We all have a destiny, we just have to find it
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How easy is it to find sunshine in the rain? It doesn't happen very often, but Utah is kind of one of those weird places that does that. All week, it has been rainstorms, heavy cloud cover, thunder, lightning, and wind. Although, yesterday, I came outside to mow my lawn as the sun was shining, but as I looked up at the sky, I noticed a tiny dark spot in the clouds. And in that tiny dark spot, it only rained in a little spot in my hard that only expanded about ten square feet. I walked to my door, no rain, I walked to the spot, rain. That was a true example to me of finding sunshine in the rain. Between all the rainstorms this week, it has been one of the happiest weeks I have had in a long time. Why, might you ask? It was because I found the sunshine through other people. I have never felt so loved until this week when I realized how much I had impacted the other missionaries. I don't think I still really understand how much I impact them, but enough that some reached out to me. I recently came across a talk a couple of days ago that explained about how much society has expected us to be miserable. He explained that we shouldn't allow despair take over our lives, that we should expect ourselves to be miserable because everyone else feels like they need to too. If you feel like you can go through things, it's okay to smile and say that everything is alright for this moment. I've been going through a lot lately, but even amidst that, I'm not sad all the time. If you understood my circumstance, people would expect me to be sad all the time because that's just how it works. Well, it doesn't. Yeah, I get moments where I'm quite sad, that it's hard to think to be happy, but it's not me twenty-four seven. I choose to be happy, even where it may be raining inside, I still have sunshine somewhere in there. So as you go through this destiny, as you go through hardships and trials, just know, you aren't expected to be sad all of the time. It's okay, if someone makes you laugh, keep laughing and keep that smile. There may be rain outside, but the sunshine is there somewhere, even if it needs to come from somewhere else other than the sky. Talk: It is Better to Look Up: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/it-is-better-to-look-up?lang=eng The Sunshine in the Rain Sometimes the rain comes down And leaves you in the dark The sun is hidden in the clouds Blocking the heat and the light You bundle up in your jacket An umbrella over your head To hurry inside where it's dry Inside is dark, a strange silence Raindrops patter on the roof Nobody says a word Then a song is heard It starts, at first, further inside You approach closer They are singing "There is sunshine in my soul today More glorious and bright..." You start to sing along And you can't help but smile More people start to join in And soon, everyone is singing The clouds start to move And begin to clear the sky Until rays of sunlight merges The sun shines over the rain The drops of water glistens You start to sing louder Until soon enough, the sun is there Shining brightly on your face It continues to rain But you found sunshine in the midst of it Song: There is Sunshine in My soul Today: https://www.lds.org/music/text/hymns/there-is-sunshine-in-my-soul-today?lang=eng&_r=1
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I apologize for not posting one last week, I have fallen a wee bit behind, but I'm back and ready for another post!
Our lives can sure get busy, sometimes a little too busy. Trudging through schoolwork, long days at the one job that pays us, fulfilling family needs, reaching goals, anything that can keep us constantly on our feet. So where's the space between all of this? I feel like a common excuse is: "I don't have time for that", and maybe that is so, but if it's important to you, there is such thing as finding time. I understand if this doesn't sound realistic, but the most important thing in our life is balance, if there isn't balance, the unbalance will continue to fall until you have crashed into a terrible basket-case. When I had school, I would be bombarded with homework at times. Often times I would either be sitting at a desk taking notes or sitting at home doing homework. Between all of this, I would also have a job and play rehearsals. I love writing, I can't even tell you how passionate I am about writing a new story down on my computer or notebook, I need to write. So when did I ever write my story? I wrote every single day, but how did I do it? I kept a notebook with me at all times, it didn't matter where I was, I had one. If there was even a couple of minutes of down time during a class, I would write; during lunch, I would write; in the car on the way home, I would write (when I wasn't driving of course); when I needed a five minute break from my homework, I would write. I was always asked, "how do you find time to write?" or "I don't have time to write, I'm too busy", but the thing is, if you want to do something you love, you find time to do it. I never really had the chance to spend a few hours writing, and yet, I have finished entire novels because I never stopped writing, even if it was sporadic. Sometimes, you maybe can't do what your love during class, or during lunch. For example, I play the cello. I can't just carry my cello around and practice whenever I had time during school. What I had to do, during a moment where I was very passionate on my cello as well, was I made some sacrifices. Instead of 45 minutes of a television show to finish my night off, I would do 45 minutes of