Not Me, Satan. I AM AWESOME

Today was just one of those days... the kind that reminds me Satan's really good at his job. Why is he so good at discouraging people? But don't worry, I watched this video (one of my favorites) like 5 times in a row. That should probably be embarrassing...but oh well. Every woman in the world should watch it. I love this video.

Oh, and Christmas is exactly 3 months away. I'm okay with that! That puts happy in my happiness.

~Kristilyn

The Love of Our Mother.

One of my greatest joys in life was when I held my first child for the first time right after I gave birth 3 1/2 years ago. There is a love that no words can describe that fills you when you finally see those little feet that have been kicking you and that little nose that looks just like yours. She made me, a completely average person with few accomplishments, a mother. I can barely remember what life was like without her! She has filled my life with the purest joy, and a lot more responsibility.

When I held my second daughter for the first time, I experienced something completely different. I was filled with fear. There was no room for anything else. I looked at her and realized, I never felt her soft little kicks and I didn't see a single feature she got from me. I went to the hospital on May 3rd to watch this little baby, who we were planning to adopt, enter into the world. This little angel didn't make me a mother, but she did make me more like our Heavenly Mother.

Usually, it's the easiest thing in the world to love your own baby. But how easy is it to love someone else's baby as if they were your own? For me, it was not easy at all and I didn't expect that. I expected to cry with joy when I saw her the first time and to wrap her up in my arms and never want to let go. In reality, I barely wanted to hold her at all. I had no idea how in the world I was going to sacrifice my whole being for her like I could my oldest child. But our God is a God of love and blessings.

The situation surrounding the adoption I won't go into detail about, but I will say that we never planned on adopting a child, since I was fully capable of having my own children, and when we adopted this little girl it was quick and because we were commanded by our Heavenly Father to do so. "What?" You say. "How does that happen??" We were presented with a baby being given up for adoption and felt prompted to pray about us taking her in when she was born. That prayer was intense for all the right reasons. We were answered immediately upon asking if this was something we should do and the Spirit was strong. God intended this baby to be ours. So we started the adoption process a couple of months before the baby was born.

Our littlest girl has given me the gift of real, pure, and unselfish love. She taught me how to love in a way I thought I already knew. On a bigger scale, she taught me how to love people the way that our Heavenly Mother loves her children. I feel more compassion and charity. I feel a sadness and empathy when a perfect stranger tells a story of woe. My knowledge of what love is has exploded.

I don't want to come across as if I'm perfect and everything in my life is perfect. But God has given me my family in ways I never would have imagined or asked for in some instances. I know now that God wants to bless us with happiness. He wants to give us our righteous desires. What I have learned is that we have to always be listening and ready for the time He's ready to bless us. Ultimately, happiness is our choice. If we choose to follow Jesus Christ and seek further light and knowledge, we will be blessed beyond any imagination. That doesn't mean and can't mean that your life will be perfect, on the contrary, you will go through difficult things that later will allow the gifts of God to flow.

I absolutely love the little family with which I have been blessed. I can only hope that I can teach our girls the lessons I've learned by showing them what it means to love as our Heavenly Mother does.


~ Abby

God Blessed Me With Sickness

Usually when we think of the words "sickness" and "miracle" together, our minds automatically think of a miraculous healing, like Christ healing the blind man in the New Testament. The story I want to share is a bit different. Yes, it includes physical healing, which to me was no less than a miracle from God. But the additional miracle I want to focus on is the very root of what created the need for me to be healed in the first place.

My miracle was that I got sick.

No, I didn't pray to be sick. I didn't want to be sick. I didn't even know what kind of sickness I had. All I knew at the time was: 1) My body didn't function, 2) This sickness was ruining my plans and dreams, and 3) I didn't know how long it would continue to run its course, and how long it would continue to shake my world.

