Even As A Child

The last few days I've been able to watch little children play and enjoy life. Just from watching them, I can feel a strong spirit surrounding them. These children have a natural love for everything around them. they can see the beauty of the smallest things in life; the delicious smell of the flowers, the beautiful wings of butterflies, the gorgeous sunrays, a love and friendship with all others despite thier age, race, gender or physical characteristics; and anything and everything around them.
A scripture comes to mind-- "...becoming like unto a child; submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit all things which The Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." (Mosiah 3:19)
This is a scripture from Christ. When Christ says in the scripture, "becoming like unto a child", I don't think he is saying to be carefree and have all day be 'play-day'. So what does it mean to be like a child?

1)Submissive: unresistingly or humbly obedient.

2)Meek: Gentle, Humble.

3)Patient:quietly and steadily persevering or diligent, especially in detail or exactness; bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like.

4)Full of Love: Love Like Christ, Love For Christ, Love From Christ. (as I brought up in a previous post)

Why is it important to be like a child?
These characteristics which children portray are the same ideal characteristics and traits which our Savior, even Jesus Christ, has shown to us through how he lived his every day life.
Christ was submissive to the constant council and guidance of His father through the Holy Ghost. He was gentle, and humble, showing a true love for every person who has lived, lives today, and will live tomorrow. Through this strong love He has, Christ is able to be patient with us as we live and constantly make mistakes. And last, but definitely not least, Chirst is always full of Love. I do not believe there are any words to truely describe the kind of love christ has for each one of us. His love is through eyes of a savior who sees not only what we are, but what we can become. He sees us as true sons and daughters of Heavenly Father.
Despite mistakes we make, if we truely and fully repent--promising and striving to not turn back and repeat them--then we can be as the children, and follow Christ with a 'full heart and real intent'.

I believe that once we truely understand this, we can have the strength and ability with Christ's help to look aside from the hardships of this life, and see the beauty and love in everything around us. How wonderful that could be!

“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."(Matt. 16:3-4)

Live, Love, Laugh

LIVE, striving every moment to live like Christ. Missionary work, service, teaching.

"Our Savior teaches us to follow Him by making the sacrifices necessary to lose ourselves in unselfish service to others" (Dallin H. Oaks, April 2009 General Conference).
Matthew 10:39 "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."


LOVE, as Christ would love--knowing that every person you meet is a beloved son or daughter of God.
Moroni 7:45,47: "And charity suffereth long and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil,and rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." "But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever..."
If we have this love, this charity, even as Moroni taught, we will then truely understand God's love for us and each one of His children. We will see one another even as our Father in Heaven sees us; as important individuals who each play a devine roll in His plan.

LAUGH, expressing the joy that comes from having Christ in your life. :)
2Nephi 2:25: "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."
D&C 11:13: "Verily, Verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;"

I believe there is significant importance in the title, God's Plan of Happiness. Yes, we will face trials in this life; how else would we learn and grow? But through following Christ we can overcome those obstacles and become stronger as we climb each hill. Through those trials, we come closer to Christ and feel His eternal love for us as individuals.
How can we truely understand this gospel and not feel the joy it brings? We are blessed with eternal families--does not this alone bring imediate and extreme joy and love into your hearts? I personally cannot quite understand how any person can go a single day without finding at least one small moment of smiles, cheer, and laughter. I can just picture Christ sitting and holding the little children, feeling thier undevided love and admiration, and laughing with them as they shared those glorious moments of overwhelming joy and happiness.

"There is sunshine in my soul today, more glorious and bright than glows in any earthly sky, for Jesus is my light. Oh there's sunshine, blessed sunshine when the peacefull happy moments roll. When Jesus shows his smiling face, there is sunshine in my soul."
You can wake up every day … with hope smiling brightly before you because you have a Savior. (Julie B. Beck)


Galatian 5:22: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith."

Live as Christ lives; Love as Christ loves; Laugh as Christ laughs.

A Sure Way to a Happy Day

Happiness is something we create in our mind.
It's not something ou search for and so seldom find.
It's just waking up and beginning the day
by counting our blessings and kneeling to pray.
It's giving up thoughts that breed discontent
and accepting what comes as a "gift heaven-sent".
It's giving up wishing for things we have not
and making the best of whatever we've got.
It's knowing that life is determined for us
and pursuing our tasks without fret, fume, or fuss.
For it's by completing what God gives us to do
that we find real contentment and happiness too...

