Cinderella Moments
Your Crown Has Been Bought And Paid For. Put It On Your Head And Wear It!
Watercolor Painting “Happily Ever After”
My husband always said that I live in a fantasy world. At first I was offended, and then I realized that it is a blessing to believe in good things to come. I’ve always believed that the desires of our heart do come true, I’ve hoped, I’ve waited and I’ve been blessed. I’ve always known that we can achieve the impossible .... all because I strongly believe in Christ and His power to bless. I loved painting this watercolor painting titled; ‘Happily Ever After’, because to me it depicts everyone of us, that has faith in Christ, receiving answers to prayers and seeing dreams come true. Christ loves us so much that He sacrificed His life so that we could overcome the limitations we have here on earth and then His Atonement also helps us to return back to our Father in Heaven and partake of the blessings that He has planned for us beyond this life! Ultimately there will be a far superior outcome if we embrace God’s plan for us and choose to have faith in Him.
I have quoted this encouragement from Elder Holland several times, because I believe it to be the truth we are seeking, I will quote it again to remind us of the blessings that can and will come.
“God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe.”
You are probably asking; “What is required in my life that will bring about the fulfillment of my dreams or the abundance and joy I seek?”
I love that a storybook character such as Cinderella has the answer. Many have actually experienced it in this life. We all get emotional when we see or hear someone share their ‘Cinderella’ story. Our heart swells in the end when a person that we have come to know and love, moves from a life of poverty or sorrow to a life of joy and happiness!
We all have things that we hope for, things that we think will bring us abundance, happiness and joy....we wait for it, we long for it, but it seems to take longer than we think we can hold on for ... we fear that maybe it won’t come at all! In our walk of life as we pursue our goals and try to do the best we can for our family and friends, the struggle seems endless. As individuals we wonder why it’s so hard to do simple, ordinary, but necessary things, we wonder if we will ever obtain the blessings we have been praying for!
The secret can be discovered when you look in a mirror or see your reflection on the water or in a pane of glass. Who do you see? Do you see someone that you love, and know you are deserving of the reward you desire ... or does your reflection show someone that you find worthless or have contempt for because you have failed over and over again? I encourage you to make the difference in your life by seeing the difference in the persona that you are putting forth. Even though there are failures along your path, it is my hope that you will still love yourself for your efforts. I think that most of what we do is for our happiness or the happiness of another ... our hearts are good. So look at yourself and your desires with new eyes, you are still standing, you can still have faith in your purpose and desires. I encourage you to keep trying, embrace hope and keep reaching for the things that you feel will bring the joy and happiness you deserve ... they will come.
“Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it...”
- Galatians 5:22
What Is The Crown You Are Seeking?
I invite you to pursue the path that leads to the desires you have ... what is the crown you are seeking? Know that what you are seeking is truly possible ... there is a way to obtain all the happiness you desire. This is our purpose in being sent to this earth, it’s why we have all the hard experiences. I want you to open our hearts and minds to a new experience and embrace these tough situations, because they will teach us how to become heirs to all that God desires to send us ... which is the crown we are seeking. Our purpose filled lives, our righteous choices and actions can bring us to live the lives that seem to be so far out of our reach.
Men Are That They Might Have Joy - 2 Nephi 2:25
In this life experience we are meant to: Have joy, Know joy, and Partake of Joy.
I love watching Chick Flicks! Last week I didn’t feel well, so I engaged in some down time ... movie time. As I watched several movies the thought came to me that every main character in these movies experience the ‘Cinderella’ moment where their dreams come true ... every time! I began to wonder how many times in our lives ... real life, do we experience a ‘Happily Ever After’?
I pondered on my life story ... what could I write in a novel about my life that would capture all the events and experiences that I have endured or embraced and be able to bring the ending to a heartwarming, even emotional, “....they lived happily ever after” conclusion.
Since I have always believed that my life is about as boring as they come, this was an eye opening thought!
What would your ‘Cinderella’ story be like?
Have Joy
What if???
God has offered the crown to us and we turned our back on His offer because we had to work 4 years to get it? ... or maybe we felt like chemo was a bit much to be asking, so we failed to see the gift in that challenge? Could we see our way through the death of a loved one and find the crown on the other side of sorrow? Would we give up our home and family to do the Lord’s will; with faith that the blessings we needed would be waiting for us when we were finished? Is it possible that we need a change of heart in order to Have Joy ... to find our crown?
