My Path

Sometimes it bothers me that I can't compete on Phoenix and that I just sit on the sidelines for rodeo and we tried the English thing lol. It can be hard to have dreams of competing at a professional level one day and realize that your path is leading a different way. It's been hard to chill on the horse front, in a competitive person by nature and sometimes I still watch everyone and I think I could do that if I kept at it working hard and maybe I could.

But when I took a step back horses changed for me. I no longer avoided my horse due to frustrations and we don't fight much anymore. I'm not rushing to make it to the next level or upset when I fall short of expectations because I now just take the time to work through things with Phoenix and just play and enjoy having a beautiful, loyal animal.

I can honestly say that taking care of a horse is almost as fun as running it and I hate to see the day when I have to board her due to school for a little while. I love that Phoenix nickers when I pull up to her gate and always seems happy to see me. I love caring for her and feeding her and cleaning her stall while I sing to her or have crazy conversations. While everyone is stressing out I try to forget the sadness of wanting to be out there competing because it is super fun but that's truly not where I want to go.

I love hopping on Phoenix bareback and just a halter and being able to trust her no matter what. Our bond has strengthened so much when I took a step back and the way we work together and how I see her is completely different. Just enjoying horses has made me a better person and helped push back the competitive, jealous, status focused side so that I can just be happy and enjoy life.

It's crazy that essentially giving up one of your dreams (or what you thought was a dream) has been the best thing ever for me. I didn't want to let go for a long time but I learned that I needed to listen to and trust God and even though I don't understand, he knows best. He knew I wasn't going to be my best self if I was always focused on rodeo and competing and I would have trouble with my dreams of a mission and being a good wife and mother.

I still struggle sometimes to look at the life I thought I always wanted and to accept that I needed to let go. I still enjoy local competitions but even then I get a glimpse of what can change me into someone I don't want to be and I'm glad that God loves me enough to redirect me when I didn't need what I wanted.

Do the things that make you happy on a spiritual level because those are the things that really matter. And make time for those who love you and are always there. The things of this world and status aren't bad and make you happy temporally but they don't last (and I'm not against someone who rodeos professionally I think it's wonderful!! Just wasn't for me 😉). What does last are families and the gospel.

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Matthew 16:25-26

"Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through not steal.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." -Matthew 6:20-21

Mesa Temple Visit

       I had a lot of free time today, so I decided to visit the Mesa temple!  I just love love love the house of the Lord!!  As soon as I stepped on the grounds I felt peace and forgot about the cares of the world.  The love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is very strong when you are at the temple.  I prayed hard and studied the words of God out in the beautiful nature at the temple and the spirit was so strong that I could imagine Christ sitting right next too me.  You can feel his presence so strong, you expect to look around and suddenly see Jesus step out from behind a tree or come down the path towards you.  I was once told that the Lord walks the halls of his house.  I haven’t been inside of a temple for a long time but I can testify that he walks the grounds.  I feel so at home at the temple, like it is where I am meant to bei.  It feels like I am at home and I imagine I am in the garden of Eden and God is right there with me and watching over me.  I almost feel like I could talk to Jesus or Heavenly Father face to face.  

One cool thing I’ve never really thought about before was that the temple is the one place on earth that satan can’t enter.  How cool is that!!  No wonder the feeling is so different!  The veil is thinner, the spirit is stronger as you leave the world behind, and the temptations and feelings of the devil can’t reach you!  If you ever need a safe place I could think of no place better than the temple.  How amazing it is to leave behind the thoughts and feelings of the world!  I find myself being a better person while I am at the temple.  My thoughts are always focused on God and I desire to help others and I want to smile and talk to everyone (which I’m pretty nervous about usually).  Things that I find hard out in the world such as focusing on reading my scriptures and talking to strangers comes easily while on the grounds.  I don’t want to compete with people but I feel humble and I am joyful about others.  I wish it was that easy to forget the feelings of the world that I need to work on while I was out in the world.  I’m human and sometimes I get too competitive, jealous, or care too much about status.  But at the temple those things are the farthest from my mind and I’m happy just being me.  I don’t wish to be above others of show off but I feel a love towards everyone and I just want to glorify God.  This is how I always want to feel, fore the way we feel while at the temple is the way of God and how we should strive to be always.  

