A Drop in the Ocean

Do you ever suddenly become very aware of how small you are?
How there is a great vast universe in which you are only a speck?
How the world is full of leaders and rulers and law-makers and revolutionists and then there's you, in your bedroom, doing homework for fifteen minutes before succumbing to a Netflix break?

Do you ever feel like you're not doing anything of significance?

Maybe you volunteer reading to kids once a week,
or include sick loved ones in your daily prayers,
 or write letters to friends and family overseas.
Do these small actions amount to anything?

Allow me to answer with a resounding "YES."

In Mark 14, a woman approaches Jesus and anoints him with precious oil. She is instantly chastised by the disciples, who argue that she could have spent that money on the poor.
But what does Jesus say?

"Let her alone...She hath wrought a good work...She hath done what she could."

And Jesus goes on to say that her work will be known wherever the gospel is preached.

Did she feed thousands of starving children?
Preach the gospel for fifteen years?

No. She did a simple act of service.

So do your small actions matter?
Aren't songs sung at a nursing home, smiles to a stranger,
or flowers given to your mom just drops in the ocean?

You have the power to do good.

You may not put a dent in the nation's debt or cure hundreds of a dangerous disease, but

You can change the lives of those around you for the better.

You can help influence others.

Your service can bring others happiness.

Your actions matter.

You are making a difference.

You are not a drop in the ocean.

You are a current of positive change,

with the power to make waves.

Be Still, or Be Engaged?

I don't know about you, but summertime has me constantly torn between using the new free time to relax and focus inward and find some peace and quiet, or using it to do all the things I've wanted to but haven't had time for, to go on hikes and find places to volunteer and take spontaneous road trips with friends.

How to best use one's time seems to be one of the
 biggest and most complicated and unanswerable of questions.

Time is precious.

So how should we spend it?

Turning to scriptures, I found two answers which seem at first to contradict each other.

Which is right?

First off, I want to explore what "be still" and "be engaged" mean. From what I've found:

"Be still" does NOT mean:

Be idle

Wait to be told what to do

Be lazy

Stay in bed all day

Do nothing

"Be still" DOES mean:

Give yourself quiet moments

Pray

Trust in God

Stop worrying so much

Ponder

"Be engaged" does NOT mean:

Be stretched beyond your limits

Stay busy all the time

Get no sleep

Be the best in all you do

Have no free time

"Be engaged" DOES mean:

Notice and serve others

Use your talents

Make people's days better

Educate yourself

Be present in your own life

So with this deeper understanding of "be still" and "be engaged," I return to the original question:

Which is right?

Is it better to meditate or serve?
Pray or preach?

Ponder or work?

I'd like to reach out to one more resource before we make a decision on how to use our time.

This video is one of my favorites, and always serves to adjust my perspective as needed.

So what's the answer?

Should we be still, or be engaged?

I would say that it is entirely possible,

 even necessary,

for us to be both.

Get out of your room and go play a game with your brother.

Put away your homework and just admire the sunset for a moment.

Sign up to volunteer at an animal shelter.

Take the time you're stuck in traffic to talk to your Father in Heaven.

Make dinner for your mom, or a friend in need.

Write down the most life-changing moments you've experienced.

Start a work out routine.

Put your phone away and just listen to the birds in the trees.

Get up a half hour earlier to read your scriptures in the peace and quiet.

Call your sister.

Close your eyes and breathe deeply.

The worth of time does not depend on how much is free or how much is filled.

The worth of time is the worth you see in it.

Find little ways, both quiet ones and active ones,

to make your life more meaningful.

And let me know if you found any changes that helped you make the most of your time!

I'd love to incorporate them in my life, too. :)

Hide the Scale

Who has ever tried to lose weight?

Isn't that the phrase we always use?

We rarely, if ever, state our goal of getting healthier or becoming stronger or finding a better way of living.

We say "I'm trying to lose weight."

Why do we have such a fixation with the scale? Why is our weight the one thing we squirm most at the thought of divulging? When did how many pounds we weigh become equivalent to how much we're worth?

One theory is that we as a culture have developed a very severe and irrational fear of fat.

"Fat" has become the second f-word.

Our culture has become so backwards that people would rather be unhealthy than fat.

Part of this awful relationship most of us have to our weight is that we fail to grasp that

there is no ideal weight.

Look at these women. They are all beautiful, and they display a wide variety of body types.

Every single one of these women weighs 154 pounds.

What does this tell us?

