Don't Worry, Be Happy

The other day at work, I had a lot on my mind. I was worrying about school starting soon, frustrations, relationships, and everything I had to do. I was thinking of things I wanted to change in my life, and how I could do so. And on top of it all, we changed schedules, starting an hour earlier (=less sleep).
One of the ladies I work with, mentioned to me, "You don't look very happy today."
Ouch.
I have always heard that from our facial expressions people can see the mood we are in, but it became real to me once someone actually said it. People normally tell me that I'm always happy and smiling... I had never really considered if someone said otherwise...

I remembered a scripture I found once in my mission. Doctrine and Covenants 136:28-29

If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. 

If thou art sorrowful, call on the Lord thy God with supplication, that your souls may be joyful. 

God wants us to be happy. If we are happy, we should show him! We have SO much to be happy about. And if we aren't... he tells us we can ask him, and he will help us be happy. I realized that I was worrying about way too much, most of which I had no control over... so why worry??

Like it says in 2 Nephi 2:25,

...men are that they might have joy

We exist, so that we can have joy. It is one of our purposes in life. God is a Celestial being, which we are striving to become, to participate in pure and everlasting happiness. Why not practice and enjoy what we have now, so we can show him gratitude for what we have? If we delight in what we have now, imagine the joy we will have in the life to come!

I used to be happy all the time. I enjoyed laughing, smiling, playing, enjoying, etc. I was positive and optimistic. But, somehow, I managed to let some of that go, and give in to my doubts and worries.

I decided in that moment, I would hide all my own worries and fears, and just be happy. Happiness brings light, and light shines brighter than fear and darkness. I could better uplift those around me, and in result, become uplifted myself. Even if there was something I worried about, I would hide my negativity with a smile. This is hard on my own, but I know God is there to help me. He wants us to be happy. Only through him, we can truly BE happy.

I challenge you to do the same. Leave the worries behind, trust in the Lord, and be happy. Ask Him for help, He WILL help. Seek the positive. Enjoy life. Be grateful. Leave the things that are competing for your attention, that are keeping you from true happiness. And last, don't forget to smile. :)

Walking In Sunlight

This past week, I was a counselor at Time To Blossom, a YW conference in Arizona. Most of the conference was focused on being a light to others and how to be uplifting. The thought came to me, that I should start a blog. That I should use it to share goodness, give inspirational thoughts, and record my own thoughts and feelings as well. 

These are the girls I was a counselor over. Don't you LOVE how happy and bright they are!? 

Thinking over a few possible titles I would like to choose for this blog, I decided upon My Soul So Delighteth. I have always loved this chapter in the Book of Mormon, where Nephi lists several things in which his soul delights. This blog will include some of the things in which my own soul delights, including the gospel, friends, family, my mission, the scriptures, etc. 

Today, I would like to talk a little about walking in the light. You see, for me, having faith was never too difficult, I guess I was just born with that gift of the Spirit. However, I know for others, it is a little more complicated. We always hear that when we "walk to the edge of the light" into the darkness, the light follows. But this is easier said than done. I was stuck at this point this week. In a few different aspects of my life, I felt like I was lost until I had guidance. I didn't know what else I could do, until I received some inspiration. I was just waiting for someone to tell me what to do next. This week though, as we were enveloped with the Spirit all day long, I started to feel more confident, that I can make my own decisions. God trusts us to make the right decisions. Sometimes, we don't receive guidance until we make a choice ourselves, and then he will confirm it. Or take us somewhere else. Either way, we must take that step in the dark. Take that leap of faith. Guidance always comes. That I know, and that I promise. 

Helen Keller said "When we face the sun, our shadow always falls behind us." When we look to Christ for help, when we focus our lives in him, the dark and uncertain shadows are behind us. Life is not always easy, but it does not have to be as hard as we sometimes make it to be. Striving to endure, desiring to be better, and working to follow Christ helps us walk in the light. And as we do so, we are promised that He is always there with us. 

But how do we do this? 

Here things that I do personally, to help me stay focused and walk in the light. 

-Read the scriptures every day. I do not believe there is a "minimum" amount of time/pages/chapters as a standard. I believe it to be whatever you personally need. 

-Pray, twice a day, at least. Talk to our Father in Heaven. If we don't communicate to him, he will not be able to communicate to us. 

-Attend the temple whenever possible. Again, there is not a minimum for how often. Just however often is a sacrifice for you. It is definitely worth it though, to feel this Spirit and to be in the House of the Lord. It brings us peace, tranquility, answers, happiness, joy, ... 

-Limit social media. Yes. That's what I said. Don't get me wrong, social media is not a bad thing, but I know for me, sometimes I would find myself losing SO much time, gawking over the best of everyone's normal lives, comparing it to the worst of my own. I didn't feel good about myself after. I do have these accounts, for a couple reasons. 1: to stay in contact with friends/family. 2: to flood the earth with goodness. I try to post gospel/testimony/church related things every couple weeks or so, hoping it will touch someone's life. 

-Spend time with friends/family. These people are there for us, and love us. They help us become who we want to become. We can remember our goals and potential around them. 

-My favorite: SMILE! Be happy :) Having a smile makes us glow from the inside out. What better way is there to walk in the light, than to be shining at the same time?? 

Do you have any other ideas/suggestions/things you do help you keep walking in the light? 

I hope you enjoy this blog, and I know I will enjoy writing it. :) 

Make it a lovely day!