"Home, home on the range"

A family who loves, a God who loves more;

A power so strong, it has sealed this love,

Forever.

Sent down to Earth, mortal bodies we gain;

A gift from our God, to learn,

To tame.

A path is begun, seemingly harmless at first;
Of joking, of laughing,
Of just being young.

The path does not end, choices are made;

Loved ones begin to fear, and prayers,

Begin to be said.

Demons are awakened, nightmares are real;

Life becomes torture,

One must escape.

A realization escaping in not working;
A body so dependent, functioning becomes
Hopeless.

Hope is realized by family and friend;

An attempt is made,

And success begins.

The demons are angry, they feel they are losing;
They must try harder, for they fear being
Alone.

Pain and suffering begin, stronger than before;
Shields are hung up, lullabies are
Played.

A final battle is fought, the war is waged;
The demons rejoice, at a soul they THINK
They've claimed.

A spirit is torn from the broken body in which it resides;
Free from the demons, and torment
It flies.

Welcomed by loving arms, and helpful hands;

A new path determined,

A clear course firmly set.

Without demons to fight, or battles to wage,
Without the horrors of mortal life
To face.

It all becomes clear, and hope is restored;
Mercy and justice work together,
As one.

Happiness and true life are finally realized;
It won't be easy, but love
Prevails.

A family who loves, a God who loves more;
A power so strong, it has sealed this love,

Forever.

Perfect vs. perfection

For the past month or so, I've been struggling with being perfect and perfection, rather than having perfection as my life-long (and then some) goal.

Last night, we had a discussion about centering our lives around Christ. We did an "attribute test" from PMG. You're supposed to rate yourself on a scale from 1-5 one specific Christ-like attributes. Two things happened.

1 - It made me realize I'm not as horrible as I thought I was. I had a LOT of high ratings, and a lot of positive things to say about myself. I realized that I (and I think we as people) get so focused on what we AREN'T doing, and what we're failing at, that we forget to see our positive attributes. Yes, there are always things we can work on because hey, we're human! But, that doesn't mean that beating ourselves up and shedding tears over minute things is healthy. That ties into the next thing I learned...
2 - One of the sections was on patience. One of the attributes was having patience with yourself. Now, I think I'm extremely patient when it comes to other people, but myself? Ya. Forget it. I don't just expect perfection from myself; I demand it. Not healthy! We have to have patience with ourselves in this journey we call life. None of us are going to be perfect now, nor when we die. It will not be till just before we reach exaltation that we are perfect. We will be COMPLETE. So why make life miserable? Why not rely on the Atonement of Christ? Because THAT'S WHAT IT'S THERE FOR! That is the whole purpose of the Plan of Salvation! By demanding perfection of ourselves, we are denying the cleansing and comforting power of our Savior and Redeemer. What a wonderful plan! What a wonderful thought! How loving, kind, and caring our Father in Heaven is to provide this plan!

I KNOW Christ lives, and loves us. I know He is not only my personal Redeemer, but the Redeemer of all man-kind. I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ is real and true; I know it was restored to the Earth by God's power through Joseph Smith. I KNOW the Book of Mormon is true. I KNOW the people in that book were real, living people. People with trials, loved ones, tears, and joys. I know, with all my heart, that there are and have been prophets on the Earth. I know the things they tell us to do will strengthen and uplift us. I have seen their prophesies fulfilled, even in my short life! I know President Monson is the true prophet of God, not only for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but for the world! I love my Savior, and I love my God. I know they love me and each person that ever has been, is, or will be on this Earth. What wonderous things to know!

I am so grateful for the testimony I have!