Love Remains - An Original Poem

I stand apart. 

Pondering my soul, 

Considering the pieces, 

And examining them. 

I begin removing 

All the things 

Unlike my God, 

And I listen. 

A voice speaks 

In quiet opposition; 

At first subtle 

And then fierce. 

It tells me 

I am nothing, 

And the Devil 

Sits and laughs. 

Walking with God 

I am unafraid; 

And so I 

Look to Him. 

God smiles softly 

Unafraid of Lucifer. 

He guides me, 

Teaching of love. 

We prune me; 

It hurts deeply. 

I trust Him. 

Only love remains

Enjoying Where I'm At

The past week has been such an interesting week for me. So many awesome and incredible things have happened. :D I went on two dates, worked a full week at the feed store, got called to be a temple worker, had stake conference, read Donald Miller's book Scary Close twice because I liked it so well, finally got my Eagle paperwork wrapped up, began planning for a date, (A BIG date with lots of people) which I am quite happy about, and had stake conference. I could talk about all of these things and each one I would have something to say about, (I usually do have something to say. ;) ) and I don't think I'm going to talk about any of them specifically. Instead, I'm going to talk about what I've learned through these things because this is really important to me.

This week I learned that I would do well to stop and enjoy what I'm doing more. I've learned that so often I become so focused on where I'm going and how to get there that I forget to enjoy where I'm at right now. Especially in my relationships with my friends. Especially my relationships with my close friends. The people who I'm close to I generally have a purpose and vision for in my head, and I know where I want that relationship to go. Sometimes I feel really manipulative about that. I felt like that a lot this weekend. I began to doubt whether or not I could actually have real relationships with people, and I began to believe that all I did was manipulate people for a twisted sense of power. I began to feel really selfish, and even wondered if I was good for the world at all. I wondered if I could actually be real with people instead of just acting, and if I ever took off the mask and let people see me for who I am.
I definitely didn't think I was brave enough to let people see me.
Honestly, I got pretty far away from my post last week about obeying and not fearing. I was really deep into fear and shame. I allowed myself to believe that I wasn't even worthy of love.

I'm really fascinated with the way Christ felt sorrow. I think there is a lot more there than I understand yet. He felt such deep sorrow as the world has never felt before, and all of it He felt without doubt and without fear. I guess what this means is that his faith in His Father was unconditional. It had no conditions of being for Him to feel it. It was regardless of anything else. Unconditional faith. I want to be like that. What are my conditions for faith? Do I put conditions that I expect God to meet for me to believe in Him?

Okay. Back to where I was trying to go before I got distracted. Enjoying where I'm at.
I've noticed this particularly with one friendship of mine. Honestly, it may be the best friendship that I have. And yet I so often feel so displeased with myself and with this friendship, and I become so confused as to why this is. When I'm uncertain of something and I'm not dealing with it well, I generally have one of two reactions, neither of which have anything to do with reveling in the uncertainty. I either shut down firmly or I do something hasty to try and get a quick fix to the perceived problem. When I do deal with the uncertainty well, I find joy in it and look forward to finding creative solutions to difficult problems. The apostle James talks about this, and I think what he says is really wise. He says,

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into many afflictions; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

I think what he's trying to tell me really is this: it's okay to be where you are, even if where you are is not what you had in mind. Rejoice in the fact that you have the ability to overcome! In time and with patient effort, everything will work out. I promise.

I like the Bible. It says some really important things, and they help me a lot.

Today I am going to make an effort to slow down and rejoice in the things which have gone so beautifully in my life. Things like this flower. This comes from a beautiful day in my life. What a wonderful life it is. :)
Thank you, Father!

Pain, Patience, and Trust - A Guest Post By Savannah Lorcher

“Try to exclude the possibility of suffering...and you find that you have excluded life itself.”

-C.S. Lewis

You guys. Pain is admirable. Pain is strength. Please don’t hide from it. Here’s why.

Pain and joy are like a pendulum; always swinging back and forth. This is what I am calling the “pain” factor. The further you swing into pain, the further you’ll swing into joy. This is the “patience” factor. However, if you try to block the possibility of pain, you also block the possibility of joy. This is the “trust factor.” Each is essential to your eternal happiness, and I’ll explain why.


