Howdy Y'all!
So This week has been pretty crazy so I will just keep it down to a few highlights.
First of all I have a new companion! I have to apologize I
misspelled his name last week. It is in fact Wildung not Wildone. I
apologize for the confusion and for the mistake. I will talk more about
him later in my spiritual thought.
We also have seen some pretty amazing things. A while back when
Elder Lunt was here we got rear ended by a young lady. Everything was
fine the car had no major damage and no one got hurt. But in the
incident we got this lady's phone number. Her name was Kim and we have
not had too much contact since the incident got settled. But She seemed
open and had been on my mind for a couple of days. I kept feeling like I
should text her. It took me a while but I did and she said she would be
interested in learning more about the church! It was such a miracle to
see something like this come out of what normally would have been a
strictly negative experience.
The other things that happened is we had an awesome lesson with
Emily and met a really cool less active named Jill. Its been amazing to
meet new people and see the work of the Lord hastening in my area. I
love being a missionary.
Now onto my spiritual thought. Now I will tell you a bit more about
Elder Wildung. Elder Wildung has been with me for 6 days and in that
time I do not think I have seen him stop smiling even once. It is insane
how positive and enthusiastic he is. It is especially appreciated by me
who has felt like I have lost some of my enthusiasm for the work. I
have enjoyed immensely the 6 days we have been together. Not to say I
don't love my previous companions. (I love and miss all of them) But I
have most certainly felt a lot more confident and enthusiastic while I
have been with him.
So here's the message. There are only 2 types of friends in this
world. Good friends and Bad friends. What's the difference? The
difference is that a Good friend makes you a better person and enriches
your life. A Bad friend is someone who makes your life harder and only
makes you a worse, more selfish person. And why does this matter?
Because we get to choose each day what type of friend we will be. Will we be a Good friend that people enjoy being around and makes others better?
Or will we be a Bad friend that makes the lives of those around us
harder and bleaker? Only we can choose. Now I know and recognize that is
a slight exaggeration. In reality I know there is a lot more gray area
where there are some who don't affect us much and don't change our lives
much one way or the other. But in my opinion those are not Good friends
so by default are a Bad friend in that they don't make our lives
better.
Now this is not to say we should cut people out of our life because
they are not driving us to be better people. In fact I don't mean to
direct this as a way to judge others or tell you how to live your life
or who you should hang out with. Instead I mean this to hopefully cause
some introspective thinking. I want those of you who read this to take a
good long look at your life, your characteristics, your habits, your
mannerisms, and evaluate " Am I a Good friend or a Bad friend? Do I make
the lives of others Easier or Harder?" and to be honest I don't know
what your answer will be. But I would suggest that if the answer is that
you are a Bad friend that maybe you should evaluate your choices in
life and make the necessary changes to become a Good friend. And this is
not a challenge I extend lightly. I am doing the very same thing. I am
trying to make changes in my life that will allow me to be a Good friend
to everyone. I want everyone I run into to see the Savior in the way I
live my life and the choices I make. Not to say I am perfect but that I
know that I want to live my life the way the Savior lived his. Full of
love and service and kindness. I don't want to be remembered as a grumpy
rude individual who did nothing but complain and bemoan my lot in life.
So I am making the changes to reflect the Saviors life and teachings.
The second half of my thought is along the same lines. I have been
watching Elder Wildung. I mean when I spend almost every waking hour
with the guy its hard not to. And I have noticed something. He is a
happy guy. Now some of you might go "Wow how long did it take you to
figure that one out?" especially if you know Elder Wildung. But I don't
just mean He acts happy or looks happy. He IS happy. It is one of his
characteristics. And I have been pondering on that. I mean who does not
want to be a happy person? I want to be more like him. So I have been
wondering how to do this. And I have a few thoughts.
First of all, happiness is a state of being. It's not as much an emotion as it is a lifestyle. So how do we make happiness our lifestyle?
That is a task that is easier said than done. We follow the teachings
of Christ. Sounds simple but it's not quite as easy as all that. We have
to truly center our lives on the Gospel of Christ. And we have to do it
with a cheerful heart. It needs to be done because we have a love for
the Gospel and a love for the Savior. Not because we want God to fix all
our problems. And that is the thing. God is not going to simply wave
his hand and fix every tiny problem we might ever face. And why not?
because God wants us to be happy. And not just feel happy as a temporary
thing. He wants us to have everlasting happiness. Another word that is
probably more accurate is Joy. I need to change my definition of Elder
Wildung. He is not simply a happy person, he is a Joyful person. The
difference is that you can feel happiness in life and not experience
true Joy. But when you are a truly Joyful person you will always be
happy. Not because life will suddenly cease to have trials. But because
that Eternal Joy and the perspective it brings will allow us to feel
Happy even when life is extremely hard. And that is what the Gospel of
Jesus Christ brings. Not temporary relief or happiness. But True and
everlasting Joy. That is why so often the youth of the church are often
seen as being happy positive people. Those of you who know my little
sister Anna know what I am referring to. She is a joyful person.
Now I hope you guys hear what I am trying to say. We choose each
day who we are and what we do. We can choose to be a Good friend. We can
choose to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ the center of our lives and
let the Prince of Peace bring peace and Joy to our lives. Its all a
choice. Not an easy one and not a one time choice. Instead it is a
choice we make every second of every day. Whether we will choose Joy or
sadness. Whether we will be a Good or a Bad friend. And hopefully we
make the right choice.
I love you all. I hope you have an amazing week and I am thinking/praying for all of you! I love you!
Love
Elder Nathan Lindh
 |
| Transfers! |
No comments:
Post a Comment