Modesty

There has been a lot of discussion on modesty lately. So I'm going to chip in my thoughts.
Let's start with a bold statement. That's a good way to start an article.
There is nothing inherently wrong with complete nakedness. Hence there is nothing inherently wrong with walking down the street completely naked even when everyone else is fully clothed.
^^^Those statements will be explained throughout the article.
Modesty is a word that, in terms of clothing length, wasn't even a real thing until recently. The way modesty has been defined for most of the history of the world is a word that is very similar to the words humble and meek. It was more about why you were wearing what you were wearing than what exactly you were wearing. I can't imagine that when the the men of old dressed in sackcloth, shaved their heads, and sprinkled ashes on their heads they were modest by whatever clothing modesty standards we have today. It was probably something like this, which if you are going by knee length apparel with sleeves on the top is not modest. Also, he was probably not wearing underwear under that. Just to point that out.

Also, if it is a sin to have clothing that doesn't go to your knees and cover your top, how could Adam and Eve do so in the Garden of Eden when they were there and not be thrown out?
Because of what I said before. It is not inherently wrong to be completely naked, or dress however you will. You should not feel ashamed of your body. Ever.
So if this is true, why do we even wear clothing at all?
God told us that our body is like a temple. We clothe our bodies not so much to cover our nakedness, but to show respect for the gift that God gave us. Our bodies really are a gift. Your body is a gift directly from God to you. Remember that. Take care of it.
So why the big fuss about modesty?
There are two extremes on this issue. Both deal mostly with women, so that's what we'll argue, though keep in mind that all the same principles apply to men as well. One extreme that says that women can wear whatever they want and that they should be sexy and hot. The other says that the first is sinful and that women are responsible for the thoughts of men, so they must always dress very modestly so as to keep the men thinking cleanly.
What terrible ideas. Both of them.
Let's address the first one.
The first one objectifies women. It makes them sound like sexual objects. It makes them feel like sexual objects. Some of them find pleasure in that. None of them find happiness. If a young man hears that women should be sexy his entire growing up, it's no wonder that he will see them as objects used only for his own sexual gratification.
Let's now address the second one.
The second one objectifies women.
Yup. Pretty much. Young women, if anyone ever tells you that you are the reason the young men are having dirty thoughts, they are hypocrites and are objectifying you as sexual objects just as much as any person of the first opinion. Ignore those people's words. Treat them with love, but ignore their opinion on modesty. Why does this opinion make women sexual objects? Think about it. I think you'll find the answer all on your own. If not, ask me in the comments. I'll help you figure it out.

To summarize this article:
My friend, treat yourself with respect, okay? Okay.
Have a marvelous day. :)

Courage

I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. -Atticus Finch. To Kill a Mockingbird

Courage is everything. Maya Angelou said:

Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.