1). The Pain Factor
Think about it--one of the most important parts of the atonement is to take away our pains, and our sins, but also so we can find happiness. If we try to block our pain, we are wasting part of this incredible gift and blessing. Why would we do that? Christ gave his life for us. Let us vow to use his atonement to the fullest. Christ gave his life so we could be happy and clean, and eventually return to him one day. He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, sweating drops of blood out of the pain. He knew we were going to hurt. He knew we were going to suffer and cry, distraught with sorrow. He knew that we would be reduced to utter nothingness buy some of the trials that are in store for us. So he suffered for our sins, he knows our pain. If he suffered for the sins and afflictions of all the world, our personal sins and afflictions being just a fraction of the pain he felt, why are we putting this pain to waste? EMBRACE YOUR PAIN. REVEL IN IT. GROW IN IT. EXPAND IN IT. YOU GROW THROUGH PAIN. You become the person you were meant to be through coming unto Christ, and one of the ways he intended us to come unto him is through our afflictions.

The reason why pain is strength is because it takes courage to feel your pain. It takes courage and strength to leave our heart and soul vulnerable. It is admirable. A human who can grow, love, serve, cherish, and strengthen through their pain is strong. So strong. I look up to them. So please. Let the pain in. Because joy always comes next.


2). The Patience Factor
Sometimes, the process of “swinging back” takes a while. Pain can stretch on for a long time. But you have to be patient in your happiness. You have to have patience in goodness. Because God doesn’t hate us. He loves us. More than we can imagine. So he’s not going to just hand us a problem, then kick us out of his sight and let us deal with it on his own. No. Never. He’ll always be there. Guiding, comforting, supporting. Even when you are in pain and life seems bleak, there is always good. He wants to give us everything he has. He just has to make sure we’re worthy. So have patience in his goodness. Have patience that the joy will come. Have patience that the Lord has our backs. He won’t let us down. Not ever. We only let him down.

Can I tell you something? I often feel alone. I often feel abandoned. I am still working on a sense of fulfilment. It is a trial and heartache of mine. Yet I know it will change soon. I know that it’ll all work out. I know that Christ is there for me. I know he loves me. So if I can have faith, you can too :). I know it can be hard. Patience is not easy. But this isn’t a mortal ailment. This is an eternal blessing. Your faithfulness will either make or break your eternal happiness in these crucial moments. So stay strong. You got this.

I’ve been in many instances where the swinging, or patience, phase seems to stretch on forever. When the pain and heartache are unrelenting. But swing it did. Relent it did. Your patience will be under constant pressure. But bad things end. Pain goes away. When I say, “you got this”, I’m not just saying it. I know it. I believe in it. I believe in you.


3). The Trust Factor

Trust is, in my opinion, the most crucial factor of this entire equation. Here’s why.

When you block the pain, when you push it out, you’re also pushing out the joy. Because the pendulum can’t swing when you have it tied in place. So you have to trust that the pain you’re feeling is supposed to be there. You have to trust that it’s all part of something good. Something true. Something strong.

Each three of these factors are essential to your eternal happiness. I hope you know that. I hope you embrace it. I hope you love your pain. Your pain is beautiful. Your pain is stunning. Wear it with the dignity of someone strong.
Your joy is beautiful. Your joy is stunning. Wear it with the dignity of someone kind. 

This post was very painful for me to write. Why? Because it describes what’s going on inside me right now. I’m fighting a constant battle in my heart-to be choose happiness, goodness, and light or to choose misery, bleakness, emptiness. I don’t know why I’m having these struggles. I don’t know what they’re preparing me for. I don’t know why I choose to endure them. I don’t know how they are changing me. I DON’T KNOW.  I.  DON’T.  KNOW. I really don’t. It’s painful. It’s a struggle. A war even. I just have to trust. I have to have patience. I have to keep the Spirit of God with me whenever I can.

That’s how I know I’ll conquer.

Savannah



Savannah is a friend of mine. Her blog can be found here. :) http://thesavsadventures.blogspot.com/

Obey, and Do Not Fear

The Lord said, "It is better to obey than to sacrifice."
He also said, "Look unto Me in every thought, doubt not, fear not."
When the Lord said, "Doubt not, fear not." He wasn't joking. Neither was He joking when He proclaimed to Saul that obedience is much more important than sacrifice.
No matter how gloomy and difficult the situation seems to be, God's answer is "Doubt not, fear not" and His commandment is to obey.
Will you obey?

