Take a chance on Him

So I will have you all know, that last night while I was laying in bed after I finished reading my scriptures and reading from The Continuous Atonement by Brad Wilcox, I had the best inspiration for my blog tonight.

Aaaaand, I've been sitting here for hours and that idea still has not come back to me so...

My mind has been focusing a lot on happiness.

 The Savior isn't our last chance;

He is our only chance.

Our only chance to overcome self-doubt and catch a vision of who we may become.

Our only chance to repent and have our sins washed clean.

Our only chance to purify our hearts, subdue our weaknesses, and avoid the adversary.

Our only chance to obtain redemption and exaltation. 

Our only chance to find peace and happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come.

Sheri Dew

Here I am, a day later because I got distracted.

What is it like to be happy??>>

I mean, real happiness.

Is happiness reflected in a smile?

A peaceful expression?

Or tears?

And how do we obtain this happiness??

Some of my happiest moments in my life involve more emotions than just happiness. 

Usually love, trust, forgiveness, service, and appreciation are involved as well. So how do we aim to find and feel these emotions more often?

The Atonement of Jesus Christ

  We have the ability to truly heal from all things in our lives.

Which gives us the opportunity to love.

To trust.

To forgive.

To serve.

And to appreciate.

There will always be experiences in our lives that make these emotions hard,

they never get to see the sunlight.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

Mediocre means halfway up the mountain. "It doesn't describe how far I can go. It just indicates how far I have come. If I am halfway up the mountain and on my way to the top, it is better than being at the bottom and refusing to try. No matter where I am on the mountain, the motivation to climb higher is found not in trying to impress God and Christ with my sacrifices, but in letting their sacrifices be more deeply impressed upon me." -Brad Wilcox

Allowing Christ's sacrifice to be more deeply impressed upon me

has truly changed me.

I can now experience true happiness.

I'm not perfect, nor will I be in this life.

I make mistakes-every single day.

But happiness doesn't come from living perfectly.

We are here to experience.

We have emotions and fears and feelings for a reason.

They are much more meaningful when embraced rather than ignored.

Remember that one of Satan's strategies,

especially with good people,

is to whisper in their ears:

'If you are not perfect, you are failing.'

This is one of his most effective deceptions...

We should recognize 

that God is pleased 

with every effort we make--no matter how faltering--to better ourselves.

-Elder Gerald N. Lund

Do not accept procrastinating your happiness.

Don't put off forgiveness.

Don't put off healing.

We only have this life, to learn as much as we can.

To change the best that we can.

Never forget that you deserve to be happy.

You deserve to have all that the Father hath.

And He has the keys to happiness. 

Ultimate happiness. The kind that counts.

Christ's requirements are not so that we can make the best of the Atonement,

but so that--on His generous terms--the Atonement can make the best of us.

- Brad Wilcox

Be brave.

Take a risk.

Take a chance on Christ.

Because true happiness is worth it. 

And we are here because we believed in Christ.

And when you know it's going to be a cloudy week,
buy flowers on sale.
I did it, and it brings me joy.