I sat in Sunday School with my Mom--

We read from 3 John that day in the first chapter, 4th verse--

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."

My mother reached over to squeeze my knee and as I looked into her eyes, I saw the message conveyed therein-- she was pleased with what I'm doing with my life. With all the love that a Mom can muster, she looked into my eyes and told me through that penetrating gaze that I was doing well. That she was happy that I was happy.

I shared this experience the other day in Testimony Meeting and then made the comparison to the warmth, peace, and contentment that will come upon us from time to time when our Father in Heaven is pleased with us. I can see in my own life that as I do the things He's asked of me, my Heavenly Father smiles down upon me and lets me know through thoughts and feelings that He is pleased with my efforts. He has no greater joy than to hear that His children walk in truth.

There is no counterfeit to rival the feeling of complete peace in our hearts and minds. That simple, sure contentment always comes from the Spirit of the Lord. It is God's way of squeezing our knee and looking into our eyes and smiling a message of "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

My father sent out an email to a bunch of his family members...

This email was asking for our opinions on the statement, "Perfection is a recipe for failure." There were a few responses before I piped in with my 2 cents... with a bit of help from my wonderful roommates...

If perfection is the only way you can succeed, then striving for perfection is, in fact a recipe for failure. God may deal in absolutes, but here in mortality 'perfect' is a non-reachable absolute. The striving for such a state of perfection will never become us. However, when God admonishes us to 'be ye therefore perfect' I believe that when we do everything we can do, we are, in the essence of the word, perfect. Take this quote from Remember the Titans into account--

Coach Boone: It's all right. We're in a fight. You boys are doing all that you can do. Anybody can see that. Win or lose... We gonna walk out of this stadium tonight with our heads held high. Do your best. That's all anybody can ask for.

Big Ju: No, it ain't Coach. With all due respect, uh, you demanded more of us. You demanded perfection. Now, I ain't saying that I'm perfect, 'cause I'm not. And I ain't gonna never be. None of us are. But we have won every single game we have played till now. So this team is perfect. We stepped out on that field that way tonight. And, uh, if it's all the same to you, Coach Boone, that's how we want to leave it.

This type of perfect is different than eternal perfection... we can be perfect in aspects of our lives, but never in its entirety. That sort of perfect can be reached only in and through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the grace with which he lifts us to the perfect state of being in which He and the Father live.

Just a couple shots to bid the autumn time farewell... I'm afraid Logan winter is now upon us...

I walked home with an exam in my hand...

College has a way of changing your high school mentality of being a big fish in a little pond... the more I attend classes and take exams and try to measure up to expectations in college, the more I realize how very small I am compared to the ocean of fish I'm now a part of. When it comes to school, I feel as if I cannot even begin to compare to the educational whales with whom I associate. The balanced life I've chosen simply will not allow for rising to the top of such a lofty standard... or can it?

I know from many hours of personal experience that grades of that stamina come from incredible amounts of effort and hours of studies... using the variety of techniques that you've found works best for you. Pulling an A in a class is not an easy accomplishment. And yet, for some it seems to come fairly easily- even for those with a far busier course load than I am occupied with... and I marvel at how God's hand guides their lives. I have seen the result of a life lived in accordance to God's commandments and how, if it is needed and necessary for God's plan of happiness for that person to progress, His hand is seen lifting and guiding that person in educational aspects of their lives. Somehow, He always pulls them through on top.

This sort of blessing has been mine for more times than I can count. But lately, I'm noticing that the perfection I expect from myself has been lacking in my classes. Partially because of the other priorities in my life that I choose to make of more importance than classes at times. I do still study hard, I try my best to manage my time well, and I really am doing quite well in my classes. Just not as well as past years... and because of my stubborn yearning for perfection, I let that drive me absolutely bonkers somedays. I determine to study harder and more efficiently as I walk out of class with an exam holding a score not quite as high as I'd have liked it to be... and then life continues.

I find myself doing good things, growing in ways I need to be growing, fulfilling my calling, attending the temple, dating, gallivanting with my roommates, friends, and sister, studying for my institute classes... the list goes on... but somehow, someway, I manage to feel like I don't measure up to par in school... and it's such a big part of my life that this feeling of disappointment seeps its way into my overall attitude. And that's not okay with me.

*Sigh*

Good thing I have a firm testimony in the eternal plan of happiness God has in store for me. I know that as long as I'm doing the things necessary for my hand to be firmly grasped to the iron rod, things will all fall into place as they should. And as I continue to walk step by step into the dark, I am reassured each and every time the light of understanding envelops me-- but only after I've taken that step into the unknown.

May we each have the faith to let God guide our footsteps and ultimately bring us home.