When there's no more, consecrate!
Since this is my first blog I suppose I should begin by sharing a bit about who I am and why in 2017, during the age of Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and a million other ways to share information in 30 second to 3 minute intervals, I have decided to start a blog.
At this point in my life I am an almost middle aged man, married for 13 years with 5 children. Yes, that wasn't a typo, I am a Gen X teetering on Millennial who got married, bought a home and had more than 2 kids. It's crazy, I get it. Maybe that's why I am starting a blog so late in the game. If that all wasn't enough I also have a dog and a cat....and I am an introvert (maybe another time I will post what an introvert actually is).
I am also LDS. For those of you who don't know what that is, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For those of you who may now be more confused, I am a Mormon. This hasn't always been the case. I actually grew up in a household who believed in God and quite honestly didn't do anything specific to show that belief other than strive to be good people. I am not saying there is anything wrong with that, just that we didn't attend any churches, pray regularly, etc.*
Of the churches I did attend before I was baptized, I attended with friends or on my own accord as I got older. I won't go in to how I joined the church here, but I joined when I was just about to turn 19. Was able, through the amazing support of my fellow church members, to serve a 2 year mission in Sao Paulo, Brazil starting soon after I turned 20. So, instead of falling in to the norm of my friends from high school and the social norm of our society today, I wasn't out on my 21st birthday getting wasted, I was out teaching about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I think that about sums up the type of person I am and where my values are. We can now fast forward from my early 20's back to the now.
Today I work for a HUGE corporation that has over 70,000 employees just in the US, not including the other employees we have in India, Philippines, Ireland, etc. and we are a Fortune 5 company (it means the company produces billions of dollars of revenue a year). You get the picture, we are massive. I am a business manager for this company which means that a lot of my mental and physical energies go into proving my worth and validity each and every day, and I love it! I have had an amazing career thus far!
Recapping the craziness that is my life - Married, 5 kids, Mormon, Business Manager, cat and dog. In other words. I am tired, A LOT. Which brings me to what I want to write about today.
I realized as I sat in church today that there are all these amazing people who sacrifice so much of their time, money, etc. simply to serve others! Yet, there I am, trying to find justifiable reasons to miss out on a Cub Scout activity because I am "tired." There is a commandment that is found in multiple places in the scriptures (quick background, LDS members use the Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price all as scripture and we combine them into what we call the "Standard Works"). This Law is found in almost all pieces of the Standard Works. It basically refers back to Jesus's words to his disciples in Matthew 10:39 "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." To summarize, be willing to give up everything to do the work of the Lord and blessings without end are promised.
As I joined the church, served a mission, etc. I thought "no problem!" I love God and I know that this Gospel is true, I have no issues at all giving whatever I need to. Then life happened, and I realized this ultimate giving has to come from everyone involved or it doesn't work. I have to be willing to give up not only my own time, but time with my wife and kids, time not focusing on advancing my career, playing video games, etc.
So, with this realization, I decided to renew my actions in my faith, take the time to serve others to renew my own spirit, and write a blog! I realized I am no where close to being alone and if I can at least do something to help others realize that they too aren't alone, then I will feel like I have made a difference.
I invite anyone who reads this to join the world of us who have a ton to do, whatever it may be, and to each day renew focus, make a difference no matter how big or small, and in so doing, consecrate time and efforts to bettering our world and thereby revitalize your own energies and see what more life has to offer.
*If there are ANY questions at all about what being a Mormon means or what the core beliefs of a Latter-day Saint are, I invite you to visit mormon.org or lds.org. There are amazing resources to help answer any questions you have.
At this point in my life I am an almost middle aged man, married for 13 years with 5 children. Yes, that wasn't a typo, I am a Gen X teetering on Millennial who got married, bought a home and had more than 2 kids. It's crazy, I get it. Maybe that's why I am starting a blog so late in the game. If that all wasn't enough I also have a dog and a cat....and I am an introvert (maybe another time I will post what an introvert actually is).
I am also LDS. For those of you who don't know what that is, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For those of you who may now be more confused, I am a Mormon. This hasn't always been the case. I actually grew up in a household who believed in God and quite honestly didn't do anything specific to show that belief other than strive to be good people. I am not saying there is anything wrong with that, just that we didn't attend any churches, pray regularly, etc.*
Of the churches I did attend before I was baptized, I attended with friends or on my own accord as I got older. I won't go in to how I joined the church here, but I joined when I was just about to turn 19. Was able, through the amazing support of my fellow church members, to serve a 2 year mission in Sao Paulo, Brazil starting soon after I turned 20. So, instead of falling in to the norm of my friends from high school and the social norm of our society today, I wasn't out on my 21st birthday getting wasted, I was out teaching about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I think that about sums up the type of person I am and where my values are. We can now fast forward from my early 20's back to the now.
Today I work for a HUGE corporation that has over 70,000 employees just in the US, not including the other employees we have in India, Philippines, Ireland, etc. and we are a Fortune 5 company (it means the company produces billions of dollars of revenue a year). You get the picture, we are massive. I am a business manager for this company which means that a lot of my mental and physical energies go into proving my worth and validity each and every day, and I love it! I have had an amazing career thus far!
Recapping the craziness that is my life - Married, 5 kids, Mormon, Business Manager, cat and dog. In other words. I am tired, A LOT. Which brings me to what I want to write about today.
I realized as I sat in church today that there are all these amazing people who sacrifice so much of their time, money, etc. simply to serve others! Yet, there I am, trying to find justifiable reasons to miss out on a Cub Scout activity because I am "tired." There is a commandment that is found in multiple places in the scriptures (quick background, LDS members use the Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price all as scripture and we combine them into what we call the "Standard Works"). This Law is found in almost all pieces of the Standard Works. It basically refers back to Jesus's words to his disciples in Matthew 10:39 "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." To summarize, be willing to give up everything to do the work of the Lord and blessings without end are promised.
As I joined the church, served a mission, etc. I thought "no problem!" I love God and I know that this Gospel is true, I have no issues at all giving whatever I need to. Then life happened, and I realized this ultimate giving has to come from everyone involved or it doesn't work. I have to be willing to give up not only my own time, but time with my wife and kids, time not focusing on advancing my career, playing video games, etc.
So, with this realization, I decided to renew my actions in my faith, take the time to serve others to renew my own spirit, and write a blog! I realized I am no where close to being alone and if I can at least do something to help others realize that they too aren't alone, then I will feel like I have made a difference.
I invite anyone who reads this to join the world of us who have a ton to do, whatever it may be, and to each day renew focus, make a difference no matter how big or small, and in so doing, consecrate time and efforts to bettering our world and thereby revitalize your own energies and see what more life has to offer.
*If there are ANY questions at all about what being a Mormon means or what the core beliefs of a Latter-day Saint are, I invite you to visit mormon.org or lds.org. There are amazing resources to help answer any questions you have.
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