Bloom Where You're Planted

   

                

How many of you have felt trapped by your circumstances? I know that there have been times where I felt trapped. Sometimes life seems unfair and it is. At times it seems like some people have had a perfect life since birth and others were put in the midst of chaos and dysfunction. However true or untrue that may be, we can bloom where we are planted.

This blog is in no way to be any type of personal pity party, the purpose of sharing personal experiences is to help others in difficult circumstances know that they can be what they want to be.
Growing up I had a lot of influences pulling me in different directions. I was born out of wedlock to young parents that were trying to figure things out. Was that a rocky start to my life? Sure. Did alcohol and substance abuse negatively effect my family? Yes, but I don't condemn my parents, because they had their own trials and shoes to walk in, but yes their decisions made my childhood harder. Much of my childhood was surrounded by things of the world. From a young age I knew that I wanted different. God placed my step grandparents into my life just in time for me to see that there was some better way of life. Before my 8th birthday I had realized that the thing that set their life apart from the rest of my family was the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. They lived it. Another thing that I was able to recognize as a child was the importance of school.

God blessed me with the ability to see things on a bigger scale, I knew that if I did well in school and lived by the Lord's standards that my life would be different. To do this took a lot of work. It's so easy to fall into the ways of the world and all of it's temptations. It's easier not to do your homework than to do it. It's easier to go to sleep in or go to the movies on Sunday than attend church (especially at first).
This is one of Satan's deceptions, things appear to be easier in the moment, but in the end, life is so much harder. A little extra work in the present makes life so much easier in the long run!

There is a scripture that helped me hold my head up through trial and temptation 1Cor. 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
I know that God never gives us more than we can handle, so if you've been given a lot to go through, YOU are strong enough to bloom right where you are! God does not set us up to fail. God loves You. YOU can succeed! I know the restored gospel of Jesus Christ changes us from inside out! I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for each one of us and we can choose to wither away and let our circumstances stomp us or be used as a crutch or we can bloom where we are planted! What will you choose?

Repentance

This past week my mission companions and I were talking about repentance with Godly sorrow versus worldly sorrow. This is such an important subject, because it has two completely different outcomes. So what's the difference?

Worldly sorrow is something that comes from getting caught or from simply knowing that it's wrong and simply knowing you should repent. Worldly sorrow stems from pride, peer pressure, and shame. There is no desire to change when we have worldly sorrow and we won't change until we come to a realization of the love that god has for us.

Godly sorrow is something that comes from knowing the characteristics of God and understanding his love and desires for us. There is a distinct difference between being caught or just knowing that what we're doing is wrong and rotely "repenting," versus the realization that what you are doing disrespects your Heavenly Father and your life that He has given you. It's realizing that you love God and want to please Him because you simply love him. You love god so it hurts you to know that you are disrespecting Him and his wishes. Godly sorrow brings a sincere desire to change and a willingness to submit to every requirement for forgiveness. Godly sorrow stems from humility, love, and submissiveness. When you reach the point of not caring what anyone else in the world thinks of you, but only caring what God thinks of you, then you've reached Godly sorrow. No consequence is too great or humiliating. None of it matters anymore because you want to be right with God again.

When we repent with humility, sincerity, and a love for our Heavenly Fathers commandments, we can then be set free and washed clean of the sin that tempts and plagues us.

I chose to use these pictures from the story of the adulteress woman in the Bible, because I can see all 3 aspects of what I said above. To begin, the woman was peer pressured and forced by the hypocritical and judgmental world. She was placed in front of a loving and perfect Savior and I believe she instantly felt His perfect love for her, which brought upon her Godly sorrow because she instantly loved Him. She was compelled to be humble, but nevertheless humbled herself to the Lord and repented and forsook her sins and returned to them no more.

The Lord is perfectly merciful and just and I'm so grateful that I can repent when I do wrong.