Selfie

I posted this on my family website tonight, but I wanted to post it here as well because of the personal and spiritual significance that it holds for me:

I didn't even know that "selfies" had a name until about a month ago. If you don't know, it's when you take a picture of yourself. I wasn't a big fan of those, mostly because the people I saw doing them took them because they were so full of themselves, and used the selfies to brag or beg for compliments. But I saw this video tonight, and I really liked the points that were made. I wanted to share, especially with the women in our family. I know what it's like to have personal insecurities, most particularly where it comes to my beauty (both inside and out). I think the women in our family are beautiful, and I wanted to share something to help in case any of you may struggle at times as I do. Because I realized as I watched this video, that over the last few years, I have taken more pictures of myself. Of course, it's with my actual camera since I have a dumb phone. And for 3 years the only way I would let myself in front of a camera without a human was to have a stuffed turtle present. But in the last couple of years, I have been able to take more of just me, sans Bob. As a single person, I don't feel my life shouldn't be documented of all the fun, wonderful experiences I get to have just because 1/2 the time it's just me experiencing them. I still have self-conscious, worried-I'm-getting-full-of-myself moments when I'm not comfortable having a picture of me taken (alone or with others). But there are now times that I don't mind it. And I have slowly been able to look at the pictures and I see one of the things I learned early on in the temple that I've spent years trying to bring outside of it: seeing myself as God sees me. And I really am a beautiful Daughter of God. Each one of us is a Child of God. Always remember that He doesn't just think you're beautiful. He knows you are. So it can't hurt for us to do a little more to help us know that for ourselves.

Some Great Thing

"As persecutions came and Joseph fled the mob at Nauvoo in 1844, Hyrum went with him. As they stood on the bank of the river, contemplating whether to return, Joseph turned to Hyrum and said, 'You are the oldest, what shall we do?'

"'Let us go back and give ourselves up and see the thing out,' Hyrum replied.

"They returned to Nauvoo and were taken to Carthage, where they died as martyrs within minutes of one another. Hyrum had been faithful to his trust even to the laying down of his life. In all respects he was a disciple of the Savior. But his day-to-day striving made him truly great. In contrast, Oliver Cowdery was great when handling the plates and being attended to by angels, but when called upon to faithfully endure day-to-day trials and challenges, Oliver faltered and fell away from the Church.

"We do not prove our love for the Savior only by doing 'some great thing.' If the prophet personally asked you to go on a mission to some strange and exotic place, would you go? You would probably make every effort to go. But what about paying tithing? What about doing your home teaching? We show our love for the Savior by doing the many small acts of faith, devotion, and kindness to others that define our character."

James E. Faust, "Some Great Thing," Ensign, Nov. 2001, 48

This is precisely how I feel concerning the way we should be living the Gospel. An absolute "Amen!" from me.

One Reason this Blog is Named What It Is

"Of course, we will face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God's approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully, but also as a determination to live decently. A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh. Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with dignity have courage as well."

Thomas S. Monson, "The Call for Courage," Ensign, May 2004, 54-55.

Doctrine & Covenants 128: 22