From Lazy To Lively: Shift In Reality

About a month ago I wrote about my struggle with weight, food and depression. I want to follow up with that with a bold blog post. Now I need to start this with a warning. I am going to make some bold statements, and this blog is not for the weak of heart, it's for the people looking for change, who are tired putting bandaids on the problem and are looking for the solution.

YOUR MINDSET IS 80% PART OF THE SOLUTION

At the beginning of this year, the beginning of my marriage, during my mission, depression ruled my life. It was like a crazy wild roller coaster that I just wanted to get off of. People were telling me that I was a different person, I wasn't as happy as I used to be. I was crying at LEAST once a day, if not more. Self harming was on my mind constantly, weather it was through Bulimia or gouging my skin with a sharp pointy object, those thoughts were on my mind, just because it felt like those things would take the mental pain away.

Before I go on, you must know I have struggled with an eating disorder for a good amount of time. Food and I were always on rocky grounds, either I was eating far too much, or far too little, but my eating habits and my mental state were just plain out of control. I lied my way into a mission because I truly desired to serve, and I really thought the problem would go away, but any time I got stressed... the monster would come out and bingeing and purging were my comfort ....... and my demon.

Fast forward to my marriage. I LOVE my husband, and he is the ROCK of my life, but my depression wasn't just harming me, it was harming him. So after him pleading and my parents pleading I sought medical attention, the doctor prescribed what I like to call my "crazy meds" and away I went to the races. At first it did help with my depression, no more suicidal or self harming thoughts, but it brought on a whole new monster. Lack of self confidence from weight gain.

I was trading one evil for another. 

If you have ever struggled with an eating disorder, you know that gaining weight and being obese are a near debilitating fear, and the meds were a band aid for one problem, but in my case, they were NOT the solution. One day, after feeling sorry for myself, I realized that was the LAST day I was going to sit and wallow in self pity that I was so "FAT" and "BROKEN" I am the one who determines my own destiny, no pill, no doctor, no government is going to do that for me. So I stopped my meds, I wasn't going to let myself depend on a chemical. All my life I was told "you will probably need medication" but I knew there had to be something else at the core of my issue. And I realized, input determines output. 

Some people may say that going on extreme diets are crazy, but I need to tell you right now, if you put junk in your body, junk is going to come out, and not just by way of your feces. I made a goal, if I didn't want to deal with being overweight, weepy, and plain miserable, things ... needed... to change. 

I started to get motivated, looking at people who had weighed far more than me, and had transformed to fitness goddesses. I did a 4 day lemonade cleanse to jump start my new life, my new mindset, my new me. I started a workout plan, determined to go every day to the gym and not missing a beat. Lastly I started reading a good amount of self help books, because INPUT DETERMINES OUTPUT! 

One month passed, I wasn't eating sugar, carbs, milk, or grains. I was determined to get a fresh start and let my body reset. Because if your computer is going skwampy wampus, you hit that reset button, and my body sure as the day was all sorts of skwampy wampus. I lost 12 lbs, but more than that, I started gaining confidence. My thoughts were no longer "if this happens, things will get better" they were, "WHEN this happens it will be because I worked hard and am worth the outcome."  

I wish that the first thing my doctor had told me was that I should change my nutrition. Because my whole world changed once I removed the toxins from my body! You may make fun of those people who don't eat carbs, or those people who choose to only put veggies and proteins in their body. BUT I PROMISE YOU those people are happy and confident because they are making the choices that will change the entire makeup of their body. Again, doctors are good, they help us, but band aids are not the cure. For me, the cure to my depression, was a change of mindset, a development of character, and the will to remove bad eating habits and to put forth good eating habits. 

I'm still on my journey, but I don't cry anymore, (unless I watch Moana, or a movie about families... because those things are touching!) I don't ever fantasize about hurting myself. I am confident in my abilities to succeed, in fact I'm out to prove society wrong with my success. I have a better relationship with my husband because I bring my confidence home to him, i'm no longer bringing him down with me, instead I am lifting him up. And the change? It came from first caring about me enough to deny myself of those things that were truly harming me. 