~Helen Steiner Rice

Jocelyn's Baptism

YEsterday Jocelyn got baptized and confirmed :) It was a wonderful time! Then, this morning just she and I were awake so we were having our wonderful "sisterly-bonding" time haha.
I said, "So Jocelyn, what did you think about yesterday? What was neat about it?"
Jocelyn: "Well, I got baptized, but that didn't really feel any different. just wet. But then when I got confirmed...I felt this wierd tingly warm feeling in my chest!"
"Ah! That was the spirit."
"Oh that's what it feels like!"
Anyway, it was so neat that she physically felt and recognized that difference.
Later in the day I was telling this to my mom and this is what my mom said. My grandpa had been the one giving the confirmation blessing. He told us that when he said "recieve the gift of the holy ghost" he litterally felt the spirit move through his entire body, out of his fingertips and into Jocelyn. It was amazing.
I told jocelyn to write down exactly what she had told me so that she could always look back and never forget what she felt that day. I hope and pray that she will remember it in her heart, remember how peacefull she felt, and have a strong enough desire to do what she needs to do to keep that spirit with her at all times! I hope and pray that everyone--every person--could have a moment like Jocelyn's where they recognize that difference. That feeling of comfort, and also strive to live worthy of its companionship.

Letter From A Wise Friend

[This was written by a dear friend of mine shortly before his mission. His thoughts and words are strong and really made me think. I hope you enjoy it :)]

This is going to be a long note so friends if you choose to read this I would recommend food and beverages to help get you through it.



In the past year and a half I have made many great leaps in the scheme of things to get me to where I am today; being about to leave on a mission. Not so long ago I was a very very different person. Some of you may know this, some maybe not so much. My story is something of a black to white switch with some color thrown in the pile. This is my story.

Preface:
I didn't graduate High School with the rest of my class. I got some bad information from a couselor that was overturned just a few short weeks before graduation, thus I didn't graduate. I had a good group of friends in high school, many of them didn't talk to me again after we all got out. I had a girlfriend who decided to dump me because her mom told her to. (just a note to the reader: I do currently regret having a girlfriend in high school) Needless to say my life coming out of high school was not anywhere near happy from my point of view. I found myself friendless, jobless, carless, and happyless.

During this dark dark period of my life I did gain some positive. Though I wasn't on good terms with most of my family, wanting to move out but not having the means to do so, I managaed to grow closer to my wonderful mother. She was always there to teach me or help me with feeling better. It was during this time that I gained much of my culinary skill. It was the winter of 2009 that I managed to get a job repairing the mistakes of others in a book. The first graphic designer to work on it had left on a mission but had done a great deal of work on it. The second one had more or less created many mistakes and taken advantage of the author a great deal of times. The author was very good about informing me of this every few days or so, which consequently started to drive me crazy and not wanting to work as much. (amazing how negative work environments can do that) It was then my Mom taught me something that has become a pillar in my life. Her words "Be a Duck". Obviously it doesn't make sense to the casual viewer and might even give rise to a chuckle. However to me, being deeply metaphorical, it clicked rather quickly. She explained that ducks float on top of the water, the water being like the problems of the world, or in this case my client. While if i remained in my current state as a human I would have to struggle through all those problems and if left there for too long could possibly even drown in them. As I found the "duck" concept comical and helpful at the same time I tried it.

The "duck" concept taught me my life's first great lesson, which is one in Patience. I learned to be patient and calm about pretty much everything. I could drive without road rage at people who left their high beams on to rage attacks on my eyes, I was punched in the face at a churchball game and blacked out when I hit the ground, and had no problem with my attacker, I had finally learned a life skill that would serve me well in the world. However I was still unhappy, still in the dark pit that was my life, which leads me to the next wonderful thing that came into my life. Ultimate Frisbee. Now for those of you who know me well, know that I love this sport with a passion. I had been invited to come and play before by one of the few friends that did talk to me after high school. It was when somebody else invited me to come play that I finally gave in and came. The best way to describe it would be "instant addiction", it was a sport that let me run and I wasn't good at it the first time around. I started playing 3 times a week with this team that was planning on playing in the Utah Summer Games. I got my little sister Darci to help me practice so I could get good enough that they might let me play with them. We played every night. I got better fast and was allowed to play on the "A" team because of my hard effort and good defense that i developed. Ultimate Frisbee gave me the next 2 things that I needed to get out of my dark hole. Hard Work and the influence of good friends.

