has truly caused my mind to ponder and I have come to one very important conclusion. God really, actually does want us to be happy. However obvious this lesson might seem, it has made all of the difference in my life.
What if I desired the blessing of an eternal family? What would I do differently today if I already had that family? What would change in my beliefs and behaviors? For me it came down to simple things. If I were a wife and a mother today I would spend some time cleaning and organizing. I would try to do simple acts of service within my home. I would pray for each member of my family by name.
I don’t live with members of my family currently, but I spent time cleaning the kitchen floor. I tried to scrape the windows of my roommates cars in the morning before work. I started to pray individually for members of my family across the world. I started to pray more specifically for my roommates and friends.
I desire to live a healthy and fit lifestyle and have control over what I eat. So if this blessing were already granted I would have a working knowledge of the word of wisdom. I would have an exercise and eating plan. I would decide ahead of time what I would and would not eat. Then I would choose to do.
This is perhaps my favorite area of focus right now, because I have been seeing results, but I can always be better. I started by drinking a gallon of water each day. I determined that I would buy a different variety of green vegetables and learn new ways to prepare some varieties of squash. For cheat meals I decided to cheat less and eat foods that make my body feel better.
I desire to be blessed with a knowledge of the counsel of the living prophets at all times. If I already had that how did I get it? I would spend time studying, ponderizing, and praying for understanding of their words. When I learned something I might share it with a friend to help it stick.
Every morning while getting ready for the day I turned on general conference to listen to the messages that were most recently arriving. I chose just one phrase each morning to think about through the day. I would pray for an opportunity to share what I had learned. It wasn’t often in the way that I would have thought, but I was blessed to share and apply those phrases.
The Single Life.
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Throughout the process it became clear to me that in every instance as I chose to live as though my blessing was granted I was choosing to be happy. It made me wonder why I ever choose to accept less than the Lord wants me to receive. It also helped me understand that in small ways I already do have the blessings I desire. I just have to open my eyes to recognize them.
Will you do it with me starting today? Find one area of your life that you want to feel better about. Then start living as though God has already made it better. Share what your results are, and let’s all focus on how much we truly have to be thankful for.
Ashley Dewey is extremely talented at being single. Hobbies include awkward conversations with members of the opposite sex, repelling third dates, talking to boys about their girl problems and to girls about their boy problems. In her spare time she also has a very fulfilling school life, work life, and social life.
Besides being a professional single, Ashley is also a BYU graduate with a degree in linguistics (Aka word nerd). She enjoys studying other languages, particularly American Sign Language, and finds most all of them fascinating. She is currently pursuing a masters degree in Teaching English as a Second Language.
Ashley works most of the time and has often been accused of being a workaholic. Currently she works full time as a merchandiser and supervisor in a retail store, and part time doing social media work. On her day off she works (really it doesn't feel like work) in the Provo LDS temple. The only kind of work she finds difficulty focusing on is house work.
Her favorite activities in her free time are reading, writing, creating social experiments, and spending time with great friends and family. Specific activities with those family and friends include: going to concerts, plays, dance recitals, BYU basketball and football games, and watching sports on television.
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