Believing in others

Start believing in others before they succeed and have success. 
Give your time to help their dreams become realities; 

you'll never regret it.

What a simple thought, that at the same time seems so difficult to do with some people.  In some ways, this is the model for how we believe in our partners we choose to walk through life with, our children, our friends...we believe in them sometimes before they even believe in themselves, or are aware of what they can do.

Success is a measurable level of satisfaction in a job well done.  This success may be in school, profession, happiness in general.  If we are unable to help others with their success, how do we, in turn, expect our own success to occur?

As we meet the partner we want to walk with throughout our lives, there are many qualities needed.  We need patience, grace, trust, respect, and finally love.  Without the other attributes or qualities, we would not be able to love.

Love is not an emotion, but rather a choice.  It is a choice for you to love someone.  And while there are feelings that incorporate this decision, ultimately it is by choice, and by patience, grace, trust, and respect that you make that choice to be with someone.  Through this, you also learn more about the other person.  You learn about their hopes, their dreams.  In helping them acquire their dreams, you are able to realize your own dreams.  In recognizing their fears, you are able to believe with them that fear is temporary, and due to unknown outcomes.  

We need patience in the relationship with our partner for differences that may occur, or different thoughts we may share, each in our own unique beauty.  We need grace, allowing for mistakes to occur, but knowing the mistake was an action, and not necessarily representative of the person who made the mistake.  We need trust.  Trust to know they will come through for us when needed.  Trust they are going to stay when we feel we are not even possibly worthy of their attention or affection.  We need respect...respect for their decisions, their desires, dreams, fears, and struggles.  All this embodies the guidelines for what we refer to as love.  It is not always easy, and sometimes it may feel we are giving more than we may be getting in return.  But if we are only seeking something in return, we are believing for the wrong reasons.

With children, you believe in them right from the start.  It is more of a hope in the beginning as you learn more about what your child is actually capable of doing.  But as they grow, you believe in their ability to sleep through the night, feed themselves, walk, use the bathroom unassisted.  Yes, you are helping them along the way - you are giving them tools they need to succeed, but you believe in them to allow that sharing of your experiences to help them succeed.

In our daily lives, this is also what Heavenly Father offers us.  He always offers free will.  He allows us to make our own choices.  But he also offers us His patience, he allows us His grace, He trusts us to make the decisions that are right for us.  In return, we must never forget to be respectful of His plans for us, regardless if it may not be the avenue we believe we should be traveling.  We must never forget to love Him, call upon Him, and seek out His love.  It is not always easy, for if it were easy we would never understand how to give thanks. But through this, we achieve the greatest degree of success...we have success not only on this earth, but also in the Heavens.