Just before Abby dropped me off at the MTC.
September 19, 2012

I entered the Provo, Utah Missionary Training Center (MTC) on September 19, 2012, as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, set apart to serve in the Korea Daejeon Mission. I was scheduled to be there learning Korean and studying how to preach the Gospel until the first part of December, when I would fly to Korea with other missionaries. While in the MTC, I was far from being the "best" missionary out there, but I loved my mission. I loved Koreans and I couldn't wait to help them feel Heavenly Father's love for them. I knew that many, if not most, of the people I would talk to in Korea would not want to hear much about my Church. I respected their agency and knew I had no control over that. My goal in going to Korea was not to convert the whole country. Yes, I did want to share my testimony about Jesus Christ and His restored Gospel. But ultimately, I wasn't going on a mission to "get the most baptisms". Before entering the MTC, I told God in prayer that I just wanted to help people feel loved. I prayed to be able to do that because no matter who you are or what you believe, Heavenly Father loves you. I wanted people to feel that love.

My companions...aren't they just gorgeous ANGELS?!

In mid-November, three weeks before I was scheduled to leave for Korea, I suddenly got really sick. The doctors weren’t sure what I had, but it was like my body just shut down. I had to sleep about 15 hours a day and my muscles constantly felt like I’d run 15 miles, and mentally I felt like it was 3 a.m. all the time. I was just so “out of it”. I took it easy the first couple of days, hoping to sleep it off so that I could get back to work as soon as I could. But those days started adding up without any change in my health, despite the many prayers and fasts offered by missionaries and leaders in the MTC and from family at home.

After two weeks I seemed to start getting better in answer to everyone’s prayers and fasts. But the Lord had a different plan for me. Three days before my scheduled flight to Korea, I found myself alone and as sick as ever on a plane headed to Iowa.

Coming home.
November 30, 2012

I spent most of  December, January, and February at home in bed or lying on the floor or a couch. My family and a few friends were so kind to spend time with me when they were able to. But, for the most part, I was by myself all day, every day. I cried myself to sleep multiple times a week for months.  Although I knew with all my heart that the Lord had a bigger plan for me, I felt like I’d been kicked off of His team like, “You are the weakest link.” Thoughts that in my head I knew were lies planted themselves deep within my heart. They came in all kinds of forms, including overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and worthlessness. I had not only come home early from my mission and felt like I was letting down my family, other missionaries, myself, and worst of all, God, but I also felt I had no contribution to make at home either. I had planned on and wanted so badly to be serving God as a full-time missionary during the very time I was now wasting. Instead of spending all my energy devoted to finding Heavenly Father’s beautiful Korean children to teach and inviting them to come unto Christ, I now spent what little energy I had in 5 minute scripture studies, mostly just staring at the page because I felt so dizzy. Rather than lifting others and helping them come to Church, I was only able to make it to about 20 minutes of Sacrament Meeting every other week myself. The value of my life felt like it plummeted and that I had fallen hard. I felt like a nothing.

I was mad at myself for taking this all so hard. After all, so many people in the world had it a lot worse than I did. What was my problem?? I got to sleep every day, hang out, watch movies, have no obligations. But that was the problem. Almost everything I loved about life felt like it had been sucked away from me. I had nothing to wake up to in the morning. I felt guilty for feeling as depressed as I was. I knew I "just needed more faith." My brain barely functioned at a coherent level on a good day as it was, and that was just the sickness taking its toll. Emotionally, I was beyond lonely. I wanted nothing more than to be in Korea with my companions and zone, the missionaries I'd been with in the MTC.

I had no idea how long my life would continue like this. Maybe it would have been less emotionally and spiritually draining if I had had a reason for what my body was doing, if I could have a label and a time frame. Even if it wasn't a good label. Because without a name to my sickness, some people thought I was just being lazy or that I was too scared to go to Korea to complete the next 15 months of my mission. In addition, I sometimes would assume the worst and would be terrified I had one of the more life-changing or even life-threatening illnesses the doctors mentioned as possibilities. Doctors in Utah and at the University of Iowa did test after test to try to figure out why my body's level of functioning had turned to molasses.  No clear results came back, so they finally just started eliminating the "big" diseases and illnesses to make sure I was going to be okay in the long run. I was lucky to have a very kind and understanding doctor, but ultimately, my treatment was to "wait it out" for however long it would take.

I knew everything was in Heavenly Father's hands and that ultimately everything would be fine, but at the same time all I felt was hurt. I was lonely, I was sick, and my dreams of my mission seemed shattered.

"So", you might say, "Where's the miracle in that? That's just a really unfortunate situation."

