“He also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ.” (Alma 31:38)

Oh, how true this scripture is. My Savior has literally swallowed up many of the afflictions of my soul. I love and trust Him with all my heart. Allowing the Savior to swallow up all of our afflictions can make life so much easier… and mine was terribly, terribly hard.

I am a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It has taken me many years to find the time and courage to write my story. I finally made the decision after talking long-distance with my mother, whom I love dearly. She has gone through much pain and sorrow in her life. She was divorced when I was two years old and remarried when I was four, on my birthday. I have had to forgive my step-father… and also my mother.

During this phone call, my mother confessed, “You were an abused child.” When I said that I knew that, she asked forgiveness. I told her I had forgiven her long ago. She had been constantly praying for that. There had not been sexual abuse, but years of physical and psychological abuse.

There had been a long, uninterrupted chain of abuse in my family. My mother’s father had abused my mother. My father had abused my mother. My step-father beat my mother several times. I saw much of this when I was growing up. I was the oldest child in the home, being from my mother’s first marriage. I did the cleaning, the laundry, the dishes, much of the cooking, the yard work, etc., for my parents, four brothers, and my grandmother who lived with us for several years. I did not have the freedom to do “what the other kids did” and complaining would bring on harsh physical abuse. Even when our Lutheran pastor spoke with my parents, things did not improve.

When I was a senior in high school, I moved to Florida to live with my grandmother and an uncle. I made the bus trip alone from San Diego, and on the way faced a homosexual assault that made me fear even for my life, but which the authorities and my family seemed to find amusing. The Lord guided me to safety. I knew He did.

I started drinking and spent the next three years basically drunk. I graduated from high school even though I had been absent 111 days. No one in my family came to my graduation. I then spent several years just drifting. I moved to Ohio and found my biological father, an alcoholic who was always very ill. I love him. I lived with him, my three sisters, and a brother for six months or so and attended college. But I couldn’t concentrate, did not do well, and drank a lot. Still, I was seeking a spiritual connection.

I was baptized into the Church of Christ in Columbus, Ohio. I didn’t feel it was right and felt cold during my baptism, but this was the pastor who had baptized my grandfather and mother, so I felt a connection to him. I decided to return to San Diego, which was hurtful to my natural father. But he would also lose control and become physical, dangerously so, and it was a dead-end life with both of us abusing alcohol.

In San Diego, I found an apartment with roommates who attended San Diego State. I continued to drink, then moved to a rooming house where the landlady was very nice. She was a Christian Scientist. At the rooming house, I became friends with a Czechoslovakian man, Mike. He had found a Book of Mormon in a trash can. He hated the destruction of books because of all the book burning he had experienced under communism. He gave it to a friend who was converted and baptized. When the book was returned to him, he was also baptized.

I had been raised Lutheran. Although I had attended different Baptist churches, the Methodist Church, Catholic churches, the Church of Christ, the Community Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Christian Science Church, and had even studied Buddhism and the Bahai religion, I always rebounded to the Lutheran Church and wanted to be a pastor. Along the way, I had gathered truths found in each religion. Mike kept asking me to go to church with him, but I consistently declined until he stopped asking. I did, however, find myself willing to help with a welfare project with Mike — the LDS Church had a fish cannery in San Diego.

I had never seen this before — people happy about cleaning and canning fish! I had an absolutely wonderful time. The next step was to go with Mike to a youth group meeting. The speaker was talking about the U.S. Constitution and how it was supported by scripture, that the Lord had a hand in the establishment of this nation. It all fit so well with my conservative beliefs. I realized I had seen a film in Florida featuring Ezra Taft Benson, “Stand up for Freedom.”

Mike was the one who baptized me into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When I look back upon the many awful years in my family, it amazes me that the children were never taken from the home by state authorities. When I look back, I am actually grateful. My love for them is overcoming the damage. The years have been tough, but the rewards have been innumerable. The family is ordained of God. My mother accepted the gospel. It was so beautiful to be able to lead my mother into the waters of baptism and then confirm her a member of the Lord’s Church on earth. It was great when my son turned twelve. He was baptized in the temple for my father. It was a warm and beautiful experience. When I went to the temple to do my mother’s work after her death, I saw her there. My deceased brother also appeared to me in the temple, urging me on to do the work for my stepdad although I was ill.