In the visitor’s center I had some wonderful talks with the missionaries and saw some beautiful art depicting the life of the savior.  I watched a new meet the mormons clip on a horseman.  I always knew that horses were a beautiful creation of God.  That is one thing I love about horses, their beauty and being able to be in the beautiful nature God has created while out riding, forgetting the things of the world.  But something I was taught during the clip was that how we train and work with horses is how God works with us.  Not with harsh words and restraints but with time, patience, love, encouragement, etc.  And we are to be as we desire our horses to be towards us, humble, submissive, and trusting towards the master, the one who sees what we can’t and knows best.  This not only changed my view on how I am acting towards God and how truly amazing He is as a father, but it actually changed the way I worked with Phoenix.  I had more patience and understanding towards her.  I tried to be as I know Jesus would be with me, kind, gentle, understanding, and patient.  I put my trust in her and little by little I gave her more as she proved it, just as God gives us more as we are obedient unto Him.  

I have noticed that the more I visit and study the temple and realize the specialness and closeness to heaven at it, I am finding it harder to be away.  Being at the temple, about as close as you can get with God is the best feeling in the world.  I desire to draw that close to the Lord all the time but I haven’t got there yet.  It hurts to be more separated from the Lord when you know how it feels to be so close you can physically feel him.  I am trying to do better and be better and overtime hopefully I will improve on my spiritual goals.  Changing is hard, especially when you are trying to overcome the natural man, but I know that it is possible through the Savior, Jesus Christ.   

Temple Trip

    I was recently blessed with the opportunity to visit the Gilbert temple and it reminded me of how blessed we are to have temples!!  And I am blessed to live fairly close to a house of the Lord.  I wasn’t able to go inside like everybody else which made me sad, but I was still super excited to go because I knew that is the place I can go to feel the closest to my Heavenly Father and forget about the world for a little while.  I had a lot of time to think while I was walking around the grounds and I was reminded how uniquely beautiful temples are and how they stand out amongst the city backdrops they are placed into.  There are few places in the world you can go to and know that everyone will be kind.  Normally I’m pretty nervous around strangers but on the temple grounds you find yourself admiring and wanting to talk to and take pictures of everybody.  There is no fear only a sense of family and you are reminded of something you sometimes forget while being out in the world, we are all brothers and sisters and children of God.  

    As soon as you set foot on the temple grounds, you instantly can tell that you are in a special place.  The spirit is very strong and just being there feels different than being in the rest of the world.  Every little thing is beautiful and you can feel the love of your Father in heaven.  I wanted to look nice going to the temple and wear make up but due to some crazy circumstances (firedrills and whatnot lol) I had to just go as I was in the morning.  Now I don’t normally wear make up so I wasn’t freaking out but sometimes I feel insignificant or not as pretty as everyone else while I’m out in the world and I figured the temple is a beautiful place and I was going out for the day that I would try and look nicer so I could feel confident.  I was a little bit nervous to go to the temple with all the dressed up people and beautiful couples getting married and feel like I didn’t look good at all.  But a crazy thing happened while I was there, I forgot all about my fears and felt beautiful!!

    I think that sometimes when we are out in the world we forget our worth or we puttoo much of our worth into make up and clothes.  But while I was at the temple I felt beautiful and was reminded that I am a daughter of God.  That I have worth because he is my father not due to how I look.  We all brought our worth with us when we came to the earth and it will never change!  Being beautiful on the inside is what makes us beautiful in God’s eyes!

