giving up something good , getting something so much better!!!!

Working in a foundation unit I spend my days telling children that they can whatever they want to be if they are willing to put in the work!!! To a degree I suppose this is true, when we apply ourselves we can become whatever it is we want to be, a doctor, a teacher, anything should be and will be possible if we are willing to work for it, at least this is the attitude I try to instil in the children I work with. However, recently I have found myself thinking about how true this is ?? Should we really want to become all that WE want to be?? or should we be willing to let ourselves be moulded into all that the lord knows we CAN become???
Often, our will is different to the will of the Lord. I know that this is so true in my case!! Sometimes it is difficult and almost painful to allow Heavenly Father to take the wheel and guide us , often down paths that we had not planned to take ourselves. The journey can be bumpy and can bruise not only our hearts but also our egos!! It can include us being told that we are wrong or that our ideas and thoughts are not quite in tune with the Lords thinking. Im a pretty stubborn person and I have to say I find this difficult... No one likes to be told that they are wrong ..especially me!!! Sadly I have seen this process push some people away from the person who loves them the most, their Heavenly Father. It is important, however, to remember that during this time of pruning and perfecting , that our Heavenly Father has a perfect Knowelege, he knows us, he knows us perfectly and he knows all that we can become if we are willing to allow him to perfect us!!!! Relying on the saviour doesn't mean giving up our identity it means giving ourselves to him to allow him to change us into who he knows we can become. Sometimes we have to give up our own ideas and plans for our lives in order to achieve something so much better :)

trading facebook for that mormon book .....

We live in a world today filled with technology, we all have smart phones, I pads, tablets, laptops and it seems that no matter where we go in the world we can stay connected with our family and friends and share our experiences with them regardless of how far away they are from us!! Now I LOVE social media. Facebook, twitter, instagram, snapchat , all allow me to keep in contact with family and friends and share wonderful news and events with them. It feels great to be a part of their lives and in turn have them be a part of mine! Social media can also be a wonderful tool when it comes to sharing the gospel. We can share videos, music , scriptures and mormon messages through these sites, some missions have even joined facebook!!!!! Its amazing!!

However, someone has recently pointed out to me that maybe all the technology we have and the social media we are all so interested in being a part of is actually isolating us from the world that we live in and those that we share our world with!! We live in a world where we care more about what our lives look like on a screen than what they look like to the real world and more importantly to our Heavenly Father. I have hundreds of friends on my facebook account but I wonder how many of those friends actually really know me?? I wonder how much time I waste looking at facebook and updating it with useless status' ( I've been known to put some pretty pointless and rubbish ones) or looking at random pictures of cats wearing hats (WHY??!!!!)

I wonder how many friends I have ignored because I've been too busy texting or updating my status and I wonder how many times I have allowed myself to become upset because of something I have read on there! I have also been wondering if I have allowed all of this technology and social media to interfere in my relationship with my Heavenly Father!!! Its hard to receive personal revelation and direction when your eyes are glued to a screen and it is hard to study the scriptures when your phone is beeping every few seconds because someone likes your comment or status.

Recently I have been trying harder to listen for that still small voice more, to draw my heart closer to his and to follow his will. I have realised that the times when this is the hardest to do are the times when I am most distracted.

So I have decided , in preparation for the future endeavours my Heavenly Father would have me do, and to help me learn to appreciate this wonderful world around me and the amazing people that my heavenly father has given me in my life I am setting myself a challenge … that challenge is to go without facebook and social media for a week. ( This may not seem like a big deal for some people but I check my facebook all the time so its going to be a challenge!!)

I am excited to see the world again through new fresh eyes , I am excited to get out there and explore and discover without my phone in my pocket, I am excited to find me :)