And it was unfortunate. I hated it. It was hard. It was heart-breaking. I never would have asked for it. And if you would have asked me at the time if I'd ever be grateful that happened, I don't think I would have said yes. After all, how could I be grateful that I didn't complete my mission, the Lord's errand? How could I be grateful that I missed meeting and teaching people in Korea? How could I ever be grateful to have missed out on all of that? It would be hypocritical. It would mean I didn't value my mission, that I gave up. Yes, I could come to terms with what happened, and feel at peace. I knew I'd feel gratitude for the memories I had at home and the comfort I felt while sick. But, how could I ever, in good conscience, tell Heavenly Father that I was grateful I came home early, that I was grateful I didn't serve my mission to the Lord in Korea?

Well, I'm here to tell you that I am. It's been a long time coming to get to the point where I can say this, and completely mean it. But, I'm grateful I got sick. I'm grateful I came home early. I'm grateful for my re-routed life's course.

Amid the often unseen hurt I experienced, the Lord poured down blessings and tender mercies. I felt that I could say with the prophet Ammon in the Book of Mormon, “Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things;” (Alma 26:12). Even though my strength literally was weak, I knew God had a plan for me and that He could see a bigger picture than I could. He was now calling me to a different mission in life. I was supposed to meet the amazing missionaries and leaders at the MTC who I served with, and I needed the training I received there. But, my “mission field” would be somewhere else. It would be different, but not less. Although the pain I felt in losing my mission to Korea was much deeper than I could have ever imagined, I knew that in God’s strength I could do all things. I knew that He would heal me eventually. I knew that He cared about me and heard my cries when the pain was more than I could take. I knew He would, in this life or the next, fulfill every promised blessing I’d received about serving my Korean people. And, I trusted that He was again leading me to new dreams.

And that's exactly what He has done.

Even though for months, I spent my days physically alone, He never left me alone. I felt the power of the Atonement strengthen my Spirit beyond my own capacity. Friends, family, along with elders and sisters from my mission became angels who lifted me in ways they don’t even know. Letters, phone calls, and visits came at inspired timing.

After spending 4 months almost entirely at home, my body started to slowly regain its strength. By the end of the spring I was able to start running again, and although I could still feel my sickness' effects through the end of the summer, I was almost entirely functional by the end of spring. Since then, I've never been more grateful for good health and for my body's ability to run.

So, let's talk miracles for a sec...

Like I said before, I would never have asked for that to happen. I didn't want to spend all that time alone. I didn't want to come home and complete an online service mission instead of being in Korea (even though it was a huuuuge blessing and a great experience). I didn't want to have to explain to people why I didn't go to Korea. I didn't want to have my heart broken. I didn't want to be sick.

But that's exactly where the miracle is.

Heavenly Father knew better than I did what I wanted long-term. The miracle was hidden in the sickness. He knew I needed the experiences in the MTC, and I have faith that at some time, in some way, I'll be able to again serve with my Korean people. He knew the great joy I'd receive in serving the mission I served, and He wanted me to have that. But He didn't stop there. He tailor-made a mission just for Kristilyn, where He led me to miracle after miracle and blessing after blessing. He answered my prayers to be able to help people feel loved by giving me an experience that would enlarge my compassion for others. I've had job experiences, church opportunities, testimony increase, memories with family and friends, and an outpouring of joy directly because I came home early. I've met some of my best friends through my mission and through coming home early. Heavenly Father knew I needed that! He knew what was best for me, but it wasn't just to hurt me and teach me lessons. Yes, it did hurt, and I did learn a ton through the experience, but He did it because He wants me to be happy!!

I love this song from Laura Story called "Blessings". It basically says it all.

Heavenly Father gives us opportunities and allows us to experience pain because He knows the path that will eventually lead us to be the happiest. That's all He wants! We are His children and He desires for us to have joy. When Christ says, "Come follow me", it's not just so we can be boring and take the harder way in life. It's because He wants to bless us. And I'm grateful He did so for me through the miracle of my sickness.

~Kristilyn

 

Seeing my companions spring 2014 after they came home :) Happiest thing of my life.

"Sometimes our plan B is God’s way of making His plan A a reality."

