We Don't Have to Be Stressed

     It's been much too long since I last blogged.  I started writing in my journal just barely and the first line goes like this......"OHMYGOSHLIFEISSOGOODANDSOSTRESSFUL".  Not sure why I decided to not add spaces...maybe it's another symptom of the mind craziness that's being caused by the whirlwind that is my life right now.  But yeah.  Life is so good and so stressful is pretty much how I feel right now.
     I seriously cannot believe all of the ways that Heavenly Father has been blessing me lately.  I'm sitting on the floor of my room right now (which, by the way, is the stinking CUTEST since my roomie and I redecorated!), thinking about all of my blessings.   I got four new roomies a couple of weeks ago....and they are amazing!  Every one of them is an angel from heaven, not to mention I get to spend another year sleeping in the bed next to my sweet friend Alexis Burgin (pronounce BURR-GIN, not BURR-JIN like I've been saying for the last year).  Also, I am finally, finally, enrolled in a major that sets me on fire, after five years of trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up.  I want to be a junior high health teacher (if you didn't think I was crazy yet, you most likely think I'm crazy now). But really. I want to educate young teenagers about healthy relationships, nutrition, exercise, social skills, mental health, and all of it.  I can't wait for that.  Another awesome thing is that I have been asked to serve as the first counselor in my Relief Society presidency this year.  This came as an answer to prayers...I had been feeling like I needed more service opportunity in my life, and Heavenly Father came through on that, just like He always does.  I know that when we have desires to serve we are called to the work.  The women that I am serving with in the presidency are walking angels.  I count myself blessed to be among them and to learn from their goodness.
    So those are just a handful of the reasons why life is so good....and I am guessing you guys probably don't want to hear about why life is stressful.  Every time I find myself talking about all the things I have to do and have going in my life right now, I remember that almost every one of my peers is just about as busy if not busier than I am.  I don't know how everyone does it.  This balancing college/work/church/dating/social life thing is no piece of pie.  I will spare you most of what I would say if I were to go on a rant right now.  I'll just tell you that I'm transitioning from my job at doTERRA to a new job with International Language Programs (another amazing blessing!!), and trying to manage 17 credits.  Sounds busy enough if I stop there, so I will.
     I didn't write this blog post to complain.  I actually am feeling really grateful.  And I guess my thoughts today have been caught on trusting Heavenly Father.  Yesterday I let myself get really worked up about a big schedule conflict I had with work and school, and before it even got resolved I had the thought...how many times in my past have I been absolutely freaking out about something, only to see that it all worked out in the end just fine?  So. Many. Times.  The reason things always work out is Heavenly Father.  No matter how much I try to micro-manage and control my life so that it can go just "perfectly", the secret (which really is no secret) that I often forget is that Heavenly Father is the mastermind behind how my life is going and how it will go in the future.  He coordinates how He needs things to go as long as I am doing my best to live the gospel with a sincere heart.  If I am doing that, my life turning out the way it needs to has nothing to do with my micro-managing and writing every single detail down in my planner (my best friends will tell you that I am pretty much obsessed with that thing), and everything to do with the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ in my life.  His healing power, His guiding power, His enabling power.
     So basically, if we are living righteously, all things work together for our good.  Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose".  I'm so grateful that scripture doesn't say "All things work together for the good of them who plan their lives perfectly, who always know who they want to be or what they want to do, who never forget anything or are late to any appointments, who go to bed early and get up early and exercise for an hour every day and eat only vegetables and are never upset or angry and are essentially perfect".  I am so grateful that this is not what it says.  It says that if we love God things work out for us.  And that is precisely what I am trying to believe.
     Until I get really good at believing this, I'm going to have to keep practicing.  Occasionally I choose mantras that I repeat to myself in the mirror or during meditation in yoga class.  Maybe right now my personal mantra should be..."Deep breaths, Kristy, just love God, trust God, and believe that everything is going to work out".  Everything is going to work out. And with that, I'm out! Thanks for reading :).

"Carry on.  Things will work out.  If you keep trying and praying and working, things will work out.  They always do." -President Gordon B. Hinckley (former LDS prophet)


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And last but not least....



#yogababies #chubbybabyanimalsdoingyoga #yourwelcome