No one likes a frowny face

Once upon high school seminary I had this teacher, Richard Ellsworth, who was (is) seven feet tall and super knowledgeable about the gospel.  Fast forward twenty-five years, come to find out he lives down the street from me.  He's our stake patriarch but sometimes he substitutes and teaches our Sunday School class.  It's one of the few times I really enjoy Sunday School.  Once I asked his wife how he knew so much stuff and she said, "He retired and this is what he does all day now- studies Christ, the scriptures, history, and the gospel." 

Today he was talking about a lot of stuff.  He dissects the bible verse by verse and it's actually enjoyable and understandable - and relatable. Today we talked about Paul and part of his mission in the city of Phillipi.  One of the verses talked about joy- not just things that make us happy, not just things that we enjoy, but the joy that comes no matter what is happening in our lives.  He showed us this slide and I liked it so much I took a picture and recreated it at home so we could have a little lesson on it.  It said:

No one likes a frowny face:

1.        It makes things look worse than they are.  If things are 80% good and 20% bad and you spend most of your time thinking and talking about the bad, the situation will look a lot worse than it really is.

2.       It becomes a habit.

3.       You get what you focus on.

4.       It makes people despondent.

5.       It kills faith (optimism) and repentance.

6.       It promotes bad relationships.

Change it to a smile!  Positive people:

1.        Live longer.

2.       Are healthier.

3.       Have more friends and better social lives.

4.       Enjoy life more.

5.       Are more successful.

I First, this is the power of really understanding and studying scriptures- they are for us now in this day.

S   

  Second, the power of being positive isn't a new concept to me, obviously.  But today was a good reminder that my attitude can help life go smoother for me.  It reminds me of a topic I'm studying at work- resilience.  This also isn't a new concept for me; I've wondered for 14 years at my job what makes some people resilient against the trauma and agony of life and what cripples people.  

  This is what makes resilience:  suffering, a flipped switch (attitude) that suffering can propel one upward, and coupled with emotional energy to put one foot in front of the other; it's knowing our greatest deficits- our sadness, pain, anger- are also our greatest strengths and resources.

  It's knowing that nothing can happen on earth to destroy our spirit, our soul, and the plan that Heavenly Father has for us.  It's Christ- who was beaten, humiliated, agonized- and who still walked perfectly, with His head up, his heart soft, His mission never wavering.  It's hope, faith, and repentance- turning our attitudes and hearts back to God and trying again.  It's the joy and appreciation of life.

S   So I'm grateful for Sunday School today!