Thursday Thought

Today's thought comes from the First Presidency Message in the September Ensign. It's about women and the role they play in influencing others. I really liked this part toward the end of the message because I think too often we criticize ourselves and compare or feel guilty about what we should or shouldn't be doing. Reading what President Uchtdorf said made me feel a whole lot better about myself. He says:

"May I invite you to rise to the great potential within you. But don’t reach beyond your capacity. Don’t set goals beyond your capacity to achieve. Don’t feel guilty or dwell on thoughts of failure. Don’t compare yourself with others. Do the best you can, and the Lord will provide the rest. Have faith and confidence in Him, and you will see miracles happen in your life and the lives of your loved ones. The virtue of your own life will be a light to those who sit in darkness, because you are a living witness of the fulness of the gospel (see D&C 45:28). Wherever you have been planted on this beautiful but often troubled earth of ours, you can be the one to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees” (D&C 81:5).

"My dear sisters, as you live your daily life with all its blessings and challenges, let me assure you that the Lord loves you. He knows you. He listens to your prayers, and He answers those prayers, wherever on this world you may be. He wants you to succeed in this life and in eternity."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Influence of Righteous Women,” Ensign, Sep 2009, 4–9