Facing Giants - A Guest Post by Abby Lain

You know that moment, whether it is while being complimented or criticized, where you think to yourself, “If you only knew...”
We have all had that moment where that thought runs through our minds. That thought of, you have no clue how much blood, sweat, and tears it took to bring me here. You will never see the trials, the pain, and the world I had to go through to be able to stand in front of you, today. But guess what? I did it.
I may have walked only a mile, but it felt like thousands. I may have stood on solid ground, but it felt like fire. I could tell you that I have been to the dark side of the moon, but not even had left my house. Or was running through the depths of Hell, but was standing completely still.
If I told you these things, would you believe me? Would you believe the things I saw, or the things I did- or would you nod your head and roll your eyes? Would you take the time to listen, or would you cast it aside and say that I went through nothing?
No, to me it wasn't nothing.
To me, I had walked those miles, to me I had seen those things. To me I had stood in front of the devil himself and bowed my head in shame, as he laughed.
But to me, I had also overcome.
It might have taken days, months, or even years, but when I finally stood, I stood with power. I lifted my head at their scoffing faces and their pointing fingers, and I fought back. Not in the way I used to, not with darkness, but with a strand of light. And guess what? I won.

My friends, you are strong. I know that these things that you are going through, or have gone through, are not easy. I plead with you, down on my knees, to never give up.
To those of you who have won the battle, don't give up on the fight. And to those that aren't through the darkness yet, I promise you that things will become better. I can promise you that you are loved dearly, that even though you may feel alone in your battle, I can promise you that isn't the case. I can bear testimony to you that there is God in heaven that looks after you, that cares for you, and roots for you in your hardest times. I know He feels your pain, and even your joy. I know He laughs with you, cries with you, and even comforts you on your hardest day. I know that He will never forget you. Never.

My hope for you is that you will never forget this. You are destined for great things, and right now is just the beginning. Keep going, because after every storm is light.

Stay strong,
Abby




Bio:

Abby is just a girl with big dreams and a creative mind. She grew up writing stories with her friend, and eventually decided that she wanted to put her writing to use and started writing inspirational pieces. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and, God willing, hopes to someday serve a mission.
She also thinks that writing about herself in second person is a little weird, so she's going to stop, now. ;)

Human Rights

I'm tired of hearing people advocate for "Gay rights" or "Women's rights." I've really had enough of it.
But... What are rights, and where do they come from? Do people even know what they're fighting for?
Google says rights are, "A moral or legal entitlement to have or obtain something or to act in a certain way." Basically they are what a person is allowed to do. The freedoms which people have. 
So where do people go to get these rights? 
Well, the problem is that they go to the government. Everybody assumes that their rights come from the government these days. They fight for the right to be legally married as a gay couple, they fight for the right to smoke marijuana freely, they fight for the right to own guns. 
But they've been deceived. 
A person does not have to go to the government to obtain the right to be gay, or smoke weed, or own a gun. The only real power the government has is the power the people give it. If everybody in the United States stopped supporting the government today, there would be nothing the government could do. It would be helpless. By tomorrow it probably wouldn't even exist. So if a person was truly advocating for gun rights or gay rights, they wouldn't be trying to pass anti-discrimination laws or pro gun laws. They would be looking to restore the freedoms which they have given away, and to return the power to the people which has been stolen by the government. So is it not hypocritical when a person stands up and advocates to restore the rights of the people by implementing a new restriction...? Maybe I'm crazy, but that seems hypocritical to me.
No... Rights don't come from the government. They come from God. And God has given you the right to do anything you please. But seeing as God is the giver if rights, he is also the giver - and taker - of privileges. 
God gave us the right to commit adultery - but has told us that adultery will take our privilege of joy and peace of mind away. It may even lose our souls.
God gave us the right to kill - but killing others kills one's spirit, and quenches one's joy.
God gave us the right to do all wicked things. But each one comes with a price, in this life or the next.
So next time you hear a person advocating to the government for human rights, remember where rights come from. Remember that they are not from the government, but from God - and God has entrusted us to respect our rights, or lose them in the next life. 

I'm Going to be Vulnerable for a Moment

Right now, for a moment, on Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 11:37pm, I'm going to be vulnerable.

I'm going to open up, because there is something that I need to express.

I have a hard time accepting people. I have a hard time trusting people. I have a hard time loving people.

I am a lot shyer than I seem. I feel alone and afraid a lot. I do not feel accepted in many, many situations and places.

And it's hard. It's hard to overcome. Especially with people whom I respect greatly. I fear that I will become bothersome. That I am a nuisance, that I talk too much.

I wasn't always like this though. As a little child I wasn't. And then I grew, and I did things like interact with uncaring people and go to public school. And I changed.

In school I was told to sit down and shut up. To listen unconditionally to my teachers and to never speak out against them. I was told that asking questions is shameful, and that I would be looked down upon if I asked too many of them. I was told by my peers that there was a certain way to walk and to talk and to dress and to look, and that there were certain things that I had to like and do, and that if I didn't follow that way and like those things, I just simply couldn't fit in. 

