I Choose Good

The world is full of lost souls.  Wandering.  Searching.  Living each day with little or no purpose.  Why is that?  It perplexes me and causes my mind to ponder.  It saddens me...  To see so many in such a state.  But how to help?  I do not know.  So I go about my days, doing what I do, feeling a sense of urgency, but not knowing how to abate it.  It's a strange condition.

Good versus evil.  Humanity's wage from the dawn of time.  Lifelong, daily, hourly, minute by minute.  Every soul is given the same measure of free agency to choose the path they will take.  Everyone wants good so why does evil ever win?  It perplexes me.  And yet, I know.  I am suseptible to the same human condition as everyone else.  I have those same weaknesses of the flesh that come with temporal habitation.  It's a matter of control.  Self control.  Some have it in greater measure than others.  It is required if good is to win.  But good WILL win.  It has to be so.  Good is greater than evil.  More powerful.  Stronger.  Predestined.

So much suffering all around.  It's heartbreaking when caused by selfishness, greed, or thoughtlessness.  It angers me, actually.  I have little patience for it.  And yet, I am sure to be the cause of it myself from time to time.  Then I am angry at myself.  So I focus on self control and work to overcome those weaknesses, a little more each day.   

I've come to realize that evil can never stand alone.  Misery loves company.  The villian always chooses minions to do the dirty work, never actually getting his hands dirty himself.  Evil only has as much strength as people allow it to have.  It takes very little effort to take the path of evil - it's the path of shortcuts and least resistance.  But it only leads to a ditch, a gully, or a pit.  And once you find yourself in that ditch or pit, it's awfully hard to climb back out...  Not impossible, but difficult. 

Good always takes the high road.  The resistance builds our muscles and makes us strong.  It is harder to take the high road, but it leads us to the top of the mountain, above the smog and pollution, unlike the path of least resistance that only leads down.

This life can feel so long and yet so short all in the same moment.  In one breath I wish for life to be easy and in the next, count myself lucky for the lessons learned that only the hard times can bring.  I wouldn't trade my hard times for anything.  I am stronger, humbler, more compassionate, and educated because of them.  But it's difficult to be grateful for the fire while you are in the midst of being refined by it.  The greatest people are those who can walk through their fires with grace and dignity and gratitude.  I would like to be such as they.  Maybe someday I will get there.  One refiners fire at a time.  I will progress to that point, I hope. 

My desire as I go through this journey of mine is to have the patience of Job.  The spiritual strength of Nephi.  To be as loyal as Ruth.  To be as Martha - charitable and giving... and as her sister Mary - humble and teachable.  I would like to be as Alma the Younger who recognized his sins and was forgiven and changed; as Samual the Lamanite, who was courageous in proclaiming the truth; as faithful as the woman who touched the hem of Jesus and was healed.  To be like Mormon and Moroni who were fearless in their testimonies of Jesus Christ and kept the records so that we might have them as our guide today.  I want to be like every great and righteous person. 

I will fight for good.  I will fight against evil.  I will teach my children the difference.  I will be a better example.  I will recommit myself to be better.  The battle is won one choice at a time.  I choose good.