Lessons I Learned From Teenagers

So this summer I was ridiculously lucky to have a job working with some of the most incredible youth in the world. As a counselor for Especially For Youth (EFY), I spent the summer with 14-18 year olds. EFY is a summer program through Brigham Young University which holds week-long sessions across the nation, The purpose of Especially For Youth is to strengthen youth in their commitment to live the gospel of Jesus Christ by providing inspiring, edifying learning opportunities and wholesome social experiences. Basically, I was spoiled because that meant that I got to be around the coolest people on the planet, meet tons of new friends, be surrounded by the Spirit, eat lots of pizza (especially in Ohio...where I accidentally ordered pizzas the size of France), go to amazing classes, rock out at dances, and tell people that they can't have my sandwich :)

Each week, I was assigned to work with a group of 10-16 girls. Our "company" was made up of my girls and a similar-sized group of guys and their counselor. Session sizes I worked at ranged from about 270 youth-1000 total youth. So basically, yeah, I worked with rockstars all summer. Through devotionals, games, testimony meetings, chats, embarrassing moments, scripture studies, and dancing to Baha Men and Cascada, I gained a reservoir of cherished memories with the youth and other counselors. I learned countless lessons from them, but I have categorized them into 5 biggies (in no particular order).


1. I Am Enough

Stemming from the 2014 EFY song, this idea of being enough became a theme at most of my EFY sessions. The Savior values me. He values you. In His eyes, we are never too much and we are always enough. There is a reason we are in this world. We have a purpose. The Savior cares about us individually. The Savior went into the Garden of Eden for each of us. Even if it was just for me or just for you, He still would have done it. "The irony of the Atonement is that it is infinite and eternal, yet it is applied individually, one person at a time" (M. Russell Ballard). To any of my girls who may be reading this, please always, always, always remember that YOU are enough. You are beautiful. You are good. Every sacrifice to repent and be pure is worth it always. But you are never too far out of His reach. You are accepted and wrapped in His love. Sometimes it's hard to see that, but never forget it. You are enough.

2. We Were Made For Greatness

Holy cow. I cannot describe in words the example and hope these youth gave me. They were just so good. Seriously, as soon as they'd start talking about their testimonies and experiences, I'd just look at them, thinking, "Where the heck did you come from??" Like, really...their examples were inspiring to me. They reminded me through their words and actions that Heavenly Father has great plans for us--greater plans even than we have for ourselves. He has great plans for everyone. He wants us to follow His will and come unto Him because He knows how to make us great. 

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)

3. "Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only ten I see!"

One of my favorite things about EFY is that going to EFY is like walking into a land of cheese. From pick-up lines to jokes to dances, EFY redefines "cool" . Basically, the cheesier, the better. And the best thing about that? It's like the funnest week of your life while having the Spirit.  I loved EFY because not only did we strengthen our relationships with others and with the Savior, but we had a blast doing so. We laughed hard, danced hard, played hard, and partied hard. The young men and young women reminded me that Heavenly Father doesn't just want us to strengthen our testimonies by reading scriptures and praying (although He definitely does want us to make that a priority), but He wants us to have fun, too! He wants us to enjoy all of the good, clean, FUN things in life. We were made for greatness, but that includes the fact that we were made to laugh and make memories. He wants that to be part of our lives too. 

4. "All of us can be a strength to each other. We just need to try."

One of the youth in our company said this in a testimony meeting in Ohio. I love it. I saw this group, and every other, reach out to each other each day of the session. Teenagers that may not have normally been friends went out of their comfort zones to build each other up and include those who were less involved. Many have continued to strengthen each other in following weeks and months, even after returning to their distant homes. It was a powerful example to me. Talk about Zion. 

5. When We Let Him, God Will Take Care of Us

I  talked to so many teenagers from different backgrounds. One unifying factor among them all was their willingness to seek God's help. Not that they were perfect at it, and not that I know how to be perfect at that either, but they were trying. Hard. Every single day those youth fight against temptations, peer pressures, and choices that are hard. They really are fighting. The thing that makes them so amazing is that they want to do what is right. They were willing and wanting to know how to be better and how to do better. So many of them were and are willing to give up selfish desires and popular opinion to do what they believe is right.