God’s plan for our exaltation is so amazing that I find it difficult to grasp the infinite power and glory that can be ours, here in our earthly life and even more when we reach the other side. We are children of God, heirs of God and joint heirs of Jesus Christ. If we choose to have Him walk with us through all our challenges, sorrow and pain, we will gain our crown and we will be filled with His glory and receive our inheritance, our joy, and be made equal with Him!
God’s loving plan for us is a lifelong and eternal process leading to a joyful ending ... a ‘Happily Ever After’!
Know Joy
What is God offering that we do not see or understand? Does our joy come from acquiring material or temporal things? Do we find joy in relationships or other enterprises that consume our time and can come to an abrupt end? Do you see everyone else getting the crown; and then feel left out?
It is when we turn to Christ and embrace His love and His grace that we are rewarded with the ‘Happily Ever-after’ we are seeking.
When we receive the Lord and His gospel into our hearts, we can receive all that He has ... and then we shall be Gods, we shall wear the crown and have kingdoms and powers, exaltations and glory. All that He has will be given to us!
What if we were to invest our time in humbly seeking those things that elevate us and bring purpose to each moment? Have we come to Know Joy because of the choices we have made and the steps we have taken to live after the manner of happiness .... your ‘Happy Ever After’?
Partake of Joy
Do the choices you have made reflect your hopes and dreams ... do they support the life you are trying to create? If not then a change might be necessary for you to Partake of the Joy and Happiness that you are looking for. Repentance, or change, is always a good choice for anyone to experience the exceeding great joy that comes when we turn to our Savior for His love, empowerment, and bestowal of blessings and miracles.
There is a transformation that takes place in our lives when we hold on to our desires to do good and to be good. A desire to do good which causes us to want to do more good. Serving others brings a greater abundance of the Spirit...thus a greater abundance of joy. The Holy Ghost gives us enlightenment for our minds, and power to do good to those around us, and the feelings of joy will fill our soul.
This is my newest, favorite scripture, it’s found in the Book of Mormon in Alma 33:11
“And Thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my sincerity; and it is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me, therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions, for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, because of thy Son.”
Our joy comes through our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. He makes it possible for us to receive all the blessings our Heavenly Father has in store for us.
“He has poured out His Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy...” - Mosiah 4:20
Receive All The Joy You Are Searching For
Pres. Brigham Young tells us how we can receive all the joy we are searching for and the blessings that the Lord wants to give us, he teaches us;
“If the Latter-day Saints will walk up to their privileges, and exercise faith in the name of Jesus Christ, and live in the enjoyment of the fullness of the Holy Ghost constantly day by day, there is nothing on the face of the earth that they could ask for that would not be given to them. The Lord is waiting to be very gracious unto this people, and to pour riches, honor, glory, and power, even that they may possess all things according to the promises He has made through His apostles and Prophets.”
Your ‘Happy Ever After’ can come when you come to know that God answers your prayers perfectly, according to His infinite wisdom and in ways that will be to your ultimate benefit and blessing. Your righteous prayers, desires, will be received through your faith in Christ or .... there will be a far superior outcome through God’s plan for you, or anyone who chooses to have faith in Him.
I feel like Cinderella knew how to invite blessings and joy into her life, she has invited us to find our ‘Cinderella’ moment with these words of encouragement;
“No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep believing, the dreams that you wish will come true” ~ Cinderella
In conclusion, I wanted to share these words of wisdom from King Benjamin from the Book of Mormon; Mosiah 2:41
“And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual, and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never ending happiness.”
Keep dreaming, keep believing and become the recipient of the crown that has been promised to all who believe!
Have faith in your dreams and enjoy YOUR ‘Happily Ever After’!
Note: The Original Watercolor, ‘Happily Ever After’ is for sale under the Marketplace tab. Prints of this same painting are also available.
I would love to hear any comments or additional helps that would encourage or help us to obtain our desires. If you have been blessed with a ‘Cinderella’ moment, we would love to hear your story!
Love, Jeannie
