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.