I'll Treat you how You Treat Me!

It's interest to me how many different ways we can really condemn ourselves!  This one caught me off guard! I thought i was doing good meeting and talking with everyone and then i ran into an obstacle with my roommate that brought everything to a haunt.  He has been really good just being nice and getting to know me and all of a sudden he's gone rogue.  He talks to everyone in the room but me and it generous to everyone but me.?  Well usually i can figure out something that i did...granted pride usually says i was right...but this one was different.  So my immediate attitude was fine...I will treat you exactly how you treat me...Revenge!! Somehow however this affected everyone i talked to this week, i just haven't been as good as talking to everyone.  But then the Savior's words came to me again...the Golden Rule.  Regardless of how they treat you treat them how you would like to be treated continually regardless.  After i had this thought the whole world seemed brighter!! Just be You always.

O, to Turn the Other Cheek

Often times in our lives we come across something that is broke, if one will take a minute i'm sure one can think of  something right now.  As well all have some tendency to do, one will try a fix it.  This sometime proves to be as frustrating as building a sand castle with a obnoxiousness six year old.  For those of you who haven't had the experience they knock it down as fast as you build it and don't forget the sinister twinkle in their eye. As we try to fix these objects it often times feels as if there is such a demon thwarting us at every turn.  We then have two choices, continue at the lost cause or indulge in some self satisfaction.  If the thing is already broke and obviously unfix-able why not take it to the nearest ten story building and drop it off!!! Let it pluming 1,000 feet and explode into a million savory, decadent pieces.   Then throw it away!

How often do we take this approach with those around us?  We start out with the best intentions and then trying to fix it a thousand times, only to be snided again.  At which point, we fire back on them " react[ing] as though that person has insulted [our] honor, [our] family, [our] dog, and [our] ancestors all the way back to Adam" (lds.org).  We're inclined to give them the strongest verbal assault the English language can muster, kick them to the curb, drop them off a ten story building, and throw them away with the trash!  We figure the relationship is broken already, why not destroy it with pleasure and the actually deserve the evils that we have already been receiving!

It is in these hot moments that those silent prayers are answered and an inspired teach focuses for just a moment with testimony on the Savior's answer.

But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.


But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.  And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.  And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.  Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.


Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despite-fully use you, and persecute you;


It is in these moments that i am truly am in awe...    turn the other cheek...
When one has gone out of the way to bless, prosper, and console someone and that person sells one to all hell and death for a few pieces of pleasure...           turn the other cheek...

There is no other hope save Jesus Christ, because He has done it, so can I.  May we find peace in Him, salvation by Him, and justice through Him.  I know not how it is possible for one to turn the other cheek and all be well, but I know that as we do we have peace.  For as i have turned my face to onslaught of blows He has calmed the winds, the waves, and the storms in my soul. I have found peace in Him. He has answered my prayers. And despite all i have come out on top, for He was on my ship.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!  

At What Coast?

It's always been interesting to me how things fade with time--like resolve.  We try our best to be kind and compassionate to people, trying to please them and make them happy, we try to find out the things that are important to them and perform them as a way to show love, but more often than not they revival us for it.  This mode of treatment brings persecution and sower looks, it labels one as an outcast.  Why is this the case? With this 'younger' generation they prefer to be loaners or life long friends and if you don't fit the bill--go directly to jail.  Whats the point? In these moments one is spiritually if one will in jail, therefore, one decides if i'm basically in jail might as well go the full mile.  Ill treat everyone like the jerk they have labeled me as and then when they treat me like a jerk at least i will have deserved it!  Receiving poor treatment of one--fight back, trow the first punch and at least when one is persecuted, or thrown in jail, one will have deserved the retaliation.


So in essence one feels that society, our friends, our roommates, extra our indebted to us as we go out of our way to please them, make them happy, and make their lives better.  When they don't pay their rent back to us on time, for the first month, four months, year...we become a little offended and wonder what we did to deserve these wrongs.  So we fight back to deserve the wrongs. We go out find one who has wronged us or we feel is indebted to us and lay hands on him and take him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And if they don't we cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

I love this parable...the parable of the Two Debtors Matthew 18:23-35.  Here Christ reminds us we owe him so much more...and He has so freely forgiven us.  He is moved with compassion, set us free, and forgives us of our debt. How can we then forget and turn around and hang those around us for the pennies they own.  Because of the price He paid and the Mercy He shows, as we remember Him, it's easy to treat those around us with the same Mercy and Compassion.

Freely Forgive: "So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you..."

PeaceMaker

I loved the lesson today-- New Testitment Matthew Chapter 5! I really had some strong feeling about the nature and character of God.  As I go through life I pick up traits from society and somehow rub them off on the character of God.  If society is long to remember and quick to forgive then so must be God.