DONT TAKE NUTRITION FOR GRANTED

We are given one body, God never intended for us to fill that body with poison. He intended to teach us how to fuel it like a well oiled machine. THAT is why I don't consume sugar anymore, THAT is why veggies and protiens are my go-to meals, THAT is why I will be that crazy mom that doesn't allow soda and juices in her home. Not because I judge others on what they eat, but because I wan't my kids to know, from a very young age that nutrition and excercize are going to help them have a successful happy life. 

My journey will continue, and I hope yours will too!

Never back down Never Surrender

Falling down is hardest when you loose the will to get back up again. In reading the scriptures one will come across a very profound statement from the Savior, "Whosoever shall humble himself as a little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 18:4).
Do you remember what it's like to be a child? To run until you were out of breath and felt like you couldn't run anymore, to take every moment and make it magical, and the deep wonder you felt when you learned something new. Now think for a moment the Savior said "the greatest" in the kingdom of heaven, the Savior wasn't just blowing smoke he had a very valid point. The people in the world who are truly great people are those people who have the fervor and vigor of a little child. I remember the experience of learning to ride a bike being one of the most amazing feelings ever. That singular moment when you are up on your bike for the first time without training wheels, on your own, that moment feels like you are flying. So when was it that I lost that desire to learn and succeed? Do we just think that we know it all, that we can never learn to ride another metaphorical bike? How many times did you scrape your knee as a child, bump your head or fall off the monkey bars? Did you give up, did you let yourself hold on to the first failure? I believe that our childhood self is screaming out from within us, daring us to grab hold of something new and SUCCEED!

Over the years I have developed an almost crippling fear of failure. I want so deeply to succeed that any sign of failure will lead me to quit entirely before I have even begun. In this I am drawn back to the desire I had as a child to be amazing! Every challenge I faced I met with the mentality that I would eventually conquer this challenge. Now I'm not saying that as an adult you have to climb mount Everest or learn some crazy new skill. But I believe if we met life's challenges with the same vigor as a small child would meet a challenge, we would be hard pressed not to succeed.
For example, this new year we are all making some sort of resolution; either we want to loose weight, or get rid of some bad habits, we want to be more successful in school or in a career. Think though, how many times have we made a resolution but at the first sign of failure we just gave up on it entirely? I mean... do you remember last years resolution? Or were you so sick of giving up on resolutions that you didn't even make one? If you faced your resolution like your childhood self faced riding a bike I don't think you would mind when you got a few scrapes or bruises, because ultimately the fact of the matter is.... you knew you would succeed eventually.

The fact of the matter is NONE OF US ARE PERFECT, so in my opinion we would be doing ourselves a major disservice not to make a New Years resolution. This is the optimal time to make a change, the universe is pleading you to break out of the chains that you have put on yourself, and MOVE! We can't just settle for mediocrity! In 1973 Carl Sagan published “The Cosmic Connection: An Extraterrestrial Perspective” which included the following passage.

Our Sun is a second- or third-generation star. All of the rocky and metallic material we stand on, the iron in our blood, the calcium in our teeth, the carbon in our genes were produced billions of years ago in the interior of a red giant star. We are made of star-stuff.

We haven't been made to be like some plain old rock and sit on the side of a mountain wondering weather or not our day will come when we can shine. We are made of the stuff of destiny, we are made of STAR STUFF. So in all reality we should find a way to "let [our] light so shine."

"But What if I Fail??"

We all think this is a great notion right? Nike says "just do it" but what happens when you mess up, what happens when you loose the will to "DO IT". I think the quality of a man isn't determined by how many times he succeeds in life, but by the amount of times he is willing to get back up and move forward. For me, I have set the goal to loose weight in a healthy fashion, I have set goals and made plans on how I can eat healthier, how I can get to the gym more, and ultimately how I can succeed in doing so. In all reality, my plans might fall through. I may slip up now and again, but slipping up and giving up are two different things. We only loose in the struggle when we have given up entirely. So fight, fight for your own success, fight to be like that little child and when you get a scrape on your knee or a bruise on your hand be determined to get back on that bike and ride. Because you aren't made for mediocrity my friend. You are made of the stuff of greatness, you are made of star-stuff, so this year, get out there and SHINE, and I will be right beside you working to outshine 'em all! 

