To My "Little" Sister

Not sure who is going to eat that?

 We have awesome members who make special 

Valentine's Dinners for us

Did I mention... it snows here?

Yes, in fact... I do have one sister. And I believe it's only fair that I balance the post about little brothers with this one. Right?

To be honest I have not had much time to write these whole blog post letters lately. This entire transfer has been packed with meetings and extra responsibilities.  On top of the fact that Sister Eddy leaves soon so there is a lot of prepping, interviews, signing up for college classes, etc. 

WE HAVE BEEN SO BUSY.

So a lot of this is just things on my mind.  Maybe not the most important... but definitely not the least either. I think it's all good things to talk about. Hopefully I can relate some of the sweet experiences we have had this past week along with these thoughts.

Here's the thing girl...
I don't actually know much about being "girly."

I must have missed the day they were handing out compassion and charity and sweet and kind, caring, and lovable human traits in the pre-earth life. (Sorry) But there are a couple things that I think are important for all girls despite your personality or talents. That you need to know and understand. Beginning with this powerhouse quote by Elaine S. Dalton.

"She understood who she was and whose she was."

So who are you? 
Whose are you? 
Why is this even relative?


1. You are a daughter of God! 

"Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking. You are meant to shine. You were born to make manifest the glory of God within you." 
(Marianne Williamson)

You have SO much potential.  Literally to be anything you want to be. So who DO you want to be? I think it's important to decide... NOW!  Not only are you a daughter of God, but you are a select daughter of God that actually HAS that knowledge of how important you are and how much he loves you. 

Isn't that special? 
Do you prize that? 
Do you think about how blessed you are?

It is crucial that we create that relationship with God. That we love him, rely on him, and trust him. To guide us, direct us and strengthen us. We have a lot of potential...  with God. With God we have all the potential in the world. He can shape us and mold us into something greater than we imagined alone.

Kind of like Peter and his story. He thought his potential was to be a fisherman.
Until the Lord showed him the greatness he had within him and he became a 'fisher of man' or an apostle of the lord Jesus Christ, an advocate for good, a Worldwide leader.

Sometimes I think I, like Peter, have come to realize a greater potential I have.  With the help of the Lord. Serving a mission for example was never in MY immediate plans. I actually quite prided myself in the fact that I was not expected to serve a mission. In fact nobody expected that I would ever serve a mission at all! Well no mortal human I suppose. I was simply -  distracted for a long time.  Until I realized the Lords potential and expectation for me. And with his help HERE I AM. I never would have expected to be a missionary.  I still wonder what on earth and HOW on earth I'm still out here. Only with the Lords help for sure.

You have potential.
Let the Lord guide you and influence that potential. Build that relationship with him and let him change you. That's something we all need to be a little better at.

Along with potential is our priorities. We need to know what our priorities are long before we make choices regarding them. What are your priorities? I think I decided deep within myself long, long ago that I knew God lives and that the gospel was important to me. I also knew families were a HUGE PART of Gods plan for us. Within myself I decided those two things were a priority to me. A temple marriage was (and is) something that has always (and will always) be my goal and priority. I made that choice long ago.  By doing so it has helped me keep "my eye on the prize." 

If we set priorities ahead of time choices will be much easier for us to make. When choices come our way that may take us away from our ultimate goal we can know with a surety which choice to make. Choices between who we choose to date, who we choose to spend our time with, where we go to school, what kind of career we will pursue, the things we spend the most time doing. It helps us to turn down things that are of no worth to us and can destroy our faith and confidence. It makes decisions easier throughout high school and early stages of adulthood between what we know is right and what we know is wrong.

Prioritize your life. What is important to you? What are your goals?

Don't worry about temporary and unimportant things. It's okay to stay in on a weekend night and hangout with your parents instead of staying our all night partying and getting into trouble with a bunch of teenagers. Most likely they will be ruining their track record as well as disturbing their eternal consequences. 
Blah, just ignore it.

Always remember being well educated and refined > acting like you are oblivious and dumb.

I feel like with being a girl it seems to be trendy to have lots of attention, especially from boys I might add. Be careful not to attract the wrong attention. I'm sure you have heard this before. Don't believe: dumb, oblivious, weak, skanky, obnoxious, looked down upon, immature, or "easy." It would be an honor to be described as elegant, respected, knowledgeable, confident, mature, pretty, strong and looked up to. Sometimes you won't be the most popular or the most talked about. You might not get the most "likes on Instagram" or the most "talked about amongst boys." Quite frankly...  you are better off that way. If the attention you're getting is for the wrong reasons you will fall into a trap of worldliness. 

