See The Things That Matter Most

Short, sweet, and to the point today. Let's not look too deeply into the negative of our lives but more of what Gordon B. Hinckley said, "accentuate the positive" in our lives. Let us slow our busy day down just a notch and focus on what is really important. I hope everyone has had great day! 

:-)

Keeping Your Home a Sacred Place

This is something that I have really come to appreciate this year. I never really was fully grateful for the home my mom and dad built and centered around Christ and His love. I have learned the importance of how incredibly necessary it is to have a safe haven from the outside world. Some where you know you will feel the spirit, will feel safe from the temptations of the world, will feel loved no matter what, and will always be comforted with the feeling of warming love. I believe that building a home that is sacred and filled with the spirit can help strengthen and build up your testimony as it gives you and your family "a break" from the outside world once inside the walls. Bonnie L. Oscarson said "let us defend our home as a place which is second only to the temple in holiness". I hope that we can all defend our homes and keep it sacred and worthy of the spirit to constantly abide in.

As We Partake of the Sacrament

Hi friends, happy sabbath! Today we get the opportunity to take the sacrament and renew our covenants with thee. I hope that today we can ponder on what Christ has done for us and feel the love our Savior has for each you and all of your friends and family. What an amazing gift and brother He is to us. :-) 

Trials & Tribulations

I hope that everyone has had a great day! 

Trails and tribulations... We all go through them, we all get past them. But was it worth the heart ache if nothing was learned from it? I believe trials are placed in our lives not as punishment but as a growing experience. Of course, several people believe that when trial is places among them it is the Lord's way of punishing them but really it is our Heavenly Father letting us know that "hey you are ready to grow a bit". Heavenly Father would never put us through something He knew we couldn't get through and the best part is, He is by our side 100% of the way. Heavenly Father places trials in tribulation in our lives so that we can turn to Him for help which allows our faith and testimony to mature by miles. A perfect example of trial and tribulation is Joseph Smith. He had to stand alone when trying to decide which church was true, he was ridiculed and scorned when he had established the latter-day gospel, yet he held fast and kept on, he let his trials enhance him not tear him down. What an extraordinary example he is. I am so grateful for his courage and strength. I challenge us all to let Christ into our lives in the midst of trial and tribulation and learn something from them. 

"The Attitude of Gratitude"

I am a very stubborn person. When mind becomes set on something it is very hard for me to change my thought process. Which can be both a good and bad thing. What gets me the most is when I slip into one of those moods where everything just gets to me. My mood quickly slips into a downward spiral and it most of the time ruins my day. When I got a little older I realized that this is not who I want to become.. I didn't want to be the person who let things get to me in a negative way and result in me being bitter. I realized how ungrateful I was. I realized this at a ACT boot camp my mom signed me up for. At this boot camp I was not one of the "brightest" students attending and the teacher of the camp seemed to like to call me out on several things and announce I'd gotten an answer wrong. During our lunch break I was nearly in tears...over come with embarrassment...I was starting to go into a downward spiral when my thoughts were directed to my goal of not becoming "this" person. So I pulled myself together and remembered what one of my young women's teachers taught me, which was to write down everything you are grateful for, no matter how large or how small... So I started my list and before I knew it our 30 minuet lunch was over and I was in one of the best moods I have ever been in. Since that day I have come to understand the power of being grateful. This is one of Satan's greatest tactics on us, he wants us to see the bad in things instead of the good. We should all CHOOSE to see the good in everything, as Christ CHOOSES to see the good in us. Dieter F. Uchtdorf says it perfectly, "Our loving Heavenly Father knows that choosing to develop a spirit of gratitude will bring us true joy and great happiness." I believe that by doing this we will be able to soften our hearts and see things that we didn't before. I challenge us all to stop and take a minuet just once a day and remember how blessed we really are.  :-)

Doing What Is Right

Doing what is right is not always easy.. In some cases it can even be difficult to do what is right. Elder Russell M. Nelson has said that "even if everybody is doing it, wrong is never right". I love how simply put this is. It can be so very hard not to give into temptation that surrounds you everyday, especially if you are the only one not participating in it... But as Elder Nelson said, "wrong is never right"... even in the case where you're standing alone. In October 1988, Sister Ardeth G. Kapp gave a talk called "Stand for Truth and Righteousness" and in it she says that,  "Once you make your decision to do what is right, you don't have to fight the battle with every temptation that presents itself everyday. You simply take a stand and say to yourself, 'I will do this; I won't do that' and Satan will have to turn elsewhere to find his followers". I know that if we tell ourselves today that we will do what is right, when temptation comes it will not even be a question to us on what to do. I hope that we can all stand for truth and righteousness and always do what is right, even if what's right isn't popular. :-)

Succoring Unto Others

Happy Sabbath! :-) Today I've thought a lot about what Henry B. Eyring said in his talk, "Is Not This Fast That I Have Chosen", he said that "when we offer succor to anyone, the Savior feels it as if we reached out to succor him". What a precious way to give back to our Savior. We never know who is in need of a helping hand, shoulder to cry on, friend to laugh with, or someone to talk to. In my mind I see Christ in agonizing pain in the Garden of Gethsemane, and a person on the side succoring unto another in need, and Christ feeling succored unto too. What a simple thing we can do that can brighten one's day immensely. A little thing could go a long way. What great love I have for my Savior and all that He has done for me!! I hope that we can all think of one person we can "succor unto" and strive to show Christ-like love, kindness, and compassion for them, as Christ has succored unto us. :-)