So I was watching this video online about a wave photographer. A guy who goes out and dives head first into some of the largest waves on Earth, and gets beautiful pictures that no one else has ever captured. And I thought to myself, “I need to start diving head first, if I expect to get the beautiful results I want in my life.” My first thought was that this guy was crazy. He admitted himself that he has found himself in some pretty dangerous situations. But he loves what he does and no longer sees it as a risk, because he has seen the results and through practice, mastered the technique.
I have some pretty grand visions of what I’d like to see happen in my life and who I would like to become, and yet I repeatedly find myself afraid to “dive in head first.” I have a pretty small comfort zone and anything outside of that comfort zone is left undone, because of my fear of failure. But again, I have lofty goals; always have. And I have almost imperceptibly let many of those goals drift away as a result of my fear to step outside of my comfort zone. So what’s to be done?!?! Well thanks to…. What is his name? I don’t even know…. Oh. Clark Little. Thanks to Clark Little (the wave photographer) I have come to the realization that I need to just meet each of those scary little waves in my life, one by one.
For me, my faith is inseparable from who I am. So as I turned to the word of God, I found some helpful little gems. In the Book of Mormon, in Omni 1:26 it says, “…come unto Him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto Him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.” In religion, when we hear the word “saved” or “salvation,” we tend to think of a spiritual safety rather than physical or emotional safety. But in Tagalong the word for safety or salvation, “kaligtasan” means just that, safety (by no means emphasizing the spiritual). Since then, my understanding of the Atonement, or suffering of Jesus Christ, has been deepened. For me, the power provided by the Atonement is not just in reference to salvation from sin, but rather is a salvation from fear, weakness, sadness, pain, or any other thing we can possibly imagine needing safety or protection from. So this scripture from the Book of Mormon gives me hope that by offering myself (meaning my desires, devotion, and all that I am) to the Lord and His command, I will be safe. Spiritually, emotionally, physically. Just good ol’ fashioned “safe.”
In an article written by Bishop Gérald Caussé, a prominent leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, entitled “Follow the Path of Happiness” he says “You have dreams and goals? That’s good! Work with all your heart to accomplish them. Then let the Lord do the rest. He will make you into what you cannot make yourself. ” That’s a pretty nice promise. It takes faith. Faith in the Lord’s plan for us, faith in what He wants you to become. Our Heavenly Father is a God who can make anything happen. If He wants us to become great (which by the way He does) that means that we can become great. The trick is to come unto Him. Trust in Him. Trust in what He wants you to do, and then do it. Even if it feels like you’re about to dive head first into a giant wave.
I have some pretty grand visions of what I’d like to see happen in my life and who I would like to become, and yet I repeatedly find myself afraid to “dive in head first.” I have a pretty small comfort zone and anything outside of that comfort zone is left undone, because of my fear of failure. But again, I have lofty goals; always have. And I have almost imperceptibly let many of those goals drift away as a result of my fear to step outside of my comfort zone. So what’s to be done?!?! Well thanks to…. What is his name? I don’t even know…. Oh. Clark Little. Thanks to Clark Little (the wave photographer) I have come to the realization that I need to just meet each of those scary little waves in my life, one by one.
For me, my faith is inseparable from who I am. So as I turned to the word of God, I found some helpful little gems. In the Book of Mormon, in Omni 1:26 it says, “…come unto Him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto Him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.” In religion, when we hear the word “saved” or “salvation,” we tend to think of a spiritual safety rather than physical or emotional safety. But in Tagalong the word for safety or salvation, “kaligtasan” means just that, safety (by no means emphasizing the spiritual). Since then, my understanding of the Atonement, or suffering of Jesus Christ, has been deepened. For me, the power provided by the Atonement is not just in reference to salvation from sin, but rather is a salvation from fear, weakness, sadness, pain, or any other thing we can possibly imagine needing safety or protection from. So this scripture from the Book of Mormon gives me hope that by offering myself (meaning my desires, devotion, and all that I am) to the Lord and His command, I will be safe. Spiritually, emotionally, physically. Just good ol’ fashioned “safe.”
In an article written by Bishop Gérald Caussé, a prominent leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, entitled “Follow the Path of Happiness” he says “You have dreams and goals? That’s good! Work with all your heart to accomplish them. Then let the Lord do the rest. He will make you into what you cannot make yourself. ” That’s a pretty nice promise. It takes faith. Faith in the Lord’s plan for us, faith in what He wants you to become. Our Heavenly Father is a God who can make anything happen. If He wants us to become great (which by the way He does) that means that we can become great. The trick is to come unto Him. Trust in Him. Trust in what He wants you to do, and then do it. Even if it feels like you’re about to dive head first into a giant wave.