At this point I started to balance on the edge of a knife so to speak. It was going to be one way or the other. So I did the one thing I had been taught to do all my life. I prayed. It wasn't a normal prayer, or even the right format that I had been taught to use. I simply told my Heavenly Father that I didn't know if the gospel was for me or not, and that I had found Ultimate Frisbee and that it made me happy. I had friends, laughter, exercise, and happiness for that short time that I got to play. I told him that I was going to test the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints out, and if it made me as happy as Ultimate Frisbee had then I would get my life in order and start doing everything that I needed to do. So I started going to all the church activities and meetings with the right frame of mind, wanting to learn and grow from them. I did, slowly at first but I grew. Then something happened. I was at a large activity playing Ultimate as it was, and I made a new friend. A girl I had never met before in my life, but for some reason she was undeniably beautiful to me and I couldn't figure out why. Not so long after I learned why she was so beautiful. It wasn't because she was physically attractive, but rather spiritually attractive. She shone with the Light of Christ, and because of that she was always happy. I wanted it, and I wanted it really bad.

So now I had my sign. The Gospel is what I needed to always be happy. I became fast friends with this wonderful girl, and though I have yet to admit it, I was enchanted by her. We had many deep gospel centered conversations, usually about the things I was learning on my own, and then the fourth pillar was lodged into place. She asked me to go with her to an institute "date dance".

taking a small sidebar here. there are really 2 ways to gain courage. 1 is from utilizing courage itself, or in other words being brave. 2 is from utter and complete humiliation when you didn't use that courage. obviously you can tell which one this was.

I accepted, and then later to rectify my lack of courage I asked her on a normal date. If you haven't figured it out by now the fourth pillar was Courage. I began to fear new things less and less. Every time that I was brave and tried something new I kept coming back with a happy ending. From this courage grew Self-Confidence, which is my Fifth Pillar. Self-Confidence came with Self Worth and I began to see a few more changes I needed to make in my life. I began to make the changes so that I could become who I wanted to be. They happened slowly, as some changes are harder to make than others. I used the Atonement which Christ made available to us all to make the harder changes. I was finally turning into who I wanted to be.

It was around this time that I found myself having a desire to serve a mission. So I started to work towards it, albeit secretly so I could surprise my parents. I began talking to the Bishop about it, and started to make a push in the right direction with that. My dad was called to be on the High Council at the YSA 1st Stake so I figured there would have to be a point at which he knew where I was going. After passing both interviews for recieving the Melchezidek Priesthood I knew I couldn't keep him in the dark anymore, as he was in the High Council that had to vote yes or no on it going all the way through. (I did enjoy the look on his face when he finally found out) *big smile moment for me*

After that there isn't much left to say about me growing to be who I am today. I have learned little bits and pieces which have helped me grow a little bit more every day. The Scriptures being the best source for me.

That was my story of how I came to be the person many of you now know me to be.

The moral to it all is this: If you want to be happy, not the momentary happiness you may find in drugs or alcohol, or any other thing for that matter. Find out who you want to be, what kind of mark you want to leave on the world and the lives of others. Find yourself in the company of those whom you most want to be like. Do what it is you want to do.

In the past my motto has changed around, lately it has been "Live, Laugh, Love"
Now I have a new motto. "Don't look back to what once was, but look forward to what can be"

My Friends, My Family and everybody else, this is just a simple story about my conversion to the Gospel and how I changed my life around. How I became happier than I have ever been, and continue to strive to become happier still. I know that every step you take towards happiness it will seem like you have the world fighting you every step of the way. But take courage, be confident in who you are and who you want to become. Forgive others without a second thought, it takes a lifetime to make a friend, but only seconds to make an enemy. Be kind, be servicable and patient. Life is much easier when you have patience and are willing to find the silver lining in every dark cloud.

I thank you all for the great influence you have had in my life, and if you ever need a friend I am here.

With most sincere Love and Appreciation
Brett
P.S. thank you to all the wonderful ladies who accepted my asking them on a date.

The Bread of Life

If we do not give our physical bodies food, our bodies will become weak, sick, and will fail. So it is with our spiritual bodies. We must constantly feed and nourish them. Prayer, diligent scripture study, studying the prophet's words, and visiting the temple as often as possible are all ways we can nourish and enrich our spiritual selves.

