ACT because you LOVE!

Have you heard the saying- "Don't exercise because you HATE your body, exercise because you LOVE it."

I love that.

Acting because we love is powerful!

I believe old Scratch fills our mind with numbing, paralyzing, feelings of self-doubt and GUILT.  Because he knows that acting out of guilt or fear will rob us of the JOY that naturally comes from acting. 

If you fix food that is healthy because you're fat, unhealthy, and sacrificing the REALLY AMAZING UNHEALTHY FOOD you can't have, you probably will feel miserable and guilty the whole time you're ACTING healthy.  

If you choose to eat healthy food because you LOVE colorful nourishment, and because you're WISE enough to know what your body needs, and because you're CREATIVE enough to plan good, delicious food for your body-- you will feel powerful and amazing!!  

This principle applies to almost every aspect of our lives!

Clean, because you LOVE a clean house and don't feel angry or guilty that you haven't cleaned yet or that your house is messy.  Embrace your actions and heighten your motivations, and in doing this you will feel a fullness of joy.

Can you have political conversations with people without feeling angry?  

Yes!

We know how to really care about issues without being mean, fearful, or angry.

Talk about what you LOVE and VALUE, not what you fear and hate.

Some people mistakingly believe that if you focus on the positive you are giving the darkness more power.

I don't agree.

I believe you give darkness power when you feel contentious, angry, afraid, or tense.

I believe that anyone who acts in love will feel bright, free, powerful, happy, and joyful!  

I am not the coach that motivates his team with threats and demeaning slurs.

But I am the mother that looks right into the eyes of a child scared to jump off a diving board as I say-- "YOU CAN DO THIS!!  Keep trying!  You are not a wimp because you're scared.  You're brave because you jump anyway!"

When you are watching your child learn to tie their shoes you tell them they are doing a great job!  Because they're trying!  Can you imagine a mom leaning over her child whispering, "How old are you?  You still haven't figured this out?  Geesh, that loop is too long.  Everyone else figured this out so much faster than you did."  No!  This child would hate shoe tying, hate herself, and hate her mother.

What if you went to tuck your child into bed at night and every night told them everything that you saw in them that was wrong.  You would be wrong and hurtful. Your child would be paralyzed.

Protect your children.

Protect yourself!

It does not threaten our religious liberty to allow others to choose a different way of life.  And, we can live our religion without pointing out to everyone how different we are from them.  

We can ACT differently even as we LOVE.

Was it Elder Ballard that used to drink milk at executive socials?  He drank milk, because he wanted to!  He didn't argue with every liqueur drinking associate.  He didn't hold up a poster of a child with FASD or feel defensive every time someone mentioned his drink was different.

Today I want to be a mother who is better at discerning LOVE and HATE.  I am going to guard my own thoughts better.

Can't you see what I'm seeing?

We need to fiercely defend against the flaxen chords that are weaving themselves into our thoughts and our words.

Place cherubim and a flaming sword to guard your mind and your mouth!  

Be filled with VIRTUE and feel power in acting even as we are all still becoming.

We can do this!!!

Discern!!

Guard!!

ACT with power.  

Love God and Love your neighbor as yourself.

Onward Mother Soldiers!  💗💗

March Because You Love!

I'm still marching through my thoughts these days.  

This was a Facebook post I wrote last week:

I have been very vocal lately in my support of the Women's March and my concern with Trump's refugee policy.  Is this hypocritical of me- a Pro Life Conservative?  I just don't see the world as polarized as most people do.  I'm very moderate.  I see good virtues in both parties and I feel great danger in the constant fight between us.  

When you honestly feel that your views are RIGHT and another large group of people are WRONG then you start shouting at each other and stop listening to each other.  

I hear a lot of people who want more goodness in the world and a lot of people who are really angry at the evil in the world.  I don't think we have to fight.  

Is killing too many black children less wrong than killing too many cops?  No.  They are both wrong and there is a solution that is right and will save lives on both sides.  

Do we have to make abortion illegal to save lives and promote life?  No.  We can preach morality, ethics, birth control, respect for life even if women keep the choice.  

Let's try to get more women to choose life and I'm pretty sure half the people we've been fighting would fight with us!  

Can we legitimize people even if we don't embrace their lifestyle choices?  Yes!  Of course we can.  

I have no problem teaching my children that smoking is not healthy even as I teach them that smokers should be able to order wedding cakes, pee in the stall next to me, come to my home as beloved friends and family, and act as my teacher and mentor in so many ways.  

We CAN absolutely legitimize and believe that people who live lives different from our own ideal life deserve safety, respect, and protection under the law.  

I believe that people are good.  I believe that we are more alike then we are different.  I'm not deceived, I'm charitable.  

I'm not a Democrat but if I have to choose to be liberal with my pride or liberal with my love-- I will choose to be liberal with my love.  Charity never faileth.