“And He shall turn the hearts of the… children to their fathers….” (Malachi 4:6)

This certainly has come to pass in the unification of my broken family. Because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, one family has been able to unite itself. Much pain and sorrow have been healed. Today in my legal work, I try to be a counselor to help unite families.

The chain of abuse has been broken in my family line. I try to be happy and follow the scriptures. I have done all I could to raise my own son in righteousness. I prayed with him and taught him truth. He is now grown, has been a fighter pilot for the USAF. He is married with four beautiful children and is now a commercial pilot. We experience joy in our Latter-day Saint family.

In advanced age, it was the homosexual assault so many years ago that was the abuse that most haunted me and forced me into counseling for PTSD. Allergic to the many medications the doctors tried, this assault caused me physical illness as well as mental challenges. I have finally found some success through natural means, and have prayed to forgive him and that he would find the gospel. I wish I could take the gospel to him and change his life.

Show love to every single person, dear friends. As Jesus said: “Love one another, as I have loved you” and “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”  To do this, we must love ourselves. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot love our Savior.

I love you and may God bless each of you.

Mike Thompson

Mike Thompson is an attorney living in Utah. He is married with one child and four grandchildren. Mike found and joined the LDS Church, moved to Utah, then moved to Idaho to attend Ricks College. He was President of the Student Senate there. After graduating from Ricks at age 25, he served his LDS mission to Norway. Later, his only child, Justin, also served a mission in Norway.

He left his dreams of becoming a Lutheran Pastor behind when he joined the LDS Church. His favorite time is spent with his wife, Trudy, his son, and his four grandchildren. Always having loved Jesus Christ, the Church has brought him happiness and joy and has underlined the importance of family in the Kingdom of our Savior. His time is concentrated on his family, his church, and his country.

“We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.” — Seneca

I’ve been thinking about this quote all day! What does it even mean? The first line made me ponder, trying to understand more of its meaning—more frightened than hurt? So I did a little research to better understand this. From what I’ve learned, being “more frightened” is to react to a situation with fear. Questions arise such as “What now?” “Why me?” “When is this going to end?” and so on. For most of us, we don’t react to the emotional side of things until later. We’re more fearful of the unknown.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more aware of the things that make me feel fearful. The majority of this feeling comes from the unknown of what the future holds. When fear starts to overstay its welcome with me, I refer back to what President Boyd K. Packer once said:

“Faith, to be faith, must center around something that is not known. Faith, to be faith, must go beyond that for which there is confirming evidence. Faith, to be faith, must go into the unknown. Faith, to be faith, must walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness” (Boyd K. Packer, “What Is Faith?” in Faith [1983], 42–43).

We weren’t promised an easy life, but we are promised blessings when we decide to live a life of faith. It’s a difficult thing to understand at first, but after some practice, you’ll realize it’s one of the best things to teach yourself.

For the second part of that quote, “We suffer more from imagination than from reality,” I think for the most part we understand it the same. We typically hope for any outcome to turn out the way we imagine it in our heads. So how do we work around that? I’ll clue you in on what has worked best for me. The number one rule (and only rule): BE FAITHFUL!

I know that is such a vague answer and maybe not the one you expected, but let me explain: in every situation I find myself in, the thing that has always comforted me is that no matter the outcome, the Lord knows what’s best for me and will always give me those things as long as I stay faithful to Him and follow His plan for me.

To read more of Jen’s articles, click here.

I believe that we have to walk through those dark nights and experience feelings of doubt to help us build our faith in ourselves and in the Lord. In those times, you may not see where the dim path is taking you, but choose to walk by faith and not by sight. If you’re like me, this may be a hard thing to learn at first, but it’s one of the best things we can do for ourselves. It’s been a huge blessing for me!

“Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come” (D&C 68:6).

So walk with your head held high and your heart filled with hope. No matter where your life take you, don’t be fearful. The Lord walks alongside you and will show you the light in every dark night. Don’t be afraid, but be faithful. Keep going and keep believing.

Jen Narra

Jen has been inspired to give encouragement and faith through her uplifting writings. Her posts focus on overcoming the trials of life in hopes that they can help others in need. Jen has a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is happy to continue to spread His word to the world here on LDS Blogs.

I could list all the things that went not according to plan and all the curveballs that were thrown my way, but I won’t. Instead I’ll tell you what I learned most: personal growth and better decision-making. Do you want to know something really cool about personal growth? We have the opportunity every day for it! But do you want to know what often gets in the way of that? Decision-making!

