Will your heart's desire truly make you happy?

In our quiet moments, we finally have time to unwind and think about anything. What is the first thing you dwell on? Food, pleasure, toys, games, etc. Maybe never-ending challenges, or today's accomplishments. What you choose to ponder the most, is your heart's desire.

Our minds are creative and resourceful, it is normal for any strange thought to pop in. It is up to us to sift through our stream of mental media and dwell on what helps us find true joy and peace.

Sometimes we fall into a downward spiral of self-doubt and blame for hurting ourselves or others. Instead, focus on what you learned from your challenges, and move forward. Try to fix the damage you caused. Sincerely ask for God's forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ. He will forgive you.

I remember a time when I felt I was going nowhere. A life of many distractions that never returned true happiness. After a few years of wandering, I humbled myself before God and repented. I finally let Christ take the burden I had been carrying for many years. A heavy weight was lifted and my heart was filled. One week later, a new opportunity arose that eventually led me to my family today.

When alone with your thoughts, where does your mental compass point? Do you berate others or yourself? Negativity only digs a hole of hate and depression. Take the high road by learning empathy from challenges and being grateful for what good you have in your life. You will start filling in that hole.

Ask your Father in Heaven for help. Do it today. Do it daily. Be good to yourself and others. Rid yourself of negative distractions and self-imposed emotional shackles. If you fall, rise, and try again. This is what life is all about, learning from our trials. Christ already paid for our sins, we only have to ask for forgiveness. It is never too late to be a better you!

Once you feel better before your Father in Heaven, you have made a mighty change of heart. No matter how small you may feel at times. You have humbled and filled your heart with good intent; that is the greatest gift you can give Him. He will in turn give you the righteous desires of your heart. He did for me, and He will for you.

Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

God never withholds from His child that which His love and wisdom call good. God's refusals are always merciful - "severe mercies" at times but mercies all the same. God never denies us our heart's desire except to give us something better.

It is a wonder I made it this far. Pretty sure my guardian angels had their hands full with me.

Back in 6th grade, my family went on a road trip around Georgia. At Stone Mountain, we stopped at a picnic area near the base of the mountain. My sister and I told our parents we were going for a short hike up a nearby trail. After a while, my sister decided to bail. I promised to return after my "small" mountain hike. I had no clue how big it was, I just wanted to climb it.

Figured the straight-up route was the quickest way. Ignoring the increasingly dangerous terrain or warning signs, I made my own path up the mountain. I climbed many trees in my eleven years, so no biggie I thought.

During my ascent, I spotted an occasional forest ranger jeep with flashing lights, but played hide-and-seek to avoid getting busted. Eventually, the dirt roads were far below me. Hours passed. This stone was bigger than I expected.

Finally, the summit was in sight. The vertical challenge was much harder now. A few times I got stuck, barely holding on. I spied some people already at the top. If they could make it, so could I. As I got closer I noticed an elderly person in a wheelchair and little kids. "How did they get up here? Maybe a helicopter." I thought. As I climbed over the guardrail at the top, I couldn't believe it - there was a paved road! That would have been way easier. I ran 2.5 miles down the mountain in a fraction of the time it took to climb up.

Six hours after I left, I found the ranger jeep and two police cars at our picnic area. Hugged my worried family and faced the music. Everybody was happy to see me. Nobody was happy that I made it to the top. I was, but at what cost? To reach my goal, I caused my family and local authorities unnecessary worry and work. As a parent, I realize now how heart-wrenching that was for my family.

Life sometimes resembles my climb. Overlooking the big picture can be a waste of time and risky, much like passing a car at the top of a hill. Going it alone, without support, left me hanging in challenging moments, quite literally. Choosing the right path would have ensured reaching the summit without getting stuck or hiding from what I knew was wrong. Even though I made it, my family paid the price. It would have been better to be with my family at the summit.

Likewise, taking the road paved by Jesus Christ will lead us up to Heaven. He paid the price for our sins. This time, I pray my family will be there too.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Life's a bit like mountaineering — never look down.

Flying symbolizes freedom. Allow Christ to set you free.

My dad took me flying in a glider when I was young. We were towed by a powerful plane, and when we reached the clouds, we let go. Only the sound of wind rushed by as we slowly traversed back down.

The closest thing to flying solo for me was gymnastics. Sailing high through the air using apparatus. Or defying gravity with long tumbling passes. I gained so much momentum my hands and feet barely touched the ground. By the final tumbling skill, it felt like I was floating.

However, my favorite flying was not even real. Drug-free self-meditation. I could visualize in my mind's eye the tops of trees or water as I flew overhead. Able to zoom in or out with a thought. Not real locations, but way better than VR.

Each approach had one thing in common, a weightless feeling of freedom. I could traverse places without the burden of gravity. And so it is with the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The ultimate sacrifice and gift to us. Christ paid for all our sins. After our sincere repentance to God, Christ will petition God in our stead. Our burden is lifted and our sin is erased. We are free again.

Like the glider, sometimes in life, we have our heads so far in the clouds that we lose our way. After sincere repentance to God, we need to confess and forsake our sins by letting them go.

Like the gymnast, after forsaking sin, we need focused self-control to jump over old temptations. As we gain momentum from daily repentance and restitution, our burden will start to feel lighter. Sailing past previous stumbling blocks without a second thought.

Like meditation, humbly accept Christ's Atonement in mind and heart. Allow Him to take our burden and carry us home.