I do not agree with Ms. Angelou completely. I would change the wording. But no matter how I would change it, the underlying principle is true. Courage determines virtue. Are you being as virtuous as you ought to be? Yes? Good. I admire you. I really do. You are a strong person. Thank you for being who you are.
It is a common misconception that the presence of fear indicates the absence of courage. Such is not the case. The people with the greatest courage do not live without fear. In fact, courage requires fear to exist. Without fear there is no courage. And everybody has fear. Fear gives man the choice to be courageous.
 The strongest and the best men ever to live dealt with fear. Even the best man dealt with fear.
Jesus Christ. Our Savior. Our Redeemer.
It would be a lie, I think, to say that Christ wasn't sometimes afraid. Afraid to be tortured. Afraid to be crucified. God didn't make Christ without fear. Because Christ had to be a man too. Just like you and I. He couldn't be more than we are and still understand us. He couldn't be more and still atone for our sins. The plan of salvation doesn't work that way. He was one of us. And yet, he overcame fear. He overcame death. He overcame sin. His life and his work was a conscious decision, not a destiny set in stone. Christ too had agency.
Fear is of the devil. It is a tactic, a trick. Something to make us see our reality as it could be and not really as it is. It's an illusion. The devil laughs when you are afraid. He knows that he is winning. Because you're not seeing the world properly. You're seeing it through a series of maybes. Not as it is.
There are many ways to deal with fear. But one in particular that works very well, I have found. Do what you are told to do by people all the time.
Live in the moment.
I'm serious. Live in the moment.
Fear does not exist in the present. You are not afraid of right now. What you are afraid of is the next second. Or hour. Or day. Or year. Again. Fear does not exist in the present. Fear is a thing of the future. Remember that.
So have courage, my friends! Right now in the moment you read this, you feel no fear about now. But you do fear tomorrow. That's fine. What are you going to do about it? A defensive approach to fear is the worst thing you can do. You have to attack! Fear is a coward! Fear is afraid of you. It will back down every time if you challenge it. Go jump off of the high dive. Call that girl. Talk to that guy. Repent. Mend that friendship. Forgive someone who hurt you. Trust somebody who hurt you.
Live unbound.
Live unbound from fear.
Live unbound from the devil.
Live unbound from your insecurities.
Live unbound.

It's going to hurt you. I promise. But courage comes when fear does. And usually fear comes with pain. But with pain often times comes joy.
Find your courage. Make your mark. Defeat fear.
Then be happy. Feel free. Feel peace once more.
It's worth all the pain. I promise.
Love,
Dallin

I Feel So Dark

I don't understand what I feel.
Whatever it is, it just feels dark. It feels almost numbing. It feels pointless. Hopeless. Lost.
Why? What did I do? I haven't done anything wrong. I've done the right things. Kept my responsibilities for the most part. Loved my neighbor. Been a kind friend. Followed Christ with faith.
The normal.
And still. I feel dark. I feel numb. Empty. Lost. Confused. Tired. Lonely.
I miss the light. I miss feeling good. And happy. And like life is worthwhile and people are basically good.
The light just doesn't seem to come.
Not to say I never feel it. I feel the light all the time. I feel loved. I feel happy. I feel accepted. But I don't feel content. Not like I used to. It used to be that I could be all alone and be completely happy and content with myself for days.
Now I hardly feel content for minutes. And then the darkness comes again. The ever pressing, relentless darkness that is so heavy that sometimes I don't feel like I can shrug it off.
I really don't understand. I wish I did. I wish I would hurry up and figure it out. Because it hurts. And I don't know how to make the darkness go away.
It's like a cloud on a sunny day. But this cloud doesn't go away for weeks. And it doesn't even rain. It just blocks the sun. It makes the world dreary. Lacking of color. Lacking of light. Because not even the stars can be seen but from the mountain tops above the clouds.
Do you feel dark too?
I hope not. It's sad. It makes life feel pointless.
What do you do to be rid of the darkness though? Do you have an answer for me? Do you understand what I'm trying to explain?
I dunno.
I just miss the light. You feel?

Why Don't You Listen to Me?

A lady and a man become acquainted. 
"Hello! :D "
"Hi. :) "
They spend time together.
Life happens.
Pretty soon we hear...
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Life goes on.
Many things happen.
Pretty soon "I love you" is no longer said, but instead we hear...
"Why don't you listen to me?"
"I am! You're the one that's not listening!"
More hurtful words.
Less mended pain.
More hurtful thoughts.
Less shared feelings.
More broken relationships.
Less caring people. 
Repeat Cycle

That cycle is happening right now. Somebody somewhere is feeling that anger. Hearing those words. Living that cycle.
To a certain extent most of us are.
While this post is geared toward family relations, specifically those between a husband and wife, it applies to many other relations as well.
And it makes me so sad.
So very, very sad.
Why can't we all just get along?
I don't know. I really don't. I wish I did.