We can make decisions based off of what we see working for others, or we can even have someone make them for us. Although those two options aren’t the worst things we can do, if you really want to make a better decision, the fact is that it needs to start with YOU! Believe it or not, real growth comes from making decisions for yourself.

When you’re really struggling with a decision, it’s often because your mind thinks more practically while your heart wants something else. If you’re like me, that’s a tough thing to work through! Here’s what I’ve learned: pay attention to what you hope will happen.

For example, when you speak to someone, some part of you is hoping for a specific outcome from the conversation.The truth is, we’re not 100% rational humans, and that’s okay! Listen to your hopes because they often give you deeper insight into the decisions you actually want to make.

We have been given one of the greatest gifts from our Heavenly Father: free agency. It’s an amazing gift!

Yes, we can make whatever decision we want for ourselves, but I’ve learned that including the Lord in our decisions always yields the best outcome.  When I make decisions with the Lord, He has always let me know that I made the better decision to include Him. I know He doesn’t ever want me to feel alone in my trials, but I also know He never wants me to feel alone in my decisions, either. This understanding alone has influenced my life for good because having the Lord as my priority when making decisions has made my decisions better and has allowed me to better prioritize. The best part of all of this is that His desire for our life becomes so much more evident when we include Him in our decision-making process. So try it!

It’s important to note too, though, that when it comes to smaller decisions (and sometimes even bigger ones!), the Lord expects us to act for ourselves. As President Dallin H. Oaks said:

“[A person may have] a strong desire to be led by the Spirit of the Lord but . . . unwisely extends that desire to the point of wanting to be led in all things. A desire to be led by the Lord is a strength, but it needs to be accompanied by an understanding that our Heavenly Father leaves many decisions for our personal choices. Personal decision making is one of the sources of the growth we are meant to experience in mortality. Persons who try to shift all decision making to the Lord and plead for revelation in every choice will soon find circumstances in which they pray for guidance and don’t receive it. For example, this is likely to occur in those numerous circumstances in which the choices are trivial or either choice is acceptable.

 

“We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment. Persons who persist in seeking revelatory guidance on subjects on which the Lord has not chosen to direct us may concoct an answer out of their own fantasy or bias, or they may even receive an answer through the medium of false revelation” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall,” October 1994).

To read more of Jen’s articles, click here.

As we practice good decision-making, using the agency and power of reasoning God has given us, we will grow stronger and more capable — and if we are trying to follow God and we end up making a wrong decision, He’ll steer us back on track.

What I’ve learned most last month (all 74 days of it!) is that sometimes when we’re burden with hard things, we’re also reminded of all the people who are on our side cheering us on. I’ve learned that every day is an opportunity to learn and grow as a person. Making better decisions for ourselves becomes more important as we get older, and when those tough days hit you (because they will) that you can get through it because YOU are tougher!

Jen Narra

Jen has been inspired to give encouragement and faith through her uplifting writings. Her posts focus on overcoming the trials of life in hopes that they can help others in need. Jen has a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is happy to continue to spread His word to the world here on LDS Blogs.

Elder Richard G. Scott

It’s been a little while since I’ve asked myself, ‘Am I proud of where I am in my life right now?’ Most times I would say, ‘I guess so’. What I’m really saying is, I know I can do better and do bigger things in my life, but sometimes I doubt myself. This is an act of keeping myself a prisoner in my own life. – Don’t do this.

It goes back to the simple phrase our parents have told us growing up, ‘You can be whoever you want to be as long as you put your mind to it’. So why is it so hard to change some aspects of our lives? I believe it’s because we fear the unknown. It’s easier to play it safe rather than to challenge ourselves and to reach our full potential.

It’s easier to stay in a bad habit, because we feel that it takes too much work and time to change. What we must always remember during those troubling doubts is that Heavenly Father does not put fear in us. He expects us to go about our journey in this life believing that we can do all things when we put our trust and faith in ourselves, but also in Him.

You ask, ‘what if things don’t go the way I plan?’ I say, we should always be prepared for the worst knowing that sometimes we won’t get the results we want. In the same sense understanding that God knows the plan for our lives. A bigger plan! We need to remember and remind ourselves in challenging moments that where we are in our lives, where we go, that we will be okay because we can do all things with Him.