What could be more inspiring??! Seriously! It is so heartening to see that 14-18 year olds are so dedicated to following the Savior, Jesus Christ. If that's not a happy thought, then I don't know what is. I hope I can be more like them. I hope to have as much faith as they do that when we follow the Savior, we receive help from Heaven. Always. It's not always in the way or time frame that we want, but it always comes. We really are never alone.

In a couple of sessions I worked, my girls and I focused on the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 84:88, which says:

"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

When we follow God, we are never alone. He sends His Spirit to comfort and guide us. The Savior strengthens us. We have angels surrounding us to bear us up. God takes care of His children. He loves us no matter what. We don't have to qualify for His love. He simply loves us. And because of that, we can remember that we are never alone.

* * * * *

...And finally, a few quotes from these awesome youth that I wrote down during testimony meetings:

"Our weakest weakness can become our strongest strength."
"Don't forget the power of fasting."
"Weak things can become strong through Christ."
"I am worth it."
"I need to let Christ help."
"Christ can help us through any trial we have."
"Am I ignoring promptings I should be following?"

I LOVE THESE YOUTH!!!

~Kristilyn

Speaking of Happiness...

Happy Sunday!! I love C.S. Lewis quotes, and I particularly love this one. How awesome is it that we are free to choose for ourselves how we act and what we do in this life? Our agency to choose is one of the greatest gifts offered to us by a loving Father in Heaven. We are His children, and He wants to be with us. Our gift to Him is choosing to follow Him--in our daily lives. Our actions to help those around us, to become closer to Him, and to fight temptation show our love to God. And the best part of it all? Heavenly Father just wants us to be happy! He knows the exact paths that bring us the most joy imaginable, and that is to love Him and to love others. We are so blessed to have that perspective. We were created to be HAPPY. 

"Our God Will Never Us Forsake"

One of the best days of my life was during my junior year of high school cross country. It was the final meet of the season. I'd struggled for a month to cut down my race time, and felt like I was getting nowhere. About two weeks before the last meet, I decided I would give everything I had in order to get my PR (personal record...aka the fastest time a runner has ever raced a certain distance). It became my goal not only physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. I knew that although Heavenly Father might not have cared too much about my time for the 2.5 mile race, He cared about me. I figured that if this goal--to run faster than my previous PR-- mattered to me, then the goal would matter to Him. I prayed for the mental and physical strength I would need to conquer the pain during upcoming daily practices and during the actual meet itself. After praying, I knew I had to follow through. If God was going to help me, I needed to do everything in my own power to meet that goal. 

I love running. Actually that's the understatement of the century. I LOOOOOOOOOOVE RUNNING. So much. One of the reasons I do is because it's such a mental sport. During a race or a difficult run, no one is there to make the decision for you to keep going. Everything inside you tells you to stop. Your body aches. You're sweaty. It hurts to breath. Your muscles are sore. So, what do you do? You have a choice. Right then and there, even and especially when conditions aren't ideal (and let's face it...98% of the time, they're not perfectly ideal). You can continue on through the pain and meet your goal. Or, you can stop. Not that stopping always means giving up. But I love that in that moment--in every moment running--it's your choice to meet your goal and be a little better or to slow down and give less than you're able to. I love that.  And plus, it's just fun. Besides all that, running is SO FUN. (Sorry, if there's anything I totally geek out over, it's running...)

Haruki Murakami said in What I Talk About When I Talk About Running,“For me, running is both exercise and a metaphor. Running day after day, piling up the races, bit by bit I raise the bar, and by clearing each level I elevate myself. At least that’s why I’ve put in the effort day after day: to raise my own level. I’m no great runner, by any means. I’m at an ordinary – or perhaps more like mediocre – level. But that’s not the point. The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.” That's really what it is. 

I'm not fast, but I am determined. 

So, during those practices leading up to my last meet, I gave even more than I otherwise would. During my runs, I prayed. I learned when I started cross country as a 12 year old, that running created optimum conditions for sorting my thoughts as well as thinking through them with Heavenly Father. The lyrics from one of my favorite hymns, "Come, Come, Ye Saints" became my mantra:

Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?

'Tis not so; all is right.

Why should we think to earn a great reward

If we now shun the fight?

Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.

Our God will never us forsake;

And soon we'll have this tale to tell--

All is well! All is well!