    I usually enjoy reading scriptures but I felt so at peace and ached to continue reading while I was at the temple.  It’s like reading came so much easier and I didn’t have anything else I was hurry to get to or would rather do.  It is really cool to read the New Testament and think about being in a time when Jesus was really there at the temple and teaching on the earth.  I could just imagine Christ being there and teaching the people, smiling and surrounded by children.  It brings tears to my eyes to think that Jesus is our shephard and he cares so much about each individual sheep that when I became a lost sheep, he left the rest of the herd and found me.  How much love he has to have for each of us to be willing to not only die for us and our sins but to do all that he can to bring us back home and go after us when we stray.  I gave up on me and the church for awhile but Christ and Heavenly Father never did.  Though the decision to come unto them had to be completely mine, they were always there waiting for me to reach out to them so they could love and help me.  How amazing it is to have a father and brother (and I’m sure a lot of people on the other side of the veil) who love you that much?!  

    Sadly, our time at the temple had to come to an end eventually.  I don’t have the opportunity to visit much but I’m going to make more of an effort to save money to come more often.  I never wanted to leave this place where I felt so much love and the veil seemed a little bit thinner.  A place where I was confident and felt beautiful and loved everyone who came through.  A place with no worries and a very strong spirit.  I ache to go back everyday since we visited.  

Being in the world but not of the world: sacrament talk

    I was asked to speak on “being in the world but not of the world.”  We hear this phrase a lot in the gospel but how many of us actively apply it in our lives?  We are here to do more than simply lead a happy life.  We have a work to do.  Sister Marriott reminds us that “we know the truth of the restored gospel.  We need to live it; we need to share it.  We must stand firm in our faith and lift our voices to proclaim true doctrine.”  And then she asks, “Are we ready to defend that truth?”  

You probably noticed, but the standards of the church and society, while once were compatible, have a growing chasm between them.  Our high standards are tested and challenged each day and we have to decide what is more important to us-popularity or righteousness.  Thomas S Monson stated, “As we go about living from day to day, it is almost inevitable that our faith will be challenged.  We may at times find ourselves surrounded by others and yet standing in the minority or even standing alone concerning what is acceptable and what is not.  Do we have the moral courage to stand firm for our beliefs, even if by doing so we must stand alone?”

In the words of Sheri Dew, “We are here to influence the world rather than to be influenced by the world.”  And Elaine S Dalton reminds us that “if we wish to make a difference in the world, we must be different from the world.”  Heavenly Father wants us to keep our high standards and obey his commandments, but that’s not enough.  He also asks that we are a good example and an influence to those around us.

In the For the Strength of Youth, it explains that we are responsible for the choices we make.  God is mindful of us and will help us make good choices even when friends or family use their agency in ways that aren’t right.”

John 15:19 reads “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”  Though originally directed towards the apostles, I believe this scripture can very much apply to our lives.  We stand out as disciples of Christ and sometimes the world doesn’t like that.  But that’s ok because what is most important are the things of heaven not the things of the world. Jacob 2:18-19 says “Before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.  And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches if ye seek them; and ye seek them with the intent to do good.”         

The protagonist in the movie God’s Not Dead 2 was being persecuted by the world for sharing her beliefs and she proclaimed “I would rather stand with God and be judged by the world than stand with the world and be judged by God.”  Jesus reminded us in Matthew 13 that the gospel is worth everything and we must be willing to give up the things of the world for what is truly important.  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.” -Matthew 5:16

As explained in 1 Nephi 12:17, the devil’s game plan is to blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men, to lead them away into broad roads where they perish and are lost.  That sounds pretty frightening but Elder M Russell Ballard encourages us to remember who we need rely on.  “God’s plan is in place.  He is at the helm, and His great and powerful ship flows toward salvation and exaltation.  Remember that we cannot get there by jumping out of the boat and trying to swim there by ourselves.”

We live in a noisy and busy world where, if we aren’t careful, the things of the world can drown out the things of the spirit.  Elder Ulisses Soares gave the following warning.  “We cannot allow ourselves to be confused by popular messages that are easily accepted by the world and that contradict the doctrine and true principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many of these worldly messages represent nothing more than an attempt of our society to justify sin. We need to remember that, at the end, all will stand before Christ to be judged of our works, whether they are good or whether they are evil.  As we encounter these worldly messages, great courage and a solid knowledge of the plan of our Heavenly Father will be required to choose the right.”

