Four Letter Words

So while I’m on this kick of productivity, I have a couple more thoughts:

We’ve all heard the saying:

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

We hear it echo in our ears as we receive that disappointed or exasperated look from someone whom we’ve failed, due to our forgetfulness and/or unreliability.  We meant to do it.  We really did!

They may not say it out loud,

But, you know they want to.

And then we feel condemned.

As if, in our shortcomings, we are on a non-stop pathway to doom and destruction.

Not unlike Dorothy et al to Oz.

(Although, Oz doesn’t exactly equal doom and destruction.  Unless, of course, your skin is green and you’re allergic to water.)

Today, I read a quote,

“It’s not enough to want to make the effort.  It’s in the doing, not just the thinking, that we accomplish our goals.”  -President Thomas S. Monson

Right.

[See Quote #1.]

But, in light of Quote #2,  I interpreted Quote # 1 a little differently this time.

Now bear with me for a moment as I try to explain myself:

When we think of hell, we think of a place of everlasting torment.

But, in its truest definition, hell is a state of damnation.

And in its truest definition, damnation is a state of no progress.

Thus, in hell, we do not progress.

In any way.

When we have a good intention—a desire to make an effort—but we don’t act on that intention, we are not progressing.

And in some cases, we may even be digressing.

So, due to our non-progression,

We find ourselves in a state of hell.

It’s frightening.

But.

All is not lost.

Just as this four letter word makes us shudder,

There’s another four letter word that I like:

Hope.

It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

At this point in our existence,

Our fates are not sealed.

We may currently find ourselves on the path of non-progression (which I imagine kind of like getting stuck in a revolving door).

And if we stay on that pathway, we will most assuredly end up in a state of damnation.

Our souls may not be destroyed, per se.  But, we certainly aren’t becoming anything better.

But, that’s only because we didn’t make an effort to change anything.

You see, all we have to do to get out of this state of hell is take one step in a good direction.

And that, my friends, as minute as it may be, is progress.

With a succession of “steps” of exerted effort, we accomplish our goals…some of which we are currently convinced are beyond our reach.

Because of hope comes faith.

Of faith and works

Come

Miracles.

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And this was my inspiration for the day:

Click Here.