Sunday, November 18, 2007

Here is a thought...

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate;
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.


-excerpt from Nelson Mandela’s 1994 inaugural speech



Watch then read:
So maybe you've seen this video a million times like I have but every time I watch it I get goose bumps and a lump in my throat. It reminds me of the quote above. We are all unassuming to our potential. We all have something to give that may not be to this caliber of talent or easily seen or heard. It maybe be that the sum total of all the little things that we have to give amount to more than any one outstanding thing.

George D. Durrant, “Doing Genealogy: Finding That Glorious, Elusive Condition Called ‘Balance’,” Ensign, Apr 1985, 18

When I was a young man, my sports hero was a man named Robert Mathias. He won the decathlon in the 1948 Olympics and again in 1952.

Mathias ran the 100 meters in 10.9 seconds. The winner covered the distance in 10.4 seconds, a half-second faster than Mathias. In the 400 meters, Mathias’ time of 50.2 was far short of the 45.0 time of the specialized runner. Mathias high jumped 6 feet 2 3/4 inches, some 6 inches less than the man who won the high jump competition for those who had entered just that one event. His javelin sailed 194 feet 3 inches, far short of the 242 feet throw of the man who spent his entire effort in that event.

Bob Mathias wasn’t the best at any one specialized event, but he did each event well enough that when all his scores were added together, his overall score made him the decathlon champion.

Life is much like a decathlon. To fulfill our own potential and to be of service to others requires that we take part in many events. If we attempt to set records in one event, we may fall far short in another. And if we measure our efforts against those of a specialist, we can feel inadequate and even guilty that we don’t do better.

What is one thing you and only you can bring to light and make the world a better place? You are a child of God, embrace it.

4 friends said...:

Autumn said...

Well, I think bringing my 5 children into this world was a job that only I and Warren could do. That is very signifcant. Also, when others cross our paths it is usually on purpose. Heavenly Father uses us on earth for His righteous purposes. If we realize that then we are ahead in the game of life. We become instruments i His hands instead of complacent fools.

Great post Bethany. :) I really enjoyed it.

Autumn said...

Your 'new look' is very cute- very you. I like it alot! :D

Sharon said...

i love this! i also wanted to add that youre new backround is super cute!

The Girls' Mom said...

Thank you for your comments ladies.