Can you relate to the image above? I sure can. In fact, I took a power nap on the couch yesterday. It replenished me. It is exactly what I needed. Then, I got up and continued about my day. I went where I was needed to go. I did what needed to be done.

There have been times in my life where that same nap on the couch lasted for hours. The house around me wasn’t quite so neat and organized. The person under that blanket might not have showered recently. That person might have been hiding from choices made and consequences looming. That person might be having great anxiety and depression. Can you relate to that person?

Many times in my life I have found myself in places where I needed to be. Right. When. I. Needed. To. Be. There. There were times where I was in places where I didn’t need to be. Places where I knew better than to be. I somehow still ended up there.

You know what? I needed to be in those places too. I needed to experience the places that had less or no light, so that I could see the difference when the light was present and bright. Those places helped me to become the person that I am now.

I have always from a young age had an internal knowledge and understanding of the gospel. It just made sense. There was a time in my late teens, that I decided that while there were really good people at church, there were also people at church that seemed hypocritical, and I just didn’t want to be there. You know why else I didn’t want to be there? I wasn’t making the best choices. I felt guilty when I was there. It was easier not to be there. So, I just stopped going.

After about a year and a half, I went to church again, and I can’t even tell you what was said. I just know that I felt strongly that it was time to make a big change. It was time to repent and come back. It was powerful. I had never felt the spirit like that before.

That afternoon, I had a disagreement with my Dad about college. I was angry. I felt that he didn’t understand me. I didn’t know how to explain what I had experienced that day at church. That I was standing at the beginning of a new path in the road of my life and trying to decide whether or not to travel it.

I could have let the anger and frustration I felt take that amazing feeling away from me. But it felt so good, I just held onto it. I grasped tightly to it. I clung onto the hope the light offered over the anger that welcomed me back into the darkness. I kept looking for how to keep that feeling around. It was so different than what I had been experiencing before. It had a feeling of joy and hope associated with it.

I decided to take action. I started trying to read and understand the scriptures. I spoke to my Bishop and started the repentance process. I went to all of the church services and activities that I could. I flooded my life with it. I made a complete change. It was beautiful. It was powerful. I will never go back to that dark and lonely place that I was before.

Now, today, I love to share the light with others that I interact with. Can you tell?

Maybe today, you are in one of those seemingly dark places. Maybe today, you are right where you need to be, to be able to see and feel that darkness. Whenever you are ready to leave that place, start looking for the light. Pray to Him. He will guide you. He will send someone to show you the way if it is just too dark. Look for that to happen.

I am nothing like the person I was during those years of struggle. Sometimes, I become a little like her again. I don’t really like that version of me. My friends and family don’t exactly love that version of me either. I can tell when it happens. It is hard to break away. That version of me is easy to be. It is comfortable.

The version of me that brings light to others around me is also easy to be. It takes a lot more effort. How do I get there? I Trick the Algorithm. I surround myself with learning the gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray constantly. I listen to act when the spirit speaks to me. I am active in church. I look for service. I listen to good music. I am very careful about what I watch. I try to be fully present when I am with someone.

This. This version of me is who I love most.