Becoming Who I Want to Be

By Claire Enos

As I was looking through old posts on one of my blogs, I found this gem. I didn't post it all that long ago, but I enjoyed re-reading my thoughts on life and all the obstacles I've been facing. I hope you enjoy!

"I can feel it. I can feel the tugging from all directions. The random comments from friends saying I need to do this or that. The comments from people I don't know saying a woman needs to do this or that.

"Get a job."
"Finish your schooling."
"Don't worry about dating."
"Get a good career."
"Take care of yourself."
"Pay off those loans."
"No one wants to marry someone in debt."
"Choose a better major, you won't be able to get a good career with that one."

And, for some reason, I listen. I begin to change my view on life and the things that make me who I am. I start making plans to finish school, go on a mission, go back to school, and work in between. I start worrying about my loans because somehow it might keep me from falling in love and marrying some man I might meet in the future. My whole focus begins to change, from my spiritual goals to my material goals. I stop focusing on God, and I start focusing on my life.

I'm not saying any of these things are bad, but maybe we are placing too much emphasis on the material things in this life. We are spending too much time worrying about money, rather than focusing on our spiritual well-being. We stop thinking about studying God's words, and praying to God for help, and we start thinking about how we can rely on our own strength over God's. Alone, we can make waves; with God, we can move mountains.

I've noticed that it is those moments when I become lax about praying and studying my scriptures that I start to stumble over the roots and branches in my way in the forest of life; after I stumble off the road and into the forest itself. But, when I put God first, those roots and branches no longer become a problem, they are merely bumps on the side of the road I'm traveling.

So, I want to encourage each of you to think on this. Maybe we should stop focusing so much on materialistic aspects of life, and start focusing on God and His work. He'll guide us, and we may not always understand why the road has led us to where we are, but at least we'll always know there is a good reason! Endure to the End!"

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did re-reading it. Sometimes I just feel like we need to be reminded of what's really important in life.

<3Claire