Fall Down Seven Times ...

I think we forget as we go through recovery we why we are fighting. Whether it be of guilt, addictions, bad habits, or whatnot, we need to remember why.

Why are you fighting? Think about it. Really consider it.

You're fighting for your happiness, your freedom, your sanity. You want and DESERVE the good things in life. You don't have to be afraid anymore. You really do not have to be afraid.

Someone once told me that "if you don't do recovery for yourself, then you will never get better."
This MIGHT be true, but I don't think it is entirely.

If you love someone, sometimes you want to be better for them. If you care about something, you want to be better so you can have it, feel it, become it. Eventually, you will start to recover for yourself. So, it okay to want to recover for purposes other than yourself. Motivation for the good things is good!

Recovery is hard. We stumble, trip, and fall. It does not matter how many times we fall, but how many times we choose to stand up again.

So, this is just my little reminder to you. Keep fighting!

Trust in your Saviour and His infinite atonement. No pain, or event is too large for the atonement to cover. With Him, you can do this! YOU CAN DO THIS!

Be brave. Be free. Be happy!

You deserve it.

Shay

The Finish Line

Last weekend I had the awesome opportunity to participate in a 40 mile relay race!

It started at the Rexburg Idaho temple, to the Idaho Falls temple.

The sun was shining so brightly we had to squint. The heat beat down on us and we are pretty sure a lot of us got sun stroke. We tried not to drink TOO much water in fear that we'd have to urinate during our leg of the race. We cheered and cheered and cheered each other on. It was a long day.

It was, also, hands down the funnest thing I have done this semester!

I ran the last stretch of the relay. Due to the course and distance I ran, my team could not really find an area to cheer me on during the leg I ran. I told them to just meet me at the temple (the finish line).

Like I mentioned before, it was hot. As I was running, a part of me wished I could just walk it, but I could not let the team down. At one point, I was feeling discouraged. Not because I could not do it, but because the course seemed endless. I could not see the temple and I felt that I was running a longer distance than indicated.  I felt that if I just saw my team, if I could just hear them cheer me on, I would be better motivated.

Right then a thought popped into my mind.

"Sometimes you have to hard things on your own."

I knew this was true, but it did not make it any less harder. 

Then another thought came: 

"Just because you are doing this on your own now, does not mean there is not someone there waiting for you. Just because you can't hear them, or see them

does not mean they are not cheering you on."

Sometimes, our trials seem endless. Sometimes, you cannot see those around you cheering you on to push yourself, to keep going, to be victorious. That does not mean they are not there doing those things you hope they'd do. 

I finally saw my team and a jolt of adrenaline went through my body. I had done it and I was going to finish strong because they were my prize. Seeing them smiling and cheering with arms in the air, I felt unstoppable. 

I started sprinting and then to my surprise, they joined with me. We were going to finish this race together.

We crossed the finish line sweating, panting, and smiling. 

We had done it. Together.

Heavenly Father blesses us with angels in our lives. Sometimes we can't see them, or hear them cheering us on, but they are there. Heavenly Father will not leave us alone, or without help. 

Although we have to fight some battles on our own for a little bit, that does not indicate that there is no one there cheering us on or waiting at the end of the finish line with open arms. 

Shay

Batman

Each story told in Gotham is by Batman.

We see everything from his point of view and we are on his side. We believe that his anguish and hurt is all rational because of all the things he tells us. His parents murdered, family distorted, and all past guilt still invades his mind. He performs so much good and so much hurt comes in return, but he refuses to let the city go up in flames. He is a hero.

The dark, gloomy streets of Gotham are portrayals of Batman's perspective.

What if we took it from someone else's point of view? What if every good thing Batman thought he was doing was actually destructive? What if his mind was so warped and twisted that the gloomy Gotham city was actually just a regular beautiful city like Toronto. A city that, when nightfalls, shines brightly as if to say "Welcome Home!"

What if our pessimistic view or our ignorance is ruining the beauty that is all around us? What if all the good we think we are doing is actually destructive to our relationships, our spirituality, and physical health?

What if we are like Batman?