Christ Lives

Every time I read the scriptures I am reminded of how much I love this gospel! The Book of Mormon is a marvelous work filled with testimonies and teachings of Christ. Reading in general is something I love, but even if I had just this one book I feel I could be complete still. Sometimes it's difficult for me to understand how others can know, and even be part of this gospel, yet still deny Christ's even existance. I feel blessed that I have not had to face that level of unsurity and disbelief. I see every part of life--of this world--more facts and evidence that CHRIST DOES LIVE!! He lives and breathes even as we do! Life in general can be such a wonderful experience. It definitely is not easy or always imediately rewarding, but it is definitely worth it! Everything we learn, everything we do, everything we think can have a purpose, a meaning, an importance to us--if we let it. As we go through our day to day lives, I believe we need to remember why we are here and where we are heading. [that can be taken spiritually as well as temporally]. Christ gives us the scriptures and living prophets to teach us the gospel and give us purpose for life. Remember that Christ lives! Remember that He suffered in Gethsemene for every physical, spiritualy, mental, emotional pain and weakness that we have and will face. Remember that He was RESURRECTED!! He was resurected so that we may be, even as He was. Remember that it is by following the commandments of God and keeping our covenants with Him that we can return to Him and have everlasting joy.

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12)

Get Service

This video changed my view in life--changed how I see and want to see others. We should not judge those around us. We should have the Love of Christ in our hearts at all times. 1. Love like christ--love all unconditionally. SERVE OTHERS "When ye are in the service of your fellow men, ye are only in the service of your God." Mosiah 2:17 2. Love for Christ--do all you can to come closer to Him and be able to return to live with Him. 3. Love from Christ--Christ knows you and loves you more than you can imagine! Always remember that and know that you can turn to Him at all times, no matter where you are in life.

Christ Knows You

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to go to an LDS Young Single Adult Conference here in St. George and was blessed with so many wonderful lessons and testimonies. One meeting we had was a testimony meeting, but time ran out before I had the chance to share mine. I feel that what I had to say then is still important for someONE out there, so I hope that someone will hear it from here. This little piece of my testimony is about how well Heavenly Father and Christ know and love YOU--as an individual, as the person you are, as the son or daughter you are! If visual comparisons help teach the point, here's something to think about. Take a simple leaf from a tree, it's simple, not much, yet beautiful. Zoom out to the 2nd power. Now you're looking at a full tree. Go to the third power and you have a forrest. Continue this pattern and at the 14th power, the Earth has become a microscopic speck in the galaxy, which is just a freckle in the universe. How amazing is it to think that all of that was created by Christ?! He knows every part of it, how it functions; every piece has a role. Now start back at the leaf. Again, it is something so simple, yet beautiful. Zoom in to the 2nd power and you can see the details of the texture and physical structure of the leaf. Go to the 14th power, and now you're looking at the tiny atoms which follow direct rules of construction to make the molecules work together and create everything about that simple leaf. Within the one leaf, Christ has created millions of pieces and tools which work together with a purpose. How amazing is that?! Christ Knows Everything! Knowing this, Is it not evident that Christ Knows You? Looking again at physics, our bodies, inside and out, are created with such care. Every single molecule has a purpose and is known individually by Christ. The simplest things as one DNA molecule is what makes you who you are, seperate from everyone else. And Christ, our Savior, knows that. If He and our Heavenly parents put so much care and time into every part of you, is there not a purpose for us? Would they not want each of us to return to them? I'm sorry this is so long, but I feel it's important to know that CHRIST KNOWS AND LOVES YOU INDIVIDUALLY! You have been created and brought to this Earth with purpose and with love. No matter where you are in life, Christ knows everything, and all you need to do is follow Him. Be all you can be. Pray to Him; He is listening. "Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience, and the true altitude of our discipleship...Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely." Deiter F. Uchtdorf p.s. Here is slide show (yes, it's in spanish) from a mission president which brought this whole concept into play for me.

Temples of The Lord

Over the fall break, a few friends and I took a small 2 day trip to visit some of the LDS temples here in Utah. We made our first stop at the Salt Lake City temple, stopped at Jordan River temple that evening, then spent that night with family. We started our journey back south the next day by going first to the Draper Temple, 2nd the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, and then made our last pit stop at the Provo Temple. During these visits, we took as much time as we could doing temple work, as well as simply enjoying the wonderful spirit and comfort the temple grounds offered. It was such a wonderful experience! Spending two days doing the Lord's work gave such an overwhelming spirit and love! It was something I wish every person could feel! It felt like a 2-day mission :)
The temples of the Lord are the closest we can be to Heaven while here on this Earth. I believe we need to take that into account and take advantage of any opportunities we have to go and do the Lord's work. And if time doesn't offer itself, create time to at least visit the temple grounds and give yourself the blessings of the spirit that are there.
I believe that the more we do this, the more we can take on in life. Not that life will necessarily be any less demanding, but we will be stronger to stand through it. The temple grounds can be your place of refuge. There, your heart and mind can be free from distractions of life and will be open to receive messages, understandings, and comforts that you may need at the time. The more we do this, the more 'regular' it can become; staying in tune with the spirit can become as a second nature.

