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Bishopric Message

Happy 4th of July!

I love this time of year! We get to celebrate and appreciate all of our freedoms that we have, along with those who have fought and continue to fight for them each day! We truly live in a blessed nation.

Along with the celebration come fun traditions – parades, barbeques, candy, fireworks, family reunions, and more! One of my family’s favorite traditions for the 4th is the annual RHS Tennis Tournament fundraiser. Each year, we spend many many hours watching family and friends play compete. The tennis courts are lined with spectators watching and wishing the best for their team. But in the end, there can only be one winner of each match. Winning feels great! But someone must lose. And losing stinks. Especially when you’ve left your heart out on the court and it just wasn’t quite good enough.

When you’re the one out on the court, laser focused on your match, sometimes the crowd just gets lost. You don’t realize how many people are there cheering you on and hoping you’ll pull out the win. That you’ll remember how good you are and not be so hard on yourself. That you’ll be able to move on from the lost point or game and start fresh on the next one with a positive attitude. But mostly that your cheering section is holding their breath with every hit, watching every move, and wanting the very best outcome for you!

But even if you lose, that same crowd is still there, proud as ever! Thinking about how well you’ve played. Knowing how bad your heart is hurting after you’ve played in the sun, dripping with sweat, fighting for every point. Not knowing how to make you feel better but trying their best to cheer you up and tell you how well you played. Loving you SO much!

Each one of us has our very own cheering section! I can picture Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ on the edge of their seats, watching our triumphs and our frustrations. Watching as we are so hard on ourselves. Watching as we make mistakes. Holding their breath, waiting for us to get back up and keep going.  Wanting nothing but the absolute best for us! Oh, how they celebrate with us when we win! But also, they are there when we lose. Patting us on the back, giving us a pep talk, letting us know that it’s ok and that we tried so hard, nudging us with the Spirit on how we can improve next time. Loving us. Mourning with us. Cheering us on!!

I am so glad for my cheering section.

Chad Larsen