From Lazy To Lively: The adventure begins

It all started with a girl, a girl who struggled with depression, a girl who was fed by the opinions of the world. A girl who felt that it was far easier and less emotionally strenuous to stay at home rather than get out and do something. That girl felt the need to change.
That girl is me
I have been told that a secret is only powerful when it remains a secret. Therefore I am no longer allowing my  secrets to control my view of who I am and who I will become. If I am going to tell the stories of people becoming something better then I will tell my own story, as it unfolds. I will share it with the world to let them know, you can be something. I believe in that, however it's been hard to accept that.

So... It begins...

In the years following my mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I fell into a pattern of complacency and addiction. Now for all of the people who think this will be an OHMYGOSH moment, I assure you, it's not the kind of addiction you think. But the reality is I am addicted to food. Now before you poo poo this sentiment I want you to know I have thought deeply about this. Throughout high school I struggled with anorexia and bulimia, and food was my obsession, after many years I still haven't rid myself of this inner demon.  Every moment I think about the next thing I am going to eat, and what next meal I am going to miss to make up for it. I am in and out of what diet I am going to try next and giving up on myself even before I begin. The more I eat the lower my self esteem is, and very recently I have gained a good amount of weight due to the emotional roller coaster that has developed within my mind. I see other women and I feel a genuine jealousy for the control they have over their sense of self worth, and what an amazing gift that is.
So today is the day I make this change, it's no longer a secret that I struggle finding consistency in life. I bounce from job to job not because I believe that the employment will make me happy. But I have decided instead I need to develop myself within and every day will become an adventure. Today is the first day of the rest of my life and today I am asking those in the internet universe to begin this journey with me. Find a way to be accountable to yourself. As I go on this journey of personal development I hope that it will find it's way to one person who will discover that they can find a way to love themselves, to be the woman or man that they desire to be. If you never start the journey then you will always wonder what could have been. So my journey starts today, my desire to change my habits, to overcome my addictions and to learn how to love myself starts today.

This story is unfolding in a variety of ways and as I tell it I hope that those reading it will realize this is not a blog about my poor me story, but it is a blog meant to inspire and strengthen. I live life from one day to the next just waiting for that moment that I can sit in front of the TV and shut off emotionally. I find myself spending hours staring at the screen of my phone, TV or computer, and these hours are hours that I could spend developing myself and living the one life that I have been allotted to live. The realization of this has taken a toll on me, and I can't emphasize enough the need I have to change. Now I struggle with depression, to the extent that when it comes to getting ready in the day it takes every ounce of energy that I have, so when given the choice to do something or do nothing, I can easily do nothing. However this mindset has been destroying me mentally and emotionally, to the point where I breakdown quite often. So to change my mindset starting today I am making a plan for my week, a plan that I can follow. Every evening I will write down in my journal goals I have for the following day. I have been getting to sleep far too late every night, so I will go to bed at a reasonable hour, and wake up early to greet my day with vigor. There is an amazing life of success and wonder out there just waiting for me to find it. But first, I need to make the decision to get out there, and do something, meet someone new, learn a new skill, and improve those skills I already have.

This is a story that will have a happy ending because I am the author of my destiny, and I will make it so.

So.... It... begins....

Human Becomings

"Moments are the molecules that make up eternity" - Neal A. Maxwell

Consider if you will the plans that you have set forth for your future. You want a good home, a stable job, a loving spouse, to be able to provide and support a family temporally and spiritually. All of these things come and are set, based on the decisions and actions you make in the here and now. Alma 34:32 says "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors." So as we are preparing now to get a good education, a good job, and life stability, we are also preparing for something greater. We are preparing to attain that spiritual stability that we all so desperately need.

In a general conference talk Elder Boyd K. Packer, an apostle of the Lord in these the latter-days, spoke very eloquently on the fact that we are here to prepare to meet God. Our time here, is to gain knowledge

and to act upon that knowledge in order to attain those things that the Lord has for us. Consider if you will the degree of a Surgeon. He must go through years of schooling, and put forth much effort in order to gain the degree that will give him the right to aid those who are in need of him. However he cannot go to just any trade school, he cannot just be admitted to any university and expect this diploma. He must go to the right school, and he must put forth time and energy in order to assimilate the knowledge necessary to move forward in the field of his choosing. Effort and action must be taken. As it is in life, we must take the proper steps, follow Gods path as laid forth for us, and we must be prepared to make a concerted effort to enter into his kingdom.

