Thoughts from My Personal Journal

THOUGHT: October 3, 2019

My future does not deserve to be harmed and punished because of any past negative experiences I may have had.


THOUGHT: October 10, 2019

Most of our battles are won or lost within ourselves.


THOUGHT: October 12, 2019

Joy has little to do with our circumstances.


THOUGHT: October 29, 2019

Champions are champions because they respond to adversity well.


THOUGHT: December 21, 2019

Failure is an integral part of success, so long as we can avoid making the same mistake twice.


THOUGHT: January 31, 2020

At all times, and especially when confronted with difficult situations, I need to discover what Jesus would have me do, and then make any required changes and do it.


THOUGHT: February 3, 2020

I am grateful for the happiness and joy that I have in my life despite the sad and depressing things that often go on around me, or happen to me.


THOUGHT: March 4, 2020

Adversity exposes our character weaknesses. That makes adversity a blessing because it allows us to address the weaknesses and turn them into strengths. I would not change a single thing that has happened to me.


THOUGHT: April 16, 2020

Opposition is an absolutely necessary part of life.


THOUGHT: May 11, 2020

Good people help sorry governments survive.


THOUGHT: August 2, 2020

If we can be grateful for a serious adversity, we can learn and grow more from it.


THOUGHT: October 5, 2020

There are times when angels cannot relieve us of suffering, but the eternal perspective that comes from considering the word of God which the angels declare will help us to endure the suffering.


THOUGHT: December 4, 2020

Two people can experience the same adversity and one can react totally different from the other. One can become more hardened by the experience; the other can become more softened by the experience. The former will experience unhappiness and gain little from the adversity. The latter will experience happiness and gain much from the adversity. The manner in which we exercise our reactive agency makes all the difference. (See Alma 62:41)


THOUGHT: December 31, 2020

Experiencing a setback is not the same thing as experiencing a defeat. Setbacks are an essential part of most victories.


THOUGHT: January 9, 2021

Just like Joseph Smith, if we are faithful, we will have our Uncle Jesses.


THOUGHT: February 3, 2021

There is a period of time, sometimes abbreviated, between that undesirable thing that happens to me and my immediate reaction to it, wherein I have the full and complete power to choose my response. I can practice improving my ability to respond—which sometimes should be no response at all.


THOUGHT: April 13, 2021

How can you feel good about yourself if you don’t overcome something?


THOUGHT: July 8, 2021

A correct and proper measurement of justice adversely affects (actually in a positive, deterring way) only the one deserving it. But one injustice ignored will adversely affect us all.


THOUGHT: October 10, 2021
 
There is no pointless suffering allowed by God. There is an important lesson in every affliction. We can patiently endure the affliction, and we can pray, “What wouldst thou have me to learn from this experience?”
 
 
THOUGHT: November 7, 2021
 
Even in a life of righteousness, the sorrows will always outnumber the joys, but the joys will outweigh the sorrows.
 
 
THOUGHT: January 6, 2022
 
Most of life’s greatest blessings come in the form of adversity.
 
 
THOUGHT: January 7, 2022
 
Am I facing an apparently impossible challenge? Then I will bring my meager five loaves and two fishes and let the Savior do the rest.
 
 
THOUGHT: January 10, 2022
 
The most powerful demons in our lives are most often the concocted fears of our vivid imaginations.
 
 
THOUGHT: February 9, 2022
 
The path to a place you have never been before is seldom smooth.
 
 
THOUGHT: February 10, 2022
 
Wickedness is a constant. It continuously repeats itself in one form or another. It is adaptable to all social times and conditions. Every generation is called upon to face it. There is never a moment when there is not opposition in all things. Insulating yourself from evil is the first line of defense; yet there will still be plenty of evil surrounding you despite your best efforts at insulating yourself from it.
 
 
THOUGHT: March 13, 2022
 
When I find myself in a high level of stress, I cope with it by concentrating on doing two things: (1) trying to remember that the stress is temporary and that I could live with the outcome even in the worst-case scenario; and (2) forcing myself to go to work doing something positive, accomplishing good in the meantime while stress-causing events pass or resolve themselves. By the way, the worst-case scenario rarely occurs.
 
 
THOUGHT: March 14, 2022
 
Some of life’s greatest challenges come in the context of the need and requirement to forgive others.
 
 
THOUGHT: March 20, 2022
 
Personal growth is more important than comfort or relief.
 
 
THOUGHT: April 16, 2022
 
Failure is an integral part of success.
 
 
THOUGHT: May 30, 2022
 
My natural response is to throw a spiritual temper tantrum whenever God fails to follow my preferred timetable of expected blessings, or interrupts my daily bliss with some unforeseen adversity. I must train myself to reactively ask with sincerity: What does God want me to learn from this tumultuous episode of life?
 
 
THOUGHT: June 10, 2022
 
We wrongfully judge God when we complain of and blame God for our adversity and challenges.
 
 
THOUGHT: June 11, 2022
 
I have far too much personal improvement to accomplish for me to expect from God an easy life.
 
 
THOUGHT: June 13, 2022
 
I am so far from what I should be, I would not benefit from God’s granting me a life of ease.
 
 
THOUGHT: June 16, 2022
 
We misjudge God when we feel he is being unfair to us.
 
 
THOUGHT: August 7, 2022
 
Seeking after and embracing personal glory is a Satanic quest.
 
 
THOUGHT: August 13, 2022
 
We all like our comfort zones. We won’t choose to grow spiritually on our own. We require God to make things difficult for us.

Return to Top