practice. It can be anything, name something you are passionate about and stop telling yourself that 'you don't have time for it'. Find time, and it will work out. And I'm not just saying this with passions. What happened to taking a breather every once in a while? Constantly moving, work, work and more work! Take a break. Even if it's brief. A common thing that I found useful to keep from being overwhelmed from homework is taking a brain break. Half an hour of homework, ten minutes of coloring, another half an hour of homework, have a snack, finish your homework, reward yourself with a television show. That is just an example, but don't just do five minutes of homework and a twenty minute break. If it needs to get done, get it done, but at least give yourself five minutes to do something else. Try to do things that are less a temptation such as coloring, meditating, going for a walk, having a snack, or taking a ten minute nap. Those that are temptations such as reading a book, watching a television show or YouTube, playing video games, or going on social media, could be a reward after you are finished, but shouldn't be considered for breaks. I'm sure we can all claim that we have procrastinated, but that's because we push ourselves too hard to do it all at once. Procrastination is another reason why there's no breathing space, and when temptations take over, it becomes harder to do the things that help our future. So I would encourage you, especially during times when you are busy, to consider certain temptations as more a reward for after rather than a break. I love watching Star Trek or Little House on the Prairie (very different shows, but that's just me), but I usually save those to watch only if I get certain things done first such as studying, attending YSA or family activities, or service opportunities. I used to watch an episode every night, but if there is a service project for my YSA Family home evening, I'm going to go to that. That still applied when I attended school, I didn't watch an episode unless I got all the things that are better done first, then I could watch something if I had time. These are merely suggestions. Taking time out of my day for passions or trying to find time to relax has really helped me breathe in this busy world. That is why I am discussing this in this post. Our destiny doesn't need to be so filled up and cram packed, we can find time to do things we desire. If a lot is happening, stop for just a moment, take a deep breath and give yourself a couple of minutes, then continue on with whatever you are doing. There is no such thing as not having enough time, if you want time to do it, you will find time in your busy day to do it, even if it means making sacrifices. While in Sunday School, we got into the subject about how getting closer to Christ can follow along our gifts and talents. One of the brethren mentioned how he was a black belt, but it had taken him several years to get to that point. Through working through certain skills and practicing every day, he was able to build up to be a black belt. He used this analogy in a spiritual end. We all start as white belts, but with practice and working on the skills of the Lord, we will eventually become the black belts God desires us to be. I recently started reading a book called "What would a Holy Woman do"? Although it pertains to women, it's often nice to think about what we can do to become spiritually closer to our Heavenly Father. One of the things I would like to point out is the blessings involved of doing the Lords work. We don't particularly earn blessings, rather we receive them if we allow Heavenly Father to. He has those blessings waiting for us if we just allow Him to give them. Even those who aren't a member of the church can receive blessings. Our trials are not forgotten, in fact, they are used to challenge us, but also allow us to recognize the blessings Heavenly Father will provide. We can learn to recognize these blessings by practicing our efforts through our studies and prayers. If we do that, our spiritual white belts will eventually turn into the black belts God has been preparing for us. These spiritual black belts allow us to fight back the adversary and become closer to our Heavenly Father. Blessings come in all shapes and sizes. As white belts, it is easy to identify the big obvious ones that happen during our big trials, but as we grow and understand more of the Lord, we learn of the little things He has provided for us too. A challenge that has been given to me is to write down a blessing every day, as there will be blessings found every day. Sometimes it is merely getting to the train in time and sometimes it's something as big as happening to be there during a Seizure to call for help. The more I have studied and understood God's work, the more I have learned to identify them. So as we journey on through our life, just remember that we can be a spiritual black belt if we strengthen ourselves through the Lords teachings. Every trial we face will build up our stage of black belt as long as we allow Him in our lives. I leave this with you with my testimony in knowing Christ lives, he knows us and wants to help us become better and spiritually minded, and I say these things through Christ's name, Amen. |
Kaylee CasuttI have been writing for over eight years now and have been both building to publish my first book and serve as a service-missionary of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Everything I write will contribute to the journey destined I have been striving to find and build. Archives
May 2020
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