Finding joy in the Journey

Today I think back to months ago when I wrote this. Where is that woman? I want to do what she wanted to do then. To write more and think of my savior often. With that in mind here is something that has had me thinking lately:

  "It's easy to become a Christian. It's difficult to walk out this Christian life."

I can't actually remember where I heard this quotation above, but I heard it a while back, knew I loved it. I then copied and pasted into a post that I knew someday I would write. I think these words are so true. The moment I read them I knew I didn't want to forget them. For me it has been easy becoming a Christian. I don't ever remember it being a question of whether or not Jesus Christ lived. I knew he was a person who did an amazing thing. As I got older, in my teens years, my testimony grew and I began to understand just how amazing my Savior was and is. I learned that he didn't just love me unconditionally, but that because of that love he died for me. Jesus Christ knew I couldn't make it back to Heaven again without his help. What a blessing and comfort that was to know that someone in this world loved me more than anything. Now don't get me wrong I have amazing parents and have always felt loved and cherished by them. I have a husband who I know I mean the world to as he does to me, but the love of our Savior out weighs anything we will feel while on this earth. That simple fact there is just incrediable to me. So becoming a Christian has just been how it is.

Now I think the latter of the quote is the part where the work comes in. Saying you are a Christian is just giving yourself a title, but living like a Christian now that is where the true devotion and faith comes in. Believing in Christ will only take us so far. I think of it kind of like a bridge. Picture yourself at the top of a cliff overlooking a river below. Below is a huge drop with uncertainty enshrouding it all. We have to know that Christ will Catch us. That he won't let us fall into the rocks below. We have to have faith that he will build a bridge for us to get across, which in reality he did. By giving the ultimate sacrifice he built the bridge to allows us to return to our Heavenly Father. When we take that first step out into nothingness he holds our hands and then we are able to see the bridge that he has provided for us. By walking with faith we are living like a Christian. When we serve one another and love one another, we are becoming more like Crhist and becomig a better Christian. Isn't that what being a Christian means? Becoming more like Christ?

Now this is not always an easy task for me. I mean I know I am never going to drink alcohol, smoke, or curse, because I decided long ago that was not what I wanted for myself. I knew I was a daughter of a king and I deserved better. It is the little things that get me and knock me off the cliff a little. Daily Scripture reading, journal writing, and prayers. Sometimes I fill my day up so much that by the end I am spent. The quite moments of my day that should be dedicated to my Savior and my Father in Heaven sometimes go unspent because I am to "busy" or "tired". This is where I know I need to walk more by faith and allow Christ to guide me, instead of me planning my day and basically scheduling Christ out of it. I don't want to do this. I want to be better at my journal writing, so that each day I have that quite time to reflect and see God's hand throughout my day. So I am challenging myself this week to write in my journal each day... and I encourage you all to pick something also that you want to work on in your life, that will bring you closer to your savior and then  maybe we could share our experiences.
By doing this I know that we can find more Joy in the journey...because with Christ in our lives how could you feel anything less than pure joy

Finding Joy in the Journey by President Thomas S. Monson