How we see ourselves

Their is a quote that I want to start out with. It is by M. Russell Ballard.

• Age 3: She looks at herself and sees a queen.
• Age 8: She looks at herself and sees Cinderella.
• Age 15: She looks at herself and sees a ugly duckling, (Mom, I can't go to school looking like this today!)
• Age 20: She looks at herself and see "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly" but she doesn't have time to fix  it so she's going out anyway.
• Age 40: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly" but says "At least I am clean," and goes out anyway.
• Age 50: She looks at herself and says, "I am what I am," and goes wherever she wants to go.
• Age 60: She looks at herself and reminds herself of all the people who can't even see themselves in the mirror anymore. Goes out and conquers the world. 
• Age 70: She looks at herself and sees wisdom, laughter, and ability and goes out and enjoys life.
• Age 80: Doesn't bother to look. Just put on a purple hat and goes out and have fun with the world.

The Moral is, maybe we should all grab that purple hat a little earlier."

                               -M. Russell Ballard

                                     (women of God, pg, 1,2)

 How true is this?  I have found myself following this very same pattern.  I am trying to skip the stages of 20 though 70 and mentally hit 80, but sometimes I am back at age 15.  I  want to "go out and have fun with the world," and not be worried what other's think about me.

The question is, how do we do this? How is this obtainable?  How is it possible to go "and have fun with the world?"  This my friends is not just something that comes with time or age.  I believe that it is possible to obtain that "purple hat" a little earlier.   

• Know our spiritual gifts 
  

The Lord in His wise and glorious porpoise have given us spiritual gifts.  These gifts are very unto all individuals, and they are many.  We have them to better ourselves and people around us. One gift that is very important, is the gift of the Holy Ghost. Both men and women alike can have this gift.  It is given to us after we are baptized in to the LDS church.  With the Holy Ghost at our side we are entitled to personal revelation, therefore help us to go back into the presents of our God.  But like all gifts that can be lost; we can loose the gift of the Holy Ghost.  That happens when we break commandments of God and our convent's we have made in the Temple.

• Partake of the sacrament

The sacrament is very symbolic.  The bread represents the body of Christ.  The water represents the blood of Christ.  John H. Groberg stated: brethren, as leaders we must do more to have more people to attend sacrament meeting and partake of the sacrament with more worthiness!"  The sacrament is for the renew of the convents we have made when we enter the waters of baptism.  

• Temple attendance

The temple is one most amazing place on earth.  The bible dictionary states: "the temple of God is literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinance of the gospel are performed by and for the living and also of the dad.  It is a place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth.  Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness."   How wonderful is that!!  We should compose and dress ourselves so that is acceptable for temple attendance.  

• Forgiveness 

I have found that if we forgive more, then the more we are happy.  We are less cynical and then we can "go out and have fun with the world."  Mosiah 26:29,31 ".....he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity if his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also.  And ye shall also forgive one another your trespasses: for verily I say unto you, he that forgiveith not his neighbor's trespasses when he says that he repents, the same that brought himself under condemnation." Holding grudges makes us tired.  No I am  not an expert on this yet, but I hope to be.  The same with seeking to be forgiven by the Lord.  I know that the Lord wants to forgive, He is ready and waiting.   Mosiah 26:30 "Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me."

• Love

Have a love for life.  Too many times I have heard people grumble about their trials. Yes I am guilty of that also.  But you know, we made the choice to came down hear to earth to experience mortality.  We made that choice.  We should be happy that we are learning to be like God.  That is what we wanted in the preexistence and now hear we are!  Have a love for God for letting us come hear, to provide for us, and to provide a way for us to return to Him. 

• Be grateful

We need to give thanks for the blessings that God has so freely gave us.  Nobody likes an ungrateful heart.  It can make us be discourage to serve someone who is ungrateful.  Express and show appreciation for the blessings that you have.  Remember count your many blessings and you will see what you have. Don't focus on what you don't have. Again that is an ungrateful heart.

I think that these are ways that we can grab that "purple hat" much earlier.   Life is meant to become more like God.  We can't do that if we don't understand our self worth, or understand how much God loves us and see us as individuals.  He knows who we are, we are not a nobody to Him.   We matter to God.  He knows us personally.  I promise you that.