I have an idea though. It has been my experience that fear is what motivates the "Listen to me" dialogue. Fear... But fear of what?
What would make someone so afraid as to fight with the person that they love more than anyone else in the world? Their friend. Their companion. Their mate. What type of fear is that strong?
I have come to the conclusion that fear of judgment is what makes someone so afraid.
People don't like to be judged by anybody. But when you feel judged by your soulmate, when you see that look of pity and shame or anger that resides in their eyes and are hurt by it, it hurts in a terrible way. An indescribable way. And it's hard to heal.
And I know. A 16 year old giving marriage advise to adults. What do I know about married life?
Just be patient. I am more wise than I appear to be. I am wrong sometimes, but I think I'm right on this one.
Being judged hurts. So if you want a person to listen to you, or if you want a person to trust you with what they have to say, quit judging them. Take what they have to say and give it your honest consideration. There should be no anger involved. No preconceived answers or assumptions. No bias. Only a sincere desire to love and care for the other person. Then is when a person will listen to you. Then is when a person will talk openly with you. That is when you will find peace in a relationship.
The real question is, are you ready to set your pride down for the person you love most?
Or is your pride more important?
Think about it.

Don't Kill Their Happiness

This is my brother Ben.

He is one of the happiest people I have ever known. He is always smiling. Always trying to uplift. Always making the world a better place.
Do you know what the sad thing is?
Doctors say that Ben will be dead by 21.
Ben, along with his twin sister Rebekah and my other sister Rachel have a rare genetic disease called Ataxia-Telangiectasia. Basically Ben, Bekah and Rachel are missing a protein in their brain called the ATM protein. Their bodies don't repair DNA correctly and their cerebellum is deteriorating rapidly.
This is a picture of Rebekah and Rachel.

These beautiful children. My siblings. My friends.
They are all supposed to be in wheelchairs by the time they are 10.
Not able to speak by 14.
Dead by 21.
And while we are breaking a lot of these molds and predictions with so many prayers and a lot of research, (Mostly done by my incredible Mother) their bodies are still deteriorating. More slowly than other A-T children, (My siblings are in the top 5% in the entire world as to how well they are doing) but still going downhill.
Think about that for a moment.
These children have lived their entire lives with this knowledge.
Yet... They are still so exceptional.
Ben, as mentioned before, is so happy. So very happy. He glows. And although we can't always understand what he's trying to say, we can see the way his eyes light up with a soul too big for his body.
And Rebekah, she is so sweet. What a tender and loving soul. When I walk into the house, most of the time the first thing I hear is Bekah running down the hall to give me a hug. She's always serving. Always trying to make life better for everyone around her.
And Rachel. She's just spunky. But in a cheerful sort of way. She's so happy.

I believe that God gave them the gift of joy and love to be able to deal with the lives they have been given. I don't know how else to explain it. I don't know if I could be the way they are in the situation they are in. I don't know if I'm strong enough for that.
Sometimes, it hurts. They try so hard to be like everyone else. I don't even know if they realize that they are different most of the time. But they are. The older boys, Spencer, Enoch, and I, we're Ben's idols. Anything we do he will do in a heartbeat. Spencer, Enoch, and I are all very good athletes.
But Ben... Chances are he never will be.
His great dreams and hopes all lie on the baseball field and in the football team.
But those are dreams that he probably will never accomplish.
He probably will never be an MLB player. He'll probably never step out onto Yankee Stadium and hit one over the fence. He is just not physically capable of that type of thing.
And one day, he's going to realize that.
And it breaks my heart.
Bekah, her greatest aspiration is to be a mother. It's her dream. But... She probably never will be.
She probably will never have her own children.
Never rock her baby to sleep.
Maybe never even marry.
And it breaks my heart.
Rachel is too young to really tell what her dreams are. But chances are...
If they're a pursuit that extends past mid-twenties, she will probably never attain them.
And again, it breaks my heart.
They don't have very long on this Earth without the revelation of a major miracle.
So why would we make their lives anything but wonderful?
Why not let Ben try baseball?
Why not let Rebekah play with dolls?
Why not let Rachel just be herself?
Why not treat them like they're a normal kid? Maybe give them some hope.
The doctors... They've never said anything to Ben, Bekah, and Rachel about hope.
They've only said to take these drugs and try to live another year.
And yet hope is what is keeping them alive. It's the reason they are in the top 5% in the world for how well they're doing. It's the reason that at the age of 10 Ben and Bekah still ride bikes instead of wheelchairs. It's what allows them to be happy.