Cookies

Often times we tend to take simple tasks and make them more complicated than they need to be. My story today is about not following the recipe when making simple chocolate chip cookies.

Every once in a while, it's fun to make some cookies and secretly take them to a few friends. I usually do this with at least one other friend, but tonight It was just me in the kitchen. I pulled out the recipe book, scanned over the ingredients to make sure I knew what I needed, and quickly started putting things together. I put the first tray of cookies in the oven, and left the kitchen for a minute. When I came back, my sister was in tasting the dough and mentioned that it tasted a bit bland. I tasted it--terribly bland!--and realized I'd forgotten to put the sugar in!

Without thinking too much,I put the full 1 1/4 cups of sugar in the remaining dough and mixed it in. ...then after looking at it and tasting it again, I caught another mistake. I'd put too much sugar in for the amount of dough I had. I felt pretty silly by now. I figured though that if I added just the right amount of the other ingredients, things would even out well enough. Well...long story short, it didn't. The 2nd pan of cookies was just as..interesting as the first.

Well, through the rough trial I faced today, I have learned a couple lessons.
One of them is comparing the recipe book the the scriptures. Like the cook book, the scriptures clearly tell us each ingredient that is absolutely necessary to become as perfect as we can be and to come unto Christ. It tells us the commandments and teachings as directions of how we apply the principles and ordinances of the gospel into our lives. If we read carefully and study the book(scriptures) and follow the directions with direct obedience, we will be blessed with the final product of an eternal life back home with our Heavenly Father and Christ.

Now, the second lesson I learned is that when making chocolate chip cookies, if they don't turn out quite right, the trash can is always open for more. ;)

Agency=Accountability

In Helaman chapter 14, Samuel the Lamanite is preaching to the Nephites about repentance. I've read this chapter and heard the story many times, but this time I learned something new. After I read verse 8, I had the feeling and thoughts of confirmation that I knew this was the true gospel and that if I stay faithful and strong to Christ through it, I will be able to return to Him.
8: And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall believe on the Son of God, the same shall be saved.

Another insight I had was in the end of the chapter with verses 29-31. Samuel teaches and reminds us that we have every bit of freedom to choose our actions--but when we pick up the stick with action on one end, we also pick up the other end which is the consequence. We must realize that we have no ability to determine the consequences of our actions. If we want certain things to happen, we must be willing to take the action which leads to that consequence--good or bad. I believe the main point of this within the gospel is the fact that if we want good things to happen, we must take the action of following Christ. If we want bad things to happen(who would do that?!) then we follow Satan. Such a simple concept that, for some reason, seems to be difficult for us as humans to grasp.

Helaman 14:28-31:
"...whosoever will believe might be saved, and that whosoever will not believe, a righteous judgment might come upon them; and also if they are condemned they bring upon themselves their own condemnation."
"And now remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselfves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free."
"He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or ye can do evil and have that which is evil restored unto you."

Relief Society Broadcast 2010

Holy Camolie! Tonight's Relief Society broadcast was just amazing!!!There is so much that I feel was directed specifically at me--Visiting Teaching emphasized Big Time! There were constant reminders of how we are children--how I am a daughter of God--and we are all going through this life to prepare for our eternal destination! Sister Beck told us to CARRY ON. Help Build People, prepare for the temple, strengthen homes in zion(everything mentioned in the RS 'theme')

Sister Allred: We all have divine attributes for our general and individual missions. We each are given different gifts and talents and we must strengthen and use them. We must be Steadfast and Immovable--by following God, our Father who is a God of LOVE and loves us more than we could ever imagine! How Wonderful is that?! That no matter where we are in life, comfort, support, understanding, love, and help are right there for us if we just pray. The Christ said, "I will not forget thee...I have engraven thee upon the palms of my hands." As much as Christ loves us, we must love others also. Strengthen and Care for ALL!

And then Barbara Thompson spoke(Man, I love it when she talks!! :) ) She started off with a scripture somewhere in Jude(sorry she didn't say which one) "...and of some have compassion..." Compassion: love, sympathy, kindness, tenderness, charity, ---basically everything that Christ is and does. Seek to love one another. (all of these were emphasizing VT by the way) Strengthen Families! "We are the Lord's hands upon the earth...He is dependant upon us..." We are given callings for a reason. For a purpose in others' lives as well as in our own. We can't just set them aside and say they aren't important!

