What Kind of Follower are You?

For some reason, being a "follower" has a negative or uncool reputation. No one wants to be a follwer but when it really comes down to it, we are all followers! What really matters in this world is who or what are we following. That is something that will define who we are and our character.

So, take a good hard look at yourself and think about who or what are you following? What kind of follower are you?

Are you a follower of the world?
Are you a follower of the latest fashion trends?
Are you a follower of our society's stars and celebrities?
Are you a follower of what is acceptable or cool at school or in the work place?

Or are you a follower of Jesus Christ?
Are you a follower of those that believe in Him?
Are you a follower of the latest revelations through modern day prophets?
Are you a follower of what is acceptable and true in the sight of God?

Elder Russel M. Nelson recently said:

 "We might each ask ourselves, where is our faith? Is it in a team? Is it in a brand? Is it in a celebrity? Even the best teams can fail. Celebrities can fade. There is only One in whom your faith is always safe, and that is in the Lord Jesus Christ."

We cannot afford to put our trust in things of the world. Things and people of the world fade. When we choose to follow celebrities or sports teams, our character is hollow. There is no solid foundation in who we are. Following those things only brings us temporary and shallow self worth or confidnce. We fall far below who we can be and become.

I know that when we choose to follow Jesus Christ, we become more than followers. We become "an example of the believers." We become examples of what is true, what is pure and what is good. We become examples of living in a way that will truly bring us happiness. Our character is filled with Christlike attributes like charity, compassion, patience, virtue and hope. We become people of eternal worth- not just worldy, temporary worth.

I have chosen to follow things of this world so many times in the past. I have found nothing but temporary and shallow happiness and never found inner strength or a love for myself in those things. I can testify that as I have focused my attention and desires on following Jesus Christ, I have become a person of value and a person that I am proud to be.

So, what kind of follower are you?

Dear teenage H. Knight, everything is going to be alright....

Dearest littlest H. Knight,
           This is your future self at the age of 26 and you have been on my mind a lot lately. I know you're going through a lot right now. I know that every day seems like the end of the world. I know that you don't think very much of yourself-you don't think you're as pretty or as smart as the other girls. I know that you don't feel like you have any direction in your life. I know that a lot of your "friends" are constantly finding ways to put you down. I know that you feel like you're parents are always against you. I know that you don't feel like there isn't a soul in the world that understands what you're going through. I know that you always feel so alone. I know that you feel completely hopeless right now but there is something you NEED to know.....

Everything is going to be okay! Every thing is going to be alright! I promise! I know that you get super down on yourself sometimes and I know that sometimes you even think about just making everything go away by taking your life, but if you did that, you would not be able to see all of the incredible things that are in your future! Here's the thing, you are still going to go through some really hard things. As soon as you've overcome one trial, another one will be thrown in your lap. You might ask, then how is everything going to be alright? Where is the hope in that? Well, let me tell you....          

 You are going to understand your relationship with God and Jesus Christ...and it's going to change your life! You are going to finally understand that you are truly a daughter of God, and that you are so important!! You are so loved!! Through your Savior, Jesus Christ, you are going to be able to overcome so many hard things with a lot of tears and with a lot of laughing. You are going realize that you have a super power! Not like your favorite super hero Spider-Man....sorry. You have the gift of the Holy Ghost. The best super power ever! The Holy Ghost will be your comforter Haley. It is going to help you feel loved by your Heavenly Father EVERYDAY. It is going to testify to your heart that Jesus Christ knows exactly what you are going through in every moment of your life. You will never have to feel alone again.

 

I want you to know that you have such a BRIGHT future ahead of you! You have so much to look forward to! I want to quote one of my favorite people that we look up to now, he's not like your heroes Kelly Osbourne or Freddie Mercury. (Although Freddie Mercury will always be one of your heroes!) Your new hero will be someone that you grew upseeing and hearing in church and on tv but never payed attention to. He is Jeffrey R. Holland, an apostle of Jesus Christ. He talks of the hope that life will ALWAYS have to offer us....

 

-There is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the “light that is endless, that can never be darkened.” It is the very Son of God Himself. In loving praise far beyond Romeo’s reach, we say, “What light through yonder window breaks?” It is the return of hope, and Jesus is the Sun. To any who may be struggling to see that light and find that hope, I say: Hold on. Keep trying. God loves you. Things will improve. Christ comes to you in His “more excellent ministry” with a future of “better promises.” -

 

I promise that there is hope! There is so much happiness yet to be felt in your life. I'm only at the age of 26 and I can't even imagine what is to come for us! Haley, you are amazing. You are going to grow up into an amazing woman. You are going to grow up to do AMAZING things. So when times get hard, I want you to think of the rest of that quote by Elder Holland....

 

“Don’t give up... Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead—a lot of it... You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come.”

 

 

Keep moving forward little lady.....