Check It Out!

If you look directly to your right, you'll see there's a new Pages section for my blog! Right under Home, there's a link called "The Fray." This link will take you to a page all about the band who helped inspire me to write this blog. Check it out, have a blast!

Still

Be still and know that I'm with you

Be still and know that I am here

Be still and know that I'm with you

Be still, be still, and know

When darkness comes for you

And covers you with fear and shame

Be still and know that I'm with you

And I will say your name

If terror falls upon your bed

And sleep no longer comes

Remember all the words I said

Be still, be still, and know

And when you go through the valley

And the shadow comes down from the hill

If morning never comes to be

Be still, be still, be still

If you forget the way to go

And lose where you came from

If no one is standing beside you

Be still and know I am

Be still and know that I'm with you

Be still and know I am

These beautiful lyrics are from The Fray's song "Be Still." When I first listened to it, I was struck by how much the words sounded like God's. Like Jesus Christ's. And I think they are. 

Whenever I need a moment of comfort or quiet strength, or merely a reminder that I am never alone, I turn to this song.

Maybe these reverent words will bring you peace, too.

Pour Moi?

In all my blogging existence, I never expected to be the recipient of a blogging award.

Well, one of my dear friends and fellow-bloggers awarded me the "Liebster Award." It's a pass-along award given to small blogs with fewer than 200 followers. Psh. Yeah. Like I'm even close to that. Even so, I am honored to receive this.

My friend who gave me this wonderful honor is Rachel from There and Back Again, an absolutely marvelous blog where I am constantly awed and inspired. I love how she writes all about life and the hope we can find in it. Plus, she makes it totally relatable and fun. Definitely a blog worth checking out!

The really cool--and also slightly daunting--part of this award is passing it along. Most of the blogs I follow have already or recently been given the Liebster--except for one, and that one truly deserves it:

• Jessica, from Mess of Jess, hooks people in with her easy, pure style. It's about her. Not in the prideful, look-at-me-and-my-fabulous-life about her, but the this-is-me, I'm-real kind. Jess writes of life's simple joys and true experiences. I love how she gives personal detail and touch, helping readers feel like they know her. Also, there's no fluff; she gets to the point and makes it beautifully. 

Go check these blogs out! Well, those of you five who don't already know one or both of these blogs....

Lauren Maker

This past week, in a word, was unexpected.

My dear grandmother died, General Conference occurred, I didn't work on that scholarship I meant to, I didn't reach certain goals I set, and it even snowed on Friday. 

Part of me cries out, What do I do with all this?? 

The wiser, more capable part of me quietly replies, Keep running. Do what you know to be right, keep going. The Lord will take care of you if you take care of the effort. 

And it's true, isn't it? I've always known it to be. Failure cannot prevail when one endures in the righteous cause of a life well-lived. At the very least, complete failure cannot occur. There are those times when it seems as if little mistakes, small letdowns, seep through the cracks. Sometimes, those little things threaten to break down one's entire foundation. 

But I can't let that happen.

There's this book by Orson Scott Card I read recently, called Seventh Son. It's essentially a retelling of the Joseph Smith story, but with folk magic and all sorts of creative twists. The big thing I want to share about the book is the concept of making and unmaking. In this book, Card presents the idea that God stands for making, building, and creating, which is the epitome of good. On the other hand, Satan stands for unmaking, destroying, and annihilating, the center of evil. I want to be a maker, one who builds and upholds things like families, standards, and knowledge. By doing what I know is right, and enduring the difficult things, I will be building upon my foundation, my rock. 

Let me put this into an analogy. My experiences and choices in life serve as the bricks of a wall or house. No brick is the same, some are long, some are different colors, but together they tell my story as I keep adding throughout my existence. The Lord represents the mortar between those bricks, cementing what I know and have learned. Though this wall of mine may become weathered, though parts may start to wear, it will never fall. I could never abandon what I know, for if I did, what would I hold onto during times of trial and heartache?

So this is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna keep going, making my life by studying, running, giving, and remembering--all that I've loved and learned over the years. As long as I'm doing that, my work and beliefs and dreams cannot be unmade. I will do my best to be a maker.