President Monson was amazing, no doubt! His main question at the beginning was "How do we view others?" He talked about how Charity Never Faileth, and was constantly reminding us to Judge Not others--especially by appearance. One of the "parables" he gave was about a young couple who moved into a new neighborhood. Each morning, while they ate breakfast, the wife looked out the window and would see her neighbor hanging up clothes to dry, and always made a comment to her husband(who sat silent and made no comment back) about how the clothes weren't completely cleaned. One morning, the wife looked out and saw the clothes white, and "clean as clean could be"! She nudged her husband and said "Look how clean they are! I must find out what new product she's using." The husband then looked at the wife and said "It's just the same as before, except now your window's clean."
Anyway, something along those lines teaching to judge not according to appearance--first impressions, etc. "Is your window clean?" and how, despite our own imperfections, we tend to point out those in others. Mother Teresa once said "If you judge people, you have not time to love them." To but pity misfortune is human. To have charity is God like.

Anyway....wow I was definately blessed greatly and taught by angels tonight! To emphasize it a little more, I'm still crying and have a snuffy nose from the broadcast haha. No lie. :) There is so much we as sisters(and everybody else as well) can learn each and every day! There were several stories and scriptures used tonight that I've heard mulitple times before, but had a new meaning to me tonight. They brought new inspirations of how I can become a better person and most importantly: how I can become more like Christ--closer to our Heavenly Father!

The Right Idea

I heard this poem (or one very similar to it) a few years ago and finally found it again. I think it teaches a great lesson about how God does not always give or bless us with what we want, but what we need. Even if we don't understand it at that time. He knows us better than we know ourselves. We must trust Him and follow Him.

I asked God to take away my habit.God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporal.I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn’t granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness.God said, No.
I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.God said, No.
You must grow on your own! But I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.God said, No.
I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.

I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said…Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

Voice of the Spirit

Ten Rules of Happiness

1. Develop yourself by self discipline.
2. Joy comes through creation--sorrow through destruction. Every living thing can grow:Use the world wisely to realize soul growth.
3. Do things which are hard to do.
4. Entertain upbuilding thoughts. What you think about when you do not have to think shows what you really are.
5. Do your best this hour and you will do better the next.
6. Be true to those who trust you.
7. Pray for wisdom, courage, and a kind heart.
8. Give heed to God's messages through inspiration. If self-indulgence, jealousy, avarice, or worry have deadened your response, pray the Lord to wipe out these impediments.
9. True friends enrich life. If you would have friends, be one.
10.Faith is the foundation of all things--including happiness.

The Improvement Era, June 1951, p401

Pray

“…The restored gospel makes plain the simple things we need to do [to allow God
to give us strength]. And it gives us confidence that the help we need will come if
we do those things early and persistently, long before the moment of crisis. The
first, the middle, and the last thing to do is to pray.”

Make The Most of Yourself

"Emerson once made this meaningful statement: ‘Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is to you.’ How true! What wise counsel! We cannot get away from ourselves. We must continue to live with ourselves, and what we do every day and how we respond to life determines the kind of YOU we are going to be and live with and how successful and happy we will be with the YOU we are.”
~N. Eldon Tanner, Ensign, Feb. 1976

Naturally as human beings, we can't be perfect. We can, however, be the best we can be. Emerson and Tanner said it SO clearly! There is only so much we are able to accomplish and become in this life. If we be the best we can be, do the best we can do, and follow Christ to constantly become closer to Him, He will provide the rest. Everyone naturally wants the best in life, or wants to get the most out of it that they can. The only true way to do that is to give our best. Some might say that instead they'll give only the minimum required and/or cheat their way through the rest. That can only go so far and will end up far from the desired destination.

Make the most of yourself. Make the most of your life. Be all that you can be. You are a son or daughter of our Heavenly Father who loves you now, always will, and is always ready and willing to help you if you will ask with a sincere heart and real intent. Always.

Things I wish I Had Known Before I Was 21

These are thoughts and reflections a man of full, ripe years gives to the younger generation:

I wish I had known what I was going to do for a living, and what my life work would be.

I wish I had known that my health after thirty was largely dependant on how I treated my body before I was twenty-one

I wish I had known how to take care of my money

I wish I had known that a man's habits are mighty hard to change after twenty-one

I wish I had known that the harvest depends so much on the seeds sown

I wish I had known the world will give me just about what I deserved

I wish I had known you cannont get something for nothing

I wish I had known the folly of not taking the advise of older and wiser people

I wish I had known that Dad wasn't such an old fogey after all

I wish I had known that everything Mother wanted me to do was right.

