Panda Ponderings Part 2: Participating in the Present



The two fingers are for part two.
Just to clarify.

   "Yesterday is history, tomorrow's a mystery, but today is a gift.  That's why it's called the present."  Those were some of Master Oogway's last words that he said to Po, the reluctant hero, soon to be Dragon Warrior.  The wise old turtle departed in a blaze of pink petals soon afterwards.  It was weird, but somehow it worked.  But that's not what we're focusing on.  Today, we're focusing on the present.

   Okay, it may be a little bit early for this, but lately I have kind of been reviewing my mission, and planning for the future.  I've been out for about 20 months now, and it's hard not to think about the future, and ponder on the past.  Little things creep into my mind, like school, jobs, money, and a myriad of other things that, quite frankly, I'll need to wait for.  I also look back and think, "Well, if I had just done this better, things would have turned out differently."  It stresses me out.  I really wish it would just stop, but it's harder than it seems.  All I know is, pondering on the past and fretting about the future prevents us from participating in the present.

Panda Ponderings Part One: Personal Proficiencies



   Ever since the movie Kung Fu Panda came out, a strange phenomenon has occurred.  Everyone, quite literally, has been comparing me to Po, the very panda himself.  Personally, I don't see it.  I mean, he's a slightly overweight, off-the-wall goofball, and I'm... Well, maybe I can see it now.  Either way, it's been happening, and I really don't have a problem with it.  Mostly because I think we can all learn a valuable lesson from the big lovable panda.



A plethora of panda paraphernalia.
All sent to me by other people.  Sweet.



   See, Po's story is just awesome. An ancient legend about the "Dragon Warrior" who would deliver the world from evil is all that occupied his mind.  Now, as unlikely a candidate as he was, Po was selected through a series of freak incidents to be the Dragon Warrior.  Here he was, an uncoordinated, somewhat lazy (Okay, the similarities are eerie now) panda, chosen to be the savior of ancient China.  All of the other Kung Fu masters, or Furious Five, were flabbergasted, and I'm sure Po was no less surprised.

The Shepherd and the King

I mean, come on, who would you put your money on?

I'm going to tell you two stories from the Old Testament.  The first is about a shepherd.  Israel was at war with the Philistines (as usual) and things weren't going too hot on the battle front.  See, the Philistines had a secret weapon, a 9-foot-tall freak of nature by the name of Goliath.  He was a huge guy.  He defied the armies of Israel and basically said that if any one person could kill him, the Philistines would bow down to Israel.  Nobody took the bait.  That is, until this shepherd came to the battle to give his older brothers some corn.  He heard the challenge of Goliath, and was really surprised that nobody had taken Goliath up on his offer.  He had great faith that the Lord would deliver Goliath into their hands.  In his own words to Goliath, the young shepherd says:

"This day will the Lord ^adeliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may^bknow that there is a God in Israel." (1 Samuel 17:46)


Those are some pretty strong words.  And it happened.  The shepherd went out with his trusty sling and stones and killed Goliath.  He trusted the Lord with all his might and Goliath was delivered to him.  The story of the young shepherd is one of faith, trust, and action.   

Welcome!

If you are reading this, congratulations! You found my blog, "Polyester Paisleys", in case you didn't read the title. So, as the blog author, I want to formally welcome you. Welcome. Since this is my first post, you might be expecting an explanatory introduction to my blog, and a little blurb about who I am. Well, that's exactly what you should expect because that's what I'm going to write.

First off, about me. I'm Elder Jordan Sharples (Elder is just a title, it means "teacher"), and I'm a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Basically

what this means is that I, along with thousands of other young men and women around the world, am using two years of my life to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and how it has been restored by a living prophet. It is our purpose to "Invite others to come unto Christ." It's pretty sweet. I really am loving every minute of it, even though sometimes things are hard.