I wrote that paragraph yesterday in a burst of inspiration and brilliance from God. Now I feel terrified by what I have written. xD LOOK AT THIS. It is SUCH A CALL TO ACTION. It's incredible. This requires so much faith to follow.
Donald Miller wrote one of my favorite books in the world. It's called A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, and I recommend it highly. In it, he said,

“And once you live a good story, you get a taste for a kind of meaning in life, and you can't go back to being normal; you can't go back to meaningless scenes stitched together by the forgettable thread of wasted time.”

This is how I feel right now. I have a taste of it. A taste of what God is trying to give me. Absolute and complete faith in Him. Perfect love. Eternal happiness. It's there, waiting, and He is offering it to me freely. Do I have the courage to take it?

Honestly, I'm not sure if I have that kind of courage right now. I do have the courage to try, however. And to try again. And again.

Let's go back up to what God is saying up there. I'm not sure if the connection between the two verses is super solid to you yet. Here's where I'm going with this.
Once there was a boy named Dallin, and he had the bad habit of making excuses against listening to the Lord. Dallin believed in the Atonement of Jesus Christ, though he often told himself that he wasn't worthy to partake of it. Who was he to make Christ suffer for his sins? So he sacrificed his happiness for shame and told the Lord that he wasn't worthy of being healed. The Lord, meanwhile, looked down upon Dallin and hoped he would eventually obey the commandment to repent. He knew that Dallin was so close to something great, and that Dallin just needed to stop trying to sacrifice and start obeying His word, which was,
"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give thee rest."

Eventually, I got it. And I'm still learning to trust Him. There is rest in Him.

Rephrased, God is essentially telling us this:
"There is no place you can go, no thing you can do, and no misery you can feel that I cannot help you with, as long as you have even the desire to have faith in Me. Here's what you have to understand. I am God. There is nothing that can happen to you that I cannot make good out of. So rejoice! We can do this together."

I'm going to work on this. Today. Tonight. Right now. Never a doubt, never a fear. This shall be my goal.

Thank you, God!

Anyway: An Original Poem

What does it mean 

To hurt for a friend?

Can I actually...

Feel their pain?

And what of the..

moments.

Where I'm the one

Who hurts.

Is my pain felt?

Do others know what..

It's like?

Loneliness moves

Like a river.

Churning, gushing..

Pulling.

Blackness lies beneath.

And I'm told

That there is light.

Above me.

A hand reaching..

For mine.

Do I have the strength..

To..

Reach back?

I am so thankful

For the moments

Where I didn't..

Reach.

And my friends

Pulled me up

Anyway.

What Friendship Is

Friendship is such a wonderful concept. :D
It says, "Hey, you're a human! I'm a human too! Let's share some of our lives with each other!"
And then they do. :)
Lately, I've been learning a lot about friendship and relationships and love. I could speak for a long time about this, and tonight I'm not going to do that. This post will be short.
Tonight I was given what I now consider to be the best description of friendship I've ever heard before by a friend of mine. She said,

"I've seen many friendships go stagnant in my life. But I still trust them. I still believe in them. I am not ashamed of me in front of them."-Savannah Lorcher

"I am not ashamed of me in front of them."

Is this not what friendship is?




P.S. This is Savannah's blog. :)

I Don't Know What To Name This Post. 'Overcoming Emotional Garbage and Shame Gremlins', Maybe? xD

Sometimes I feel like such a poor friend.
I feel like I fail so often to show my friends how much I really care about them, and I'm not certain how often I succeed.
:-/
I just want to be a better man. I'm trying so hard.
I feel so tired.
Can I ever really know that they know I love them? I'm not sure. I want them to know.
A poem which I was given once came to my mind a lot today. It begins:

I am no proper friend, I feel
My heart gone numb, my colors steel.

