"You Promised Me Your Best"

 I want to share some thoughts that have truly touched my heart. As I studied the scriptures tonight with some friends, someone shared this video clip from the film "Facing the Giants." As I watched it, tears began streaming down my face. There are so many wonderful and eternal truths in this six minute segment that you would not expect. I am so grateful to the incredible people God has given me to share their light and inspire me in times when I need it most.
Our Heavenly Father knows who we are, and what we are capable of. He sees our eternal potential, even when we don't. Often, as imperfect beings, we have a tendency to look back at the difficult plains we have already crossed and say "Oh, well done. Here I can rest a while, here I can stay." What we don't always realize is that right on the other side of the next mountain range, the Lord has prepared a Zion for us. While it may be true that the valley we have ended up in has taken seasons and seasons of perseverance and faith to enter into, the Lord knows that we have more strength than we may realize, and has given us goals that He knows we can reach-even when we think we have been pushed to the point of breaking. We are stronger than we realize. We are infinitely more glorious than we could ever imagine. Marianne Williamson once made this statement that has stuck with me for years now: "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 does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." As I watched this clip and reminisced on this quote, I asked myself whether or not I was truly living up to my divine potential, or if I was selling my self short because I was too contented with what I had already accomplished, or perhaps because I don't recognize or want to recognize what I am capable of. It's an interesting thought, really, to consider that perhaps the reason we don't always achieve as much as we can is because we are scared to realize our full potentials. By opening our eyes to them, it makes us responsible to honor them. That's a scary thought. It's easy to wonder if we will fall short of our dreams and goals and end up disgraced and dirtied up, with scraped knees and a bruised ego. I think about that nearly everyday of my life. But we must not let our fear paralyze us in a static state which undermines our divine heritage and infinite potential. What the coach states in the video clip echoes from our Father in Heaven; "You promised me your best." And we did. Before we came to this life we vowed to do all we could to be righteous and obedient, and to live in ways that would help us to achieve amazing things and thereby bring glory to our Father. In return for this output of effort, which is remarkably small in comparison, He promised us infinite and eternal glory. Who are we to spit upon that promise and live below what we are capable of? Who are we to say the Lord's most "wonderfully and fearfully made"creations cannot achieve what He asks of us? Why would we ever settle for mediocrity when being marvelous is an option? We promised Him our best. That was our end of the deal, and we have a sacred duty to fulfill it.
Now something important I want to touch on here is that we promised our best. Not someone else's best. It is well known that we have all been given different gifts and talents to bless the lives of others; yet all too often I think we find ourselves demeaning and neglecting what we have because we long after those skills that our fellow men possess. In doing this, we undermine our divine self-worth. God did not create a lesser people. You are no less marvelous than anyone else, and it is not necessary or desirable to think so just because you excel in something different than everyone else. We will not always be masters of all we attempt, that is why we have been given one another to lean on. We must not compare what we personally are able to do with what someone else can do. Why? Because we did not promise to do Sally's or Henry's or Johnny's best. We promised to do ours. And that is all He asks. That is good enough for Him. Sometimes our best may be a breath-taking sprint, other times it may be a slow and painful crawl. It is like the tale of the widow's mite; it is not the quantity of what we offer Him, but the quality. If some days our honest level best is to merely struggle to not be drowned in the flood of overwhelming odds, then that is your best and He will accept it. As long as we are always striving to honor our internal strength and infinite potential that He has given us, He will be proud of us. I know that is true. God does not judge as man does. He knows our hearts, and does not merely look on outward manifestations. I am so grateful for a loving and understanding Heavenly Father who expects the best out of us, but understands that sometimes ou best may seem small and insignificant. He truly is wonderful. Live up to your potential. Fulfill your dreams. You are capable of feats wildly more difficult than you can comprehend, and likewise, you are capable of becoming someone more glorious than you could even dream of. Don't sell yourself short. You promised Him your best.

God be with you till we meet again,
Alyssa