have courage

** as I started this post, I thought it was going to be mild, but as I began to write it, things got heavy. I realized that I have strong feelings about what is happening in our country right now. I can't stop thinking about the things in this post. As I would work on it, things in the media would pop up and they would just solidify my thoughts and feelings. And as today is 9/11, I felt this post was even more needed. **

When Rooney was just about a month old, I took her to see Cinderella with my mom and grandma. Just like everyone else who saw it, I left with "Have courage and be kind" repeating in my head over and over again.

The other morning, Roo and I were out on a walk. I decided to listen to a conference talk, one that I have thought about since I heard it. Which Way Do You Face? by Elder Robbins.

When we think of courage, at least when I think of courage, I automatically think of someone who is brave and strong. This talk added so much to my definition of courage.

Elder Robbins talks of how we try to please others before we please God because of our fear of men.

"This peer pressure tries to change a person's attitude, if not behavior, by making one feel guilty for giving offense ... The snare may be cleverly baited to appeal to our compassionate side to tolerate or even approve of something that has been condemned by God."

I see this everyday. I cannot turn on the news or open social media without being bombarded by those who are fighting/pushing their views and then destroying anyone with opposing views. If you don't agree, you are wrong. And there are so many issues where this is happening - I am not referring to any one thing.

My father-in-law was in New York on September 11, 2001. He has written his story and I read it often. As I read it today, this line stood out to me:

"We found a safe haven behind the old Battery Fort, which ironically offered an excellent view of the Statue of Liberty.  We were all well aware that it was the very freedom that SHE represents that was under attack and taking lives."

The irony to me now, as I read those two sentences, is that while we are no longer under terrorist attack, the freedoms that the Statue of Liberty represents are being skewed, distorted, and attacked by our fellow man. If we don't agree, we are wrong

I was watching a tv show a few years ago and one character "Why do you get to be you, but I don't get to be me?" One of the reasons we love the United States of America is our freedom - freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to peacefully assemble. We also are ruled by a democracy which means the majority rules, but things seems to be more about the one these days.

"While it certainly takes courage to face perils, the true badge of courage is overcoming the fear of men ... Courage is not just one of the cardinal virtues, but as C.S. Lewis observed: ' Courage is ... the form of every virtue at the testing point ... '

I LOVE that. "Courage is the form of every virtue at the testing point." Courage is crucial. It is everything.

"The scornful often accuse prophets of not living in the 21st century or of being bigoted. They attempt to persuade or even pressure the Church into lowering God's standards to the level of their own inappropriate behavior...Lowering the Lord's standards to the level of their own inappropriate behavior."

I think that quote is pretty self-explanatory. It is powerful and strong. It is humbling and reminds us of the power of the Lord.

After the attacks of 9/11, I remember everyone coming together. God was there. Faith was there. Everyone came to pray. Our country was unified. We were "one nation under God". Today, as I was watching a talk show, they showed this picture:



They talked of how beautiful it was and said something along the lines of mother nature knows what she is doing. I was blown away. When I saw that, the first thing I though was that God is aware of us. We have quickly forgotten Him. We no longer feel united - in fact, we are the exact opposite. We are fighting with each other - pushing others down so that we can rise up. It's hard to watch.

This video and this post by Glenn Beck both popped up on my facebook over the week or so that I was working on this post and they apply perfectly.

"I do not recognize my country anymore."

As I end this post, I have to tell you that I made Ashton read through it. 1. because it feels like a big deal to me - I feel vulnerable. 2. I told him that I didn't want to offend anyone. Think I need to read through my own post again. So here I am, taking courage and taking a stand.

More than anything, I love my country! I am so grateful for the people who fight for us. I will never forget September 11, 2001 - where I was, what I was doing, and the actions of that day by both me and our nation, and not only the actions of that day, but for weeks and months following.