I wish I had known the value of serving a fellowman

I wish I had known that there is no better excercise for the heart than reaching down and helping people up

I wish I had known that the "sweat of my brow" would earn my bread

I wish I had known that a thorough education brings the best of everything else

I wish I had known that honesty is the only policy, not in dealing with my neighbors, but also with myself and God

I wish I had known the value of truthfulness in all things

Remember, life is a mirror which will reflect back to you what you think into it.

Good Things to Come

All that's needed to be said is said in this.

Friends are PRICELESS

This wonderful note wasn't writting by me. It was written by a very good friend of mine who's taught me--or helped me see--changes and improvements I can make in becoming a better friend.

"I discovered a new constant in life. Every time I try to do better and work harder at doing what is right, there are 2 forces in play. There is the encouraging force that makes me feel happy for what I have done and what I am actively doing to become the best that I can be. Then there is that discouraging force that just bombards me with the what if's and why not's that are not good for me in the least bit. Tonight discouragement came in the form of loneliness, an old companion of mine. I am so grateful for a friend who saw this and came to my rescue. :) There is no better force for encouragement than a good friend. I am working on doing something to get me where i need to be in life, and find all of the evil's of "pandora's box" coming at me. So when i get that one last bit of hope or encouragement there is no greater feeling in the world.

I have also discovered that I can't make somebody be my friend, I can't make people like me, and i can't make everybody happy all of the time. However, I can like other people for who they are no matter what. I can be a friend to everybody, through encouragement, service, love, and even a smile. Most of all I can choose to be happy all of the time no matter what. So for whoever might read this let me encourage you to seek out those who might need a lift, who might be alone, or lack a smile. Lift them, be a friend, give them a reason to smile. You never know what kind of a difference it might make in their life. It could be the one last thing that will help push them into a positive direction. It might bring them to do a 180 from the negative direction they were heading. Everybody has had a hard time in their life, whether they felt alone, bombarded with pressure pushing them in a direction they didn't want to go, suffering from loss, or just lacking direction. Be a source for good and bring all to come unto Christ.

Life is a war and every day a battle. A battle for the souls of men, women, and children. It is time we all pick our side and get into the action. Nobody can win alone. It is time that we put forth more effort than we are. "
~Brett

Mosiah 2:17; "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

God Bless America

We believe that the Constitution was brought about by God to ensure a nation where liberty could abound and where his gospel could flourish. Joseph Smith said, “The Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard—it is founded in the wisdom of God—it is a heavenly banner.” (Petersen, Prologue, p. 75.)No constitution on earth has endured longer than this one. We seek, and usually find, the answers to today’s questions in this document of yesterday. It was and is a miracle. Both Washington and Madison referred to it as such. It is an inspired document written under the guidance of the Lord. James Madison, commonly called the father of the Constitution, recognized this inspiration and gave the credit to “the guardianship and guidance of the Almighty Being whose power regulates the destiny of nations, whose blessings have been so conspicuously dispensed to this rising republic.” (Petersen, Prologue, p. 95.)[N. Eldon Tanner, “If They Will But Serve the God of the Land,” New Era, Jul 1977, 36]

Today was another celebration of America's, our country's, gift of freedom. Such a miracle that we are able to enjoy the freedoms and rights we have. Especially the freedom of religion. When the Founding Fathers put the Constitution together, it was deffinately under the influence of Christ. I am so thankful for the opportunities I've been given in this life, to live in this beautiful place with my Amazing family, and have the comfort of knowing I will be able to spend all eternity with them. Because of the freedom of religion, coming from the Constitution, which came from the hands of our Fathers who were inspired and guided by God.

“Obedience to the Lord’s commandments provides us confidence in our chosen path, qualifies us for His guidance and direction as we pursue our efforts, and offers us the potential to become like our Savior, Jesus Christ, and return to our Father’s presence.”

