Day 12: The Good & Bad of Our World.

Sorry I have been absent for a little while.  Life has been somewhat rough/we have been out of town and so I haven't had the huge urge to blog.  Though I should cause it tends to make me feel better.

Anyway - I still want to finish up my 23 days of blogging...#backatit

Let's start with the bad:

As I've been thinking of the things that I feel are 'bad' or 'hard' in our world today unfortunately a long list came to mind.  Things are rough these days.  Although our struggles are very different than what they used to be, I feel like they are more emotionally and mentally taxing - which to me are the hardest things.  Coming from someone who willingly puts herself in lot of physical pain via running, I realize I do this because I can handle physical pain and discomfort much easier than I can emotional discomfort.  And I think the worst thing about our world today is the vast amount of emotional pains and hardships which we have to face.  Lots of the causes of these emotional pains come from physical things (addictions, rape, wars, prejudices, infidelity, etc) but the emotional damage is what I think is the worst.  If all we had to endure is the physical side of things, nothing, to me, would seem so bad.  However, it is not so.  I currently have some 'emotional' discomforts and I tell you what, it really is the hardest thing I have ever gone through.  I'd much rather do 3x2k with a fast 1k at the end everyday at stupid Nash Farms on the hottest, most humid day in Georgia than go through emotional discomfort. But, such is life.  We must go through both physical AND emotional discomfort if we ever want to maximize our potential.  Trials break us down at first only to allow us to heal and become stronger.  If we only went through physical trials we would become body builders with pea size brains...not a good combination!  We don't want strong, powerful bodies being directed by a dumb brain...I just imagine the one-eyed titan off of Disney's Hercules that is capable of destroying everything in his path, but has no brains (please tell me you've recently watched Hercules...if not, get on that). We don't want a world full of those, yafeelme?  Recently it has been hard for me to even watch the news because of all the bad things that are going on in the world...it makes me anxious and fearful.  However, the more I think about it, the more I come to realize I have no reason to be anxious or fearful...which leads me to the good of our world...

Yes, we live in a time with terrible, terrible things all around us.  Luckily, however, we live in a world with amazing, incredible things all around us.  I truly believe we are in day and age filled with the best of the best and worst of the worst.  It is SO easy to get caught up in the 'worst of the worst', but if we start to focus on the 'best of the best' we will slowly make it HARD for ourselves to be caught up with the 'worst of the worst.'  It frankly just sucks that the bad things are easier to do, easier to think about, and easier to get caught up in...but easy things never bring good results.  It is when we are challenged that we progress.  And once we become strong, doing the good & harder things will feel just as easy as doing the bad things once were.  Again, if everything was physical, life would be 'easy' for me.  For some reason physical pain doesn't scare me whatsoever, I am crazy and almost crave it (the pain of exercise that is).  But I am fearful of emotional pain.  However, I know that the good things in our world also bring good emotions!  It's the "Feel-Good, Do-Good Phenomenon" and I'm so grateful for it! Some of the best things around us are....

-Service
-Technology (keeping in contact so easily with loved ones, being able to learn pretty much anything, the ease of storing memories, medical purposes, transportation, etc)
- Ability we have to travel the world
- Strong Families
- Knowledge of our bodies, weather, gospel, pretty much everything...we are much more knowledgeable about things which has benefited and saved many lives.
- Just good, solid people amiss so much turmoil

I have had a hard time lately focusing on the GOOD in our world, but these past couple weeks I have really committed myself to focus on the good and happy and I know the more I do this the 'gooder' and 'happier' I will feel.

I am so grateful to be living in this day and age.  I say that every time as I pray, but the more I think about it, the more I truly mean it.

Here's to focusing and being the GOOD in our world :)

And because it would be practically a sin to not post a picture of the babyames...here you go:

homeboy needed an early morning pick-me-up

this kid.  sitting up like a pro at 4.5 months...#wheredidmybabygo?