To read more of Jen Narra’s articles, click here,

If in your lives right now, you are not happy or if you don’t feel your life improving.. Change your way of thinking, change your circumstances and change YOU! Don’t ever feel like you can’t live up to your full potential, or can’t continue to improve you. Heavenly father wants us to feel every ounce of happiness, He wants us to live a life we can be proud of.

When things can’t seem to feel any worse for you, take a deep breath; Remember what a blessing it is to live this life and to make it what you want. Every single day we’re given the opportunity to change and to be better people; So we should always give our best efforts to. Lastly, always remember, You can change because, as Richard G. Scott said “He gave His life so you can change your life.”

Jen Narra

Jen has been inspired to give encouragement and faith through her uplifting writings. Her posts focus on overcoming the trials of life in hopes that they can help others in need. Jen has a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is happy to continue to spread His word to the world here on LDS Blogs.

This is why it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time;  I’ve been asking myself a lot lately “Am I proud of where I am in my life right now?” Most times I would say, “I guess so.” What I’m really saying is, I know I can do better and do bigger things in my life, but I have a lot of self doubt. This is an act of keeping myself a prisoner in my own life. (Don’t do this.)

It goes back to the simple phrase our parents have told us growing up, “You can be whoever you want to be as long as you put your mind to it.” So why is it so hard to change some aspects of our lives? I believe it’s because we fear the unknown. It ‘s easier to play it safe rather than to reach our full potential.

It’s easier to stay in a bad habit, because we feel that it takes too much work and time to change. What we must always remember during those troubling doubts is that Heavenly Father does not put fear in us. He expects us to go about our journey in this life believing that we can do all things when we put our trust and faith in ourselves, but also in Him.

You ask, what if things don’t go the way I plan? I say, we should always be prepared for the worst knowing that sometimes we won’t get the results we want. In the same sense understanding that God has already given us a plan for our lives. A bigger plan. We need to remember and to remind ourselves in challenging moments that where we are in our lives, where we go, that we will be okay because we can do all things with Him.

To read more of Jen Narra’s articles, click here,

If in your lives right now, you are not happy, or if you don’t feel your life improving.. Change it! Don’t ever feel like you can’t live up to your full potential or can do any kind of self growth. Heavenly father wants us to feel every ounce of happiness.  He wants us to live a life we can be proud of.

When things can’t seem to feel any worse for you, take a deep breath; Remember what a blessing it is to live this life and to make it what you want. Most importantly always remember, You can change because “He gave His life so you can change your life.”

Jen Narra

Jen has been inspired to give encouragement and faith through her uplifting writings. Her posts focus on overcoming the trials of life in hopes that they can help others in need. Jen has a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is happy to continue to spread His word to the world here on LDS Blogs.

I have a good friend I’ve known for more than half of my life whose free spirit is just one of the many things I look up to. The other day we had a conversation and she asked me a question along these lines “What if it’s me, what if I’m doing something wrong, and what if I’m the one that messes everything up?” My response was a laugh followed by, “You’re crazy.”

Now I know that wasn’t necessarily the response she was wanting, but she was talking crazy! I told her that she should never blame herself for something that just didn’t work out.  And that if she knew she did all she could and believed in that, to then accept it and treat it as another lesson learned and keep moving forward.

We should always remember that we are not perfect and we will always be in situations where we blame ourselves for something. I know that to be 100% true because I’ve been there. I may be the world’s biggest critic of myself because of how I can pick at my flaws and everything about me, and that can break me down.

There are times where I bluntly think – ‘Wow, I’m terrible.’ It took me a while to really understand the basics of knowing that I’m not perfect. There’s a simple phrase that goes, “You are not the mistakes you’ve made.” – I feel that ties in so well with understanding that it’s okay to not be perfect and to accept that you’ll probably never be in this life.

Here are some of the things I remind myself of when I’m getting down.

#1- Because I make mistakes doesn’t make me less worthy to receive the help and love of my heavenly father.

#2- Treat those “mistakes” as lessons to be learned and to really learn from it, so I can avoid making them again.

#3- I don’t ever entertain the thought of “No one knows how I’m feeling.”

#4- Most importantly, I always forgive myself so God is able to take the pain away and lead me back on the path where I’ll find true happiness.

We truly have so much in this life that can help us stop speaking and feeling poorly about ourselves. Whenever you feel yourself piling on one thing after another that you dislike about yourself, stop. Talk to your family and friends and vent to them. Sometimes we think we are alone in our feelings of guilt or shame, but you are so not alone. Again, no one is perfect. Now what’s really great about that is we are able to still keep trying over and over again, to be the best we could be in this life! I think that’s such an awesome way to think of it.