This probably all sounds cheesy. And it probably is. But, I love cheese. So, there you go. Long story short, Heavenly Father cares about us. He is aware of us. I don't comprehend how He can know every person so intimately, but He does. And this was my fight. I couldn't shun it. I took courage, remembering that my God would never forsake me--not even on my home cross country course.

During that final meet of the season, conditions weren't ideal. In fact, with the temperature in the low 30s, and snow flurries on and off during the meet, they were really not ideal. But I came prepared, and after huddling with teammates under our team tent prior to the race, I competed, finishing with a new PR time. I was elated! I was exhausted and freezing, but beyond happy. I had done it. With God's help, we had done it.

In every season of our lives, God is near. Sometimes our successes are tangible, like meeting our goals for a race. Other times, they're much less tangible or noticeable to those around us, and even ourselves. Sometimes prayers are answered quickly, and sometimes it takes months and years. But , no matter the condition, no matter the background, God is aware of each of us. Always. No matter what. No matter who we are, our God will never us forsake.

And sometimes we get a rockstar run out of the deal.

Right after my race, with one of my favorite running buddies. Obviously, I'm rocking the whole tank top/shorts/gloves look. 

After my race with one of my closest friends on the team. We both trained together during practice and got PRs during our races that day. 

~Kristilyn

"Your toughness is made up of equal parts: persistence and experience. You don’t so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." ~ Joe Henderson

Why Can't We All Just Give Away Surprise Corn Dogs?!

So last night, after getting ready for bed, I guess I needed a little pep talk or something because I ended up watching some Kid President videos. One line from 20 Things We Should Say More Often that I found particularly hilarious was:

You are absolutely right, Kid Pres! Why don't we give surprise corn dogs more often?! "Corn dog for you, corn dog for you..." Yeah, that would make the world a better place. Definitely. Not that I actually like corn dogs, but I do love nice people and doing nice things. Like, a lot.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." Talk about words to live by. Who doesn't benefit from a little extra kindness and love? And if we all were a little kinder to those around us, if we all thought just a little more about our family, friends, and acquaintances, then...well, then there would be way more surprise corn dogs floating around, wouldn't there?! And way more happy people. So, bottom line: let's just all be nice and find ways to help those around us have happier days, even and especially on days when we're struggling to have a happy day ourselves.

~Kristilyn

"If you can't think of something nice to say...You're not thinking hard enough!"

 -Kid President

Strong Enough

Yesterday as I was getting ready for church, I turned on one of my Sunday playlists, with a mix of more spiritual music. The song, "Beautiful to Him" by Rachel Thibodeau came on. I hadn't heard it in awhile, but immediately my mind was drawn back about 7 years to when I was a junior and senior in high school. This song was my theme song. I listened to it nearly every day before I went to school. I loved my high school. I loved my friends, my activities, and most of my classes. But no matter where you live or who you're surrounded by, the world always has its way of sending messages to you. I don't know how someone could completely escape that. Media and the world's influence bombard us constantly with messages that we aren't good enough, pretty enough, smart enough, sexy enough, ...the list goes on and on. It tells us we absolutely must buy this, do that, look at this, click on that. And when we choose not to, we are immediately categorized as "old fashioned", "immature", "ignorant", "unpopular", "intolerant". THOSE ARE LIES!!

I love this song because it talks about these pressures. Some of the lyrics within the song read:

The world's little lies

destruction in disguise

opportunities to compromise

to make me beautiful in their eyes

but I'm not going to buy

the world's little lies.

'Cause I define myself and find my beauty in the light He gives

I'm refined by His divine intentions every day I live

It doesn't matter what the world believes

Or what they say that beauty means

It comes from within

I want to be beautiful to Him

That's what I want. Not that I'm perfect, and not that I never buy into the world's beliefs or lies. But, ultimately, I really do just want to be good. I want to be beautiful to Him: to God. At the end of the day, will it really matter what people around me thought, if I did what I felt was right? No. When we follow God and act in good conscience of what we believe to be right and true, we can remember that we are good enough, We are beautiful. We are strong. We can be strong enough to take a stand for ourselves, those around us, our families, and our God. Let's just all be a little nicer to each other, and dare to do what's right. As we do so, we can become beautiful to Him.