This is how I feel today.
I want to reach out and give love to these people, and I feel this incredible amount of demotivation to do so. It's like there is this fear.  Deep fear. Blinding fear. Deafening fear. It fills my senses until there is little but blankness. Numbness.
I feel like I'm constantly turning people away. Honestly, sometimes I'm amazed that other people actually talk with me. Why would they talk with me? I constantly push them away from me. In my thoughts, in my deeds, in my tones of voice. Rarely do I push away with my words.
I feel so tired.
Pain pain pain pain.
I feel boggled. Distracted. Even alone.
Alone.
I don't feel like that an awful lot of the time. Sometimes I do. I am not alone, however.
See, the reality of the situation is that I am one of a race of several billion living people. From the perspective of all humanity who ever lived, my situation is not unique.
I am not alone.
There are those who have felt this before. They made it. So can I. They will help me and cheer me on because those who really experienced what I experience in the way which I experience believe the same things which I believe. They believe that these things can be overcome. And then they do it.
I do not belong with the pessimists nor those who never overcame. That is not who I am determined to be. I strive for something greater. I strive to be a better man and I BELIEVE that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I will overcome all things.
I was not created to end.
Let's say that again.
I was not created to end.
There will be endings and there will be things which come to a close. I am not one of those. My name is Dallin Ward and I was CREATED ON PURPOSE BY A GOD WHO LOVES ME.
And I love Him too.

*Breathes*
Okay. I can do this. This is manageable.
Today I am not a perfect man. I may put off and ignore my friends and myself. I may speak things which people find hurt in. I may make great mistakes and lose friends who I really loved. In the end, I may lose all my friends. And I may not. I just don't know. Here's what I do know:
I am loved.
I am worthy of love.
I am capable of sharing love with other people.
Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer, and I love Him.

Let's go from there. :)
Thank you, Father!

Love,
Dallin

You Are Alone: A Comprehensive List of Why God Hates You

Today I Did Something Difficult

Last night I had a conversation with my Aunt Lucy that went along these lines:

L: You want to do Malad's Got Talent. I know you want to perform.
D: Not really.
L: Yeah you do.
D: Ahhh. Ehh.. No. Not really.
L: It's your last year at home, come on, Dal!
D: I don't want to.
L: You're going to.
D: .... I don't even know what I'd do.

Well shucks.

This sparked a 3 hour discussion on what would take place the next day involving handstands, flips, humor, and what ended up being an incredible amount of vulnerability for me.

Oh, and jedi wrestling.

Ever since I was little I've been performing. I first got on stage at the tender age of 7 with my brothers by my side and my Grandma at the piano. Singing and performing hasn't been a problem for me. It comes naturally. This, however, this was something different. I was CREATING this act, and it wasn't a song. It wasn't a poem. It wasn't set in stone, and there was no memorized script. More than that, it was comedy.
COMEDY.
I don't know how well you are acquainted with me, and you should know this if you're not. Comedy is not my jam. I feel so inadequate about my comedic skills. Give me a poem or a song or tell me to do a handstand on top of that thing, and I'm in my comfort zone. Tell me to run 53 minutes of stairs or do a thousand pushups or go talk to a stranger or ask a girl on a date or do a handstand on that other thing, and I'm still in my comfort zone. Tell me that I'm leaving tomorrow to spend the next two months in Europe, and that's definitely in my comfort zone. I can do that. No worries there.
But comedy?
Yeah, not my cup of tea. By nature, I tend to like to control situations. Comedy is one I'm not confident that I can control. Especially when working with another person. Alone, I could probably put together a fairly decent comedy show and perform it myself and feel pretty good about it. This time I wasn't alone. My brother Spencer was involved, and we were getting input from Lucy. Spencer's humor I get along with really well. Lucy's I don't always. I think that yo mamma jokes are dumb. Regardless, I was thankful for her input, and could see how valuable it was, so I tried to stop talking and start listening more. Still my ego was getting in the way and I felt like I had to interject myself into every single thing that was happening. Going to bed last night I felt so raw and vulnerable and terrified about what was going to happen today that I hoped a little bit that it wouldn't happen.
This ended up being a great exercise in trust for me.
The fact was that I couldn't control this whole performance. It was put together too quickly, was too disorganized, had too much unscripted material, and had too much humor for me to control. It also had Spencer in it, and as I was calming myself and trying to prepare to go on stage, I found myself trying to control his emotions too - trying to make him have the stage presence which I thought he should have. The one I was afraid he wasn't going to have. The one I was afraid *I* wasn't going to have.
My shame gremlins were having a field day.
"He's going to ruin it for you!" They told me very distinctly. "He's too nervous and not engaged! He's not going to smile! You knew this was a bad idea, and you did it anyway! We told you! You can't do this!"
As I prepared, I prayed, and put effort into clearing my head and focusing on what was going to happen and what I could do about it. I came to realize that there was absolutely nothing I could do about how Spencer felt or acted, and that it really was possible that he could ruin the show. I realized that *I* was preemptively ruining the show by trying to control the end result. So I decided to let it go, open my heart, and just give what I had.
It was terrifying.
I allowed the feelings of nervousness and vulnerability to come, welcomed them into my heart, and HAD A BEAUTIFUL SHOW. :D
We didn't advance to the next round, even though I thought we were going to make it. My ego was displeased by the judge's decision. My joy, however, was greater than my ego in that moment, and I felt happy.
I felt so accepted and loved by so many people, and by myself. I showed up and was present, and it made all the difference. I gave my heart to the moment and just felt joy. I felt connected to Spencer. We had a great time.
And, in the midst of it all, I got this wonderful accidental mantra inscribed on my wrist which defined my intentions going into it, and described my feelings coming out. That was cool. Flippin cool. ;)