Fire Proof

About 27 hours ago, I walked away after watching a family's home burn down. I never knew who lived there, but I felt a deep love and care for them. It made me take a minute...several actually...and think of how blessed I am. A FAMILY, a home, a job, food, clothes, and most importantly, The Gospel. No matter what happens to our worldy things, we will never lose the wonderful, true gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now, I don't know what it is with me and fires lately, but tonight while I was waiting for the laundry, I put in a movie my mom had picked up from the library. FIRE PROOF. Extreme summary: A husband and wife, married for about 7 years, are on the verge of a divorce. The wife feels hated and unloved, the husband feel disrespected and poorly cared for. The husband talks to his dad about it all and the dad gives him a book--a journal--he'd written years ago. He calls it "The Love Dare". There are 40 pages, one for each day, which the son/husband reads and follows the written instructions of. They start small; day one telling him to only say positive things to his wife. Hold his tongue when urged to shout or say anything negative. It continues for 40 days with each day adding one more thing to the list. Eventually it changes them; their hearts are open to search for the positive things in eachother, and love eachother for who they are instead of criticizing and judging for what/who they are not. They also recognize weaknesses in themselves and learn to accept that they aren't perfect and open up for learning and improvement. They learn to love and help eachother through better and worse. They create a relationship between themselves which is "Fire Proof" from the fires of the world and of hatred.

I guess that wasn't the most Simple "Simplification" haha but the main point of it is that each of us need to be "fire proof" from the fires of the world. We need to have a fire proof relationship with Christ; safe from the fires of the advasary. We must be humble, realize we aren't perfect, open to accept and learn more. We need to be willing to make sacrifices of simply worldly things in our lives in order to come closer to Christ and have our minds and hearts open to Him.

Polaroid Snapshot Moments

My current job is a lifeguard at a couple public pools, and my favorite part of the job is to just sit and watch the kids having so much fun. Some days I wish I could just go around with a Polaroid Camera and capture every one of the amazing snapshot moments for the parents. Little children are so amazing! They're each beautiful, amazing, wonderful blessings in our lives! How often do parents have time to really just sit back and watch their little kids have so much fun? So many times I catch myself just sitting back and day dreaming of being a mother and having my own little blessings. For now though, this will do. :) Wow, I'm lucky to have such an awesome job! haha.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

"...I DO know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." ~Alma 36:3
There are so many things we each go through in our lives which can only be overcome if we push forward with faith in Christ. I often wonder--with a full heart of amazement and gratitude--how the pioneers were able to go through all they did! It's really hard for me to even imagine! So, if they were able to stay faithful and strong through all their hardships and trials, why can't I? Why can't we? Every one of them, every one of us, is a son or daughter of the same wonderful Father in Heaven who loves us more than we could ever imagine! He is a Father who will ALWAYS have His hand out to help us.

Footprints In The Sand

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?”

The Lord replied,
“The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you.”

No matter where you are in life, you are never alone. Christ is with you always. This poem has always been one of my favorites, and it portrays such a wonderful message...though I, personally, would make a little change. Even in the times when things don't seem too difficult, Christ is never just walking by your side; I believe He is carrying you Every Step of the Way!

Remember who you are

"All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny." ~The Family; A Proclamation to The World

Tuesday, June 01

Stress is one of those things that pretty much everyone is familiar with. Today I got a last minute load of stress. I tried to clear up as much as i could, and was looking at the remaining load trying to figure out what to do...and had a thought to go read something from my homepage; lds.org I clicked on the first talk i saw and found what I needed for today after just a couple paragraphs.

"To live greatly, we must develop the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and triumph with humility. You ask, “How might we achieve these goals?” I answer, “By gaining a true perspective of who we really are!” We are sons and daughters of a living God, in whose image we have been created. Think of that: created in the image of God. We cannot sincerely hold this conviction without experiencing a profound new sense of strength and power."
~Liahona » 2010 » June

Canaries with Gray on Their Wings
By President Thomas S. Monson

"...we must develop the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and triumph with humility." and the wonderful reminder that I, You, We, are sons and daughters of a living God. He is our father. No matter where we are in life, if we turn to Him and ask with a sincere heart for forgiveness or simply for help in our daily struggles, His arms are open and will embrace us with pure love. We are His children and if we do ask and do all we can, He, in return, will do all He can for us.

Family

I absolutely love my family! My little sisters are great! Every day as I watch them, I learn more and more about them; i start noticing different talents they each have and different characteristics that make them even more special.

Getting started

Every person, at least once in his or her life, wishes for Heaven. What many need to understand is that we are surrounded by bits and pieces of Heaven in our everyday lives; Family, Friends, Nature, the love and beauty of every one of God's creations; Simple things like a warm hug, a bright smile, a child's innocent and true christ-like love...
Take one small moment each day to open your eyes a bit more. Let the "Son's" light make your day a bit brighter.
This blog is just to share my joy from my everyday experiences, simple thoughts, or just small lessons learned, of seeing the light of Christ throughout life despite everyday trials and hardships. I hope that maybe...maybe this could make a difference for at least one more person.