Self-Reliance

Yesterday, I was preparing a lesson for my visiting teaching (Visiting teaching is something our church does- You're assigned 3 women who you go to church with, and each month you visit them to see how they're doing, and to give a little lesson). This months lesson was on self-reliance.

During my lesson, I read these two quotes:

“As we live providently and increase our gifts and talents, we become more self-reliant. Self-reliance is taking responsibility for our own spiritual and temporal welfare and for those whom Heavenly Father has entrusted to our care. Only when we are self-reliant can we truly emulate the Savior in serving and blessing others.

“It is important to understand that self-reliance is a means to an end. Our ultimate goal is to become like the Savior, and that goal is enhanced by our unselfish service to others. Our ability to serve is increased or diminished by the level of our self-reliance.” -Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve.

It got me thinking. Over the past couple months, I've been thinking a lot about who I am as a person, working on myself and becoming the woman I want to be. (you can read more about that here)

Reading over the lesson, reminded me how important it is to make sure that I'm growing both personally and spiritually. I know for me, I focus so much on taking care of my husband, supporting him, and on being there for family and friends, that I tend to put myself last on the list. No one can work on me, but me. No one can make sure that I'm growing personally and spiritually, but me. It's MY responsibility.

This part really stuck out to me, "Our ability to serve is increased or diminished by the level of our self-reliance.”

Sometimes I forget to work on ME, because I'm more focused on being there for others. Yet, the MORE I work on me, the BETTER I'll be able to serve others. Not only do I gain from taking time out to improve myself, but so do the ones I love. In a way, making sure I take care of myself, IS serving them!

It made me really happy to finally be working on me. Losing weight is more then wanting to be a smaller size. It's me saying, "I love myself enough to take time out to improve myself. I want to be the happiest, healthiest person I can be for the ones I love, but more importantly, for ME!!" After all, it is MY responsibility.

I'm happy to (finally) be on this journey. I'm losing weight, but I'm gaining so much more!

I hope you remember to take the time to focus on your own personal growth, and to take time out for YOU! Your loved ones will thank you! ;)

XOXO