1. to make rare or rarer; make less dense.
2. to make more refined, spiritual, or exalted.
Mmm...interesting word right? I like the less dense part. When I think of something being less dense, the picture of a foggy day comes to mind. Here is a little story to illustrate my thought. I walk out my front door in the early morning to the ghostly haze and I think "eery but very cool." Fog, to me, is mysterious and all that is mysterious is intriguing. The first moments in the mist are exhilarating. Things that were once familiar are foreign. It's like I've stepped into a parallel universe. It is new and exciting...for a bit. Then the eery part hits me. I can't really see where I'm going or what is around me. A car's headlights come out of nowhere and I jump. I continue to walk down the sidewalk and almost run into someone coming the other way. My walking skills are sometimes impaired under normal circumstances, the fog is not helping me one bit. I begin to think,"when is this fog going to lift, when can I see things the way they truly are and not in this state of blurriness?" As I continue to walk I notice the fog "lifting" or for my intents and purposes, it becomes less dense. I begin to see the fuzzy outlines become defined. Solid forms and things with substance return to their natural states before me. I have not (sadly) stepped into a parallel universe. My thoughts and my actions were just a little clouded by the fog. The less dense-ness has now allowed me to see the truth, the reality--definition and clarity.
So I know you are all thinking...where exactly is this all going. Well I will tell you. Read on good reader.
I've been thinking a lot about who I am...who I am as an individual, as a missionary, as a daughter, sister, aunt, friend, person you meet on the street. I think about how many of the qualities I possess came from me just deciding that is the way I am going to be and which came from our Father in Heaven. Which traits are innate to the "daughter of God", Alexis Marie Smith and which are from the "jaded by the world", Alexis Marie Smith? Under the microscope of personal inquiry and reflection of yesteryear, I have come to the conclusion that all of my unwanted personality traits come from this wonderful little gem of a word...PRIDE.
Pride. It's varying manifestations make it hard to recognize and even harder to fully eliminate. But I don't really want to focus on defining pride and all of its intricacies. Phew right? But I think time is much better spent if we forget about pride and focus on strengthening those traits we wish we had more of. I want people to walk away from me knowing they are loved, appreciated, and have so much to offer the world. Right now, pride tends to tap my good intentions on the shoulder and asks to butt in. That dance is never a pretty one. It is usually sloppy and full of overused movement and stolen choreography. So I know you are all thinking...where exactly is this all going. Well I will tell you. Read on good reader.
I've been thinking a lot about who I am...who I am as an individual, as a missionary, as a daughter, sister, aunt, friend, person you meet on the street. I think about how many of the qualities I possess came from me just deciding that is the way I am going to be and which came from our Father in Heaven. Which traits are innate to the "daughter of God", Alexis Marie Smith and which are from the "jaded by the world", Alexis Marie Smith? Under the microscope of personal inquiry and reflection of yesteryear, I have come to the conclusion that all of my unwanted personality traits come from this wonderful little gem of a word...PRIDE.
We are influenced by the cloudy fog that is placed over our eyes. We can't see things for what they are...we can only see things for what WE (our natural selves) or more often what our good friend Satan would have us see them as. BUT the wonderful part of this life is we can rarefy--make less dense--those things we don't want in our lives. It takes work. It takes effort. It takes being the bigger...dancer. It takes turning to our Father in Heaven and asking for His help and guidance. It's that second definition of rarefy--taking those weaknesses, turning them over to the Lord, and allowing Him to make them into strengths. Everyone in the sound of my...blog. Listen up. I, Sister Alexis Marie Smith, am going to be that person that people walk away from feeling loved, appreciated and needed. Not just sometimes...but all the time. Not just when I feel like it or when it is convenient for me. This life is too short to stay in the fog of your own (insert insecurity, issue or fear here). Step into the beautiful world we live in. See those around you for the good people they are. Don't get discouraged when people are a little on the mean side...or even when your yourself join them on occasion. President Thomas S. Monson said, "You can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails." That's my new MO. I am constantly adjusting my sails...but it's okay...that wind can be tricky. Good thing we have the Master of the Sea on our side. He's there...for everything. Here's to my journey and yours. Let's help each other okay?
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