Out With the Bad

In the movie The Other Side of Heaven, there is a part where John Groberg is trying to get a young boy to breathe again. He says, as he gives him CPR, "In with the good air, out with the bad..." He repeats this over and over. This part of the movie has always hit me hard.

One day, my Dad was taking out some trash from the church. It was raining, so he didn't walk to the dumpster, he drove. He held the garbage out of the car. I just had to take a picture. I found it funny at the time, but looking back at the picture, it has deeper meaning. We each need to get rid of the "bad air" inside, and take in all the good around us.

One of my absolute favorite quotes is, "When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you." At times, it seems like I'm struggling just to breathe. I have times of doubt, and times of sorrow. I need my Savior always, and He knows that. He never leaves my side. In the Saturday session of General Conference, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk touched
me. He said, "Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves you more than you can comprehend."

A few years ago, at EFY, I remember a talk that one of the counselors gave. I don't remember what it was about, but I do remember one story from it. It was about a girl who had low self-esteem. Every day, she woke up, looked in the mirror, and told herself, "Jesus loves me, and that's all that matters."

And it's true. He does love me, and that is all that matters. When it seems as if all hope is lost, and there is nothing left that could possibly fix your problem, that is the time to hold on. That is when Heavenly Father will send angels to help. That's the time when miracles happen.

On a camera, the viewfinder is the little square one looks through to take a picture. A beautiful picture cannot be composed accurately without first looking through the viewfinder. In order to set up a good looking photograph, one must look through the viewfinder to see where the subject will fall in the photo, and to see how it will be framed, so that the photograph will turn out pleasing to the eye.

In my life, I've found that the same is true to find the beautiful things in life. When one hikes to a great height to overlook an area, the view can be overwhelming. It may seem like there's not a main focus. It's chaotic, and all over the place. But when one takes a closer look, the results are fascinating. Instead of viewing the whole area together, observing parts of it little by little make it easier to see how it comes together as a whole.

When a tragedy hits, it's hard to see the good that can come from it. People find it easier to focus on the negatives, and have a pessimistic perspective. But changing the view that one takes can shift their focus, and make them see the good and beautiful things that do come from tragedies. Gratitude, happiness, love, and many other blessings can come from a sorrow in one's life.

Smile by Nat King Cole talks about this. "If you smile through your fear and sorrow, smile and maybe tomorrow you'll see the sun come shining through for you."