This next story is that of a girl I met only for a second, but she is truly someone I respect and admire, our meeting was short, but the mark she left on my life will last forever. She is an example of becoming, of learning the will of God, doing the will of God, and becoming the disciple he asks us to be. Taking these steps changed her life for the better, and now she is full of a light that shines through her, you can truly see our Heavenly Fathers image in her countenance, and the light of Christ most assuredly shines in her eyes.  

This is her story:

One summer I was given the opportunity to work at the Rockin R Ranch. I had no idea that my life would be changed forever. While working there I was invited to attend church, and not soon after I started asking questions and learning more about the church. 

At first I felt like the church just wasn’t for me. I was raised a Methodist and went to church regularly growing up but never really learned anything there. Church was just something you did for an hour on Sunday then you went on with your life. As soon as I was old enough to choose for myself I stopped going to church. I was always a trouble maker growing up but as soon as I hit my teenage years things got out of control. I was misunderstood and struggled with school from a young age. By the time high school came around I had started to give up all together: family, school, morals values. I thought life's too hard to be doing all this work and trying to be a good person. I wanted to make friends and have fun and that’s all I cared about.

The end of my sophomore year I was at the end of my rope. Things were worse than they had ever been. My relationship with my family was unbearable. School meant nothing to me. I hadn’t turned in an assignment for years and I never went to class. All I cared about was getting messed up and partying with friends. At this point none of the schools in Nashville wanted me and I was in trouble with the law. I had no respect for anyone not even myself. I didn’t care about anything. Life was about the party and I was going to live it up while I could.

 Monday, April 28, I was sent to a wilderness program in Clayton Georgia. Words cannot describe the three month experience I had there. The Blue Ridge Mountains were my home. I was only given the things I would need to survive. Towards the end of my stay in wilderness I thought I was pretty spiritual and happy but I had no idea how good it could really get. After wilderness I was sent to a Residential Treatment Center in Mapleton Utah for 11 months. I had been mentally and physically broken down in wilderness and this was my chance to start fresh and learn how to live right. I was still angry but with time I learned to love care and respect others and myself. I fixed my relationship with my family and learned how to deal with life without drugs. While I was there I met a man named Brandon. I absolutely hated the man at first but when the day came for me to leave I was crying in his arms. I didn’t want to leave treatment. It was the first time I was truly happy with life and I felt so safe! I had committed to living sober and was afraid I couldn’t stay clean in the real world. I had used drugs since I was thirteen and they had become a part of my everyday life. But I had been given the skills I needed to be successful and it was time for me to move on. I was home for my senior year and it was the happiest I had ever been. But even then I still left like something was missing. I still struggled with my identity; WHO AM I? I had no idea. The thought gave me chills. I would look in the mirror and know something was missing. Around Christmas time Brandi and Brandon contacted me and I agreed to come work for them for the summer. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. I really don’t even know why I said yes. 

As my senior year came to an end and the time drew closer and closer for me to go out west, I didn’t want to leave! All my friends told me to stay in Nashville and I agreed. I wanted to stay home for my senior year summer. Everything inside me told me don’t go. I cried for days but I had given Brandon my word so I went. I met the Snyders, Jacob Smith, and Shiloh White. Immediately I had respect for the LDS church. There was something about them that pulled me in. I had never met people who worked and lived so humble and happily together. They had so much love for everyone around them and it was easy to see. 

Mormons weren’t the people I thought they were. I could have fun with Hatti, Kord, Anndi, Hannah, Shiloh and Jake just like I did with my own family and friends back home. All the horror stories I had heard about Mormons weren’t true. Even with everything they knew about me and my past they all took me in as a friend without judgments. I was going to church with them every weekend. I hungered for more knowledge of the Gospel. I was so curious. The more I learned the more I loved and respected it but I still had my doubts. Eventually Shiloh and Hannah asked me if I would meet with the missionaries and I agreed. 

