14 Things I Love About Life

Today is Valentine's Day! And so I thought I'd take just a few moments to share 14 things on February 14, 2014, that I love about life. So here we go!

1. My Family
2. My Heavenly Father
3. My Savior Jesus Christ and His Gospel
4. Being a Missionary
5. My Companion
6. Temples (like the one in Gilbert, AZ. The open house ends tomorrow, so HURRY!)
7. Arizona Winters
8. Mexican Food
9. Running (and burning off all of the Mexican Food)
10. Ice Cream
11. The Scriptures
12. Dogs
13. My Mom's Cooking and Baking
14. Knowing that my Family can be Together Forever

What are some of the things that you love and are grateful for? Post a comment!

The Perfect Example

Every now and then I'm lucky enough to get the humbling reminder that I'm not very good at things. The other night, I was kneeling near my bed to pray before going to sleep, and I had my arms up on the bed. The next thing I knew, I didn't really know what was going on, and my arm hurt really really bad. In my best efforts to pray, I may or may not have fallen asleep, and my arm was on the brink of being completely numb. And it was disappointing! It's tough because I know how important prayer is-it's literal communication with our Father in Heaven! It's such a blessing and an opportunity, and I, being the weak, imperfect person that I am, fell asleep :(

And although that's a small example, we all definitely have weaknesses. I know I have a lot of them. We are all faced with a ton of different trials and challenges each and every day. I think one of the hardest parts of those challenges is that we want to do the right thing, but a lot of times we just don't know what that is, or in the moment we forget, or something like that. Whatever the case may be, we are reminded that we still have some room for improvement :)

But that's just another one of the reasons why I am so grateful for the Savior, Jesus Christ. He truly was the perfect example in everything. He taught us how to live. He taught us how to treat others. He taught us how to love, how to obey, how to teach, how to react to the not so friendly situations of life, etc. He faced it all. And now we may not have a record of the Savior being tempted to say something not so nice to a younger brother or sister, or something trivial like that, but we can see His example as he faced those that sought to condemn Him. We see His example as He taught His Gospel to all those around Him. We see His example as He showed true and genuine love and compassion for all those who crossed His path. As we study His life and His teachings, we learn of His character. We learn what He would do if He were faced with the situations that we encounter.

We find strength as we study the scriptures. They are there for our guidance and benefit. Jesus Christ suffered and died for the sins of the world. He rose on the third day to bring everlasting life to those who believe on His name. But even on top of that, He gave us the perfect example in every aspect of our life. If we strive to follow His example, and emulate the Master, our lives will be full of joy. And that's something that I've definitely seen in my life. As I am trying to put into practice what He taught, I know I am still not perfect, but that God accepts me for who I am, and helps me as I strive to become more like the Savior. And that thought brings a lot of peace. The Savior is the perfect example.

He Answers!

I am so grateful for my loving Heavenly Father. There are a lot of times when I find myself thinking about God, and kind of where I stand toward Him, what my relationship with Him is like, and things like that, and I've found that I've learned the most about God when I've thought about Him as a Father. I know that quite literally He is the Father of our spirits. Everything that He does stems from the paternal love that He has for His children. His ultimate goal and measure of success is for His children to be able to have success in this life, and come and return to live with Him in the hereafter.

He knew that this life would be incredibly hard-and it is! There are so many trials and challenges that each and every one of us faces. We all face difficulties, sicknesses, struggles, weaknesses, and the like. On top of that, we have so many voices all around us, be they from friends, family, the media, or other sources, trying to tell us what to do or how to live-what way will bring us true happiness and joy. Knowing this, our Heavenly Father provided multiple means of helping us to find guidance and direction during this life. He gave us prophets to teach us His word. He gave us scriptures so that we might read His word. But today I want to talk a little bit about the power of prayer and of the Holy Ghost.