When people like this cross your path in life, don't treat them differently than anybody else. Don't pretend like they're disabled, because they're not. I hate the word disabled. They have the ability to do just as great of things as you and I do.
Don't kill their joy.
Don't focus on the bad things. Instead lift them up. Tell them how wonderful they are. See the light that they contain. Give them your love. I believe that the thing that kills more people than anything else is a lack of hope, and a focus on the bad things that could happen. Nothing is certain. It is not certain that my siblings will be dead by 21. To be honest, I believe that they will live full and long lives. I really do. I believe that Bekah can one day be a mother. I believe that Ben can one day be a professional athlete. I believe that Rachel can fulfill all of her dreams.
I didn't say that it wouldn't take work. It will. For these things to happen, we basically have to change the genetic structure of their bodies. We have to heal them. But God never said to give up hope in any circumstance, so we shall hold fast to hope and keep the faith.
Maybe they'll live. Maybe they'll fulfill all of their dreams. Maybe they'll change the world.
Maybe they won't.
Regardless of whether they do or don't, I believe in them. And whether my belief is well grounded or not, one thing is certain.
In the end, all will be well.
All will be well.
And Ben, you go, Superman.

God Loves Me!

God loves me! He loves you! Oh, my friends, isn't it wonderful?
More than that, he knows who I am. He knows my struggles. He realizes my weaknesses. And he loves me anyway. He loves you anyway. It doesn't matter what we've done. He loves us anyway.
Look to God in all things, and He will bless you. I know He will. He blesses me every day.
Keep the faith! I promise it will be worth it.

Counting My Blessings

My friends, life is so good. :D
It's good because God gave me the opportunity to make it good, and I took that opportunity. He gives that same opportunity to you every day. Will you take it?

So anyway, because I'm so happy, and so grateful to God, I am going to list my blessings. Or... Some of them. Haha. :D
I am alive.
Christ atoned for my sins.
I have the choice to be happy.
I have a family.
I have friends.
I have a blog.
I have work.
I have freedom.
I have a home.
I have food and drink.
I have the opportunity to wrestle.
I have the opportunity to become educated.
I have a car.
I have clothing.
I have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
I live in the most free country in the world.
I am capable of feeling love.
I have the opportunity to change the world.
Someone smiled at me today.
I am healthy.
I am happy.
I am capable of greatness.
The Earth is beautiful.
My life is hard. (That really is a blessing.)
People are good.
I have the opportunity to serve.
I have the opportunity to uplift.
I have the opportunity to do God's work.