Don’t give up on yourself and all the more you can be.

To read more of Jen Narra’s articles, click here,

When you make a mistake, acknowledge it. Learn why that mistake led you to feeling down or guilty.  Apologize to whom you need to. Then forgive yourself. You’re not alone. The only real mistake you can make in your life is not thinking you’ve made any mistakes.

Continue to always do your best in life!

“Be mindful of your self-talk. It is a conversation with the universe. You are a being, full of infinite possibilities! Focus your mind with positivity and you will have dictated the direction of your journey, your soul and your being, cascading in infinite abundance.”   ― Angie Karan

Jen Narra

Jen has been inspired to give encouragement and faith through her uplifting writings. Her posts focus on overcoming the trials of life in hopes that they can help others in need. Jen has a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is happy to continue to spread His word to the world here on LDS Blogs.

In a Slump

Are you in a rut?

I think for the most part, It’s been more of the fact that I’ve become a little too comfortable in being in such a routine with everyday life. During the week I wake up at 4:30am and my day doesn’t end until about 9pm. Within those hours, I go to work, nap, eat, run errands if i need to, then its an early night to bed. It’s been that way everyday for sometime. I basically had slumped into a very set routine and almost autopilot kind of living with even the same feelings day in and day out.

There was no motivation to do anything else when I had the opportunity to do so. It was like my brain couldn’t wrap itself around the idea of doing something else that wasn’t already a part of my everyday routine. If you’re wondering.. Yes, I even cancelled out on date nights. It was a frustrating cycle and I knew I needed to put this to an end.

As I mentioned in my opening sentence, I needed to recharge my goals, my life, and who I am.

This is how I did just that:

How to fix it

I started to think, ‘what can I do to get that motivation to break out of the routine I’ve been in and to do more fulfilling things in my everyday?’ So I asked myself this simple question “what am I passionate about?”.. Being who I am and loving to help others feel good about themselves has always been my main motivation for things. The influence it has on me is such a blessing in my life as it’s given me so many different opportunities in reaching out to those in need.  And it fills me with such great gratitude. So I knew if I focused more on helping others that new ideas would arise.
I realized that by expressing my gratitude on a daily basis would also influence my motivation to do more good things in my day. My happiness is in gratitude. Behind that I believe is enough to motivate me to remember my goal in lifting others. It motivates me to show and give more good in life. It motivates me to be a better person everyday.

Every morning, I listen to inspirational messages. But I decided to not only listen to them, but to also use what the message shared.  And I decided to share the message with other people for that day to give them the motivation that the message has given me. It’s incredible to see what that can do for someone. I write more. I read more. I research more ways to do some volunteer work to help others. I even call my family and friends more often, just to say hi and make sure they’re okay.  Or simply to just share my gratitude I have for them.

You can too!!

God wants us to help others and wants us individually to keep growing. If we become so routine in our daily lives and forget those important things, we won’t be able to recognize that someone may be in need of our help that day. We won’t be able to recognize that we ourselves may need help. Don’t let yourself slump in autopilot.  Keep moving, keep doing your best everyday, keep looking out for others and keep looking out for you!

To read more of Jen Narra’s articles, click here,

My advice for you, find the things you’re passionate about. Remember that there’s a difference between what you’re good at verses what you’re passionate about. You’ll find more happiness where your passion lies. When you begin to feel like your life is on auto pilot, slow down. Breath. RECHARGE! Everything will be okay.

“Appreciate the little things, small joys and victories that are gifts to continually lift you and recharge your spirit”

Jen Narra

Jen has been inspired to give encouragement and faith through her uplifting writings. Her posts focus on overcoming the trials of life in hopes that they can help others in need. Jen has a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is happy to continue to spread His word to the world here on LDS Blogs.

I thought about how it was more than just the news that he had a job, but it was more realizing that his long and tiring trial had come to an end. He had gotten through it and he was able to breathe again! That scene always instantly puts me into tears.  I think of the courage this one man had to have to overcome the trials and awful  moments that could have broken him down and made him give up. And they were pretty severe.  But he didn’t give up, and he made it.

