The 79th Chronicle

Hello family and friends! 

Life is just full of moments where it can be easy to feel down. Good news! That's just Satan reminding us that we are powerful enough to scare him. With the gift of our bodies and our ability to choose (through agency) he's got nothing on us. As we remember our Lord and turn to him we can be protected from the danger of the adversary. That doesn't necessarily mean life will be smooth though. 

Last week was an interesting one. Most of the days felt pretty rough and yet each one always ended in a miracle. The funny thing is that on one if those days I had the thought, "Man, today's been kinda hard. Some kind of miraculous event is probably gonna happen later and Satan knows that. I need to stay strong and I'll be looking back on this moment and think it was silly that I felt this way." Guess what? That was totally the case. 

It's okay for us to not feel euphoric all of the time. Life is a cycle of emotions and experiences that help us gain wisdom. With that said, we can make it a little easier on ourselves though. As Anthony Robbins shares, we need to recognize that ‘emotion' comes from ‘motion'. If we're sitting down in a slumped position, for a long period of time, staring at our phone as social media messages flood the screen, and those messages are telling us how lame our life is…. not only will we LOOK depressed but we'll FEEL depressed too! We need to get the blood flowing, do some breathing exercises, have mindfulness, listen to motivational music, turn off the phone and go talk to someone that is actually there. 

Another thing to remember is our focus often defines our feelings. Two people can go to the same event and have a vastly different experience based off of their focus. The one who focuses on helping to include others, getting to know new people, and finding the good will be happier. 

I know for me I ALWAYS have a better Sunday when I walk in with the intention to shake everyone's hand, strike up conversations in the hallway, and help out with the meeting. As I invite people to church and welcome those I've invited it means more. As I come with the spirit in preparation to renew my covenants and include others in that experience... I don't know what it is, but I leave feeling satisfied rather than discouraged. 

The last thing I wanted to share about what I am learning is to ask better questions. If we're asking ourselves, "Why is this so hard?" or “Why am I so bad at this?" then not only is our question condemning us but the answer will be as well! Think about that. Not only did we just define ourselves as struggling and discouraged, but now because of our questions, we'll know the reason why we stink. How about we start asking questions that benefit us (even if we don't feel like they are our reality yet). Example, “Why am I so fulfilled as I go through these trials?" or “Why do I feel support as I learn this new task?” Different look isn't it? 

Quote of the Week: "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God." (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10)

Kia Kaha!

Elder Brady