I have seen recently the power that comes through prayer. James in the New Testament directed us, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally...and it shall be given him" (James 1:5). We have a lot of questions in this life, and there is power in taking those questions and those concerns to our Heavenly Father. We have His promise that He will answer our prayers. Those answers come often subtly and quietly, and, frequently, over time. The Holy Ghost speaks to our minds and to our hearts, and helps lead and guide us in the direction that God wants us to go. It may be in a small moment, or a sudden realization, but God will answer each and every one of our prayers. And I've seen that to be true, especially lately. Both for myself, and for those around me, I have seen their prayers answered, and their concerns resolved as they have sought God in humble prayer, seeking His help and guidance. Our Father loves us. He hears our prayers, and He answers them. The answers may not come on our timetable, but they will always come. He loves us too much not to answer. We can trust that He will never lead us astray, and that is something for which I am very grateful.

A Still Small Voice

Fact: Heavenly Father loves us. He literally is our Father, and He wants nothing but the best for us. He wants us to be able to learn, grow and progress in this life. He gave us this time when we are separated from Him and His presence for our good. He knew it would be hard for us, but He gave us tools and resources to help us recognize truth. One of the most powerful resources that our Heavenly Father has given to us is the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost testifies of truth, and bears witness of the Father and of the Son. It's really cool to think that the Holy Spirit, a member of the Godhead, is there to teach us and to help us learn. The scriptures describe the way that the Holy Ghost speaks to us as a "still, small voice." One prophet wrote, "it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfct mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul." (Helaman 5:30).

I've seen in my life, that the Holy Ghost can be an invaluable resource, but also something incredible hard to interpret. So many times in my life I pray and I have a really hard time trying to figure out what my Heavenly Father is trying to tell me. I have learned a few things though:

1. The Holy Ghost is always there to edify. The Holy Ghost is not there to make us feel terrible about ourselves. There are times when he tells us that we have done things wrong, and that we need to repent. That feels saddening, but it is a feeling that moves us to draw closer to the Savior. Satan is the only one who wants us to feel miserable.
2. The feelings that come are very mild. For me, they are feelings of peace and of joy. Sometimes, they are even feelings of pure gratitude for my Heavenly  Father and everything that He has done for me. These feelings can be overwhelming sometimes, but I have often found that if I am not paying attention, I can completely miss them.
3. The Holy Ghost moves us to act. Our Heavenly Father wants us to act. When we make decisions, we are able to learn and improve, and continue to progress. The Holy Ghost will never lead us to do something against the will of God. When we make those good decisions, we are blessed, and we feel joy and happiness.
4. Following the prompting received leads to more promptings. When we listen to the counsel that our Heavenly Father sends to us, we are more likely to receive more counsel! And for me, most of those promptings come as ideas or thoughts that pass through my mind. If they are good, and don't go against the teachings of the Savior, I usually try to follow them. They are probably inspired by a Heavenly Being who wants me to go about doing good.
5. The Holy Ghost is a friend. The Savior sent the Holy Ghost as the Second Comforter. Although the Savior is no longer here on earth, we can feel His love and influence through the power of the Spirit. He loves us, and is always longing for our success. When we are hurt, tired and struggling, we can turn to our Heavenly Father, and He will send His Spirit, and we can receive comfort.

I love my Heavenly Father, and my Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. United in purpose, these three beings work tirelessly for our success and salvation. The odds are in our favor; "If God be for us, who can be against us" (Romans 8:31). And the Holy Ghost is there to help us as we learn to recognize truth, and live what the Savior taught. I know it, and I'm so grateful for it!

Christmas Time is Here!

With only 18 more days til Christmas, let me tell you, I am super excited! Christmas time is one of my favorite times of the year. It is a time when we have the opportunity to reflect on the year, and set goals for the next one. And even more importantly, it is the time that we have to be with friends and family celebrating the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

This time truly is a time to honor Him, and to remember Him, and everything that He did for us. From a humble birth, the Son of God grew and became the master teacher, showing us the way back to our Heavenly home, and dying a worthy sacrifice for the sins of the world. In an act called the Atonement, he suffered and died for every sin, pain and sorrow that every child of God has experienced since the creation of the earth. He did so as an act of pure love for His Father, and for each and every one of us. He asks that we have faith in him, repent of our sins, and are baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands in order to have full access to the cleansing and healing power of His Atonement. As we live the Gospel as He taught it, we will be blessed with a lasting sense of peace and happiness. It has brought me so much personal happiness. I know that I am imperfect, but as I live the doctrine that He taught, I can feel my Heavenly Father help me as I strive to overcome my weaknesses and become more like the Savior. May we all remember the real reason why we celebrate Christmas, and strive to come unto Him, and accept and live His Gospel. Merry Christmas!