The first time I met with the missionaries felt pointless. I didn’t learn much or feel anything. The next time I met with them they asked me to pray to God and ask for truth. For the next month I prayed constantly throughout the day! Asking every question I could think of. I wanted to know anything and everything I could about the church. I was meeting with the missionaries three times a week and soaking up all the information I could. I prayed and prayed and felt nothing! But I wasn’t going to give up. Something inside me told me to keep trying. I started to read the scriptures and kept asking questions, going to church, and praying like crazy! I would stay up all night with Anndi Hannah and Shiloh talking about the Gospel. The scriptures were so hard for me to understand. I have always had a hard time reading cause I never learned in school and probably only read one book all the way through in my whole life. So Brandi and Brandon read with me every night. They broke everything down so I could understand it. The more I read the easier it was for me to understand. Two months after I started to investigate the church my prayers were answered! The missionaries and Jacob Smith were teaching me about the Kingdoms and how we get our bodies back after the second coming and I just broke down. I could feel the spirit the whole time they were teaching me and it was the most amazing feeling. Later Brandi had me read 3 Nephi 11: 7-15. I knew it was true! Everything! I could feel it. The prophet, the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith. I knew it was all true. I knew it was God answering my prayers and I was so grateful! Then the missionaries had me read Mosiah 18: 9-10. After lots of prayer I wanted to be baptized. I wanted to live righteously and have the life style that came with being LDS and had never been so sure about anything in my entire life. My baptism was the most amazing day of my life. I didn’t have some huge revelation. I just felt so calm and at peace with my decision. I am so grateful for the gospel in my life! I will never understand why I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to find the church and get baptized! Even my worst day is a good day. I realize now how beautiful and precious my life is. I want to praise God for my struggles and my past because it’s made me who I am today and brought me to the Gospel! I don’t know how I made it through my trial without the gospel but now that I have it I know I couldn’t live without it. I no longer wonder who I am. I can look in the mirror and tell myself I am a DAUGHTER OF GOD. I want to share this happiness and the gospel with everyone! And we all can by living the gospel and having Gods image in our countenance.

We are not human beings, God never intended for us to just remain the same throughout eternity. We are HUMAN BECOMINGS, we are made of the stuff of eternity as President Uchtdorf once said, and staying the same just means that we are going backwards. Someone once told me that life is like riding uphill on roller blades, if you aren't continually working your way up you will most assuredly fall backwards.

God asks us to act on the message of the restored gospel because he knows that is the only way we can ever grow towards him, and our eternal goal should be to live with our Father in Heaven again, surrounded by our family and those we have come to know and love on this earth.  

Children of a King: Our Eternal Potential

 As children we see the world as a place of magic, anything and everything is possible! I believed that I could be anything, I believed that I could do anything, and I believed that I could accomplish anything. Dragons and far off kingdoms were only an imagination away. However as we grow we become jaded by disappointments that come, and our eye for magic begins to diminish and a heart of skepticism replaces it. Why can't the joy from the simple things remain in our hearts? I would say that with that joy of pure simplicity coupled with imagination great expectations would follow, and as those expectations aren't met, our heart becomes closed off and we expect less and less from life.

What would it be like if God was like that with us? If every mistake we made God just thought "well, you messed up, I guess you can't meet the expectations that I had for you, let's lower those expectations just a bit" We would never reach our eternal potential because we would never have someone there to help us make it! But God doesn't react that way, he knows the potential we can reach, and every time we disappoint him he reaches out with an outpouring of love and comfort and a request for us to repent and make a concerted effort to keep the commandments. He knows that therein lies the key to success and the fulfillment of our dreams. So why would we react that way? if God keeps his expectations for us set high, why ever would we lower them for ourselves?

The Lion King: A story of Great Expectations

Simba, as we all know, is a lion, born of a king, who learns from his father that he has a royal inheritance. Anything that the light touches is the land that he will inherit. Woah... that's a pretty big inheritance. In the bible the apostle Paul writes to the Romans of the heirship we, as children of our Father in heaven, hold.  "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:17) Even Christ has said  "2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." (John 14:2) So if we are joint-heirs with Christ, and our Father in Heaven has many mansions, we have a large inheritance, but we must first answer the call to "be ye therefore perfect as my Father in heaven who is perfect" (Matthew 5:48)

 Simba has a large shoes to fill as well, and he begins to learn how to fill them, but unbeknownst to Simba, his uncle is forming a nefarious plot to overthrow the throne. Simba is trying to only please his father, but a mistake is made and tragedy is the result. Then happens one of the most tear jerking scenes in all of Disney movie history and Simba is left on his own, he runs away, and he desires to never look back.