And for a while, I was oblivious to all of it.

The first day I corrected a teacher and surpassed my reading goal by almost double yet again was the day that I started to see things. I started to see that many of the smiles were fake. And so were many of the greetings. And many of the friendships.

I saw the rolling eyes and the obvious sighs that I had missed before.

I saw the way that people turned ever so slightly away when I walked into the room, or tightened their circles just a little bit when I walked up.

I was different. 

And nobody liked it.

And I was so desperate to have a friend, just one friend that would pick me first for the playground football team or console me on a hard day, that I stopped being me. I stopped being that confident, brilliant child that I was and started being a quiet child that spent most of his time reading books and playing alone. Not the one that was always alone, I had the occasional friend, but none of them really stuck around. They either moved to another city, or another popularity ranking, or a new set of friends, and I was left alone again. 

There was a day... There was a day when I stood in the room that I'm writing from right now and contemplated how much it would actually hurt if I took the knife that I was holding and cut my throat. 

That was my low.

From that point I was taken to a councilor. His name was Sean. He made me feel important. Like I was a somebody. Like my opinion mattered and like my thoughts were valuable. He changed my life.

I still struggle. I worry that I talk too much. That people don't like me. That my opinions are too strong. That the smiles are still fake and the circles are still tightened, they've just gotten better at hiding it. 

I still worry that I am not accepted. 

Behind the confident, enthusiastic, radiant young man that I am today, I still fight a brutal battle in every moment to choose to be confident, and happy and enthusiastic. I fight a battle in choosing to trust and to love. I fight a battle in choosing to accept, and forgive.

Don't you?

Like Hyenas

Like hyenas they laugh at me.
They laugh because I'm different.
Because I don't go to public school. Because I don't laugh at the dirty jokes. Because I don't laugh at other people's faults.
They laugh at me because I practice harder than they do. Because I work harder than they do. Because I choose to not give in to mediocrity. Because I'm a gentleman. Because I'm kind and caring and polite and righteous, they laugh at me.
They laugh at me because I choose not to give in to the easy way. The way of darkness and sin.
And like hyenas, they travel in packs, or groups.
And I feel alone.
Those groups make me feel insecure. They make me feel secluded and like I don't fit in. They look like they're having fun, and make me feel like I'm not. Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't be worth it to join them.
But then... I see them sometimes when they are alone. Then they don't look so happy. In fact, they look absolutely miserable. Because they have to look at the past and see the harm that they have done. The distraught faces and the broken spirits of the victims of their humor. Is that what I want? Do I want to look at my past and see only broken people and broken lives?
And yet, this is a style of living that can be more easily lived than any other time in the history of the Earth. If I wanted to, I never would have to be disconnected from my friends. I never would have to be alone. And even if I did manage to be alone, I would always have the latest game to keep me busy.
And yet... What happens when I lose my phone, or my laptop, or my tablet? What if it breaks? Or, somehow everything goes... Off. And it won't come back on. Where will I be then? What will happen to the fake reality that I live in? What will happen when my virtual pack of friends disappears? How will I be treated now that I am all alone, without my pack behind me?
I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do have theories. And they're not good things. They are lives spent in loneliness, despair, and regret.
So maybe it's not worth it after all.
It's not my choice though, it's up to you.
Are you willing to do the hard things, and persevere in right and truth?
Is it worth it?
I think so.

The Devil Came To Me

Not too long ago I wrote a post about compromise. In that post I talked some about the metaphor of a person standing on the mountain of their morality, and how the devil tries to get them to come down from that mountain. Well, the devil has come to me lately. He didn't come in the way that I would expect though. He came as a voice in my head. It started very small. It started as I watched America on her mountain top start to walk with the devil down the mountain, and that voice said, "Oh that stupid America. She'll never make it back up. She is lost forever." So I turned to the mountain of the politicians for help, and they looked idly on while America was led down. They didn't care. Many of them cheered the devil on. Once again the voice came, "Those politicians are evil men. They deserve all of the hate in the world for what they have allowed America to become. How disgusting." The pastors of America had left their mountain completely and were trying to push America back up to the top of hers. Nothing worked though. And again the voice came, "All is lost. There is no more hope for America. Freedom, justice, and truth have already died." By this time I was so angry. I was angry at America. I was angry at the politicians. I was angry at the people. I learned to hate them. Today though, I saw something new. From my mountain top, I looked up. I saw God. And he was weeping. But he was not weeping for the same reason that I was angry. He was weeping because he knew what he would have to do to restore the morality of America and the rest of the world, and it hurt him. Because what he would have to do would hurt them. His creations.
I still feel anger inside of me. But it is dwindling. I asked God to humble me and help me be rid of it, and he has for the most part, but I think he has left just a little bit for me to overcome myself. Be careful, my friends. The devil is a crafty being. If I had followed the path of anger and hatred, I might have done something that I would later regret under the pretense that I was fighting for freedom. And that would have ruined all good I might have done in the world.
Stay strong and may God bless you.
-Dallin