Let's Stop Counting

The more time we spend counting things, the more we will start to feel like we just don't measure up.

Let's be honest. We spend so much of our time worrying about numbers:

How many followers we have on Instagram
The number of people who have read our blog posts
How much we weigh
The amount of money in our wallets
How many likes we get on a post
The sizes written on the tags of our clothes.....

The list just goes on and on.

Sure it's helpful sometimes, and yes we need to be aware of many of these things, but my goodness. It's like our society is obsessed with numbers!

The truth of the matter is that counting leads us to comparison, and comparison steals away our joy.

It's alright to know how many people like our pictures, but somehow that turns into knowing how many people liked our best friend's pictures. When our number is smaller, it's hard not to feel a little bit discouraged.

Likewise, it's totally fine to watch your weight, but the second you start to feel down because the number you see on the scale is higher than that of someone else you know, suddenly counting isn't so healthy anymore.

Your worth has never been nor ever will be defined by a number. Ever.

So what if we just stopped counting?

I know that sounds crazy, but hear me out. Yes, we should still manage our money and stay healthy and (try to) be on time and do all of those great things, but let's restrict the counting to things that matter most.

Let's stop counting followers, and start following.
Let's stop counting friends, and just be friends.
Let's stop counting others' blessings, and really be grateful for our own.

Instead of counting things, maybe we should just make things count.

When it gets down to it, we only have so many days on this earth. We can spend them comparing and complaining, or we can spend them celebrating this beautiful world and the beautiful people that share it with us.

Let's make memories and be happy. Let's enjoy and be friendly.

But let's not count so much. Fair enough? I promise we will all smile a little bit more and worry a little bit less :)

xoxo
Natalie

His Ways Are Higher

I  have this idea in my head of how my life should be going at any given moment. Often, my life feels way out of alignment with that idea, but other times, it feels absolutely perfect.

Things are going great. Everything is the way I feel it should be. Life is rainbows and butterflies...

And then out of thin air, some darn trial will fall out of the sky and hit me smack in the face.

Now, I know that trials are good and help us to grow. I always come to terms with them, and I am eventually so so grateful. In the moment? Well, I hardly ever immediately feel that way.

It is SO easy to question why a loving God would "ruin" a perfect fairy tale with a vicious dragon. Why would he send a storm on our happy, sunny little picnic? Why would he allow heartbreak and confusion and fear to set in when he could have left us feeling so content???

To be honest, I don't always know.

But I know that God knows. 

I don't always know the details of His plan.

But I have to trust in His plan.

If I lived my idea of a perfect life, I would probably have many happy moments, but as I live His idea of a perfect life, I know that I am so much more incredibly joyful!

In this sense, His concept of perfect is much difference than ours, but of course it is! Heavenly Father is the only one who is all-knowing. If anyone knew the perfect way to string together a series of happy and sad moments to create a life perfect for each of us, it would be Him.

His ways are higher.

Even though my way seems like it would save a few thousand tears now, I know His way will eventually save us millions of tears.

Things will not always go your way. Hate to break it to you, but that's life.

We must remember, however, that things will always go His way.

It takes a ton of faith to follow a path that is not always immediately clear, but I know that as we do, we will be led to the most glorious future. It will not be the way our mortal minds imagined it, but it will be prepared for us by a heavenly being who only creates perfect endings to our fairy tales.

In the words of Gordon B. Hinckley, "It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It all works out in the end. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence."

xoxo
Natalie