So anyway. That's a pretty vague list. But it's my list for now. Haha. :D

An Opportunity to Change the World

So guys, I've got some stories to tell.
This last week and a half, I have had so many opportunities to change the world. And I've done it.
Like... Seriously. It's happening. I am changing the world.
Goodness, Dallin. What are you getting yourself into? Haha. :D
It's great though. I feel accomplished. I made a positive change.
So this opportunity started the moment these smiling Canadians pulled into my driveway and offered me a ride to Veyo, Ut. with them to Elevation. People that I had never actually met in person before. They had already kidnapped my cousin and brought her along.
Like what even. My life is awesome.
So I hop in the car with this band of grinning strangers and one cousin and head out on a road trip.
Because I can.
'Murica, right? ;)
So we're driving down the road, jamming out to Clarity by Zedd, and laughing all the way.
#CanadiansDeserveCreditForBeingAwesome.TheEnd.
#PunctuationInHashtags
#'Murica
Guys, I just used hashtags in a blog post. xD I feel so free, and so happy right now. :D I've never done that before. :D
So like, we get to Veyo, and we begin the adventure Friday night by going and seeing all our friends who were just leaving the first session of Elevation. Laughing all the way.
#MorePropsToTheCanadians
And like, it was great. I got to see all of my friends that were at the first session. Give them hugs. Tell them how much I love them. Because you know, I get to see them like... Twice a year if I'm lucky. So one must make it totally clear how important one's friends are to them during the short time one has. :D
Enter opportunity #1 to change the world.
I have a very dear friend who has a hard time leaving other friends. A really hard time. It basically breaks her. And I have no clue if what I did helped her or not, but I basically gave her a really long hug and told her how much she is loved. And then another really big hug. And another. Because she seemed like she needed them. And I wanted to help ease her pain as much as I could.
Then it was time to say goodbye. So I did. Even though it hurt. So maybe I helped her. Whatever the case, she helped me. She helps me feel emotion. I have a hard time with that sometimes. Long story for another post. So maybe she inadvertently changed the world.
And so I said goodbye to most of my other friends. That was the great thing. I got to use the word most. :D With my remaining friends I got to go hiking in Zions. :D :D :D <-- so much fun. :D We hiked Angels Landing, and then camped out. Told stories about our Pre-K Primes. (You had to be there to understand that one.) (#insidejokesinblogposts #ohyeah) Laughed until we cried, you know. Had a great time.
Then all my friends left.
Except those Canadians.
Silly people. They should have known better. ;) They didn't realize that they would have to put up with all of me for a whole weekend. ;)
Then on Saturday some other friends and I got to go to my favorite mentor's house in St. George and help him put up climbing walls in his garage. :D :D :D :D :D
So much happiness. :D
Then to another friend's house for a movie and a place to stay the night. And for watching the stars. We did that too. With a wedding going on in the same back yard at the same time. We were that cool. :D
Then the next day back to Zions, this time only me and a Canadian. A really cool one. :D So we took a hike up to the Observation Point, cut across the switchbacks, sucked on a flower, took some pictures, caught a lizard, met a man from Africa, and some Germans, you know. The usual. Because that's totally a normal day for me. xD
Went back to the hotel. Lost $20 at a convenience store. Went on a run with my cousin. Found a pillow on the side of the road. And a barbie shoe. #swag
^^^I'm not even exactly sure where that paragraph fits into the story. Somewhere. Haha. :D
So Monday comes. Mr. Canada and I get ready to go to Elevation. Mamma Canada decides to go to the temple. So she does. And Mr. Canada and I got to roam the St. George temple grounds for 2 and a half hours. Awesome. :D We got to go listen to a bunch of French people who were on tour talk as they viewed the temple grounds. French sounds cool. We took pictures. We were just generally awesome.
Then the time for Elevation came. :D
So the Canadians, my cousin, and I pack into the incredibly small Canadian car, (Like seriously, those Canadians are magic when it comes to packing stuff in a trunk.) and head to Elevation.
Fast forward all the greetings and introductions, (I loved them, but this post is already long. I don't need to put more in. Haha. :D ) I ended up in Pod 5 with Mr. Canada and the Oompaloompas. That was our name. The Oompaloompas. :D And we were led by our fearless mentor Willy. With Charlie assisting. And Jayson Bourne. Just so you know. (Not Jason Bourne. Jayson Bourne. Ours is cooler.)
Then started opportunity #2 to change the world.
So guys, you need to know something about Elevation. There are 4 rankings. E1 for the first timers, E2 for the seconds, E3 for the thirds, and E Ninja for anyone who has been to Elevation 4+ times. The E3s and the E Ninjas are expected to take leadership in the pods beside the mentors. Usually each pod will have a several E1s, a few E2s, a few E3s, and a couple E Ninjas. So there is ample experience in the leadership. Well, in my pod there wasn't. The highest we hit was E2 with the students. Our trail guide Charlie was only an E2 herself. Bourne was an E Ninja, but he was a roaming trail guide stuck kind of to our pod. Willy himself, our fearless leader, was only an E3. While everyone did a fantastic job, (Seriously, it was great) our pod was lacking experienced leadership. Well, who steps up when there is a need? I do. Not because no one else could do it, but because that's just who I am. So I took a leadership position in the pod and rolled with it.
