Strengthened by Strangers

Today I am feeling reflective and grateful. I have just come home from church where I have had the privilege of rubbing shoulders with spiritual giants. I look around my congregation and I see many people that strengthen me and inspire me to be a better christian, a better child of God, in all the many roles I personally play each day as a wife, mother, daughter, and such. I hear about their activities and the dedication to the Lord, and I think I want to do that too- not in a "comparing my self to others" negative sort of way, but in a "I want to follow your example" positive sort of way. What great examples they are. I know they are not perfect, and I don't expect them to be. I have the Savior, Jesus Christ, for that, but I know they are trying their best, and striving to live good lives that reflect good christian beliefs and values. I feel a great bond with my ward family, in particular the women, and I know that I can walk a little taller and be a little stronger because of their influence on me. I thank them for that. They probably don't even feel like they are all that special, but I know they are. We are all more precious than we think we are.
Also along the same lines of thinking, I have been pleasantly surprised by how I have been strengthened by complete strangers in the same sort of way. I have taken to what I call "blog hopping." Simply put, I just hit the button "next blog" at the top of my page and I get to view random blogs of people all over the world. Most of them are written in languages that I don't understand, and some have some seriously questionable content that I would have rather not seen in the first place. However, I have stumbled across a notable number of people that have inspired me from afar. I don't know these people, many are members of my church, but others come from many religious backgrounds and attend many other churches. I have cried over their struggles, rejoiced in their triumphs, smiled at their children, and have been inspired by the lives that they live.
Like I said earlier, I have been pleasantly surprised by this new found source of strength. When I started blogging, I never knew that there would be so many perks. I have renewed old friendships and found new friends. My family seems closer, even though many, many miles separate us. I see the hand of the Lord in my life. I have found humor in everyday occurrences that I somehow overlooked before. I have found common ground with complete strangers. I have been inspired to be more than I thought I could be. I have found a hope that even though so many bad things are happening in the world around us, that there are some pretty amazing things happening too. There are more people, just like me and my family, enlisted in the service of God than I realized before. The world seems like a bigger place, and yet it seems so intimate too.
So, thank you to all who have made me more aware of the power of influence and example, I sit next to some of you in the pews of church, some are members of my family, some have been close friends for years, and others I admire from across the world where I am only a unknown face in the background of your lives. I hope that someone has stumbled upon my blog or has rubbed shoulders with me and has felt lifted, renewed in conviction, inspired to be more, and has choosen to live a better way.