Blog Therapy

Today has been a hard day of trying to remember that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. But boy does it sure look like it sometimes! One thing that I wish I could change about myself is how jealous I can get of other people. I want what they have and don't want the trials that they don't have. Does that make sense? I must admit that I am a fairly jealous person. I am always comparing myself to others. I know this is an unhealthy way to live and sometimes I just want to scream at myself to STOP IT but it always seems to come back in one form or another. I had an institute teacher say that life isn't like ordering at a restaurant. We can't listen to one person order their life and then say, "I'll have what they are having." And this isn't Burger King, we can't always have it our way. I try to keep in mind of all of the blessing that I have- which are very numerous right now- but there is always that ONE thing that I want that I cannot seem to obtain. And you know what, for me anyway, it's hard to not focus on that one thing. Because it is the one thing that I want right now more than anything! How is it that I get caught up on that one thing so easily? There is a quote that says. "Jealous people poison their own banquet and then eat it." Isn't that the truth?! I know that when I focus on the things that I want, rather than the things that I have, it literally is poisoning me. But let's face it, I am human and I will have days like this. So what do I do? Well, my solution today was to go to lds.org and type jealousy into the search bar. The very first talk that popped up was called, "The Divine Gift of Gratitude" by President Thomas S. Monson. It was a very good talk and it helped me a lot. Here are my favorite excerpts from the talk that really said, "This is for you Kristi. Pay attention!":

"We have all experienced times when our focus is on what we lack rather than on our blessings. Said the Greek philosopher Epictetus, “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

"We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Someone has said that “gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”

"How can we cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude? President Joseph F. Smith, sixth President of the Church, provided an answer. Said he: “The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life.” He continued: “Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!”

"When we encounter challenges and problems in our lives, it is often difficult for us to focus on our blessings. However, if we reach deep enough and look hard enough, we will be able to feel and recognize just how much we have been given."

I really loved these words. They comforted my heart today. It didn't change the fact that I still wanted that one thing, it just made me focus a little more on all the other zillion blessings that I have in my life at this moment. I love the quote that says, "Love overpowers jealousy." Maybe I can try a little harder to pour out love to those people who are living in the greenest of grasses, even if it is only green to my eyes.