What a wonderful day. Vulnerability is awesome. Showing up and being present is awesome. Love is awesome. Life is awesome. ^_^
Thanks, Lucy and Spencer. You guys rocked it. I'm so glad that I did this with you. This was good for me.
Dear reader, I hope you find something to open your heart to and be present in soon. It's amazing. :)
Thank you, God! :D

Oh Love

Wow. Today wonderful things have happened. This week and this month and this year wonderful things have happened. I have been tossed upon the sea of uncertainty, thrilled by the view of new heights, calmed by the stillness of Christ. I have fallen in love, felt rejected in love, felt accepted in love, and come to understand more about what love really is and the role it plays in living life as Christ did. I've danced and sang and shouted and cried and flipped and smiled and frowned.

I've lived. 

Guys, I'm going on a mission. I'M GOING ON A MISSION TO CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO. :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
I know that is old news, and that is okay with me. For really the first time, I feel genuinely excited to go. I've felt numb for the past while, and now I feel awesome. I feel like a superhero! THIS IS AWESOME. :D What a wonderful thing this is. For everyone I've told before today that I was excited about going, I apologize. I kind of lied to you. I had no clue what to feel. Sorry about that. xD
Oh joy! I feel so happy tonight. Scary happy. The kind of happiness which fear tells me to be afraid of because it could go away and that could hurt. Fear is correct. :) It could, and probably will go away. That's okay. Right now I feel it, and I want to enjoy it while it's here. I don't need you, fear.

AHH MEXICO. AWWWWYEAH. MEXICO HERE I COME. IMMA BE A SUPERHERO. :D

And the Lord is providing ways for me to make the money to go, and my family has a BEAUTIFUL new home, and my Grandparents are some of the most marvelous people I've ever met, and I have a body and hands and eyes and ears, and the internet is amazing, and I got to help lay 15000 sq feet of sod today so now I'll be buff, and the sky and the stars and the Earth and HAPPINESS. UNBRIDLED, UNASHAMED, UNMISTAKEN JOY. :D

Okay. Fewer caps now. Joy is so wonderful. :)

Do you want to know about something that I love? I love people. I love my friends and my family. I really, really would have a hard time expressing this to you in words. I just love them. I see them and I want to dance and sing and laugh and smile. I feel like such a child tonight. Look at these people! I love them! :D
How blessed I am to be alive.

Oh love. You're so much more than I ever had thought before. You are simple, and yet you cover the whole depth and breadth of human experience. Love, you're awesome. :D
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for showing me more about love. I love you, and I bear witness of Your name and Your gospel. Thank you for placing it in my life. :)

Rejoice!

Lean In

Pain is such a funny thing. It is so easy to become wrapped up in it and even to lose focus on a greater goal because of pain.
Even Christ, the greatest of all, when given His greatest challenge requested a respite from the pain. The thing that Christ did right is that He didn't lose track of where He was going - He still had a why. His fundamental why. It was deep, abiding, and solid. Even when He was suffering for the sins, pains, and afflictions of all mankind there was a stillness inside of Him.
Recently I've read a lot of books on leadership, especially leadership within my own being. Here's a few things I've learned:

1) You have to have a firm foundation if you want to be a happy person.

