With a heavy sigh, Kelly dropped the phone from ear to leg and let it barely hang from limp fingers as shoulders slumped back into six inches of engulfing chair cushion. Sure that life was over, the room seemed to darken around wide eyes and close in. There was no desire to face spouse or children. As comforting and supportive as they'd been they would be too disappointed now. Having sunk so far below the surface, it wasn't even in view -not even sure which way was up anymore. How could this have happened when just a short time ago, there had been such promise, such hope; now nothing but despair and humiliation!
Hi, I'm Kelly Strong. Kind of ironic, isn't it? The name, I mean. That was me just a few short months ago. You see, what I didn't know then was that even in those dark, heavy hours, I had the ability to pull myself from that abyss, cultivate the light within me by my creator and create a brighter today. The seed was inside me, between my ears; thought.
Sadly, I had constructed that moment one small, but powerful thought at a time. I had done it by the mismanagement of my thoughts. Shortly after that experience, I learned to govern my mind with intelligence and work my thoughts to a fruitful end. A whole new world full of hope and possibilities came to view as I broke the surface into the sunlight.
What got me to that state didn't change over night, but with practice actions followed and with every step, hope strengthened and confidence grew. I discovered that as the lord of my own thoughts, no matter my situation, I am the creator of my destiny. I can foolishly govern my thoughts and experience degradation and despair or wisely administer the design of a worthwhile and fulfilling dream.
James Allen in, As a Man Thinketh says, "Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armoury of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace." He adds that with the proper application of the principles of thought, we either ascend to great heights or by abuse and wrong application, we descend to hopelessness. All the degrees of character are found between those two extremes. Most importantly, we are the maker and master.
Struggles seem to come at various unexpected times in our lives. We can't predict their appearance, but we can choose how we handle them. Steven Covey proposes we take a moment between the event and our reaction to purposefully create our response. Not only does this suggest a wise course of action, it also establishes our ability to choose to make a difference.
"It is often in the trial of adversity that we learn those most critical lessons that form our character and shape our destiny.", Dieter F. Uchtdorf
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