The Cycle
Surely you've heard about a little thing called "The Vicious Cycle".
The Nephites (bless their hearts) were pretty much pros at this, although I always called their circle of choice "The Pride Cycle". Here's a rundown for ye: The Lord blesses the people, the people prosper and get proud, the Lord chastises the people, the people repent, REPEAT.
Take Helaman chapters 21 and 22, for example. You can see the Nephites run around in so many circles during that space of time alone that it makes you slightly seasick. But they're not the only ones guilty of exercising "The Vicious Cycle", I've just gotta tell ya.
I'm working on my very own gold medal, in fact.
But there's a funny and peculiar thing about circles. They can be the BEST THING EVER or the WORST THING EVER.
Example. Have you ever been in the passenger seat with someone behind the wheel who finds great joy in going around and around the traffic circle 14 times? Just shoot me.
Example. Have you ever been on a Ferris wheel? Fun, fun, fun. [As long as the couple in front of you aren't smooching' away the entire time. PG-13, folks. PG-13.]
The same goes for cycles. They are a circle, after all. They just have a cooler name.
Example. You have hope and faith in the Lord and you go out on a limb. You trust him. He blesses you as a result. That, in turn, encourages more trust.
Example. You don't want to go to work and so you whine about it. The whining then breeds like a rabbit and you quickly become depressed on every Friday because the weekend is only 2 days long. There's no more joy in anything that way-- not even the weekend.
Example. You think you can't possibly give birth to a baby. You become afraid of giving birth. You then get down on yourself and think that since you can't handle the pregnancy, you can't handle the child and you'll be an utter failure as a mother.
Example. You choose to see the good in yourself and put a little faith in your abilities. You know you're not perfect, but you look on the bright side and try to be patient with yourself. You realize you wont know everything about being a mother until you try it (and even then, there's still stuff you won't know!) and you refuse to think badly on your potential.
I've just have to say that I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for giving me the strength and wisdom to see the joy in the journey. Life stinks if you let it. Trust me. But life is glorious if you only adjust where you look. Focusing on the stinky parts of life wont get you very far at all... it will just give you a stinky outlook!
It takes courage to smile when you'd rather frown. It takes faith to wake up happy in the morning when you're dog-tired and burnt out. But we can all do it. Get in a good cycle and stick with it.
Serve the people around you and you'll soon find yourself in the best, most uplifting circle you've ever seen. And I mean REALLY serve them. With your heart.
If you hold the door open for someone and seriously contemplate letting it close on them when they're halfway through... that probably won't work. But if you actively think of people who could use a little help and pray to the Lord for guidance, He will guide you. Oh, yes. I promise.
And don't ever let Satan tell you you're not good enough. So what if the cookies you took to your neighbor were a little crispy! It's the fact that you took cookies to your neighbor that counts! And don't you ever forget it =]
The Nephites (bless their hearts) were pretty much pros at this, although I always called their circle of choice "The Pride Cycle". Here's a rundown for ye: The Lord blesses the people, the people prosper and get proud, the Lord chastises the people, the people repent, REPEAT.
Take Helaman chapters 21 and 22, for example. You can see the Nephites run around in so many circles during that space of time alone that it makes you slightly seasick. But they're not the only ones guilty of exercising "The Vicious Cycle", I've just gotta tell ya.
I'm working on my very own gold medal, in fact.
But there's a funny and peculiar thing about circles. They can be the BEST THING EVER or the WORST THING EVER.
Example. Have you ever been in the passenger seat with someone behind the wheel who finds great joy in going around and around the traffic circle 14 times? Just shoot me.
Example. Have you ever been on a Ferris wheel? Fun, fun, fun. [As long as the couple in front of you aren't smooching' away the entire time. PG-13, folks. PG-13.]
The same goes for cycles. They are a circle, after all. They just have a cooler name.
Example. You have hope and faith in the Lord and you go out on a limb. You trust him. He blesses you as a result. That, in turn, encourages more trust.
Example. You don't want to go to work and so you whine about it. The whining then breeds like a rabbit and you quickly become depressed on every Friday because the weekend is only 2 days long. There's no more joy in anything that way-- not even the weekend.
Example. You think you can't possibly give birth to a baby. You become afraid of giving birth. You then get down on yourself and think that since you can't handle the pregnancy, you can't handle the child and you'll be an utter failure as a mother.
Example. You choose to see the good in yourself and put a little faith in your abilities. You know you're not perfect, but you look on the bright side and try to be patient with yourself. You realize you wont know everything about being a mother until you try it (and even then, there's still stuff you won't know!) and you refuse to think badly on your potential.
I've just have to say that I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for giving me the strength and wisdom to see the joy in the journey. Life stinks if you let it. Trust me. But life is glorious if you only adjust where you look. Focusing on the stinky parts of life wont get you very far at all... it will just give you a stinky outlook!
It takes courage to smile when you'd rather frown. It takes faith to wake up happy in the morning when you're dog-tired and burnt out. But we can all do it. Get in a good cycle and stick with it.
Serve the people around you and you'll soon find yourself in the best, most uplifting circle you've ever seen. And I mean REALLY serve them. With your heart.
If you hold the door open for someone and seriously contemplate letting it close on them when they're halfway through... that probably won't work. But if you actively think of people who could use a little help and pray to the Lord for guidance, He will guide you. Oh, yes. I promise.
And don't ever let Satan tell you you're not good enough. So what if the cookies you took to your neighbor were a little crispy! It's the fact that you took cookies to your neighbor that counts! And don't you ever forget it =]
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