Tuesday, January 28, 2014

One Lower Light

You may find yourself asking why I have started a new blog, especially considering I don't update my other one too often.  The truth is that I was noticing that my other blog was quickly becoming more and more a commentary on my health and fitness journey.  After giving a lot of thought to the matter, I decided to start another blog with a different purpose.

Those who know me know that I am a fairly reserved person.  I have always been told that I am quiet, shy, etc.  I realize that this is one of my great weaknesses in life.  I have worked over the last several years to help remedy this situation.  While I am much better than I used to be, I still realize that I have a long way to go before I get to where I truly want and need to be.  I really don't express my thoughts and feelings very well to others for several reasons.

Having said all that, I thought a good way to help me overcome these weaknesses is to start blogging some of my deepest thoughts and feelings.  This blog will help me do that, but there is another, bigger purpose behind this blog.  I want to assert my love for the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I don't do a good enough job of sharing my testimony with others, and I don't do well with sharing insights and learning of gospel doctrines.  Through this blog I will try to share my thoughts and feelings on the things I read and learn.  Many of them may be extremely hard for me to share emotionally, but when is life supposed to be easy?

You may notice that the background of this blog is a lighthouse.  I have always loved lighthouses.  On my family's trips up the Oregon Coast, some of my favorite sights were the different lighthouses.  They provide a great symbol of our Savior.  They provide a sign of peace and protection, even in the roughest storms.  In the hymn "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy", we are reminded that while Christ is the great lighthouse, we are given charge over the lower lights.  These lower lights, in conjunction with the lighthouse, help guide ships into the harbor.

This is the reason I chose this URL and the title of this post.  I hope that through this blog I can act as a lower light and help someone draw nearer to the Savior.  I intend for this blog to not always be centered around Gospel topics.  I will sometimes talk about my thoughts on certain topics of life, and hopefully the blog won't be too serious all the time.  Anyone who knows me knows that I love to laugh a lot because life is too short to be too serious.  I also hope that this can be somewhat of an open discussion.  I would love to be taught by anyone who reads this as well.  So will you join as I find my in life?