So I then thought about the difficult moments in my life where no words were ever enough to express the anguish I was feeling inside.  And those succeeding moments when things started to turn around for the better. It’s a moment of relief, happiness, and freedom to be over with a trial that took all your energy. With all the many struggles I’ve experienced, the one most important thing that I’ve learned is to stand up to myself.  And to be brave in my heart. What I mean by that is despite of how physically and emotionally tough a trial may seem, all I needed to do was gather my inner strength, knowing by doing so I can get through it.  Because my faith and my strength will always be stronger and bigger than anything I have to go through if I remember that God is with me.

In all truth and honesty, it’s still a dream to me to see where I’m at physically and spiritually in my life because I struggled so long to feel strong when things were difficult for me. It was so frustrating before I found my inner strength.  But I knew I could do it and all I needed to do was just to stand up to myself. When that moment came, and I decided to step up for the first time in my life, I felt more alive than ever.  Now I live more fearlessly.  I’m happy and determined to always try my best no matter what. I’m not perfect, and sometimes I forget what I’m capable of.  But when I remember how much inner strength I do have and I’m blessed again with God’s spirit and I feel alive and strong.  I’ve struggled to get here.  But now I’m feeling and becoming more, because I’m standing up for the right.  And when things get hard I’m holding onto my faith. This has changed my life and who I am.

What I know to be true and real is that strength comes when you decide to stand strong on the Lord’s side. Pray and most importantly LISTEN. Listening becomes the most important thing to do during the growing process because sometimes God will whisper things.  And if you’re really listening, you will know that those whispers are from Him.

To read more of Jen Narra’s articles, click here,

I believe that God has given us all the tools we need to live in this world and overcome all the trials we face, because we have already agreed to them before we were born.  And we have come to this earth to take on those challenges. My aunt has always reminded me during my own trials that God will never give you more than what you can handle. I believe that to be true.  I also believe that He will never let us drown in our trials ever, but it’s our job to find that strength within us to always keep trying. God will shine His light and show you that faith helps us move forward. Believe that with all your heart, it will give you confidence.

What the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness” means to me that we should never give up. No matter what trial you go through or what all stands in your way, be strong. Stand up for yourself, find strength inside yourself, stand up to your trials and let your faith not only show, but LET IT LIVE within you!

Here is a clip of that very powerful scene from the movie to give you a visual of what true happiness feels like when you decide to never give up on your trials and keep pushing forward!

Jen Narra

Jen has been inspired to give encouragement and faith through her uplifting writings. Her posts focus on overcoming the trials of life in hopes that they can help others in need. Jen has a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is happy to continue to spread His word to the world here on LDS Blogs.

Thomas S. Monson

“May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.”

I love the simplicity and truth he teaches about the importance of our choices in our lives. Speaking for myself, I’m thankful to have never been trapped in any kind of addiction that so many struggle to steer away from.  But that doesn’t mean that I haven’t made my own wrong decisions. Every “easier wrong” choice I’ve made has given me only one thing – A temporary fix.  It’s easy to choose what in that moment feels right, but ultimately leaves you empty.

Making the “harder right” decision always seems like a difficult process and something that’ll take some time to accomplish. I’ll admit that there have been times where the thought of enduring such a process has found me searching around for a ‘plan B’ instead. Which typically then leads to my making those “easier wrong” choices.

How many times have you walked down a trail or driven along a road that you felt would lead you to where you needed to be while you asked yourself, “Am I even going the right way?” Have your inner doubts made you question your direction? I know of no better example to share than that of a choice I made that changed my life. It was the choice to listen to the Spirit of the Lord telling me where I needed to be in my life and that I needed to do something about it right now.

It took a moment to accept that I was being guided to move away from my family to start a new life elsewhere.  But I knew that if I let my fear keep me away from the great change the Lord required, that I would have already chosen that “easier wrong.” So I listened and went in the direction that I knew was where I needed to be.

I will never be able to fully express my absolute gratitude for that moment in my life – and where I am now.  It has completely changed everything for me forever. That one choice that seemed like the “harder right,” turned out to give me more than I expected.  And it brought me to where I am today. That single choice has given me happiness on all levels, but it has also impacted who I am by giving me a beautiful life.

It’s an unexplainable feeling to be living everyday with greater faith. I’m becoming more capable of taking on life itself. The Lord’s guidance is a real thing!  I’m grateful for the “harder rights” as they have drawn me closer to our Savior. The gospel of Jesus Christ and the love I feel from our Heavenly Father will always be the absolute happiest feeling in my life.