Guys, being a leader is incredibly hard. I am not always an outwardly upbeat person. Much of the time I'm not. I prefer usually to take a leadership position from behind. I prefer to guide subtly and in quiet ways rather than be at the front. Because that's not who I am. It's exhausting to me. Because I can't always be around people. I've come to the conclusion that I am an introvert that is really good at extroversion. Part of that being leadership.
So I was doing a really good job for the first day and a half. I smiled, and encouraged, and led, and built up my pod. But half way into day two I was telling another student in my pod about my experience at state this year.
I didn't realize until that conversation how much some of the events that occurred at state hurt me until I spoke of them to this wonderful young lady in my pod. They cut deep. And I buried some of those feelings to dull the pain. But I didn't realize that I had done that. And so all of the pain from state was coming out again. Almost healed wounds were reopening. I was reliving some of that pain. And it's hard to lead in a sufficient manner when in pain. Not that I was leading the pod single handed, but at the same time I almost was. Because in this part of Elevation, we didn't have any mentors or trail guides with us. They were off running the challenge activities. So our pod almost seemed directionless.
Then came walls.
Honestly, I was not ready for walls. I thought I would be. But I wasn't.
Walls is an activity where you share with your pod something about yourself that you have hidden, or feelings that you have buried. Something to help take down the walls inside of you. Then you look into the eyes of the person across from you at the table. And you see their soul. Because the eyes are the windows to the soul. And when you look hard, you can see a person's whole being in their eyes. And it makes you feel vulnerable. Someone else can see your soul.
Walls hurts. Really bad. So already hurting going into it, and then sharing with my whole pod something else about myself that was incredibly painful to think about, I broke. Not that I cried. Because I don't cry often, but I just couldn't be happy for a long time after walls. It is a blessing that it was free time directly after walls so that I could go think for a while and sort my pain out. I really needed that.
I did resume my leadership role, but it wasn't quite the same after walls. I needed more time to think alone. And I didn't have it.
Still though, I encouraged. I uplifted. I led.
And I smiled. I laughed. I was happy. Because it is very possible to be happy while in pain. It's just hard.
So the week went on. There were many times throughout the week I had a specific opportunity to change someone else's life, and maybe in doing so change the world. Things like reassuring somebody that they could compete in the Williamsburger (A race between the pods) and that they would be okay, giving a pep talk to a student who was sure that she would not be able to finish a climb, comforting those who were having a rough time, cheering other people up, etc. I'm not going to name all the times, but those were a few. More than anyone though, I believe I grew. And I'm going to change the world. Growing will only help me do so. Thus in effect beginning the process of changing the world.
Elevation ended. I said my goodbyes. Gave last words of love and encouragement, received more than I feel like I gave, and got back in the car with those Canadians.
Gah. I love those Canadians.
Drove to a resort in Park City and stayed there over night with some other Canadians.
Seriously, they were everywhere. ;)
Had fascinating conversations, went swimming, had an excellent dinner, gave and received massages until 1:00 AM. Felt peaceful.
Then I came home.
Said goodbye to those lovely Canadians.
And my cousin. Who is apparently now my twin sister. Which is great. I am proud of that. :D
Oh my goodness guys. I wish I could say more. There is so much to say. But this post is super long. And it's 1 in the morning. That's a problem too. Basically, here is what I was trying to get to.
#1 Life can be great. You just have to make it that way. Never be complacent. Always want something more. And then go get it. Desire is nothing without action.
#2 Look around. There are always opportunities to serve, lead, uplift, and edify. But to see you have to open your eyes. That's one of the reasons Elevation is so great. No electronics with the exception of a camera. Period. You have no choice but to look up. To open your eyes. To greet your neighbor. To see opportunities to make the world better. Learn to serve with vigor and joy. That is where true happiness lies.
#3 Every action you make will change the world. Me writing this will change the world. You reading this will change the world. You walking down the street will change the world. The difference is, did you smile at the man you just passed? Did you know that he lost his entire family in a car accident last week? Or that he has cancer? Do you know how lonely he is? Do you understand how much a smile will affect his life? What about that person who is so mean to everyone around them? Do you smile at them anyway? Do you realize that they hurt inside, and they just need a friend? How about your family? Do you treat them right?
Think about it.

