Men Are...

That they might have joy. 2 Nephi 2:25

Bet you guys were all thinking this was going to be some kind of male-hater post...you really should know me better than that. ;)

So, today's lesson is that God actually means what he says. He really does want us to be happy. No, really--I'm totally not kidding here. Without realizing it, I've been super disbelieving about this particular scripture, or at least not fully believing in it. I guess I've been thinking that God wants us to be really happy, but we've all got to have some kind of pet sorrow or something like that to remind us that we're not actually in the Celestial Kingdom yet. That's a huge load of malarky. We really can be just...happy. Better than happy--we can have joy.

I found out today that I can get a grant from the government that pays for my trip to DC. Not just my flight out there, but my housing, food, etc, with money to spare for my savings account that I've been trying desperately to fill since the beginning of the year.

This is incredible news! I'm getting the opportunity to fulfill a dream, avoid going into debt for it, and get some really incredible work experience at the same time. Allow me to once again go over the details of what living my dream entails:
1. Interning in the Museum of American History at the Hands-On Science Center. Yes, that's right...the combination of history and science, and teaching it to people who voluntarily showed up to learn. YAY!
2. Living in Washington D.C., and not only that, but living in D.C. for 4 months. That's 4 months of Lincoln Memorial, Museums, Library of Congress, etc. AHH!
3. Being in the Capital of our Nation on the 4th of July. The only places I can think of that fall in close proximity are Philadelphia, or maybe just here in Provo with my favorite people.
4. I have government clearance. Clearance for some briefings, clearance for some areas of the museum, not to mention, I'm attending the Smithsonian-wide Staff Meetings. Wahoo!

Alright, so I'm totally excited. And you know what else, it's completely ok for me to be really excited about this. I don't have to feel guilty, or concerned about what it all means--I am allowed to just be completely and totally happy about it. I am blessed with all sorts of open heaven windows right now, and I'm perfectly willing to just let the blessings fall where they may. God loves me, and that's wonderful.

Alright, so this entry is going to get long, but I've got a lot to say, so it's alright. I was thinking on Sunday about activity in the Church, and what it really means to be "active." Someone in my ward in testimony meeting said, "I'd always gone to church, but I wasn't really active." This sentence struck me as really interesting. A lot of us are technically active according to the roles, but we're basically passive as far as what we're doing to get things out of our experience at church. Not inactive, because we're making some effort, but we're certainly not putting anything into the actual meetings. We come to the feasts that are offered expecting to be spoon fed, when we really just need to pick up a fork and dig right in. So, I've got a new goal. I'm going to start acting in a manner that shows how much I love my religion.

Yeah...I think that's the end for today. Happy last day of finals, and here's to hoping you've got a great summer in the works.