One common theme that seems to keep coming up during this talk is having courage.  Because it is hard to go against the world and stand up for truth and righteousness.  Our testimonies are our shields that protect us from satan’s fiery darts (ephesians 6:16).  

A good example of someone in the scriptures who had great courage was Captain Moroni.  Just a young man, he had the courage to defend the truth during war that put his whole nation at risk.  Though brilliant at his role and exercising his responsibilities, he remained humble.  He was an “instrument in the Lord’s hands.”  The book of Alma explains that if all men had been like Moroni, “the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; and the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.” All of Moroni’s attributes stemmed from his great faith in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ and his firm determination to follow the voice of God and His prophets.  Put on the armor of God and strive to be a modern day Captain Moroni!

Heleman 5:12 advises us to build our foundation upon Christ so that when the devil and his storm of temptations can have no power of you.  Jesus Christ and his teachings are the only foundation we can build upon that “if men build they cannot fail.”  Sometimes we need to take a step back from the world and remember what is most important; look at things with an eternal perspective.  

In Matthew 14, Christ walks on water and Peter desires to go out to him.  Peter goes out into the storm and focuses on the raging storm instead of Christ.  And he starts to sink just as he feared.  Christ says, “Oh thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”  If we have faith and focus on Christ and the gospel instead of the world and the storms surging around us, Christ will help us to “walk on water.”  We start to sink into the world when we doubt, focus too much on the things of the world, and lose faith.  Keep Jesus Christ at the center at the center of your life and and he will help you as you go through trials.  

This next quote was originally directed toward women but I think it rings true for all of us.  Margaret D Naudald said “Women of God can never be like the women of the world.  The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender.  There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind.  There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined.  We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith.  We have enough greed; we need more goodness.  We have enough vanity; we need more virtue.  We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”

And to the men Thomas S Monson exclaimed, “We who have been ordained to the priesthood of God can make a difference. When we maintain our personal purity and honor our priesthood, we become righteous examples for others to follow and we help to illuminate an increasingly dark world.”

As stated by L Tom Perry, “our homes must be holy places in order to stand against the pressures of the world.”  We are told that through simple, consistent acts of family prayer, scripture study, and family home evening, great things can be brought to pass.  “Look upward not outward for approval” and strive to keep the commandments of the Lord and you will find that he is there to help us always.  

In Young Womens, one of my leaders gave a great analogy about being in the world but not of the world.  Imagine the world as a chocolate chip cookie.  We are the chocolate chips!!  We stand out from the world and don’t form to the rest of the world.  And of course we are the sweetest part of the cookie!!  In the words of Dr.Seuss, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?!”

I am going to leave you with a quote from Thomas S Monson.  “You be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone.  Have the moral courage to be a light for others to follow.  There is no friendship more valuable than your own clear conscience, your own moral cleanliness-and what a glorious feeling it is to know that you stand in your appointed place clean and with the confidence that you are worthy to do so.”

    I know that the only way to truly be happy is through the gospel.  It can be hard to give up things of the world but I know that when we work hard to change and be obedient, the Lord adds His strength to our efforts.  He is always there and we can always choose to turn to Him.  We will be blessed as we gain an eternal perspective and focus on what is truly important.  Nothing is worth giving up your eternal salvation.  

The Mockingjay Part 2: how going to the movies changed my perspective

Who knew a mere trip to the movies could have such an impact.  I can’t begin to describe all the feelings and thoughts that were swirling around in my head as I watched the Mockingjay part 2.  Let’s just start with I will never look at life the same way again.  I’ve been working hard lately to strengthen my relationship with God as I get ready to go out into the world.  I know I need his strength and guidance and I’m already lost at where to start my journey.  Tonight, thanks to the final Hunger Games movie, I saw through God’s eyes and it was the best and worst moment of my life.  

    I know that we have soldiers overseas, people suffering at home and far away and I always have felt bad but tonight it really sunk in.  People past and present facing the horrors of war, children left helpless without parents, families without food to eat or proper health care.  People taking the lives of others.  No matter what anyone has done in life, no one deserves to die at the hands of another.  The effects of revenge are anything but pretty and even though it might not feel like it at the time, it is still wrong.  

