Well lately my husband and I have decided we want to "go all in" to the church. As part of our goal to get sealed in the temple and stay strong in the church I am constantly worried to have kids. Not that I think they will bring any kind of spiritual decline to my life, but I am afraid because the world is not getting better. We are constantly seeing signs of the fall of the earth and the disintegration of morals. I don't want my kids to have to live in that. But the prophet said that multiplying and replenishing the earth is an active commandment today, and that if in these (the last) days we don't bring children into the world and teach them to be strong and stand up for whats right, then those spirits are going to someone else. So that has comforted me a little.
In this talk I listened to in stake conference he talked about how we need to cling to the standards of the church. Like I said before, there are all kinds of grays. I, myself have struggled with focusing on the "but I could get away with this right?" instead of the "But the Lord would prefer me to do this," aspects of my life. Like tattoos. I love them! I have a couple from before I converted. I want more so bad! And I have said on several occasions "Having tattoos is a personal choice. You can get a tattoo and go to the temple the next day!" But we all know that we have been asked not to get them. There are a lot of things like this such as swearing, wearing bikinis, having multiple piercings, watching R rated movies, ect. Well in this talk about "going all in" our stake president challenged us to make it not our goal, but our quest in life, to stop rationalizing and to just "go all in". What real happiness is doing the "gray things" going to bring us? I mean really is it that great to swear once in a while? I mean I'm sure it wont keep you out of heaven, but is it that important? So my husband and I made it our quest to go all in. We are working on not swearing (which has proven to be very hard) and we are getting rid of our R rated movies and I am going to stop my "I might get another tattoo" talk.
But this quest has been really hard for me. We have all heard the saying "White Bread Mormons" right? The people who are stuffy and think that they are better than you because they don't watch R rated movies and you do. Well I had a friend the other day who wanted to watch an R rated movie with me at school. I said "I don't watch R rated movies anymore." and they said "Since when?" And I explained that Matt and I were just trying to be better and "go all in." This person was very offended. I have known her forever and now she thinks that I am some sort of judgmental "white bread" Mormon.Why? Because I choose not to watch R rated movies. I guess she feels that if I think I should not watch R rated movies because the prophet asks me to, then I must also think that she is a bad person for not listening to the prophet and watching them anyways. I don't think she is a bad person.
That's when it hit me. It's a mirror. She is looking at me and my life and thinking that because I am doing what I am supposed to do, she sees her life and knows she's wrong. I can tell she feels it deep down. I have another friend who fell in love with a guy who pushed her out of the church and now can't step inside of an LDS church foyer without bursting into tears. Why do you think that is? I believe that we are all loved by out heavenly father and mother equally. I have made a choice to live my life in a way that makes me feel clean and happy. If the way you are living yours makes you feel clean and happy that is fine too. I don't look down on people who make different choices or have different standards or values than I do. I never have and I never will. But next time you are talking with a friend and you feel like you being judged because they have a different standard than you ask yourself why? Did they attack you? Most likely not (although there are some who will, which is sad).
This same principal applies to parenting and other things.
Here is an interesting article about how this same mirror is often found in parenting! I love this article! The author has so much voice and flare!
Final Words ♥: Are you feeling judged by others, or yourself?
But this quest has been really hard for me. We have all heard the saying "White Bread Mormons" right? The people who are stuffy and think that they are better than you because they don't watch R rated movies and you do. Well I had a friend the other day who wanted to watch an R rated movie with me at school. I said "I don't watch R rated movies anymore." and they said "Since when?" And I explained that Matt and I were just trying to be better and "go all in." This person was very offended. I have known her forever and now she thinks that I am some sort of judgmental "white bread" Mormon.Why? Because I choose not to watch R rated movies. I guess she feels that if I think I should not watch R rated movies because the prophet asks me to, then I must also think that she is a bad person for not listening to the prophet and watching them anyways. I don't think she is a bad person.
That's when it hit me. It's a mirror. She is looking at me and my life and thinking that because I am doing what I am supposed to do, she sees her life and knows she's wrong. I can tell she feels it deep down. I have another friend who fell in love with a guy who pushed her out of the church and now can't step inside of an LDS church foyer without bursting into tears. Why do you think that is? I believe that we are all loved by out heavenly father and mother equally. I have made a choice to live my life in a way that makes me feel clean and happy. If the way you are living yours makes you feel clean and happy that is fine too. I don't look down on people who make different choices or have different standards or values than I do. I never have and I never will. But next time you are talking with a friend and you feel like you being judged because they have a different standard than you ask yourself why? Did they attack you? Most likely not (although there are some who will, which is sad).
This same principal applies to parenting and other things.
Here is an interesting article about how this same mirror is often found in parenting! I love this article! The author has so much voice and flare!
Final Words ♥: Are you feeling judged by others, or yourself?
