Fall Seven Times, Stand Up Eight

I hope you all learned as much as I did from the last post, by Momma Stook.

I'm telling you, I have the most AMAZING MOTHER ON THE PLANET. 
She just has this way of inspiring everyone she talks to. 
I know her story and example has touched many people.  
I hope it has stood out to you also. 
If you missed last weeks post by her, click 

Mom's Post
to read up and don't forget to share, by copy and pasting the link above. 
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For feedback shoot me an email at madison.stucki@myldsmail.net

I would love to hear your comments you have about past postings, hear
your stories, share inspiration or thoughts, as well as answer questions you may have about past blogs, The Plan of Salvation, The Gospel of Christ, The "Mormon" Church, Eternal families and Missionary work.  I try my best to respond to all emails and comments within eight days.

This past week was my ONE YEAR MARK of serving as a Missionary. Only six months left to go. We did lots of service this week. My companion has her nail license...like she does nails... So we went to D.'s house for Preparation day and gel polished all of our nails. It was quite fun actually. We got to meet her family and my nails look awesome. We also got a wreath to hang on our door from a member this week. Which is exciting!!! We also got Christmas lights for our apartment and started lighting up the tree and candles. Yay for Christmas. 19 days until Skype time :)

I’M SO EXCITED. 
We are going to the G. home to Skype at one o clock our time. Which means... Eleven’ish your time. 

We also had a Big Mission training this week on Charity and Love.
Maybe I will formulate it into a future Blog post because it was really
quite good and I know y'all wanna hear what the Riggs have to say
about CHARITY & love (#AMIRIGHT?)

Little Miss Sister Rossi was there! It was great to see her, can you believe she's already been out six months! (Mind. Blown.) Like remember her first day in the mission field? Remember when I trai(hazed)ned her? Whaaaat.

this must be what getting old feels like...

We went to a different church to do service this week and there was this guy there named S. who was in charge of the whole service project. Super funny guy. And he taught us all the "Santa Claus Song" for Christmas. I thought it was hilarious.  So let me virtually sing it to you....

"Ho, ho, ho, hosanna

Ha, ha, hallelujah

He, he, he, he saved me

I have the joy of The Lord,"

??
Deuces

So anyway... as of lately, giving advice to other people seems to resolve my own concerns. And bearing testimony to others, seems to strengthen myself more abundantly. Maybe this has always been the case for humanity. But this week I've felt the power behind sharing. Sharing thoughts, feelings, beliefs. Sharing a part of yourself with another, seems to take you beyond yourself and allow your own soul to expand.

We should all do it more often.

It seems lately things I've been concerned about, or maybe reluctant
to understand, have been proposed to me by others. I've seen my own
concerns in the lives of those around me.  It's interesting having
questions, or concerns arise, that seem to be exactly how you've been
feeling. It's funny, really. How God answers our prayers. Or maybe the
prayers of another. So that we may all learn together, grow together,
become together.

This past week my friend "Cary" we will call him (for privacy sake, we
won't use his real name), an older gentlemen proposed a question. Or I
suppose it may be considered more of a statement. As we were discussing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, discussing the Mormon faith and simply discussing in general, he stopped and said,

"I'm not good enough to be like you folks."

WHHHAAAAATTT?????????

He must not know very many people like me then…
LOLOL,
But really.

That phrase has been on my mind ever since! It's stuck with me. As he
formed the words “I'm not good enough“ My immediate reaction was "OF
COURSE YOU ARE!" But by the time he finished his sentence "I'm not
good enough" I heard My own voice, in My own mind, telling ME the
same exact thing.

I'm not good enough.

It was more of a flashback statement. Not necessarily a current agreement, with Cary. I feel like personally I have let that phrase define many insignificant aspects of my life. 

Like the time I wanted to try out for a school sport… 
but saw the other girls playing and thought to myself 
"I'm not good enough" 

or

when I had a crush on that boy in high school…
but he had a thing for my gorgeous friend and I thought 
"I'm not good enough" 

or 

when I wanted to get a scholarship to go to my favorite college…
but the kid sitting next to me had a 4.0 GPA and 32 ACT score 
so I convinced myself  "I'm not good enough" 

or 

even the day I met MY trainer and saw the kind of missionary she was…
and thought heeeccckkkk no. 
"I'm not good enough!"

AND THEN

..I settled.

So what? 
We settle for what is adequate? 
We become just mediocre?
Naw, girl.

Can we drop this whole I'm not good enough thing? 
And just go for it?

