Lazy Days

So I was sitting here doing my homework and listening to my music, when all of a sudden the song Sacred Ground by John Schmidt started playing. This is a lovely piano piece and I had to stop reading my text book and just listen. As I listened my eyes were drawn to the clouds and my mind was pulled into reminiscence. I recalled some of my favorite lazy days. Sometimes I just love to lay out under the sun and watch the clouds. The experience is very mind stimulating. It is so peaceful and relaxing. Another of my favorite things to do is go for a walk in the rain, or better yet, sit cuddled up in a blanket on the couch reading a book, with the pitter-patter of the rain as my soundtrack. Another is when my family would go camping, camping is pretty much a bunch of lazy days, sometimes, because often I would lay on the rocks by the lake, the hot sun on my back, the slight breeze ever constant, listening to the lap of the waves on the rocks. I love it when I can just wake up in the morning to the suns rays falling on my face, I love just laying in bed and contemplating life. These wonderful moments give me an opportunity to remember how blessed I am! I miss lazy days, its been awhile since I've had one.

Being Afraid

Recently I had the opportunity to spend an evening out with some friends up in Idaho's hills. It was at night, and we decided to go on a hike down to a dam, on the way down, one of the guys mentioned something about wolves prowling around which instantaneously frightened one of the girls in the group. Well, wolves are scary after all, especially when walking down a steep dirt road surrounded by trees, in the dark with a few flash lights, and no stars or moon to light the way. The idea of a wolf coming after us was not too pleasant to think about, but I wasn't phased given that wolves probably weren't in the area, and there was a small group of us and we had some light.

This thought of being afraid of wolves got me to thinking, about what I was really afraid of. Honestly I couldn't come up with anything, the reason is because of the knowledge I have. When I was younger my family would often go camping. To get to the lake we drove on curvy roads by the side of the mountain. During our drive I would look down the vertical steep slope to the river below constantly paranoid of a possible accident resulting in our car going off the road and rolling to the river below. Every scenario possible flew through my head, I was afraid of losing my family and being the only one left alive, I was afraid of dying, I was afraid of only one of my brothers or sisters dying, how could I live? I was afraid, so after minutes of psyching myself out I finally would turn my head, look toward the other side of the wall, and trust my parents to get us to the camp site. They always did.

As I got older and was educated in the gospel a little more I realized death is not something to be afraid of, not at all. So I decided one day I would never again be afraid to die. Why? Because of the Plan of Salvation and the doctrines taught at church. I know that I am on borrowed time here on earth, when that time is up then I will return to my Heavenly Father. Why be afraid to return to Him, when that is one of many significant goals I have here on earth. Paired with the decision to not be afraid anymore I realized how much the scripture about always being prepared suddenly meant a lot to me. If I wasn't going to be afraid anymore, then I needed to be prepared to leave this earth at any moment in time. So I decided I needed to do all I could to be a better person. Sometimes it is so hard. Especially at times I feel as if I am a lone, but I'm not. He is there beside me, helping me. I am so grateful for the knowledge of Christ and is Atonement, for the enabling power of faith, and for His grace. This gospel of Christ is so perfect, just like He is. It is after that perfection that I strive for. I think the hardest part is knowing that I'm not perfect yet, or after I make a mistake I am brought back to the realization of how far I have to go. But, there is hope, there is always hope. As long as get back up after I fall, take one step at a time, and trust in Him, I will make it!

That is why I am not afraid of anything. Everything was created by God, I have no need to fear.