The writers I read from didn't have the same foundations on the outside, but at the core they were very similar. They were steady, immovable, and unalterable. Not even the authors could change the foundations - their only choice was to stand on them or not. It was basically a belief and recognition that there is something greater than them in the universe, and the faith to move forward into extreme uncertainty as a result. They still may have worried, but their foundations were greater than anything they could come across, even the loss of their own lives and they understood this.

2) You have to bring other people with you if you want to be a happy person.

A firm foundation is great, and in situations where there truly is nobody else on the entire planet who you could possibly bring with you, it will sustain you all on your own. However, such situations hardly ever exist, and humans are social creatures. Not only are we social, we are imperfect. We NEED each other to overcome challenges. You know the twelve step program, yeah? It is said that if you make it through all of the first eleven steps, but fail to make it through the twelfth, you will go back to drinking every time. Why? I can't say for certain, but here's what it seems to me.

It's great to be addiction-free, and it's super freeing, but if you don't have a purpose and someone to share your experience with, your achievement will crumble and fall. Humans have a fundamental need to share with and lift and build other people. "I lift thee and thee lift me, and we will rise together." <-- that kind of a deal. In some ways, that's what writing here is for me. Writing is something I can do to share my experience in a way that can help other people. And I notice that when I'm struggling and I feel the urge to write, but don't, it slows my progress. I have a need to give something to the people around me. I have a need to use my pain and my joy to help other people understand theirs. It's freeing to be a human, and binding to be anything else. Allow yourself to be human, and bring other people with you along the way.

3) You have to learn to lean in to pain, discomfort, sorrow, and even joy.

Emotion is uncomfortable, and there are very few people in the world who just are naturally wholehearted in the sense that they are just plain unafraid to be who they are - messy emotions and all. This is where it gets rough. This is where one of my favorite quotes on my tack-board comes into play. "If your life is not hard, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG." If you're not stretching your boundaries and seeing what you can actually achieve, you're not living as wholehearted of a life as you could be. Because doing hard things is a necessity to wholeheartedness, pain, discomfort, sorrow, and joy will all be results. And you will makes mistakes, I promise. Shift back to the firm foundation for a moment here, let's talk about that. No matter what you do, where you go, or how you've lived, you are enough. You are worthy, you are important, you are loved. Never let that move from your mind. This is a critical part of your firm foundation. Your actions are your actions, and you are you. They are separate and distinct, and Brene Brown talks about them beautifully in Daring Greatly. Go get the book, it's worth a read. It is important when doing hard things to remember to center yourself. Ask yourself,
"Why am I here?" "What is my purpose?" "How can I work right now toward the best outcome?" 

then take time and actually answer the questions. Center the questions around your foundation. Bring yourself to center, then move forward. There is clarity and peace in remembering your foundation. Make this a habit.

This week I'm going into a situation that I see as being very uncomfortable for me in a couple of ways. Those are ways I am not going to discuss here for now, or maybe ever, but it has potential to be something that I feel pain, discomfort, sorrow, and joy all in different ways. That's the thing about it, I just don't know. It's incredibly uncertain, and my natural reaction is to shut down hard core. I don't want to do that this time. I want this to be one of the moments that I look back on and see as a turning point in my life. I want to lean in to pain. I want to experience sorrow. I want to smile at discomfort and I want to embrace joy. After all, I'm a human, and this is part of who I am. 

Christ is the foundation, the rock that I stand on. He is immovable, he is steady, he is kind. I can rely on Him. 1 Corinthians 13 talks about charity, and Christ is the epitome of charity, so let's sub his name into this chapter:

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not Christ, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not Christ, I am nothing.

 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not Christ, it profiteth me nothing.

 4 Christ suffereth long, and is kind; Christ envieth not; Christ vaunteth not himself, is not puffed up,

 5 Doth not behave himself unseemly, seeketh not his own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

 8 Christ never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

 13 And now abideth faith, hope, Christ, these three; but the greatest of these is Christ.

^^This is my rock. This is my foundation, and though all other things pass away, He will still be there. He cannot be moved, He will not be moved, and I can trust utterly and completely in His steadiness.
Because of Him, I can be unafraid to do hard things.
Because of Him, I can experience all emotion fully and without hesitation.
Because of Him, I can love completely, wholy, and unashamedly, and I can be free.

I can be free!

Praise be to Him forever.