You have no idea how Grateful I am I let go of the "I'm not good enough" slogan and came out on a mission. Even though I continually find things I need to improve on, and people that are way more qualified for this than I am. I'm grateful I've given it a shot, stuck it out. I've learned so much, more then ever, and I've learned so much about myself as well.

I can remember countless moments in my life, countless self reflections, countless prayers where I've cried out "I'm not good enough!" "Forget it Mom, Dad, Heavenly Father, I'm done." Without regard to what anyone has to say about the matter. How silly it is to go to a parent for advice only to say NEVER MIND I’M SETTLING. I'm not good enough. And even more so, to go to your Father in Heaven in prayer, on your knees, seeking for answers, only to be closed minded, closed hearted and declare "I'm done trying!"

When Cary voiced that sentence "I'm not good enough" flashbacks throughout my lifetime popped into my head. All the times both minute and HUGELY IMPORTANT, where I have convinced myself I'm not good enough to even try.

I feel like God was just pushing the replay button on all his many recordings of me stubbornly telling him I'm done trying. For a split second talking to Cary, I felt like I was talking to myself. And I realized, for myself, I'm not done trying. I'm not inadequate. I'm not mediocre. I'm definitely not settling, and I truly am "good enough."

Let me explain.

Our God has given us a way to make it past
ADEQUATE
and
MEDIOCRE
and
Settling
and
"I'm not good enough"

Our God didn't send us here to conform to mediocracy. He most certainly didn't send us here to fail. To be tested and tried? Why yes. But to fail? Absolutely not. He set high expectations because he wants us to do good and to be good. To become someone, to become something more.

And sometimes that's a daunting task.

But our God has provided us A WAY to be good enough.

"Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how
can we know the WAY? ...Jesus saith unto him, I AM THE WAY, the truth,
and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." -John 14:4-6

JESUS CHRIST
is the WAY
The truth
The life
And may I add
'The gift'

The Gift
{see video clip}

The Gift from God.
To provide us a WAY
To be good enough.
And eventually, even more than that.

We all make mistakes. We all mess up. Seriously, reflect on the past week and I'm sure several moments will pop into your mind of instances you wish you could redo or take back. Whether they be big or small, we are all imperfect. We all can do better. But does this mean we are not good enough? Absolutely not. We are good enough, we just have a ways to go. And there's nothing "wrong" with that. It's improvement.

THIS GOSPEL IS 
THE GOSPEL OF CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT AND PROGRESSION
(I'm pretty sure Elder Holland said this to President Riggs one time or
something anyway..)

The best part about the Gospel of Christ is there isn't this set bar that qualifies us to be "good enough" rather, the gospel of Christ is personal and tailored to each of our individual needs. What is my best and what is your best is completely different. What you struggle with and what I struggle with are completely different. My strengths and your strengths are completely different. Thus, making it illogical to set a bar of "good enough" that is the exact same. We have different bars, different categories, different strengths and weaknesses, and our God has provided us a way that is personal to each of us individually.

A Savior,

He is the gift.
He is the way the light the truth

As we turn to the Savior and rely on him to give us strength, to help us change and become, we are good enough. And better than good enough.
Because with him we are continually improving. Toward becoming a Christlike person, a true Christian, a follower of him that is perfect. That is our goal.

Will we ever reach perfection here?

Oh heavens no.
Look at me?
I'm a mess!
But I'm trying

I feel we are all in a relatively similar conundrum,
Can I get an amen?

"We labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." 2 Nephi 25:23

Do what you can,
Control what you can,
Try your best,
Give your best effort.

God knows that you are trying. He knows that you're giving it your all. He knows when you feel like you simply aren't good enough. And he's provided a way for us, when we feel like we just can't do anymore, can't press on, aren't good enough, to be lifted up by the grace of Christ and carried on.

We are here to try
Not to fail
Sometimes we slip up
Or get discouraged

But Ya know what they say..
Fall seven times
Stand up eight

Don't fall and stay fallen
Not when you have The Lord on your side!

Some of my favorite empowering scriptures are in Peter. One in particular says,

"The trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that 

perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and 

honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, 

ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 1 Peter 1:7-8

The trial of your faith is more precious than gold
Imagine that?

Fall seven times
Stand up eight

Try, and try again.

He's there to pick you back up
He is the gift of God to all those who love and believe in his name
Turn to HIM

"...for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall."

2 Peter 1:10

You're good enough.
Fall seven times, stand up eight.

(Love You More!)
S. Stucki
(December 8, 2014)
P.S. Who's down to read a blog post from Daddy Stook? 
Can I get a head count? ;)