"Where are you getting this? I don't live a 'fairy tale' life? My life is good, really good, and I love it. But it isn't nothing but a bed of roses."
He just kept insisting that my life was picture perfect.
After hours of visiting and fun socializing with him, and a lot of thinking... I finally came to the conclusion that maybe he thought my life is perfect because I AM SO HAPPY. And because I LOVE WHAT I DO - BEING A WIFE AND MOTHER etc.
But it isn't having everything go right that makes life so good. It's having an eternal perspective... knowing that challenging is good, and that weakness can become strengths. It is knowing that I can work hard to make good things happen. It's taking the time to learn and live the gospel of Jesus Christ - principles like faith, hope, love, service, forgiveness etc... which makes happiness possible.
And it's experiencing the joy of overcoming struggles and weaknesses etc that make life so good. Struggles make you strong and give you something to feel accomplished and good about.
Life is different for everyone. The choices we make can be thought of as life paths with varying degrees of inclines. Some people walk life on flat surfaces, perhaps hoping to keep things easy and relaxed... Others run uphill on mountains with no trails. Mormons quite often choose the tough uphill routes in life. They choose lifestyles that are challenging; they have high expectations for themselves and take advantage of many opportunities (some big, mostly small) which challenge them and cause them to grow. They place many demands upon themselves and do things which many others view as huge sacrifices - but they also experience the great joy which comes from making those sacrifices. Yes, for many Mormons (and other Christians), life is an uphill climb. But life is extra good BECAUSE OF THE CLIMB. The harder you work for something, the more you appreciate and love it! :D And besides, up there from up there at the top of the mountains... the view is absolutely great! :D
Loving life...
UPDATE - 8/11/2011: FOR THE REST OF THE STORY OF MY FAIRY TALE LIFE, CLICK HERE... :)
UPDATE - 8/14/2011: FOR PART THREE, CLICK HERE: My Happily Ever After
UPDATE - 8/14/2011: FOR PART THREE, CLICK HERE: My Happily Ever After
Great thoughts .... do you think our life is really even harder? I look at my friends who aren't members and think the path I walk is SOO much easier! But definitely the life is SOOO awesome because of the path we've chosen!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your thoughts. I needed this tonight. I'm sure trying to be happy.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. I agree 100%! Life can definitely be hard, but if we have a good attitude, we can still be happy in spite of our trials. It took me a while to figure this out, but I'm glad that I did eventually. I'm much happier now than I used to be. :)
ReplyDeleteLaura - Great comment! Stay tuned... I'm going to have to answer that one with my next post. :o :)
ReplyDeleteValerie - You are so welcome! There are thorns in all of our beds of roses; it's nice to know we can enjoy the roses regardless of the thorns!
Ginger - I agree with you 100% And it's so great to see you back! :D
Thank you thank you. So funny how these things work. I was feeling kind of tired of the uphill battle and lamenting about some of the more difficult times when my hubby reminded that "we took the harder course" and you feel better at the end of the day when you have worked harder. I so appreciate your words to remind me as well. Ok, now I am back on the climb with optimism.
ReplyDeleteCool! :D I'm happy to hear that this was ENCOURAGING to you!!
ReplyDeleteCorine :D