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So that’s what I think about making the choices that President Monson calls the “harder rights”. I believe that it only takes one choice toward a “harder right” rather than an “easier wrong” to make you aware of your true inner strength. You will see how it can build your faith and change your direction of life. Most importantly, it will teach you that as you make those harder right choices, that they will become an easier choice each time because of the blessings you receive by choosing the Lord.

President Eyring shared in a Mormon message that if the foundation of faith is not embedded in our hearts, the power to endure will crumble. So walk with faith and know that no matter what, as long as you have faith and believe, you will always have made the right decision.

Jen Narra

Jen has been inspired to give encouragement and faith through her uplifting writings. Her posts focus on overcoming the trials of life in hopes that they can help others in need. Jen has a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is happy to continue to spread His word to the world here on LDS Blogs.

That’s what I wanted to talk about; Time. Time is the one thing in this life that we can’t ever stop. I know that’s such an obvious statement for the most part, but it’s true, and bending or changing time is one of the most desired super powers out there.  For the great moments, we wish for time to stop so we can enjoy it longer. For the not so great moments, we wish for time to hurry by so we can move on. Whether we wish for time to slow down or speed up, we know that it can’t change. Time is simply…Time.

In the past few months alone, I’ve learned that although time seems to be going by so fast, that I’m also given so much time at the same time. I understand it like this.. As time passes, I don’t feel as much hurt. As time passes, I can be better. As time passes, I can understand more. As time passes, I learn more. So although I can’t stop time itself, I can choose to stop and take all the time I need to do just that.  

The time I’ve spent in Utah has given me more than just the experience of moving away from family. It’s given me so many opportunities to learn more about myself and how to take care of myself. There have been moments where I think, ‘Why am I here and not home?’ I catch myself thinking of moving back because I feel as if family is who I need to be around. Although that can be true in some ways, I also remember that I was guided to be in Utah.

There was a time where I prayed consistently for some help with direction in where I needed to be. I was conflicted for a little while and never really felt certain of what to do. With time, my prayer was answered in a way that grew my faith and my own testimony tremendously. One day I was sitting in a drive thru picking up some food before work.  It took about 15 minutes just sitting there waiting. In my hands I held a few dollar bills in one and in my other hand I had coins pinched between my thumb and index finger.

With all the time I had to just sit and wait, I happened to just glance at the coins in my hand and the first coin that was on the top facing towards me was the Utah state coin. Coincidence? I don’t believe so. I immediately knew that was my prayer being answered in a way that I’d pick up on and understand. The Lord had answered my prayer. I felt so relieved and happy to have experienced a moment like that because it showed me that no matter how much I want to know something now, that I need to do is wait and give it time.

I need to pray about it and remember that God will answer my prayers in moments where I’m still and ready to know. That’s how and why I pursued my move to Utah and I’m so grateful for the experience and that Heavenly Father’s guidance never fails. Although I miss my family everyday, I was also given amazing people to surround myself with to fill that void. He’s given me so much comfort and has built my faith in Him knowing that I’m where I need to be. 

Moving to Utah is just one example to me of learning how to let time be time. Everything isn’t perfect here. I still struggle with being away from my mother’s cooking. But I really do have the greatest things that have helped me- I have the guidance and comfort from my Heavenly Father that’s given to me every single day.  I’m so grateful for this closer relationship I have with Him because I know if I didn’t have that, life would seem twice as hard living away from my family, and living life in general.

I often remind myself of these few things. 1 – Give yourself time to love where you are even when it’s difficult. 2 – With time everything will fall into place the way it should. 3 – Give yourself time to understand that you are where you need to be in your life. 

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This life isn’t easy nor was it meant to be. But I promise that with time, those hard challenges will pass and you’ll be able to fill your days with happier times because you will know how to get past those hard times easier. Don’t let yourself be stuck in those confusing and difficult times. 

If you have faith, then remember that you’ve given yourself the time to build it, right? So have faith that time will work for you in all things. Know that it’s time with yourself, time with loved ones, and most importantly time with God that can help you see the light in any dark moment. Give yourself time to keep growing. Give yourself time to learn and understand more. And give yourself all the time you need to best better yourself. Be patient and your time will come. 

All you need is time, so take it!

Jen Narra

Jen has been inspired to give encouragement and faith through her uplifting writings. Her posts focus on overcoming the trials of life in hopes that they can help others in need. Jen has a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is happy to continue to spread His word to the world here on LDS Blogs.