To accept Christ's Atonement, let remorse and self-blame go. Forgive yourself, this is important. Christ knows what you did and with love paid for your mistakes so you can start clean. You will feel your burden of guilt lifted. You will feel light as a feather. Like you can fly anywhere with your face towards God. It is as close to heaven as I have ever felt.

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders, or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God. Now if it is lying on your back, you are lost; but if it is resting on Christ, you are free, and you will be saved. Now choose what you want.

Creativity is an iterative process. Making it better with each round. And so it is with us. Learn and grow step by step. Sometimes we lose our way. Christ's Atonement is our quickest way back.

The creative process for my job is a simple three-step approach.

1. Concept & Research - Research the concept direction. Clarify expectations and solutions.
2. Foundation & Test - Focus on testing foundational iterations before refining elements. Or revert to step 1.
3. Refine & Test - Refine detail iterations to be better than expected.

Two of the three steps have testing iterations to allow for realignment toward the initial goals.

Our life is a creative process. Similar to learning how to walk or ride a bike. We watch and learn from others. When our will is stronger than fear, we try one step. Fall, then back to learning and testing balance. After traveling a straight line, we refine and test the technique at higher speeds safely. With help from our parents, we reach our goals even faster.

Our path back to Heaven is also a creative process. Life choices can be wonderfully rewarding, or not so great. Research ideas with due diligence, and listen prayerfully to Heavenly Father for peaceful promptings. After you feel confirmation, get busy building a strong foundation based on what is good before God, then man. Learn from your mistakes, iterate, and keep moving forward.

While testing ideas, you may fall hard and feel defeated. It happens to everyone. Jesus Christ already paid the law of justice for your mistakes. To realign, sincerely ask God's forgiveness in Jesus Christ's name.

The hard part is forgiving yourself and being willing to allow Christ's Atonement to release your burden. It is time to let it go and forgive others. Review your current direction. Does your path help or hurt you and others? Iterate the foundations of your life until you again feel peace. Change friends, habits, and distractions. Keep going. You will hurdle temptations you tripped over before. You will find inspiration and strength to reach your goals.

The creative process is an expected iterative process. Each time you refine and realign yourself through the Atonement of Christ, you are one step closer to Heaven. Despite the world, you were born to be great. Let God and Christ help you get there.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.

Each of us will taste the bitter ashes of life, from sin and neglect to sorrow and disappointment. But the Atonement of Christ can lift us up in beauty from our ashes on the wings of a sure promise of immortality and eternal life. He will thus lift us up, not only at the end of life, but in each day of our lives.

To many, the story of Jesus is either a holiday recital or something they read about at Church. It was so long ago, how can I relate to it now?

How do I make religion REAL? Well, you don't ask for signs from God to cultivate your faith in Him. That's like asking for exam answers from your teacher without studying. You must learn to feel His spirit touch your heart and become aware of His hand in your life. Then you will start to feel Him and your spiritual eyes will open. You will see how God's hand guided you to make that right choice. You will see how He protected you from harm. You will see how He helped you find a new job. You will see how He blessed you with a new friend. You will see how He helped you find your keys. You will see how He helped you find your lost pet. You will see how He helped you find your lost child. You will see how He helped you find your lost faith.

A simple way to feel His spirit is to pray to God directly, with real intent. He wants you to talk to Him. First, find a quiet place. Humble yourself before the Almighty God of the Universe, who also is your loving Heavenly Father. Call to Him reverently. Second, take a few minutes to thank Him for the good in your life. Third, ask Him to forgive your sins... take some time to SINCERELY revisit what you are asking Him to forgive. He will. And last, end in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen to have your petition recorded in Heaven. Christ is our loving ADVOCATE between God and man. He not only paid the price for ALL our sins but will plead our petitions to God.

Your humble prayer will start a wonderful transformation. You showed belief in God by opening your heart to Him. That is Faith.

He knows you made mistakes, and will make more. We all do. We are our worst critic, but He is our biggest fan. If you pray long enough each time, you will feel His spirit of peace and joy fill your mind and body. If you are obsessing over a previous sin, ALLOW Christ's Atonement to take the burden from you. Then forgive yourself! Like a light in the dark, the heaviness of sin is lifted. You are free. You will stand straighter and smile more. Okay, sounds cheesy and conformist. The difference is, this relationship is just between you and God. Why not have more peace and joy in your life? Congratulations, feeling His spirit directly is the first step to making religion real in your life!

Begin to read your scriptures and ask God more questions. Who am I? Is there more to life than just what I see? Continue to think plainly and with reverence about what you are learning. Don't get hung up on religious jargon... ponder it until it makes sense. After reading the scriptures, you will start to fill in the blanks on what religion is guiding you to do. Be excellent to each other and in turn, find true peace and happiness. Pretty simple stuff, but not always easy. Following Divine inspiration is the second step to making religion real in your life. He will not make all your decisions. Like learning to ride a bike, He will be near when you need help. You don't always see it in the moment, but you WILL in prayerful reflection. You will see His hand in your life. You will see how He helped you find your lost self. You are born a child of God and He loves you.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

We all depend on the Savior; none of us can be saved without Him. Christ’s Atonement is infinite and eternal. Forgiveness for our sins comes with conditions. We must repent, and we must be willing to forgive others... Remember, heaven is filled with those who have this in common: They are forgiven. And they forgive. Lay your burden at the Savior’s feet. Let go of judgment. Allow Christ’s Atonement to change and heal your heart. Love one another. Forgive one another. The merciful will obtain mercy.