One year down, eternity to go!

We all have those moments we never want to forget. Experiences in our lives that changed us for the better, brought pure joy into our hearts, and beautiful faces we want by our sides. I love that Facebook has that “on this day” app. Some memories I laugh at, or miss. Other memories I’m quickly trying to find the delete button because 13 year olds should never be allowed to have a facebook. #whatwasIthinking

I’ve had several friends get married this last year, others who had their first baby. Some moved into their dream job, and house, or had their last baby! This past summer my mom FINALLY got the house to herself! No more kids or grand-kids living there. She was THRILLED. Which is sad for her because in just 12 short weeks my sister comes home from her mission. But the point is, we’ve all had major things happen in our lives. Some that were devastating in the moment, but so much better for our souls in the long run. That’s what I want to focus on. Finding , DOING those things that are better for the soul.

The gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored. The same church that Christ set up while He was on the earth, it is here. A Prophet leads and guides us the same way Christ did. The very essence of the gospel is love, we know that. But what I love so much about this gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is that it is a gospel focused on progression.

Dig out your pom-poms, turn on Bring it On and sing it with me, BE progressive! BE BE PROGRESSIVE!

You know you said it just like a cheerleader would, it’s okay. I don’t judge you for that.

This gospel is all about changing, growing, failing, succeeding, repenting, learning and just about every other thing you can think. We are not perfect, and if you are would you please make it manifest! I’m not perfect, but I’m not supposed to be in this life. What I’m supposed to do is try. I remember being told as a kid that if I wanted to be perfect at basketball, I needed to practice. Can you relate? My sister wanted to be great at ballet! Although I never was a fan of the tutu’s and acting like a lady. I was a tomboy fo’ sho! Anyways. I really thought that if I tried hard enough I would indeed become perfect at basketball. I’d never miss another basket, I’d run faster than the other girls, and ultimately, I would be the absolute best basketball player ever! It was a harsh reality when I noticed that I wasn’t perfect. I didn’t always make the shot, or I’d get that terrible stabbing pain in my side and fall short of the other girls racing down the court. Even though I practiced and practiced and practiced, I was never perfect. But now that I know of Gods plan, it’s okay. I don’t want to be the best. Knowing that perfection will never be reached in this life doesn’t mean I can sit back and do nothing. No way, Jose! When we are practicing, learning or trying, that shows we are humble. We know that we still need to be taught, and we are willing to go out and try it, even if that means failing.

True conversion is a process that takes place over a period of time and involves a willingness to exercise faith

I’ve been super sappy and sentimental these last few days, probably a little bit more emphasis on the mental part. I grab onto people and experiences and don’t let go. So I’ve been counting down this day for 364 days now! One year ago January 13,  I returned home from completing my mission! For 16 months I served the Lord as a full-time missionary and invited others to come unto Him. It was without a doubt the BEST 16 months of and for my life. I changed, but I’ve already shared all that.

One year down! I’ve officially been an RM for a year now, and that year was one of the strangest years of my life. I went through the awkward coming home stage for 8 months #strugglebust and then decided I hated my situation and chose to start changing things. No one preps you for the real world after you’ve been sheltered during a mission. It’s okay to go to the store without someone attached to the hip, or to put the car in reverse and trust your own vision. I learned that slowly but surely the first named you starts to creep out and you can’t push that back anymore because you’ve found its weird to introduce yourself as Sister or Elder. People just stare and it gets awkward.

For a year I have bored people with my memories from my mission. The good times, free food, pdays, investigators, leaving rap voice mails for members, rude members, ward parties and the wonderful friends I made. A mission, marriage, birth of a child, moving, the start of a career, those are all wonderful things. Those are things that without a second thought, require progression. One year down, and an eternity to go. I will never be able to experience my time in Arizona, Mississippi, or Arkansas as a missionary again. It cannot be relived, no matter how hard I try to. What can happen from amazing experiences like this, is progression. We don’t move on and forget. I think it’s actually quite impossible to forget. Why would you want to? No, we move on and remember.

Gods ultimate purpose is our progress

God sent us here to be tested and tried. That through every situation and obstacle that comes our way, that we REMEMBER and go from there. Forgetting or pushing aside a memory is not progression. It’s being stuck.

 Only we ourselves can affect our eternal progression.

And that is just it y’all. WE affect our eternal progression. Our choices, day-to-day activities. I didn’t have to serve a mission, nor did I need to. The scriptures don’t say serve a mission or you’ll die. They also don’t say have a baby, get married, finish school or your life hangs in the balance. Nope. They don’t, I checked. What we may think are temporary choices or  exciting adventures actually turn out to be our eternity. If I have the chance to serve as a senior missionary, it will be wonderful, but it will not be the same as when I was 21-year-old Sister Craig. I probably wont be so loud, or maybe I’ll be louder cause I’ll be deaf, who knows! But I am grateful that Heavenly Father has promised us eternity. That He gave us His Son as the PERFECT example. And that the joys we experience in this life, we’ll get to experience for all of eternity.

Here’s to it! One year down, eternity to go! Even if none of those major things I named happened to you, there are other wonderful big events in your life!! Those start your eternity. Our decisions determine our destiny, and I know I want to be in a place where I can always progress! Being complacent is so boring! So maybe for you it’s one day, six months, 20 years down! The time doesn’t matter, as long as you are still moving forward! I am a returned missionary, one year down and eternity to go! I’ll bore you with stories in Heaven too, don’t worry!