Ever since I was little I have been obsessed with books and
the magical worlds that they create. I loved to be swept up in the stories of heroes
whether big or small. I always waited eagerly for the very last page to see if
the hero. I especially loved when happy endings involved a wedding. Often for
the happily ever after to occur characters had to change. In Pride and Prejudice the 2 main
characters had to change in order to fall in love. While this is a small
example of change, we can also make big changes. Every hero has some sort of
personal obstacle that they must overcome in order to have a happy ending. We
all have less than perfect lives that leave obstacles to overcome so we can
have happiness in our marriage. The obstacles could be abuse, addiction,
divorce, separation, abandonment, or other fears. Just as the heroes in the
books do, we too can overcome these obstacles and change our story.
“A transitional character is one who, in a single
generation, changes the entire course of a lineage. The changes might be for
good or ill, but the most noteworthy examples are those individuals who grow up
in an abusive, emotionally destructive environment and who somehow find a way
to metabolize the poison and refuse to pass it on to their children. They break
the mold. They refute the observation
that abused children become abusive parents, that the children of alcoholics
become alcoholic adults, that “the sins of the fathers are visited upon the
heads of the children to the third and fourth generation.” Their contribution
to humanity is to filter the destructiveness out of their own lineage so that
the generations downstream will have a supportive foundation upon which to
build productive lives.” (p. 18)
As this quotes states we are the characters and we impact
the ending of our story. We decide through our choices to change for the
better. Our story does not end with us but lives on through our posterity. They
continue the story when we pass on. No matter our background we can truly
change. We can change because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We do not have
to blame our past for why we cannot be happy now or in the future. We all had
less than ideal things happen in our families while growing up but we can
change that. The Book of Mormon tells
the account of the Stripling Warriors. These young men were incredibly valiant
young men who helped preserve the Nephite nation during war. What may surprise
one is that these valiant young men came from a family whose past had not been
ideal. Their parents had been Lamanites meaning they had lived lives filled
with iniquity such as murder. Upon accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ, these
parents never looked back. They changed their children’s lives. People say we
cannot change but it is an untruth. I know that we can change. I have seen so
many people change. The Savior performed the Atonement so we could change our
story to have a happy ending. No matter the past we have had in our family, we
can make a difference for the future. The marriage we begin is a new chapter in
our story. Just as any hero picks their choices and ultimately their ending so
do we. We can have a happily ever after as we seek to use the Atonement every
day. We need the Savior and He will help us achieve a happy ending.
Hans Brinker says, “Whether I shall turn out to be the hero
of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these
pages must show.”
Let us be the hero of our
own story.
Choose to be a transitional character and change the ending
of your story.
No one else can change it.
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