    The Mockingjay part 2 gets very intense and I started to picture our soldiers watching each other die without being able to do anything to help, hearing the ear splintering screams of someone suffering to death just an arm’s reach away.  I wanted to jump into the movie and tell them to all stop killing each other.  It was awful and I almost had to leave.  It was endless killing, revenge, suffering, and I was crying practically the whole movie.  Imagine children around the world going through terrible ordeals at the merciless hands of others while starving, freezing, hysterically afraid.  I think sometimes in our comfort lives we forget just how real all of these things are to the people around us.  

Acts of terrorism, kidnappings, rapings, murders, wars, hunger, etc.  The list goes on and on and tonight it all just clicked.  It felt too real and I felt like I was going through each horrible second of it in real life.  I don’t wish any of this suffering on anyone and  I felt helpless.  When I started to think about what I call “troubles” in my life, I started to feel ashamed.  I was all worried about stupid things like how my hair looks, my FB profile, wanting more than a bowl of chocolate ice cream, but there are people all around me suffering in one form or another.  And the worst part of this realization, I have no idea what to do about it.  Why has God given me this revelation?  What does he want me to see?  To do?  Just competing on horses and watching movies seems insignificant and silly with all of these things going on in the world but I don’t think God wants me to give up on my rodeo dreams either.  I’m struggling to grasp what God wants me to get out of this and will definitely be praying for guidance.    

I do know one thing.  I have a new perspective.  I can get over not getting to do what I want all the time and appreciate spending time with my family.  I can make people smile and not care too much about what I look like but rather how I act.  I want to make people feel like they matter and help them out as much as I can.  I don’t know where the road will take me but I do know that I can go out of my way to be kind, positive, and share the gospel.  Maybe with time God’s purpose will be revealed.  I can’t imagine how he feels having to watch all of this all the time going on in our world.  Just catching a glimpse of it for an hour was awful, it must be heartbreaking for him to watch his children sometimes.  But I do know that God watches over us and cares for us with a love that never stops giving.  Jesus Christ suffered for us so that we may be forgiven of our mistakes and make it back home to them in heaven.  

I do not know why everything happens the way it does or why there is so much terror in the world right now but just have faith, pray, keep the commandments, and strive to be the best that you can be everyday.  God has a plan for you and if you listen he will help guide you to a destiny beyond your comprehension.  I was definitely humbled by this experience and I can’t believe some of the things I take for granted.  

Here is a quote I remembered while thinking through all of this from Russel M Ballards conference talk “A plea to my sisters”.  “Are you finished crying?  Then go to work!  You need to learn more.  If you quit now others will have to painfully learn what you already know”

Music

One of my favorite things in the world is music.  I love music!  Over the years I have added hundreds of songs to my collection and I can sing almost every one.  There are tons of different genres and sounds to choose from (and I love them all) but I have come to realize that now is the point in my life where I need to be choosing and solidifying the standards I would like to live for.  Sadly, due to some of the music being released, you can’t just buy music because it sounds cool anymore.  As I started to sit down and take the time to listen to the lyrics of many of my favorite songs I soon came to realize that a lot of them actually went against my standards and talked about things I was strongly against.  Sure the beat was great but I knew I needed to get rid of music that highlighted things I didn’t believe in and sure it’s just one cuss word but it takes away the spirit.  

    I know our choice in music doesn’t seem like a big deal while in fact the opposite is true.  We hum songs while bored at school, listen to them while we drive, and dance to the new releases.  Whether you realize it or not, when you listen to music you are subconsciously taking in the message it is portraying, whether good or bad.  It was hard for me to get rid of some of my favorite songs but as I rebuilt my music collection and added new music I noticed that the wholesome music I was listening to was not only making me happy and allowing the spirit to stay but just made my days better.  In times of trial or fear I found myself humming songs of faith and encouragement instead of songs that added to my pity or had a bad attitude towards my situation.  

