From This Very Moment
From This Very Moment
Laurie Smith
It's that time again! Resolutions. We celebrate Christmas, ring in the New Year and then make our lists. If anyone is like me, I have a love/hate relationship with goals. I'm totally up for making them and want so much to be better than I was last year. Yet, in the back of my mind is that little voice telling me I typically fail at those goals. I have great intentions and tons of ambition...for awhile. But then I have a weak moment or a hard situation and my momentum comes to a halt. Well, I guess that's that. Fail. Now I sit and wait for the next new year to begin again and do better. Or maybe not the New Year, but after summer when the kids go back. Or later, when vacations are over or when life settles down a bit.
What if I told you that it doesn't matter how many times you fail, you can start again? Right now. There's this beautiful thing called the Sacrament. Every week we are given the opportunity to begin again, start over. Renew not only our covenants, but our commitments to ourselves to be a little better and do a little more. As we partake of the sacred emblems of the sacrament with humility and a willingness to be taught, we can find strength to go forward with renewed energy and faith. The Lord wants us to succeed and yet knows we are weak. He sees the intents of our hearts and wants to give us those things we seek. He cares about our desires to become better in all aspects of our lives. He willingly forgives when we are truly repentant and He does not hold our failures over our heads. We do that. We hold on to those things and let them put fear and doubt into our hearts. But it doesn't have to be that way! One of the most memorable and inspiring things I've ever heard was from a former Stake President speaking to the youth. He said this, "It doesn't matter who you were or what you have done, from this very moment you can choose to be different. To do better."
It's so true! Maybe yesterday I was an impatient Mom, but right this very moment I can choose to be softer, kinder. And maybe this morning I was a gossiper, but from this very moment I can choose to love and keep my words and conversations clean and appropriate. We have the power to start over EVERY SINGLE MOMENT. So make your resolutions with confidence and go at them with excitement and commitment! But just remember that if it doesn't go as well as we planned, it's not too late to be the person we want to become. The Lord forgives and strengthens and lifts. Choose this very moment to come closer to Him and to be more like Him. Right this very moment.