Study Shows the Way

Recently, as I was reading the scriptures, I was pondering the power that the scriptures have. I have seen in my life that as I read the scriptures, I am able to receive guidance, or direction from my Heavenly Father. He is able to teach and to instruct me, and allow me to become better. That, truly, is His purpose for us in this life; He wants us to be able to repent, or change, and become more like His Son, Jesus Christ. Because none of us is perfect, we all have things of which we need to repent. When we repent, our Heavenly Father is able to bless us, and free us from the guilt and shame that we feel because of our mistakes. He wants that for us. And so as we study the scriptures and receive divine guidance, it is more often than not an invitation for us to repent of something, and receive the blessings our Heavenly Father already wants to give us.

The Word of God, however, is able to make this invitation with power. That is why prophets have always written their words, so that we can reflect on them. That is why often Biblical prophets use the words of other prophets in order to teach, and call others unto repentance. One prophet attempted to teach a wicked group of people the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Of that experience, a later prophet said, "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just-yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them-therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God" (Alma 31:5).

Repentance is a doorway to freedom. It is the way that we are able to truly have joy and happiness in this life. We are able to leave the past behind us, and move forward with a new life, dedicated to following the Savior, Jesus Christ. We are able to feel more fully the love of God, and enjoy the feeling of the Holy Ghost. As we study the scriptures daily, we are aided in our efforts to repent daily, and activate the power of the Savior's sacrifice in our lives. I know that as we study, we learn the ways that we can improve and become more Christlike. It may not be in the written words, but the Holy Ghost will be able to communicate to our minds and to our hearts the things that we need to know.

The Shield of Faith

I was thinking this morning about some of the imagery used in the Bible to describe the "Armor of God." More particularly, my attention was drawn to the "shield of faith" (Ephesians 6:16). I was pondering why, of all of the Christlike attributes that there are, was faith chosen to describe the shield. I thought, "in what way does faith act as a shield?" As I considered, the answer came.

Faith is an abiding trust in God. A belief that through the Atonement of Christ, we can find forgiveness of our sins, and quite literally be changed as we live the Gospel, or teachings of Jesus Christ. In my opinion, faith is being able to trust God enough to obey His commandments, even when it might not make perfect sense to us why we should. We trust that we will receive His promised blessings if we do so. And I know from personal experience that when we choose to keep the commandments of God, especially during those times when it is most difficult to do so, our character is changed for the better, we receive the blessings of God, and we are given spiritual strength and courage to continue to face the world. I know that through trusting in God and having faith in Him and in His Son, Jesus Christ, we can be changed.

Now, how does that form a shield? Well, I think that when we trust in God, we are able to deal with our fears and doubts more effectively. By that, I mean, that when thoughts of doubt, fear, or disbelief come, we are able to trust in what we have felt and experienced as a result of trusting in God and living His commandments. As we remember those feelings and impressions, we are able to quickly dispel those thoughts of temptation and doubt. And by striving to consistently obey God, we are able to have more experiences that give us those confirmations that we are doing what's right. That gives us more experiences to draw on during hardship. And so, I think, when we have the faith to trust in and obey God, we have a "shield" that protects us from the "fiery darts of the adversary," or in other words, the thoughts of doubt, fear and temptation that he throws at us.

I know that faith acts as a shield. It protects us from the misery and grief that always result when we disobey God's commandments. His plan is for us to be happy and successful. Hardships will come, but it is that opposition that allows us to grow, progress, and experience the full joy that the Gospel has to offer. I know that the Savior lives, and that it is only through His atoning sacrifice that we have the hope of changing and becoming like our Heavenly Father!