Become As Little Children

I has  been quite some time, so I thought I would take a few minutes to unleash some thoughts on this fine Thursday evening. As it seems I always do, I have pondered for the last 10-20 minutes or so about this one topic, and I felt it was potentially something that could help not only me but perhaps you other random folk out there.

Jesus Christ has always taught the following principle:

"And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."-Matthew 18:3

Perhaps it is just me, but this is a verse of scripture that confused me again and again as I heard it growing up. Was Christ teaching us that we needed to act like children? Obviously not, and I eventually learned that Christ truly meant that He wanted us to develop traits such as being quick to forgive and full of love--both of which all innocent children possess.

Children truly are some of our greatest examples. The picture above is a picture of a brother and his little sister from the daycare that my step-mom owns. I immediately set it as one of my background pictures on my phone because it was what I thought was only a tender moment. But I am happy I was able to snap this picture because it truly was a learning moment for me now that I look back on it.

The little sister was screaming and crying for reasons that I did not quite understand. I tried to talk to her and comfort her, but I didn't have any luck. It went on for minutes, and everything I tried was a sudden failure. But I was surprised by what took place next. In between her cries, I heard her say her brother's name. "Oh, do you want your brother?" I  asked. "...Yeah..." she replied.

Her brother was running around with his friends and having the time of his life. I have been around these kids a lot, and I was almost positive that the big brother would be a little hesitant to spend time with his little sister. To my surprise, when the big brother realized that his little sister was sad, he put his scooter away, and he told the other kids, "Play without me. My sister needs me."

I sat there watching as the little sister sat on her big brother's lap, and he comforted her with ease. She almost immediately stopped crying, and they just sat there together for probably 5-10 minutes. (That is when I took this picture.) It was an extremely simple thing that took place in front of me, but I was so touched by the big brother's willingness to immediately stop what he was doing to comfort and spend time with  his little sister.

At the time, it was only a tender moment, and that is why I took the picture and set it as my phone background. But now I realize that this picture will forever symbolize much more to me--it will always symbolize the Christ-like attributes that children possess that we must all strive to develop in our lives. The picture will be a constant reminder that I am no exception to the rule, and I must work toward this goal daily.

That is all. :)

Utah Bound.

It's been a year since I arrived home from my mission. Wow. Time sure has flown quickly!! It's been a hard year, but I have grown and learned a lot. It's all been rewarding, of course! Like I said in a blog post a few months ago, my decision to ultimately stay in Vegas for a time was made with my brothers Timmy, Skyler, and Levi in mind. I felt like being here to support and help them with their mission preparation was the right thing to do. I will never regret that decision. It's been absolutely great.

However, Levi is the last of the bunch to leave, and he leaves very soon. And I am ready for my next journey. I am super confident about my chances of getting into BYU this time around. As I've said over and over again, it is my dream! And I will do everything I must to get there. And I am feeling good about my chances this time. :)

With that said, I have been praying these last three months about how to exactly go about this. And long story short: The course has been shown. I feel that it is greatly necessary for me to get out of Vegas ASAP so I can get out and be in the real world on my own for a while. And so I've decided to leave the comfort of my own home to head up to Provo in January. I fly to Indiana on January 10 to attend my nephew Landon's baptism, and then I will fly straight to Salt Lake from Indiana on January 16.

A new start! I am excited for it.