Let go and let God. Don’t dwell on your past mistakes. When you do that, your past keeps you from moving forward. The wonder of the Atonement is that you don’t have to be the same person you were yesterday, last year or even a minute ago. Through Christ, and through the power of repentance, you are continually being reborn.
We are spiritual children of God the Father. We preach it. We sing it. But do we really understand it? Sometimes it’s easy to tell others they are loved, but not so easy to believe it of ourselves — not because we don’t think God loves His children, but because we may feel undeserving of His love. The adversary loves to remind us who we are not. Not pretty. Not smart. Not strong. But God would not have sacrificed His Son to save us if we aren’t worth saving.
Jesus took care of himself. He ate healthy food. He rested when he was weary. He sought time alone when he needed to recharge. He laughed with his friends. He wept when he was sad. He walked long distances and climbed hills and moved. From barren wilderness to unpredictable waters, he spent the majority of his time outside in nature. He loved wholeheartedly. He served others. He cooked. He studied and learned and grew in wisdom. Jesus cared for himself physically, mentally and spiritually. To be aligned with him, we must do no less.
It's not just the thought we think that matter; it's how we think them, how long we think them, and how often we think them. A thought has to be thought again and again in order for it to embed in our brains. So to fade a thought or get rid of it altogether, stop thinking it.
Once you learn how to straighten out your thinking, your life straightens out. Problems that were too complicated to deal with have solutions. There's peace where there was chaos because there's power where there was weakness. A strong life begins with a strong thought. A healthy life begins in a clean brain.
Do you realize that you have the power to design a life that’s meaningful and even remarkable? You and God are in a family partnership. He has not only blessed you with mortal breath, but with a purpose-filled life. He’s given you power and will to control that life. This is a gift that He will never take from you. But when you humble yourself and give your will back to him, your life will be nothing short of miraculous.
How your brain developed during your first five years has had an enormous impact on how well you learn and cope today. Again, the most important thing to keep in mind is that you are made of cells and cells change. So even if you didn’t get the best start, you can have a fantastic finish.
We are designed for harmony, an ebb and flow that’s almost inconceivable it’s so flawless. So when things go wrong and our cells can’t communicate with each other, or there is miscommunication, there is a direct biological link to why we don’t think clearly, we don’t feel right, and our lives get stalled. It happens when a child gets abused. It happens when a brain gets physically wounded. It happens when fear or pain is so great it overrides everything else. It happens during times of prolonged stress. It happens in the throes of depression. It happens when the brain gets pounded with negativity. And sometimes we just don’t know why the wires in our brains get crossed.
Your conscious thoughts are those that you are aware of. But there are deeply buried treasures to be discovered in the shadows of your subconscious brain. Your find them by closing your eyes and seeing what you can’t see with your eyes wide open. To open your mind you often have to close your eyes. Shut out the world to enter a different realm.
When we go through life believing that we need mercy, we’re more likely to extend it. As humans our tendency is to want justice for others, but mercy for ourselves. It doesn’t work that way. We reap what we sow. (Galatians 6:7) And the timing isn’t ours—it’s God’s. He often extends us mercy, not when we are well behaved, but when we are miserable, helpless, wicked, ungodly, and powerless. Even when we bring on our problems by our own choices, His mercy comes when we cry for it. To refuse to cry for it because we feel unworthy, is a win for Satan.