Appreciating Your Own Growth

This week started with me stressing out and freaking out about something I will have to learn to live with for a few weeks. It's not a big deal and the Lord made me aware of that. The Lord let me know that there is still much more happiness and joy to come in the future and I know that He speaks the truth. As some of you know my semester here is rounding to the close and so I will have many exams and things to get done. I also have to clean, pack, and change apartments. It will not be easy but it will "faisable" or capable of being done. The good news is that my weekend included going to the temple and doing some work for some of my family and going to the Family History Center on campus. It was very exciting because I managed to find new information and pictures of some of my ancestors. It was beautiful experience because I found a picture of one of my ancestors for whom I did vicarious work on July 16th of last year. (I didn't remember the date, I looked it up in my journal. I think this is an example that the Lord has perfect timing.)

Something that I've been reflecting on this week is being grateful for having time to learn. I know I sometimes that get frustrated in one situation or bored in another. I've recently thought about where I wanted to be this time two years ago and what it'd be like to be where I had intended. I realized how much worse my situation there would be in comparison to where I am now. I remembered how much I have learned having gone through all the experiences that I have had. While not all of them were pleasant, I recognized that the Lord has been teaching me little by little or "line upon line" while also helping me to draw closer to Him and His son. I like who I am now and I love the lessons that I've learned from my experiences. I'm glad that I'm slowly becoming the man that God wants me to be; I believe that he's a lot better man than the person I had envisioned for myself. This week, I finally thanked the Lord for something I thought I'd never thank Him for..... I thanked Him for the time that I've had to be single because of the opportunities that I've had to learn. I know that much of what I've learned, what I'm learning and what I will learn, will help me to one day get married and stay happily married.

So my thought for the week is to stop and ponder over the last few years of your life. Look at what you've learned and how the Lord has helped you grow and become stronger. Then find a time and place to express your gratitude to Heavenly Father for the more beautiful person that you've become.