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4.18.2012

have i done any good?

have i done any good in the world today? have i helped anyone in need? have i cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad? if not, i have failed indeed.
...
then wake up, and do something more, than dream of your mansions above. doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure. a blessing of duty and love.
 this song has been playing in my head on repeat. i know it's not a coincidence. i need to forget about myself, my worries, and just my selfishness in general and serve. if you don't know if you've done something good for someone or made someone feel good about themselves, you've definitely failed. i have failed. my father sent me a text telling me to read a talk. it was exactly what i needed.
 just like president hinckley's dad told him "forget about yourself and go to work." i need to do the same. it's far too easy to get caught up in your own trials and problems and forget about how truly blessed you are. our lives on earth are supposed to be dedicated to serving others and as mosiah 2:17 says, "..when you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of you God." the world makes it so easy to forget this and to be completely self-centered and i catch myself guilty of this far too often. in the talk i read about president monson, elder scott said, "the Lord had to make thomas monson big because of the size of his heart." honestly, who would not want that said about them? i want to be the kind of person who others would speak about in a similar manner. honestly, though, who wouldn't? "by learning learning of Him, by believing in Him, there is the capacity to become like Him. the countenance can change; the heart can be softened; the step can be quickened; the outlook enhanced. life becomes what it should be."
people in our lives can disappoint us, and they can hurt you more than you imagined. however, it's not our place to judge them for their actions, and to harden our hearts against them. we make mistakes everyday and the lord forgives us so easily. why can we not do the same to our peers? i've had to remind myself this time over time and to forget about things and realize they really don't matter. however, when thinking about my road to perfection and how i need to forgive easily (and many other things) to get there, i get overwhelmed and feel like i have so far to go. i know i am no where near perfect. the other day i found this quote and i have it written on my whiteboard to remind me to keep going and to not give up.
we must not lose hope. hope is the anchor to the souls of men...though, we may see we have far to go on the road to perfection; we must not give up hope. -ezra taft benson

my goal is to go out of my way each day and do something good for someone, whether it be large or small. it's such a simple task but can make the biggest difference in your life. i am going to experience it for myself, first hand. i challenge each of you to try and do something good for someone and to brighten their day. after-all, we have no idea what others are going through and we don't know how much it could impact them for the better. so go out and do something good, friends!

3 comments:

  1. Just what I needed today :) Thank you

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  2. i loved this! thanks so much for this awesome post! makes us want to wake up and do good.

    love you ashlee!
    we need to play again real soon.

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  3. ashlee. this was exactly what i needed to hear. i have been struggling like none other lately. and this post made me realize what i need to be doing different. thank you so much for the reminder:)

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