Friday, January 21, 2011

Carrying extra weight


Some days I can't decided which is more difficult:
motivating myself or motivating others.
Some days I wish I could control what goes into other people's mouths,
not just mine.
Some days I wish I could make other people move, jump, run and sweat.
Some days I'm not a very good example of eating and drinking healthfully...
or of moving my own body....
and it weighs on me...
and I wonder: can I only motivate others to do what I already do perfectly?
Which I don't.
Am I the kettle calling the pot black?
Why do I take on the yoke of Chief Motivator anyway?

Then I think, what would our Savior do?
He did not judge others.
He did not weigh their character by their calorie count
or measure their walk with a pedometer.
He basically said "Love."
And we all know that Love starts with "patient and kind."
Today, I am striving for patient and kind.

6 comments:

  1. That's definitley worth striving for.
    Good luck. It's a stretch for me every day. :)

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  2. I knew that was you, just from the picture! who else finds such cool pics?! You're awesome! See, you have wonderful things about you that make you unique and special to other people.

    Aaack, who's perfect amongst us mortals?! Although, I think as women we think we have to be perfect for the sake of other people, especially our children. All we can do is lead the way. And I think it's important to remember that it really is a good thing that other people see our imperfections and see us striving to overcome them. Because guess what? The truth is, we are all in the same boat. We are all flawed in some way. It's the example of striving despite our weaknesses, that we get up when we fall down, that goals are important, that we want to reach above where we are when it comes to deep and abiding values and goals that are good for us, like health and fitness.

    My Gram, who was 90+ and passed away a few years ago, swam 3 days a week her ENTIRE life, right up until the end when she passed away sleeping in her comfy chair in her living room. Now that's the way to go! She is the example of old age that I keep in my heart when it comes to health and fitness. I want to be my Gram when I grow up! Was she perfect? No, but she didn't quit, and that's what matters.

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  3. Becky, I think of Gram every time I'm out on a walk in this beautiful little Wyoming town. I talk to her and hope that she and Grandad see how much I want to be like them.

    Melissa, unconditional love is the very hardest thing to learn as a person. We can be consumed with wishing others were different, and we can do permanent damage when we express deep disappointment or try to compel others to do things our way. It takes an incredible amount of patience, and prayer asking for help from the Savior, to learn to love someone the way Christ would love them. But it IS possible. I would not be married to Dan today if the Savior had not taught me to love unconditionally. I am not perfect at it by any means, but when I get frustrated, the Spirit gently reminds me to see people as Christ sees them.

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  4. This is a great thing for me to strive for too. Patience is certainly something I have been short on lately. It all starts with baby steps right?

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  5. Thanks ladies! Just what I needed to hear.

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  6. You do have a way with words Apis and a voice the speaks for many of us.

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