Think if you will of a time in your life where you were disappointed, hurt, and let down and you wished to never look back, but the pain of loss or regret still dwindled in your heart? With this, were your expectations lowered for yourself, for your future, for who you desired to be? I'm sure they were for Simba as well, (I understand he is a fictional character but bear with me here) he felt that it was his fault his Father had died, and he had no desire to reach the expectations that his Father held for him because he felt as if he couldn't reach them, therefore he forsook his royal inheritance for the wilderness.

But further on in life, Simba is told "remember who you are" reminding him that he does have a royal inheritance, and that so many are looking to him to make a difference. Simba had Great Expectations! 

"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it" - Rafiki

In the end Simba changes, he again seeks the path that will lead to happiness, he is reunited with his mother and family, and he reaches his potential and brings about peace in the land.  

Our Royal Inheritance: 

"As we journey through mortality, let us remember from whence we came; let us be true to the trust vested in us. Let us remember who we are and what God expects us to become." - Thomas S. Monson

We must understand that we are, like I said previously, Joint-Heirs with Christ. We once lived with our Heavenly Father in the premortal existance, and while we cannot remember all of our life before this one, but one thing we cannot forget is who we are and who we can become. The commandment to become perfect is not an easy one, but with the help of our savior and the atonement we can loose the pain of the past and look forward to the future with hope, always focusing on who our father in heaven sees we can become!

Faith

Repentance

Baptism

Recieving the Gift of the Holy Ghost

Enduring to the End

These are the steps that MUST be taken, to again live with our Father in Heaven. 

Never loose hope, God knows who you can become, it is in your hands to become it!

Stories of Becoming: Lord of The Rings

One thing the readers of this blog must know is I LOVE Lord of The Rings, I love the story line, I love the setting of middle earth, I love the Elvish Language (one day I vow that I will learn how to speak it) But what I love most is...... (drumroll).... the story of Becoming, so my endeavor is not just to recount that beautiful story but to show the underlying gospel truths that dwell within, so let's begin!


Prelude
Something I love about the Lord of the Rings is understanding the Background of the Author. J.R.R Tolkein
grew up in a small town in England where there was not a lot of industry, it was a bit of an adventure, there were woods and creeks and things that would start the wheels of imagination turning in the mind of a young Tolkein. He grew up to love history, and as he loved the Anglo-Saxon people, he wanted to write something to commemorate their history (as they hardly had any written history at all.)
Tolkein was a professor of history at a university, and one day while correcting some papers, he penned the words "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit" and so began the story of becoming that would start with a Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins and end with a Hobbit named Frodo Baggins. Not only are these novels a fantastic fantasy, they are also a good example of how we need a focal point to remove ourselves from the burdens that "so do easily beset [us]" (2 Nephi 4:18)
This book of fictional history has very interesting parallells to The Book of Mormon, and the history of an ancient people also seeking the light of the world, and trying to overcome their burdens through faith in Christ, and this book starts out with the words "I Nephi having been born of goodly parents" also commemorating a story that is continually in the making, helping with many peoples own "Becomings"


Faith
One concept that is personified over and over in the novels of the Lord of the Rings is that of Faith, weather it be in a purpose or a person, there are immense amounts of examples of Faith.. At the beginning of the first book of the Lord of the Rings, Frodo is given the one ring, Frodo has no idea what he has recieved, but this ring will be the cause of much trial, turmoil, and sorrow. He must leave Hobbiton because his life is in danger because of this small object, and he travels to Rivendell, the land of the elves. It is there that he learns what must be done, the ring must be thrown into the fires of Mount Doom. Arguements arise and Frodo takes upon himself this task "not knowing beforehand"(1Nephi 4:6) what he should do, only knowing that his goal is to rid the world of this evil object. If we look with our spiritual eyes, we see that, we cannot "lean unto our own understanding"
Proverbs 3:5 We must look to one who was perfect, who understands and knows the best path to take to reach the eventual goal of eternal happiness!

"Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” -Gimli

Repentance
The Journey continues, and there are many times when mistakes are made, just as in normal life, and when those mistakes happen, a sort of "repentance" needs to happen to right the wrong. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints we believe that "man will be punished for their own sins and not for Adams
transgression" meaning that the shortcomings of our fathers are not what define who we are, they may affect us, but we are not responsible for them we are only responsible for the actions we take in this life to choose the path of hope or of sorrow. Take the story of Aragorn, Isildurs heir. Isildur made the mistake of taking the ring for himself to get gain and power (just as at times we look inward to get gain and power), and he didn't make a righteous desicion to rid middle earth of the evil, but instead kept the ring for himself. In the novel Aragorn takes this mistake upon himself, and he fears that because of the mistakes of his fathers he will also be held accountable. But he learns this lesson, that the action of his forefathers is not something that defines him. Sure he has made mistakes, sure he is not perfect, but he is striving to be the "king" that he needs to become, in order to restore peace to Gondor.
Just as Adam made a descision that had a major effect it is not that sin that defines us, but we must look for ways in wich we can rid ourselves of the darkness that we have allowed into our lives and search to become that person that our heavenly father has envisioned that we can become, we all have the potential to be like him, perfect and whole, but we must look to Christ for that opportunity so that we can rid ourselves from those "burdens that do so easily beset us."

Baptism

The relationship between Frodo and the ring is one that I find to be quite profound, it's such a small thing, but it becomes such a burden to him as he continues to carry it through the story. Now think of Sam as the ever loyal friend, one who would never leave Frodo, no matter what the circumstance. Even when Frodo tries to go off on his own Sam loyally swims out after him and says "Gandalf said 'Now don't you leave him Samwise... and I don't mean too"
As thier journey continues Frodo begins to drift away from this ever loyal friend and towards the ring, it becomes something that he obsesses over, and he begins to believe that the ring, although a burden, will bring more happiness than a loyal friend, but even as Frodo is drifting towards the ring (sin) and Gollums heeds (the world pulling us in) Sam remains the same, and does everything in his power to eventually free Frodo of this burden that is weighing him down.

Christ has done the same for us, he is an ever loyal friend who doesn't ever leave our side even if we forget to remember him daily, he will never forget us, and just as Frodo threw the "one ring" into the fires of Mordor to free himself from a burden he carried, we also have the same opportunity to free ourselves from our sins, but without the Savior's lasting sacrifice we could never be free of those things that are continually weighing us down. But as we repent, and come unto him through the waters of baptism, that burden is lifted and he promises us we can be cleansed and free forever of those chains that are binding us, but we must continue on in Faith and righteouness to obtain this promise.

“War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” -Faramir

The Gift of The Holy Ghost
This gift is something we recieve after we have made that promise to the lord that we will continue to follow his paths, this gift sanctifies us and is that still small voice that guides and directs our paths. Sometimes I like

to think of Gandalf as a sort of Holy Ghost figure, because he has been sent to help us on our lifes "journey" he is one who warns of danger, he gives us hope when we feel like there is none. In the book there is a battle that happens at Helms Deep, and the outlook seems grim, there aren't enough soldiers, the enemy had broken through the defenses and in rides Gandalf on Shadowfax with the soldiers of Rohan following close behind to defend the freedom of man.
Sometimes in life we need spiritual back-up, we are fighting the good fight, we are trying to win the battle and it seems as if all hope is lost Christ promised this in regards to that battle against evil that we must wage every day "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Just as when Gandalf comes to save the day and bring peace to the hearts of men, we are promised that peace with the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

Endure to the End
There is no one time for anything, there is no panacea for all the ails of the world, you can't just go through all the steps that God has prescribed for happiness and say "now I am done, I have done what was asked of me." There will always be opposition, Satan is always trying to rob us of our happiness, but there is a

continual hope, if I can leave you with anything, it is this, God is our loving heavenly father, he doesn't want us to fail, he has told us to endure to the end, not because he wants for us to struggle but he knows that within the struggle we will grow, we will come to understand who we really are, and we will find pure joy, happiness and peace that comes with living a gospel centered life. Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Recieving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, these will all bring us happiness that we have never imagined, blessings that the human mind cannot fathom, and the wonderful hope of a new day. Enduring to the end is the "wash, rinse, repeat" of the cycle and we can continue to grow upward if we just continually look to Christ and when we truly follow his example to become who our Heavenly Father sees that we can become
  
“End? No, it doesn’t end here. Death is just another path, one which we must all take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass… And then you see it… White shores, and beyond, a far green country, under a swift sunrise.” –Gandalf

#TheStruggleisReal

I think the life of a gazelle in the wild can represent life pretty wonderfully. You are born, bright eyed and beaming thinking that nothing could go wrong. You grow and you leap and you play and you run, then you get to the watering hole and BAM! Crocodile attack... whooeee that was a close one, better not go back there! You graze a while and SMACK! There is a lioness hunter chasin your best buddy Steve  and your screaming and yelling "Steve noooo, not Steve, he was too young" and so you go on your merry way and BLAM POW Hyeenas are hot on your tail, and your thinking "man does this ever end."

