Empowering Hope

Tonight for my Family Home Evening, I played a game, listened to a hymn on YouTube, followed by a conference talk by Henry B. Eyring, entitled "A Priceless Heritage of Hope," and went for a walk. It doesn't sound terribly exciting but it actually opened my eyes a bit. Life has lots of twists and turns and even though it can be tough, things tend to work themselves out if we have God as our first priority. He is in charge and we have to trust in that and that He will take care of us. It is being willing to have the faith to act when He calls.

God reveals things to us when we have questions that we meditate and ponder about. Lately, I have noticed and have been told repeatedly that I need to live more in the present. I plan too much and dream too often and try to act strategic but in all reality I have no control on how the world will change. I only have control over me. And as I was walking tonight, I saw people in the park and on the street that were outside and could have been experiencing the same things that I was but instead stared at their phones to be entertained. I could almost see myself in a mirror.

As I walked around I thought of people that I wanted to share it with and people that I needed to catch up with, things I needed to do, and all sorts of thoughts. But the voice in my head helped me to push all of that out and follow where my feet decided to take me. I saw two streams separate and come back together only to disappear past a steep embankment in the city. I sat on my front steps and talked with a friend over the phone while I watched the sun set and the city die down. Nature always finds a way to keep living. Whether it is the tree whose roots break up a driveway or the grass peeking through the cracks in the concrete, nature finds a way. It breathes at night. If you are quiet it is almost like listening to the breathing of a sleeping world. At times there is the occasional movement, an animal stirs, a car drives by, but for the most part it is the quiet chirping of crickets and peepers and the slow breeze through the trees.

I feel like the best thing I can do right now is to slow down and live in the moment. Trust more and plan less. Once I make a decision, I need to do what I can to see if it will happen and if it is meant to be then it will naturally grow into a real opportunity. I always want to force things to happen because I feel like I am ready for the next thing. I do it socially, professionally, and in all aspects of my life I am always pushing forward. Moving forward isn't a bad thing but at times I push too hard. So maybe if I start living how I believe, moving forward and acting with faith, hope, and charity, then life will become a whole lot easier.