    I personally love to start my day off listening to the K-Love and Air One radio.  I’ve never really listened to Christian music because I loved hymns (and church music) but I wanted fun, upbeat songs to dance to throughout my day.  Upon the discovery of K-Love and Air One I came to the realization that there is a lot of good contemporary Christian music out there!  It is by listening to artists like Tobymac, Mercyme, and Matthew West that I have changed my view on life and worked on making the gospel the central part of my life.  

For those of you a little skeptical of listening to Christian music I encourage you to try it out because it was the best discovery I ever made.  But good, wholesome music can come from all artists of all genres so don’t think that filtering the music you listen to means to restrict yourself to just Christian music.  

    One of my favorite genres (besides Christian music) is country.  I love artists such as Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Hunter Hayes, Easton Corbin, and Tim Mcgraw who have upbeat, appropriate music that have nothing to do with Jesus but still positively affect my day.  Sometimes some of the artists release one song that makes it onto the “take away from the spirit” list or has vulgar language.  It stinks because usually the song has a great sound and I own all of the other songs by the artist but I find it best to just get rid of the song.  You can love and artist and genre, just choose wisely what songs you are singing along too.  

I promise you that as you work on surrounding yourself with wholesome music with appropriate language and uplifting messages that you will start to notice a positive change in your life.  You will be more happy, positive, and kind as well as feel the love your Heavenly Father and Savior has for you as you invite the spirit throughout your day.  I know it can be tough for those music lover out there but I challenge you to go through your media and take the first step towards changing and improving your life!

Some of my fav artists

• Matthew West
• Tobymac
• Mercyme
• Newsboys
• Easton Corbin
• Tim Mcgraw
• Pentatonix
• Hunter Hayes
• Britt Nicole
• BYU Vocal Point
• BYU Noteworthy
• The Piano Guys
• Lindsey Stirling
• Josh Wilson
• David Archuleta
• Taylor Swift
• Big Daddy Weave
• Colton Dixon
• Hollyn
• Jamie Grace
• Lecrae
• Jordan Feliz
• The Nashville Tribute Band
• Sidewalk Prophets
• For King and Country
• Twenty One Pilots
• Switchfoot
• Jamesthemormon

Who Are We?

Who are we?  Not how do we appear on the outside but who are we really?  If you look past the social wants and needs that make us who we seem, if you strip away the armor and the insecurities, who are we?  Would our confidence help us to excel in our purpose or are we truly the uncaring, selfish people that we sometimes appear?  I refuse to believe that the fronts people put up are who they truly are deep down.  We all chose to come here and to follow Heavenly Father during the pre-existence and therefore we are all truly good people.  

    But we are human and often let our bodies undermine our souls, making us susceptible to temptation and even become someone we truly are not.  I believe that the experiences we encounter in our lives along with the knowledge we gain throughout the years helps us to develop wisdom that can change us for the better of worse.  It isn’t the experiences that make or break us (though we tend to see it that way) it is how we chose to react and perceive the situations life throws at us that shape us into the person we become in the end.    

    Bad situations break us down but they can also build us up stronger than we could’ve ever imagined.  Life wasn’t meant to be easy and time and time again we will be put to the test.  We will question our faith, our purpose, and even our importance.  People who we saw as our friends will turn against us and the world will put our beliefs on trial.  Are you strong enough to stand up and declare what you believe?  You may feel alone and like your one voice won’t make a difference but it does!  We are never truly alone when we follow our Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ.  And with their help we can have the strength and courage to become who we truly are.  

