I LOVE to learn!!!

So, today was very much a learning day. I love to learn! (It is one of my top 5 strengths, #3 in fact.) Here are some of the highlights:

• i like to interview people!!! :)
• a major (if not THE major) reason i love international work is because of the gospel
• more of the inner workings of the government and its programs overseas
• it could be worse
• how to load hole punched paper in the copy machine
• relax, be nice, calm down, be happy, help someone else, don't worry, let go (at least i'm starting to learn the beginnings of these things sort of)
• how to commemorate Ash Wednesday
• "initial stress derivation" (how verbs become nouns or vice versa or something) :)
• exercise is great!
• i need to be more like King Lamoni's father...and Ammon and Muloki
• there was a stabbing at my metro stop apparently between the times I was there in the last 24 hours?
• i think i love the Northwest
• life is what we choose it to be every day and moment
• the best inspiration comes while walking down the sidewalk :)

"Pondering often precedes contentment." :)

- Elder Maxwell

I have been thinking a lot lately about contentment, direction, discipleship, mission, purpose, priorities, and being in the world but not of the world. I think the interesting thing about contentment is that we should be happy--that's the goal of life: JOY!, but we won't always be comfortable all the time. In order to grow and progress we will have to struggle some to repent and change. We can't just be content with life or we would never push ourselves to be better or make the world a better place.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell talks so much about discipleship and teaches so many important principles on this subject. I especially LOVE this talk he gave in April 2000: Content with the Things Allotted unto Us. It is filled with a lot of the answers I needed today. Be sure to read it! :)

Here are a few other neat ones by Elder Maxwell:

• The Tugs and Pulls of the World
• Plow in Hope
• Encircled in the Arms of His Love
• Consecrate Thy Performance
• Repent of [Our] Selfishness

These thoughts tie into other principles I've been pondering this weekend--faith, putting off the natural man and selfishness and being better (Mosiah 3:19), pressing forward and letting God guide our steps, and keeping the commandments. Here is another neat talk about following the Spirit: The Twenty-Mark Note

"Learn to love living the gospel!" - Elder Bednar