Ascent

There is an abandoned bridge near my home that is known to attract many people to its daring challenge - to jump off into the river below. It's about a forty foot drop into the river, but in order to ascend to the top of the bridge, you must climb up a bar that may not ever be a foot wide. It is said that once you get to the top, it is safer to just jump down than to descend the way you came back up. 

A term that is used a lot when describing our short term and long term trials is "Climbing Mountains". During a hike up, it may seem as though we are on the verge of failure and giving up, but once we get to the top, we feel accomplished. We feel refreshed, and all of a sudden, we get this rush of energy - A gladness and sense of accomplishment for a successful ascent to the peak, essentially our goal and purpose of the hike in the first place. 

To be frank, the first time I went up that truss to get to the top, I was freaked out. I really felt like I wanted to go back down. It took some amount of motivation to keep going forward. Had I had not gone all the way up and tried to work my way down, it would have been more difficult and dangerous. Even though I may have gotten to the bottom safely, I would experience feelings such as of discouragement and regret. 

It seems pretty common now a days for people to just "give up". Where is the accomplishment in that? Where is it that we learn? If we only kept our feet in the water, we merely "skim the surface" and we cannot experience the full joy that comes from accomplishment.

It is on the last hill, the last mile, the last of anything where we sometimes feel as thought we have to give up. I do not think we are completely aware of what we are capable of. We can do amazing things, and these capabilities do not "rise to the surface" until we are tested. 

Our ascent can be stressful and tiring, and it can be completely arduous and long, but we must remember. We are almost there. 

I want to re-post the quotation by Elder Jeffery R. Holland just because it truly helps us have faith. Let us press forward until the end and until we reach our main goal. Let us have faith to persevere through our trials, for Jesus Christ will give us strength.
  

“Don't you quit. You keep walking, you keep trying, there is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon. Some come late. Some don't come until heaven. But for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. It will be alright in the end. Trust God and believe in Good Things to Come.”

The Source

Here's a question to think about! Whether it is subconsciously or consciously, where do you seek your happiness? Are you seeking it from the expensive and luxurious lifestyle? The rowdy and crazy party lifestyle? Or are you searching in the friendly and comfortable atmosphere within in the walls of your own home? Or possibly within the spiritually comforting and peaceful chapel inside of your church?

The reason why I am asking this question is because it is crucial to understand where we are physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, or spiritually traveling to seek happiness in order to generate and visualize our pursuit.

In my previous post, I expressed that I wanted to share the 'bits and pieces' that I know will bring happiness. Well, 100% of these 'bits and pieces' revolved around one thing. That one thing is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 


You know, I'm not implying that happiness only comes through spirituality. Neither am I implying that immediately, you have to go to church and be a saint. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that the 'bits and pieces' that I've attained come from spirituality. Watch this video.

The title of this post is called "The Source". These people in the video all said that they found what they were looking for when they found Jesus Christ, who was the 'epitome of love'. Why would Jesus Christ be the source of our happiness? Let's take a quick look at his infinite atonement.

LDS.org

Here is Jesus Christ. What he did for us is even more than just die for us. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he suffered all of our pains and sorrows. 

Do you struggle from depression? From emotional pain? Psychological and mental pain? He knows how you feel, because he felt it for you. 

This enables us to turn to him in times of need. This is so important! When we mess up, we don't need to give up, because he already paid the price for it. He just asks that we keep trying. Keep trying to improve and become more like him.
Jesus Christ is the 'epitome of love'. His atonement is the source of our happiness. Everything we do in this life can be revolved around his atonement. He has given this gift to us for free.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all they ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Pursuit of Happiness

Pursuit of Happyness

Pursuit - the action of following or pursuing someone or something.

Happiness - the state of being happy.

Most people, if not all people, seem to be frantically going around from one place to another, one act to another, and one person to another searching for a single state of emotion - Happiness. What is it about this happiness that makes us search for so long to procure it? Is it even attainable? and if it is, how can we attain it? and once we attain it, how do we preserve it and make it last? 

  The reason behind this blog is for those who may have just have a spaghetti bowl of problems and misery and can't seem to find their way out of it. My goal is to hopefully help you find some hope when you pursue to find the oh so 'thin' and 'unbelievably difficult to find' road of happiness. 

I'm not implying that I know all the answers, because I don't. In-fact,I don't think anyone has all the answers, but everyone has bits and pieces of something. Maybe my bits and pieces my fit with yours - like a puzzle - and hopefully things may just "click", if you know what I mean.

Pursuit of Happyness

In the near future, I want to introduce several concepts and keys to help you improve your individual well-being. There are several things that we need to watch for when we are looking to improve our the level of our happiness. 

Along with this, there is a level of commitment that must be kept. You simply cannot expect for everything to just happen. Nothing really works out that way unless you're the luckiest person alive, but for most people, we have to do something. Typically, these are the things we need to watch for.

• Mental Well-Being because sometimes we need to control our thoughts.
• Emotional Well-Being because we need not the depression and anxiety.
• Spiritual Well-Being because we need that connection to divinity.
• Physical Well-Being because it helps. 

 

 Sometimes it is difficult, but I really love what Jeffery R. Holland says. Hope you enjoy.

“Don’t give up. Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead...Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."