"How do you feel? Saint-like...Come again...Saint-like. I'm holy..."

So there's a quote that my mom keeps up on the front of our fridge:


"Why were the saints saints? Because they were cheerful when it was difficult to be cheerful, patient when it was difficult to be patient; and because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still, and kept silent when they wanted to talk, and were agreeable when they wanted to be disagreeable.
That was all. It was quite simple and always will be. "


...and for some reason it just really struck me today. I look at the overwhelming difficulty that the early saints encountered and there is no way that I ever could have done that. And then I realize that I'm a latter-day saint and was like, how could I possibly deserve that title when compared to them and what they went through. But looking at this quote it's not all about what kinds of trials you encounter or what difficult circumstances you're in, it's about how you choose to react to them. And I think that's important to remember. We just need to do our best with what is given us. So the next time your little brother (or sister, or really anyone for that matter) is being the most irritating human being on the face of the planet, try and have a tad more patience  (I know, that's a lot to ask) . And when you feel like you've hit a wall, don't give up, just keep pushing a little longer. Sometimes I know that's really hard for me. Many times I just want to throw the towel in, just say "That's it. I'm done. I quit". But I find it's always more rewarding in the end to wait just a little bit longer, to pray a little bit harder, and to never give up. This reminds me of another of my favorite quotes:
"The simple secret is this: put your trust in the Lord, do your best, then leave the rest to Him."
--Joseph B. Wirthlin
When you have done all that you can, He will ALWAYS make up the difference. He will never ever leave you hanging. You can always count on him.


(I think I'll save being cheerful and keeping silent for posts in the future...far too much to talk about there :P)
So...the last part of the quote is what really gets me. The word simple. I mean, sure, it sounds simple enough, but it's not that easy to always be cheerful and patient and agreeable. Especially those days when you want to just curl up in a corner and die. But I think that as I try really hard and think about these saintly traits more, that I might have less of those curl-up-and-die days. I guess we'll see...wish me luck!