As I have said before. I am going to change the world.
Will you join me?

Do Not Waste Christ's Gift

I believe that the rising generation is the generation that will see the end of all that we know. 

Starting with the end of our freedom, continuing with the end of our country, and eventually with the end of the world. 

I've said it a hundred times, but I'm going to say it again. It's coming. Society is reaching a breaking point.

When society breaks, it's going to need leadership. Good, honest, righteous, leadership. 

God is going to rely on you to lead.

And this isn't just America. It isn't just the United States. No... When the United States breaks, the whole world will follow suit. And the world will fall into disarray. 

Do not think of this as something far away. It's coming soon. Very, very soon.

We do not have time to waste. Our time, our lives, our possessions... they don't belong to us in the least.

Anything that you think is yours is not. Because like it or not you haven't done anything in the history of ever without God's help. 

Almost 2000 years ago, Christ saved your body from death and your spirit from sin.

You and I, we owe everything to Him. 

All your time and energy is borrowed from Him. Use it wisely. 

If it weren't for Him, humanity as we know it would have ended with Noah. Noah would not have been able to repent from his sins, and thus would have been drowned with the rest of the world. 

Game over for humanity.

But Christ did it. He atoned for all sins. He gave you everything.

Don't waste his gift to you. 

Pain is not Sorrow

My entire youth to this point has been a win. 

I have always been on top, or very near to it in everything I do.

I have always looked at the losers or the people beneath me on the podium and thought, 

"That's so sad... Look at them. They've put everything into this. And they didn't win it. How depressing..."

When I lost my first state wrestling title, I could see clearly that God was teaching me what it feels like to lose. 

I learned that lesson.

So why would God have me lose another one? Why would he take the work of my entire life, my prayers, my blood, my sweat, my tears, my dreams... Why would he not let me win? Sure the other guy worked hard, but there is no way he worked harder than me. 

Why am I the one to lose again?

After all, two state finals matches is a lot to lose. Most people learn after one. 

But I did learn. 

So why me?

This was a question that crossed my mind quite a bit. And I hadn't given it much thought, because I don't like to blame my losses on God. But it was there.

I think that I needed to lose this year to learn a deeper principle than what it feels like to lose. I think I needed to learn that losing is not a sad thing. It may be hard. I may have wanted to go spend the rest of my life in a hole away from anybody. But I wasn't sad. I was never sad. I only hurt. And I've learned that there is a difference between the two. 

As much as losing the state title twice hurt, and still hurts, I wouldn't change it. 

I have received such a depth of character from those losses. The first one especially. 

They have only made my life better.

I am so thankful for them.

So remember. 

When life gets hard, when nothing seems to be going right, make sure to distinguish between pain and sorrow. Because if you're only hurting, but you put sorrow on yourself to add to the pain, your life is only going to be more miserable. 

No matter the pain, do not give in to the darkness. 

Hold fast to joy. 

Hold fast to light. 

Hold fast to God.

“There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.” ~Ayn Rand

Watch carefully, my friends. It's coming. Stay awake and you'll see it.

If you ask your elders you'll hear that they've already seen it.

Don't let it happen again.