Weight is not the end-all measure.

One of the most beautiful things about the human race is how each of us is completely unique. No one body is the exact same as anyone else's, nor one spirit. Your body is something completely its own.

So why waste time comparing your unique body to any other equally unique body?

What is a healthy weight for your body is completely different from the healthy weight for someone else's body. Each skeleton, muscular structure, and body composition is unique, with its own features and its own ideal state of being.

Celebrate the uniqueness of your body.

Rock those long legs. Love the strength in your athletic build. Appreciate your delicate, dainty form. Cherish your curves. See the beauty in your thin frame.

No scale can show you the beauty that exists in your one-of-a-kind body. No number is anything more than that: a number. It is not your identity. It does not determine your destiny.

I have a challenge for you. For a while, I want you to hide the scale. Push it under your bed. Stick it in a closet. Step away from the scale and look up to see the amazing woman looking back at you in the mirror. Remind yourself that your beauty is not determined by a number.

Choose to see yourself, instead of your weight.

Choose to be healthier instead of lighter.

Choose to love who you are.

And remember that unless your scale looks like this:

It can't tell you anything except your relationship with gravity.

And I think your relationship with yourself 

matters a whole lot more.

This One's For the Guys

Typically, my posts focus more on the women of the world. Celebrating them, encouraging them, inspiring them.

But not this time.

This one's for the guys.

When it comes to boosting self-esteem and promoting a healthy body image, the male side of the population is generally overlooked. It is usually the women who are told that they are beautiful in all shapes in sizes, that they should celebrate their differences instead of resent them, that they are wonderful human beings who have a unique and irreplaceable value in this world.

These truths apply to men as well.

"Man up." "Grow a pair." "Be a man about it."

These phrases, so often thrown around, hold a truth that we rarely, if ever, acknowledge:

Men are held to unfair standards, just like women are.

Why must every male hero be tall, dark, and handsome? Why do TV shows constantly frame "the nice guy" as a friend-only role or a comedic relief? Why do we insist that guys "have to give up their man card" if they can't bench a certain weight or if they like a pedicure now and again?

Guys, listen up:

There is no ideal standard of physical appearance or set of activities that you must meet. You are incredible as you are.

I have met some incredible guys in my lifetime, and I wanted to share a bit about why they are amazing.

This is Chris. He loves Disney as much as I do, is super skilled at Ultimate Frisbee, and genuinely cares about other people, enough to go out of his way to help them be happy. He gives great compliments and seeing him light up when he's excited about something is the best thing ever.

These are my FHE brothers from last semester at BYU (some aren't pictured, unfortunately. Guys need to be more like girls and take squad pics...). These are some of the funniest, most welcoming, unapologetically themselves guys I've ever met. Some of them have been a shoulder to cry on, others a source for a good belly laugh, and yet others a steady presence of strength and comfort. These guys are the best.

This is Jon. He is an incredible dancer and has such a warm heart. He could give you stats on different Pokemon and sing along to musicals. He brings smiles wherever he goes, including China, where he is currently participating in a study abroad program. As I discovered in my ballet class last semester, he can turn your day around in no time at all.

This is my cousin McKay. He is so great with kids of all ages and has a firm and burning spiritual strength. He loves rock bands and has been to more concerts than I probably will ever go to in my life, including multiple where he's met band members. He cares deeply about family, is a wealth of Disney knowledge, and is pretty much guaranteed to make you smile.

This is my Daddy. He is the most benevolent man I've ever met, and one of the biggest goofballs in the history of the world. He's the kind of guy that will always stop on the side of the road to see if someone pulled over needs help. He loves my mom more than anything, and he is a man of God. He has taught me everything, from using a separate sheet of paper for math problems to learning to forgive others.

These, and so many more amazing men in my life, are proof that the world is full of kind, smart, funny, incredible guys of all different shapes, sizes, and walks of life.

So guys, thanks for being amazing.

Keep being you.

Strong

What makes someone strong?

As I've been putting together this video project for my post this week, I've come to realize more and more that there is no set answer. Someone can be strong because of kindness, durability, perseverance through difficulties, physical abilities, or countless other factors.

The lesson to be learned here?
Strength is found in all walks of life, all shapes and sizes.
What makes someone else strong isn't the only way to be strong.
You have a unique strength personal to YOU.

Find out what makes these women strong in this video:
Thanks to everyone who participated in this project either by being highlighted or by nominating a strong woman in their lives.

What makes YOU strong?