Let's be honest there is a struggle on every side, you are out with friends on our merry way and BAM someone close to you falls to the whiles of Satan. Then you are in a fight with your brother SMACK you say hurtful words to your brother that need repairing. Then you are go on with life and BLAM POW someone close to you passes away and you are thinking to yourself "man does this ever end?"  Why is it that the struggle is real?

THE STRUGGLE

First off, there is a sort of entitlement that I think we all as humans feel at least once in this life, I don't think there is one person who hasn't thought to themselves "I've done This big thing so I'm extremely entitled to receive this big thing in return" it's a sickness I like to call me-itis, it's a major pandemic that definitely has a cure, but we are the only ones who can choose to cure ourselves of it.

Now I have gone off on a tangent I know but let me bring it back, now if we were given everything, not having to work one day in our life would we ever feel the fulfillment of receiving, or would we believe that it was only something we deserved, and of minor importance. If we never felt the pain of loss, or the struggle of living paycheck to paycheck would we ever be grateful for those things we did have? I don't think so. I believe that it takes that hardship, that pain, that struggle, to feel that joy, and that comfort and that peace.

We are spirit children of our Father in Heaven, I know I have asked myself many times "where did I come from before this life?" and "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16.) I know parents desire the best for their children, they want them to grow, to progress, to become something, to achieve greatness! But on this path of becoming, children face challenges and the only way that they can grow is to be put under pressure and face opposition. Just as a lump of coal cannot become a  diamond without extreme heat and pressure, so it is with our souls, we cannot reach our eternal potential without the struggle placed in our path. Our Heavenly Father desires the best for us on our journey here on earth. This brings to light the question, "why do bad things happen to good people?" I would ask to those who ask that question "how can good people become greater without the pressure of trials?" Those who are not seeking for betterment will never find hardship because those who stagnate are not met with pressure but digression. Just as a muscle without opposition will not grow but decrease in size. Stagnation never brings opposition, it only brings retrogression

“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”
C.S. Lewis

OUR LIFE ON EARTH

Our life is interwoven with many other peoples, we see on the news the pain of the world, the sickness, the hardship... the struggle. We feel a deep pain for them, but why, why would we ever empathize with anyone that we don't know unless .....we did once know them and deeply care for them? Our spirit is like the hard drive of our being, it remembers everything we have ever done or seen or experienced, including the life before this, that is why for me this concept of living with our Father in Heaven resonates deep within my being. Feelings are so much more than just chemical reactions in the brain, they are a spiritual compass that guides us, and as we listen to them we are able to discern truths we once knew before we came into the amnesia of this world.

We are given a wonderful gift of agency, and there is a pattern that we see in the Book of Mormon (another testament of Jesus Christ) and the Bible, that as people choose Gods path their struggle is lessened and their "burdens made light " (Mosiah 24:15)

CHRIST LESSENS THE STRUGGLE

"The unique burdens in each of our lives help us to rely upon the merits, mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah - David A. Bednar

The Savior Once Said: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my Yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30) 

Consider if you will this unique message, he offers rest to those who struggle, but he does not automatically take away the struggle, it still remains. He asks us to take His yoke upon us, we don't entirely loose our burden but our Savior offers to pull alongside us, because he has already been through the struggle he can lessen the pain and make our burden light!

This is the power of the atonement, one can never know the joy that comes from following the savior if they never take the steps to come to know Him. I have come to learn this as I have seen the power of the atonement change my life and change the lives of others, it truly is a blessing to know that God is our loving Heavenly Father, that Jesus is the Christ, He lives, and he does have an infinite amount of love for us.
He doesn't want to see us struggle, but he does want to see us grow and that is why the struggle is real, because we need to learn, we need to become, and we need to come unto him to do it.