However, there is part of me that seems to whisper this is not true.  One thing that was a tender mercy was the idea of forgiveness.  The thought of turning out and blessing the lives of others--Blessed are the Peacemakers and Blessed are the Merciful.  Here God is trying to teach us to become like Him--Be ye therefore perfect.  So what is the point, if God is trying to teach us to become like Him and He telling us of Mercy, Meekness, and Peacemaking then God and Christ are Merciful, Meek, and Peacemakers.  They seek actively to bring peace into my life and soul, to organize my chaos and to heal my wounds.  O what peace, feeling, and joy, what tenderness and love this doctrine brings.  I have a Father, He is God, and He is Merciful and kind, perfect in every way.  How do I know? He has commanded me to do these things to be like Him therefore He must be the same; not only that but the Spirit whispers so.

I wish to forgive at the slightest intimation of repentance and to forgive before they ask, so that I can give what I ask and desire for my shortcomings. 

That I might become like Him, for it is because of who He is that I can BE.

The Game

The Greeks had nothing on us!
Well i chose again to be social and follow my friend Bryce into unknown territory, the BYU Football Stadium.

Follow your friends to good things even if their completely out of your desire and or comfort zone.  The experience is amazing and the memories are great!

For example Bryce and i had a conversation that lasted till 1 in the morning!  Every bone and nerve in my body said this was a bad idea, but it will be a conversation that will last a lifetime.

Live in the moment!  Take time to do things you normally would not, make a memory that will span time.  What am i saying...save those rules of moral, Covenant, integrity, and honor--BREAK YOUR RULES, FOR THOSE AROUND YOU!!  Example: One of my self governing all power rules is that i always go to bed by 10:30, however this rule was obviously broken the other night when talking at 1 and it made all the difference.  Will i break my rule all the time no, but go out on a limb and look around, see the view from somewhere you have never seen it before.  One just might be captivated and see things one has missed before.

Odds or Evens

Jessica && Merideth

Brandon in an attempt to explain his roomate(me), shared the fact that I had just told him a 'funny' story.  This seemingly random fact was the reason for our catastrophic uproar in sacrament meeting--not the best choice on my part.  However this story lead to Brandon's explanation to Jessica and Merideth which in turn forced me into a decision. Against the drive to sit and be a quiet and passive, I went and introduced myself as the comedic fiend, previously mentioned--possibly against my better judgement.

The reason for the better judgement is because this lead to another retelling of the story Odds or Evens, in which two top ten boys end up wrestling in front of the entire student body during a graduation ceremony practice, the said match being initiated by yours truly. In my defense my friend was 'teaching' me the game of odds or evens, i didn't find it instructive.  But that's not the point, the point of this story is that this comic story was retold to these two new strangers in which in light of this project i chose to meet.  Meeting them brought great joy to my day! Indeed it made my day!

This project is changing my life! Rather the choices made doing it are... People are changing my life!

Just Friends

It was really cool this week as just talking to people i have made new friends.
I sat down next Kason in the computer labs vs. following my overwhelming impulse to sit as far away as possible.  As it turns out, Kason is in my computer science class and i was able to help a little bit with a major project that we have due Friday.  He is really polite and nice, it was just cool to meet someone totally new!  Also Ashley was racing off to class as i sat down next to her, she told me how she had made the horrible mistake of packing healthy food for snacks.  I guess that when one packs healthy snacks one goes hungry because they sound like crap...

It's amazing how much brighter the world looks when you hold your head up and just simply say hi!

Life is too short! Smile and get to know your neighbor! Look around and see what God has g'vn you!

Forgiveness

Matt 6:12 && 6:15 && 32

I loved this idea of forgiveness.  One of the big reasons I think that I don’t go out of my way to talk with those around me because I feel scorned by others.  Or in other words as I have passed other though out the years there have been may that I have wanted to become friends with that utterly evaded me, not spoken at all, spoken harshly, or acted sharp.  Through these experiences I have built a wall of defiance to the world as if not speaking to it would solve all my problems. I think this is one reason I struggle meeting new people and becoming acquainted.  However, these versus have brought great insight, forgive them and move on.  Forgive them and find the joys in the mist of the thistle patch.

The Beginning

As with most of the ispiriation that i recieve, this project began while sitting at a fireside listening to stiring words.

These are the words in which motivated this change:

BYU: What If Love Were Our Only Motive?

Osguthorpe, Russell T.

March 08, 2011

What if our only motive were love? What if everything we did, 

we did out of love? 

We need to have a special kind of love to 

rejoice more in the success of others than in 

our own successes. 

The Savior’s earthly ministry was a time of 

teaching, a time of miracles. He established 

His Church on the earth. He called the Twelve 

to become leaders in the Church. He taught 

everyone who would listen. He healed the sick 

and raised the dead. And why did He do all 

these things? He had only one motive—love. 

His message to us is that we need to be good 

and do good, but we need to do it for the right 

reason. This is precisely why the two greatest 

commandments are the greatest: “Thou 

shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 

and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” 

and “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” 

(Matthew 22:37–39). The motive means 

everything.