Be Yourself :-)

If I were a song, which one would I be? ... First song that comes to mind is Let it Go, played by Alex Boye.

Let's Listen to it:

Why did I choose this song in particular? Well, let me tell you why. 

Lexi Walker, singing as Elsa, says: 

Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried! 

Don't let them in, don't let them see 

Be the good girl you always have to be 

Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know 

Well, now they know!

Applying this to my own life, this is what I see: 

Don't let them in, don't let them see your true self

Be the serious girl you always have to be

Be responsible, mature, and sensible

Well, now they know you are also silly, funny, sweet, and endearing

So, together, Elsa and I sing:

Let it go, let it go
And I'll rise like the break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone!

Here I stand
In the light of day
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway! 

So hopefully that all made sense. But basically, I need to let the continuous serious side of me go and be my true funny, intelligent, silly, responsible, quirky, mature side come all out as one person and not be ashamed or hide parts of me. I need to BE MYSELF, like Genie says. :-) 

Darkness or Wholesome, Which Stage Will You Pick

Yesterday, the song As Sisters in Zion/We'll Bring the World His Truth came into my mind. What had brought it into my mind? The fact I had listened to it earlier in the car. Media has a big impact on our minds. It can affect our virtue. In Preach My Gospel, a manual for missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, says this about virtue:

"Your mind is like a stage in a theater; in the theater of your mind, however, only one actor can be on stage at a time. If the stage is left bare, thoughts of darkness and sin often enter the stage to tempt. But these thoughts have no power if the stage of your mind is occupied by wholesome thoughts, such as a memorized hymn or verse of scripture that you can call upon in a moment of temptation. By controlling the stage of your mind, you can successfully resist persistent urges to yield to temptation and indulge in sin. You can become pure and virtuous."

Singing As Sisters in Zion/We'll Bring the World His Truth was a wholesome thought. It brought me joy in thinking how I, a young person, can make a difference in the world! The lyrics say, "And we will be the Lord's missionaries / To bring the world his truth." 

Be Where You Are When You Are There

I love what Elder Randall L. Ridd said, "Each click has meaning. [...] See beyond the moment." Further in his talk, he discusses how "it is far more important to be fully charged spiritually." The misuse of echnology takes us away from the things that are of most importance: family and friends relationships, spiritual growth, the opportunity to serve, ect.

Sister Chieko N. Okazaki said in her book called Being Enough, "If we are ever to enjoy life, now is the time—not tomorrow, nor next year, nor in some future life after we have died. The best preparation for a better life next year is a full, complete, harmonious, joyous life this year." In order to complete and have this "harmonious, joyous life this year," we must put down our electronics and enjoy the here and now.

Elder Ridd said, "'Be where you are when you are there.' When you are driving, drive. When you are in class, focus on the lesson. When you are with your friends, give them the gift of your attention."

Why do we spend so much of our attention on things that are not of worth? Spend quality with your friends and family. Set your electronic devices aside and enjoy life to the fullest.

Questions that Excited my Spirit to Deepen My Testimony in Christ

Before taking SFL 358 (Media, Family, & Human Development), I never realized what various types of things were labeled as "media." This weekend, I had an AMAZING experience with a good media.

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Once a month the church has what they call a CES Devotional. The devotional just consists of a church leader speaking, giving a talk to the young single adults of the church. Yesterday, Sunday, we had Elder D. Todd Christofferson spoke. My roommates and friends and I watched it on our T.V. I had a great experience with it.

Before he spoke though, the choir sang a musical number called Be Still My Soul. It was beautiful. I have heard that song and loved that songs many times before, but yesterday as they sang the question hit me, "What does 'be still my soul' mean?" I began writing my answer down. Then Elder Christofferson spoke. He quoted the scripture from Luke 9:20 that says, "Whom say ye that I am?" In the process of this devotional, I became enlightened with questions. Who do I say that Christ is? Do I show my love to Christ? Where do I spend most of my time? What do I love most? How can I take up His cross daily? The questions just kept coming. Previously I didn't like asking questions. I thought some questions were ridiculous and unnecessary, but yesterday they became enlightening to me! They were soul provoking. Questions that excited my spirit to deepen my testimony in Christ. I have finally come to the conclusion that questions are good and necessary for helping each of us deepen our testimonies in Christ.

So the moral of the story is, questions can be used for good. And good media can be simple and powerful tools of deepening people's testimonies in Christ.

For further reading on my weekend's journey of spiritual enlightenment visit: http://lifeasitshouldbedone.blogspot.com/

The Divine Role of Women

As we all know, there is good media and bad media out there. I would like to cover the good part.

Lately I have been reading the book called Women and the Priesthood: What one Mormon woman believes by Sheri Dew. The chapter I read was discussing the divine role of woman on the earth. Sheri Dew said, "The more clearly we understand our divine destiny, the more immune we become to Satan. [...] It is no secret to him that covenant-keeping women are one of the Lord's most effective weapons against his sinful, sinister strategies."

I love this. I am so grateful to for this knowledge and for the reminder that I have a divine heritage and destiny. I love to know that I can be "one of the Lord's most effective weapons." Because of this knowledge, I am able to have an eternal perspective on life. I know who I am and where I am going to go. I know my Father in Heaven and what He desires for me. Because of this, I strive to keep His commandments and to be my best self.

I am so grateful for the good media out there. I am so grateful for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for embracing the media and putting good literature and other things out there. Because of it, I am able to continually learn good things and to be touched by the goodness of others words.

Media verses Interacting

Last week I decided to watch a show that I had watched last summer called Merlin. Merlin is exactly what you probably thought of. It is about the great wizard Merlin and King Arthur, although in this show, Arthur is not yet king. I enjoy watching Merlin, it's fun and full of adventure. But after watching it, I had a desire to watch Once, another TV show that I had watched last summer. Why did I have this desire? I think it is called the affect of media. Once I begin, I sometimes feel like I can't stop. Or at least that's how I use to feel. As time has gone on, I have realized how movies "seize" me, meaning I can't stop watching them. Watching one, just makes me want to watch another. Once I realized this, I have been teaching myself self-discipline.

This last week I read an article called Outdoors and Out of Reach. This article really impressed me with how some of the professors/researchers believed that nature helps the mind to be more enlightened with learning. The more I thought about this, the more I believe it myself. This weekend I went hiking with some of my roommates. Being outside was such a delight. I felt more invigorated. I felt more in tune with my roommates as I took the time to listen and to hang out with them outside of our daily busy lives at our home.

All of this makes me wonder, why do we allow ourselves to be pulled into to the webs of technology? Why do we allow ourselves to become addicted and forget those around us? Sometimes my family vacations have been spent using our technologies in each others presence rather than spending quality time with each other. How is that bringing a family together? It isn't.

Yesterday, some friends and I tried watching a movie, but the system died on us. So instead we played games together. Games that used only ourselves and our brains. The fact that we played these type of games allowed us to really interact and get to know each other a lot better than we would have watching the movie. The system failure was a blessing. We had a lot more fun and INTERACTED with each other. Sometimes I feel like media is a determent to our world. It allows us to create excuses in not interacting with those around us.