Only date boys who give you the correct form of attention as well. Ones that have similar attributes. Respectful, courteous, kind, smart, confident, and mature. Don't waste your time worrying about things that have no eternal purpose. Don't cry over anything that isn't worth your time. THIS IS A HARD THING TO DO.  But honestly, the whole world doesn't need to know your life, and your life doesn't need to be all about the world. There is no lasting joy in it. Worry about you, trusting the Lords plan and the Lords timing. Look for somebody who treats you with the respect you deserve and has he same priorities and goals in mind.

I wish I would have spent more time worrying about my education rather than socialization. I think there is a fine balance however.  Find that balance early on in life. Remember you are beautiful and that people need to understand that you are confident and educated not willing to lower your standards for anything.

I was reading about Moral Relativism this week because My companion was signing up for college classes at the Rothermel's so I had a solid two hours of laying on their couch reading Ensign articles. I came across a topic of high interest... in my brain. 

MORAL RELATIVISM

 Hmm what's that, right?

The Ensign article describes this philosophy as follows: "When it comes to moral issues there are no universally objective right or wrong answers, no inappropriate or appropriate judgments, and no reasonable or rational ways by which to make moral distinctions that apply in every time, in every place, and to every person."

It went on to talk about how we see this on popular media ALL THE TIME. It is applied through popularity and peer pressure. The idea is to BREAK FREE. Old rules are non existent. Do what's right for you. 'There is no accountability beyond what man's laws or public disapproval impose on those who are caught." Behind such ideas is the assumption that there is no God or, if there is, He has given no commandments that apply to us today.

Ah... this is not true. Don't use justification. There IS a God. He DOES give us commandments. These commandments help us find lasting joy, discover that for yourself. There is a scripture that states that "every blessing is predicated on obedience to a commandment." Blessings come from obeying God. Learn that. Don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. Don't justify. Don't over think. Use the gospel. And stand up for it.

"In this day of moral relativism we must be prepared to take a stand and say, 'This is right, and this is wrong.' We can not follow the crowd! Now, I am not suggesting, of course, that we move to the wilderness and lock our doors. We can be in the world, go to school, go to work, join worthwhile community organizations, and so forth. But we must hold to the Lord's standards."

This is our job. All of us. But think about it, think about your potential. The Lord needs YOU. The Lord continues to rely on women of our day to stand as a witness of him. The question is will you be one of those women?

Don't follow the crowd.  Be abstract. Be obscure. Be Cool. But remember this..

"Women of God can never be

like women of the world. The

world has enough women

who are tough; we need

women who are tender. There

are enough women who are

coarse; we need women who

are kind. There are enough

women who are rude; we

need women who are refined.

We have enough women of

fame and fortune; we need

more women of faith. We

have enough greed; we need

more goodness. We have

enough vanity; we need more

virtue. We have enough

popularity; We need more 

purity."

-Sister Margaret Nadauld

I think there is this completely irrational stereotype that in order to be "cool" or "different" we need to be disobedient to God. To "rebel." Or even to simply be "morally relative" by thinking that really there is no universally objective right or wrong answers, by which to make moral distinctions. 

Which is, not true. 

It took me quite a good time to understand I can still be...

MYSELF

I can still be different or unique, while obeying the commandments of God. And I think this is something important to understand. The gospel isn't constraining, it's a help. If we think commandments, or the gospel limit us or constrain us, we do not have a clear vision and do not understand, by which we need to ask more questions and learn and discover.
REMEMBER THIS.


I had an interview with President Riggs this week. He always seems to start by asking if I have any questions or concerns I want to ask about. We talked about some things and I got up to leave but before I left he turned around and said "I like your style."

The word "Style" immediately associates itself with clothes, so I was borderline confused.

But he went on to say
"YOUR LIFESTYLE."

"I really like your approach to life.
You talk fast.
You think fast.
You have a unique style. 
A different approach to life.
You're not just what you would think is...
An average Mormon lifestyle.
I think your cool"

(Ya... he said COOL, and then stopped himself and repeated it. Lololol.)

"And yet, You are a strong advocate of Jesus Christ."


So... Again.
Is it impossible to be obedient and still yourself?
To express yourself!
To be different?
To be a leader?

Don't get down on yourself. Keep you're head up. Rely on the gospel. Do good things. Don't get distracted. Don't let the world block you from your ultimate potential and priorities. Be a leader and be a strong advocate of Jesus Christ at all times in all places.

I worry about you all the time 
because it's hard
(Life)
But I know you can make it.

Remember it doesn't stop with one day, one choice.
Look at the last day of your life and decide who do you want to become by that day.


So who are you? 
Whose are you? 
Why is this even relative?

Answer that yourself babe
Love you 😘
Sister Madison Paige Stucki

March 16, 2015
Sent from my iPad