Overcoming Lifes Hurdles

Back in high school I did track and field. I'm not an amazing runner and I never have been. I never liked running. In fact it was the reason I stopped playing basketball because they made us run too much in practice. However, the track coach talked me into joining the team.

Since I cant run if my life depended on it, I decided to give the hurdles a try. I immediately fell in love with them. Dont ask me how it works, but I just ran faster with something in my way. I got smoked in the 100meter dash or any dash at all, but I could take on the best in the 110hurdles. Placing an obstacle in my path made me run that much faster. Because of those 10 hurdles, running became one of my favorite things to do. Without them I would have quit sports forever.

I seem to look on life in the same way. As we go throughout our day we face obstacles. Oftentimes these cause us to stumble, but only if we let them. However, if we have the faith these moments can push us to run faster. With each obstacle we have the opportunity to grow and to exercise our faith. God places these experiences in our lives to give us these opportunities. He knows we can run faster if we have hurdles to overcome. He knows that without these we cannot progress.

Dont ever give up in life. Have faith that these experiences will expell you forward. Trust that God will help you. I know that if we do these things that we will be stronger. Our lives will be full of joy, and we will learn to smile in times of trial. They are given for our good.

I invite everyone to join the hurdle team and see how fast you can run. Below is a great talk by a General Authority about Adversity.

http://lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/all-things-work-together-for-good?lang=eng

Repenting Is Like Skateboarding

Skateboarders are crazy. Lets face it they have a lot of guts, or they are just plain stupid. I asked someone we teach today how long it takes him to master a trick. He said a week atleast, it depends on the trick. Then I asked him how many times he crashes and burns while he is practicing. Too many times. A couple of scrapped elbows and broken wrists don't scare these kids though. Only a rainy day will stop them from hitting the parks and rails. It is a way of life. It is worth it when you hit that kickflip or stick a grind. The bumps and bruises get farther in between. You just gotta stick to it. Stopping because the board slipped on the rail is no excuse. If you have your mind fixed on landing the trick nothing will prevent you from succeeding.

Life is a lot like skateboarding. We all have to have alot of guts to make right choices, or we are just plain stupid. The world is always trying to drag us behind. Satan really doesnt want us to be happy. He will do everything he can to prevent us from returning to live with our Heavenly Father. It takes us a while to make righteous choices. Following the Savior isnt easy but it is worth it. The way is very simple, we just have to have the faith the take those first steps.

Our Savior commanded us to be perfect (Matthew 5:48). Has anyone took a look around lately? How many perfect people do you see running around? We must be crazy for trying to be like Jesus who was absolutely perfect. Just like skateboarding we all crash and burn. We all make mistakes. We all commit sin and "fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). That doesnt stop us though. We are going to nail that trick. We are going to be like Christ. We just got to stick to it. We repent when we hop back on that skateboard and go at it again. It doesnt matter how many times we fall  we can always get back on the board. Each time we repent we learn something new and we become more like our Savior. The more we repent the farther there is between the bumps and bruises. Soon we master the trick and then we go onto a new aspect of life. There is always new tricks to be learned and new trials to face. If we truly want to be like our Savior we must be like the true boarders. We must fight through the broken bones. We must always be trying to learn new tricks. We enjoy the ride but we are never satisfied. We recognize we can always improve. We can always repent.

It is never to late to try skateboarding. I invite you all to hop on the board and get shredding. It is time to follow Jesus Christ. "And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son" (2 Nephi 31: 11). Just do it. Have the guts to give it a try. Dont be scared of a few broken bones and failed attempts because "This is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God" (2Nephi 31:21)

I Love Rainy Days

"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

-Matthew 5:45-

So, the rainy season is coming up in Crescent City California. I hear that means that I will not get to see the sun for six months. I may regret saying this, but I love the rain. It always reminds me of that quote by Jesus. The rain is not just falling on me. It falls on everyone in the entire city. Everyone will get just as wet as me. That makes me happy. I do not worry about getting wet. I can suffer a little rain because I know I am not the only one stuck in the storm. This is important to remember. Everyone has rainy days.