I was chatting with a friend, kind of venting about life and family.  She said, “I just want a normal life.”  Almost without thinking, my reply was, “What is normal?”  Too often I think we confuse the “ideal” with “normal”.   By definition ideal means something imagined in a state of perfection; a goal; a model.   I think all of us can look at our life, our home and family, and find something that we consider “not normal.” 

I was frustrated that my friend felt this way because she is someone I respect.  I marvel at her ability to face challenge and obstacles and overcome adversity, what seems to be on a daily basis.  Are her circumstances “ideal”?  Not at all, but her actions and responses are constantly striving for the ideal.   

 I enjoy reading biographies; true stories about the lives of great people.  Through my reading I have learned that most great people did not come from ideal homes and families.  They faced many trials…death of a parent or sibling, divorce, poverty, disability, and so on. But what I discover is that these great people had educated themselves in the ideal and were endeavoring to attain it.  I find that I can relate with many of their experiences and find inspiration in their stories.  In fact, I truly believe that we are all in the middle of a chapter of a biography of a great person …ourselves!  Are we educated in the ideal?  How will our stories play out?  What will our friends, family and children anecdote our pages with?  Who will we inspire?

I cannot think of a better place to learn about ideals, than through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Savior is the ideal…he is the perfect, the goal, the model, worthy of emulation.  It is through learning and living the gospel that we become more like Him.  This requires the very basics from us; saying our prayers, studying the scriptures, partaking of the Sacrament every Sunday, loving and serving our neighbor.  When we are consistently doing these things we are humble and teachable.  We are able to be schooled in the ideal and to receive the messages of  guidance and inspiration that the Lord has prepared, in His infinite wisdom, for each one of us.

 I have learned through my own experience and even through my hobby of reading biographies, that the Lord has a plan for each one of us.  His is a plan that far exceeds our own imaginations.  He wants us to progress, to achieve, and have joy and happiness.  He wants to give us every good thing.  He will prepare the way, but we must have the faith and willingness to follow His path.  Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is quite literally, the embodiment of the ideal.  The choice is ours:  Will we follow Him?

By:  Beth