Day 1... Or is it?

Destiny. Such a word is hard to define. One might define it as did dictionary.com: "The inevitable or necessary fate to which a particular person or thing is destined; one's lot." I don't think, however, this is quite the way I will use this word. Perhaps a definition of my own: The place to which one is headed based on his or her decisions. A wise man once told me, "You must control your own destiny. For if you don't, someone else will." Upon pondering this thought, I realized that God, our Father in Heaven, who's plan I am trying to follow, will not control my destiny. And being the horrid decision maker I am, I'm not so sure that I am controling my destiny. "So," I thought, "Who is?" This thought is the most daunting I have felt (if that is the right word) in my head, yet it has changed my life more than any previous thought. As part of my decision-making problem, I have learned that once a decision has been made, I will stick to it with convicition and dedication. So here is my declaration:

Today, I am taking control of my destiny! I am, in the words of Kent Williams, am "waging my war with the adversary." The most fastinating part, is I know who is going to win this battle. But I also know that the winning side must try the hardest. The side I am choosing will win this war. And I WILL NOT back down!

Now, I say today, when in reality, my war began before this Earth was thought of. However, the declaration will solidify the attitude for me. Now, speaking literally of today, I held a conversation with a dear friend of mine this evening. He had made a suggestion about a date that was innocent and not intended for evil doing whatsoever, but I felt as though it could lead to a sketchy situation. I asked him if we could do something a little bit different. At first he got offended. He assumed I thought he was a horrible person trying to tempt me. I tried to explain and let time work its magic. Later on in the conversation, it got quite. Then I heard him crying, though quietly. I asked him to tell me what the matter was. He said he felt as though Heavenly Father would be upset with him. I was so proud of him at that moment for realizing what I meant that I could not surpress the smile! After talking for a while, I realized that Satan was using the most worthy of young men to tempt me into lowering my standards. Thank goodness for the Holy Ghost.

The other thing I have learned is that the simple things are the hardest, especially in today's world. In General Conference, the speakers consistently counseled us to listen to the Prophet. When he spoke to us, he did not reaveal any new doctrine or clarify a misunderstanding. He simply told us to be grateful. I think back to the days of the Pioneers. I don't want to sound prideful, so I will clarify my next statement. They had it easy when it came to gratitude. Here's why I say this. They lost everything. That is such a hard trial to go through. But trials such as those bring out gratitude like no other experience can. Because you have so little, you recognize all the marvelous blessings Heavenly Father has given to you. In a society like ours, where everything is handed to us, gratitude is a hard thing to grasp. This is why I love that the prophet of the church spoke on that simple concept.

I want to end my first entry on the topic of smiling. I have learned something about smiling. That is, smiling will always brighten someone's day, even if it is your own. I was walking through the halls of high school and realizing how few people were smiling. They can be with their significant other and be serious, or crying, or focused, but no one smiles! No wonder high school is so hard. All I did was smile and I know at least one person was affected by it, because my day hasn't been this good in quite some time.