Using your talents to do God's work

All of us have talents.  Some can sing, play, or write published works that will one day make it big while others are incredible athletes in high school, college, and maybe even professional levels.  Some are amazing teachers in anything from school subjects, to sports, to religion.  Whatever your talent is, whether big or small or something as simple as getting A's in school or listening to others, it is important and you can use it to impact the world.  God blessed each of us with unique talents that we can use to make a difference. 
     It took me a long time to understand that I don't have to visit third world countries or change who I am to use my gifts to glorify God and make the world a better place.  We can use our talents to make people happy, to inspire future generations, to help others going through similar situations we have overcome, to share God's love; the possibilities are endless!  Just being kind to those around you, sharing your beliefs, and working to improve everyday is making a difference.  There is so much negativity in the world today about people, making it big, money, family, everything is being twisted in a negative way until nothing makes us happy anymore.  We can stand up and show the world that family is important, winning isn't everything, perseverance pays off, and if we put our trust in the Lord then everything will be ok.
     I am inspired but artists such as Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, and Tobymac who admit their mistakes, but don't let them define who they are.  They are always in the limelight and they aren't perfect but they don't let what people think about them run their lives.  They share their incredible talents with the world and inspire me to keep going even when you mess up and feel judged.  They write songs people all around the world can relate too and make sure everybody knows that they are not alone in what they are going through.  They never fail to mention God's role in helping them to get to where they are. 
     Athletes in basketball and football are proudly standing up for what they believe in and showing the world that God and family is more important and that you can make it big and still live your beliefs.  Being a rodeo athlete myself I love champion barrel racer, Fallon Taylor, who didn't let failure at the National Finals Rodeo get her down in 2013, but she used it as a learning experience and came back and won the title in 2014.  She is known for being positive and upbeat even when things don't go her way and she doesn't care what others think of her eccentric outfits, makeup, or not too popular helmets, she just does what she loves.  And she is all about helping the ameuteurs out there who dream of making it big.  She trains, gives traveling clinics, releases videos and dvds to give advice and help share what she has learned, and she is out making helmets cool (she actually started a huge trend in safety as well as her crazy colored pants).  Win or lose, there is a wide smile on her face and she never has anything but grateful and humbling things to say. 
     So maybe you aren't a world famous singer or actor and you can't paint a Picasso or make the pros in sports, but that doesn't mean that your talent is worthless.  It just means that it can be used in a different way than you originally imagined.  Your talents are important and so are you!  Just because it is hard and people don't believe in you doesn't mean that you can't do it!  Don't give up!  Because if the Lord is at the center of everything you do, then you will be an instrument in his hands, using your talents to enlighten the ever darkening world around us.  Go out and make a difference!  Inspire those who want to give up or don't want to get up anymore.  Smile at the world that puts you down and be kind to those who mock.  Be yourself and remember that you matter!   

Never Give Up

     Everyone has a battle they are fighting and each is hard for that person in their own way.  Sometimes life gets to crazy and overwhelming and we feel like we just can't take it anymore.  We don't feel good about ourselves, how we look, how we act, and we just want to be different.  We want to do good and figure out who we are and make our mark in the world but we just feel like the world is pushing us down.  We smile through the pain and laugh off the hurt and tell everyone we are ok but we cry ourselves to sleep at night.  We cut because sometimes it feels like the only way to take away the emotional pain or we feel like we deserve it.  We starve ourselves because nothing else seems to work.  We over analyze and over think every little thing we do because we care too much about what the people around us think.  It feels as if we are always being judged and we never measure up.  We live in fear of going outside of our comfort zone while on the inside we crave it.  We want to be different and to be genuinely happy.  We want to be confident and to find what we love and be crazy and fun.  We stay away from social events because it is where we feel in the spotlight and we don't know what to say, how to act, or who has our backs.

     There are many of us out there who are consumed by feelings of depression or anxiety similar to those above and I know it's hard.  I know it hurts.  You feel swallowed up and spit out by the world, friends, family, and even yourself.  But I am here to tell you that you are never alone!  Someone out there cares for you and wants you to get through this.  Friends, family, your Savior Jesus Christ, and your Father in Heaven will never abandon you (I realize that sometimes friends or family actually contribute to the problems).  There are so many people around us who feel the same way and I know it's easy to stay quiet and pretend like everything is fine or hide the battles and the scars.  Sometimes you feel like it is easier to give up.  Maybe lower your standards or just not try or even ending your life.  To those of you who feel like you hit rock bottom or are alone or stuck please Never Give Up!!  It won't be easy but I promise you there is so much more out there for you!!  God has so many amazing things in store for you if you keep pressing forward and you can get through this!!  You are beautiful and strong!!  You are an overcomer!!  No matter what, Never Give Up!!!!!