To Be a True Follower of Christ // Deliteful Thoughts

As I sit here at home on a fast Sunday with a sick daughter, I can't stop thinking about these words: To be a true follower of Christ. What exactly does that mean? I have asked myself this question over and over. For many years while I was trying to make right decisions as a teenager, I always thought I was being a true follower of Christ because of all the things I was NOT DOING:

I could go on for hours about the "do not's". While I thought about all of the things I came up with that, I noticed that they were all "do not's".  Was I really a true follower of Christ?? I lived like this for years thinking I was doing my best and was really a true follower of Christ. Then one day I was laying on my bed on Sunday just lounging around, not doing much ("keeping the sabbath day holy") and thought about all of the "do not's" again. Was I really a true follower of Christ by not doing all of these things? Or was I just getting by? I then thought of many of my non-LDS friends and realized they were more charitable and Christlike than I was because they were doing so much more than I. I had totally overlooked what a true follower of Christ is. It's not about all of the "do not's", but the "Do's". I tried to make a list of what "do's" that I needed to start focusing on instead of the "do not's". 

DO's:

 - Serve others in all aspects (money, time, prayers, thoughts, kindness, friendship, non-judgement, understanding, forgiveness, patience, love, etc.)
 - Always put others first
 - Less judgement, more love and charity, no matter who it is
 - Keep Sabbath day holy. Fill it with uplifting music, movies, magazines, etc.
 - Ask for forgiveness regularly
 - Pray always for my needs/desires and other's needs/desires
 - Be Honest in all my dealings
 - Spiritually feed my body continually (Listen/watch inspiring and uplifting music/media, scriptures)
 - Treat my body as a temple (eat healthy, exercise, do not defile it)
 - Attend temple as often as possible
 - Count my blessings often and thank Heavenly Father for them
 - Always have Faith in Christ, even when there aren't answers
 - Be an example of Christ at ALL TIMES
 - Be humble, especially when it's super hard
 - Be the first to apologize
 - Mend broken/weakened relationships
 - Constantly nourish relationships
 - Forgive without holding back
 - Make quality time with family/friends actually face to face (less social media/gadgets)

This list made me realize that if I do the "do's", really all of the "do not's" will fall into place. I have added and changed my list over the past couple years and this is just a snippet of what I want to become, but I have also talked with my family about this and we've found that it helps to make yearly goals as a family. We have a long ways to go, but as one of my favorite people said, "Try a little harder to be a little better" - Gordon B. Hinckley.  I absolutely love this quote because it is not overwhelming. It really gives you hope and helps you understand that change doesn't come overnight. It's a little change here and a little change there. No matter our age or our spirituality level, we can ALWAYS do a little better. 

My parents are a great example of many of these things and I am so grateful for them planting the seed in me as a young child. It may have taken years to sprout, but better late than never. I remember a quote that was up in my house when I was younger and now I have a better understanding of what it really means.