Progression

It always amazes me to see the way the church enhances who you are without taking away the essence of your personality. Great spiritual realizations magnify your strengths and talents without forcing you into a certain mold that was predetermined. I think that's one of the things I love the most about the gospel, and spending time with family and friends in the temple really brought that into clearer focus. The person that I am is not dictated by the church. However, the knowledge I have of God's plan for us here is what brings definition to everything I do. I am who I am, and that's what makes me special, but the church is what makes it all worth it. The choices I make, the relationships I create, and the direction that I point my life in are all done because I have the fullness of the gospel, and that knowledge makes me happy, and all of it worth doing.

Yesterday I went through the temple. It was a great experience, and I'm looking forward to going back to learn more and feel the peace that is there.


::

Comments

Amy said…
i'm so happy for you zac!
August 1, 2011 at 11:19 AM
Lou said…
I love this post very much. :) Your writing is beautiful, as are the thoughts you are conveying through them. The gospel truly is amazing, and I am so excited for everything that you are getting to do now and in a few weeks! :)
August 1, 2011 at 1:16 PM
Adrian said…
I'm so happy for you Zac! btw, you are really profound!! Of course I already knew that, but I was really touched by your words...and the pretty pictures too! You are going to be such a great missionary!
August 1, 2011 at 2:00 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Iced Over

Image
This whole post is collection of the stuff that has happened in the last few days. You've been given fair warning as to how random all of this is. Firstly, remember when I posted the other day about how cold it was? Yeah, that was nothing. It got way colder than that. On Wednesday or Thursday, I checked the weather, and with windchill the temperature was 5 degrees. That doesn't happen here! Kelsey, I know you're scoffing again, but that's crazy business! At any rate, I got to wear my big coat with fur, my scarf, and a fun beanie! Also, our fountains froze over! It was totally nuts, but so dang cool to see. The weather has warmed up, but there's still ice out there. Also, remember when I posted about all of our lights that were trying to keep our plants warm? They didn't really work. Most of them are damaged now, and my dad isn't sure how well they'll come back. As he says it, frost-tolerant plants are rarely pretty. That's why we don't own any....
Read more

Maturing

Image
Do you ever say something and then think, "Whoa, that just sounded like dad/mom?" Well, I definitely did that the other day, and I was kind of proud it happened. I've got rockin' parents, if you didn't know. Now you know. :: On a different note, Nicole got married today. She looked stunning. It's sad to see her start this chapter of her life, because we're kind of on different pages now (to keep with the literary metaphor). But the more I think about it, the more that's the way it's meant to be. I'll find myself a good spouse someday, as will all of my friends. We'll all leave each other behind to find bigger and better things in this life, and the only thing left in the end will be an empty stretch of road that we all used to travel together. We'll each replace that stretch that we once took together in favor of individual roads that lead us on to better things. We can chase our dreams a little more fervently when you have that comp...
Read more

Space Travel

Image
For a minute there, I was mad at my therapist. Not for a breach of confidence or any other kind of unprofessional behavior. No, I was mad at him because he’s right, and he has been for the better part of the three years I’ve been working with him. Change is hard, and the process to develop personally can be grueling. But even if I was mad, it’s not lost on me how lucky I am that I’ve got a trained professional to help me through it all. Most remarkable about what I’m realizing isn’t that this guy has been right all along—I knew he had credentials and a wealth of experience at the outset—it’s that he has allowed this process to be mine , even if it probably (certainly) prolonged the outcome. He has let me move at the pace that’s appropriate for me, even though the path through this maze has probably looked pretty clear from his vantage point. While the endpoint, the goal of getting through this maze, was why I started working with him, the fact that he didn’t dictate anything has meant ...
Read more