I know, I know it's not the end of the year yet, and I am setting New Years Goals. But we are told that it doesn't have to be a new year for us to set goals. Also, I have this new found desire to do new goals and actually try to do the ALL. Yes all of them. I actually came pretty close to doing all of my last ones last year, but I didn't quite finish them all. So this year coming year I am resolving that I will do them ALL. Just watch me. :)
This year I am not doing too many because I want to make sure I can do them all and that they are measurable goals. SO I am doing only 13.
The first one is to run/walk/hike on a treadmill/track/trail at 1,000 miles. I know that seems like a lot of miles, but by the way I'm running almost everyday this shouldn't be too hard to accomplish. And I want to do a few hikes this summer so this shouldn't be too hard. :)
The next one is to leisurely read about 1,500 pages. Which is not going to be a problem at all.
Writing in my Journal two to three times a week is my third goal. This one is a little bit harder because I always start out doing really well and then I end up not doing it at all. Whoopsies.
Along with my second goal I want to do a 30 day tummy and arm workout as my forth and fifth goals.
Part of all the hikes I hope to go on this coming year, Mt. Timp. is one. I've always wanted to see the sun rise there. I've heard the view is gorgeous.
My next goal is one I always have on my goals for every year and that is to go somewhere new. That's a goal of mine is to try and go somewhere new ever year.
On my bucket list I have a goal to read all the standard works so what better way to help accomplish that than to make a smaller goal of reading one of the books for my new years resolution. I want to read the whole Doctrine and Covenants this year. :)
I have another goal on my bucket list, it's to make 1,000 paper cranes. Now that's a lot of paper cranes. So I choose to do at least 100 cranes this year to help accomplish the larger goal.
So one of my very bestiest friends in the whole world, Syvanna, is moving down to Florida this summer. I'm really going miss her so I promised her that I would come and visit her. So in order to save up some up money for a flight down there I am going to be making a Florida Jar. I'm going to put extra change in it to save money. My goal is to have about $10-20 in the jar by the end of the year.
Another goal that I have is along the same lines as the Florida Jar, but it's a future jar. So I'll put change in this jar for future things like a wedding, trips I may want to take, and so one and so forth. I want to have about $5-10 in it before the end of next year.
And to cross yet another goal off of my bucket list, I want to go to the Festival of Colors this year. And it GOING to happen because I have almost gone the last two years but it hasn't happened, so this year, it's going to be the year.
The last goal I have is to read a Jane Austin Novel. I've got to start somewhere with my goal to read all of her books, plus I have all her books so why not read them all.
Those are my goals. So here is to a new year Even though it's like two weeks away. Haha
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Mid-Terms . . .
I am now half way through my third semester, and I decided that I should write down some of the things that I have learned thus far.
1. Yoga is ridiculously hard but is fantastic!
2. Volleyball is extremely fun to watch and really fun to play.
3. Exercising is a wonderful thing to do, and I love it!
4. I still find that I love teaching.
5. Boys are not worth all the stress.
6. I am funnier than I thought I was.
7. Being spontaneous is the best thing ever.
8. Pictures are wonderful.
9. Having no class on Friday is the best!
10. Having roommates willing to do crazy things is literally the most wonderful thing ever!
11. The Lord has really blessed me with the ability to excel in school.
12. I love French but it kicks my butt.
13 Roommate pray is a the best.
14. Sharing Tender Mercies with roomies is fantastic!
Some Pictures!
Life is wonderful! Full of too many laughs to count. Some tears as well. Plenty of burps and farts from all of us. Lots of boys and plenty of new friends. Frustrations and happy times as well. Spiritual experiences a plenty. :) Old lessons emphasized and new lessons learned with more on the way. I've grown for the better, and I wouldn't change anything. I'm just in Rexburg lovin' life. And I wouldn't change a thing!
1. Yoga is ridiculously hard but is fantastic!
2. Volleyball is extremely fun to watch and really fun to play.
3. Exercising is a wonderful thing to do, and I love it!
4. I still find that I love teaching.
5. Boys are not worth all the stress.
6. I am funnier than I thought I was.
7. Being spontaneous is the best thing ever.
8. Pictures are wonderful.
9. Having no class on Friday is the best!
10. Having roommates willing to do crazy things is literally the most wonderful thing ever!
11. The Lord has really blessed me with the ability to excel in school.
12. I love French but it kicks my butt.
13 Roommate pray is a the best.
14. Sharing Tender Mercies with roomies is fantastic!
Some Pictures!
Hiking the Wind Caves in Darby
Church Selfie!
Mocktails! With Sam!
Bridge Jumping! With Scooter
Friday, August 15, 2014
A Time for Everything
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to week, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lost; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
There is a time for everything that happens. This scripture popped into my head early this week. It really sums up a lot of what I have learned. I have learned so many things this past summer.
I've learned that:
Sometimes you have to let people go, even though you thought you'd keep them around for ever and ever
My priorities are starting to change and have become different than many others
Boys shouldn't be one of my top priorities
Sometimes people will let you down, and you will be hurt but that's okay
I'm a complete worry wart over little tiny things
The bad times will end
Good memories should be treasured and the bad forgotten
The good is always mixed in with the bad
Time is a strange thing
There is a time for everything and everyone
God's Timing is the BEST Possible timing out there
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Change . . .
Change is an interesting thing. It is inevitable for us humans and rarely does anybody or anything not change. This has been something I've been really thinking about. I have always found stories about people changing for the better interesting. I love hearing them, but even more so I enjoy seeing them happen to people I love and care about. Recently, I've had the opportunity to really see some amazing changes in a few people that I know.
The first one is a young man that I have known since I was a Freshman. He has always had a hard time with the Gospel. It was always a bit frustrating trying to help him because I could only do so much and the rest was really up to him. Finally, I believe things really started to change for him during Heritage Tours. I was able to go on the same trip as him. We weren't in the same district, but I was still able to see a large change in him within those three weeks. It was amazing! To see him change into someone who was more receptive to the spirit was something wonderful. It didn't stop there, however, he has continued to improve. He is currently serving his mission in Japan. I get emails from him, and I just have to say he has change so much within the few months he's been out. He's become even more hardworking, even closer to the spirit, and so many other things. It has been one of my favorite things to watch him change and improve himself.
The other experience that I have recently been able to see is a bit of a longer process. It is one that a lot of people never really believed nor expect to happen as quickly as it has, me included. See I met this guy when we were seniors. I have to admit when I first met him I was like, "Oh, he's cute, nice, and funny". I got to know him even more as the year progressed and even though he continued to be cute, funny, kind, and sometimes spiritual, he began to drive me nuts. He became annoying and let's just say half the people I knew really had a hard time being around him because of a few things. We would tease him and, yes, even talked behind his back. Something that wasn't good or kind to do. I was able to have a few interesting experiences with this guy despite these things. Every once in awhile I was able to see someone else behind everything else, and I don't think a lot of people had the opportunity see that but then it would disappear when he became the boy that he was. I remember one of my friends making a comment to me saying, "That kid is going to need two missions to straighten him out." I laughed and kind of agreed with her; he was going to need a mission that would help him to really become the person that was deep down inside him. I remember going to his mission call opening, I was kind of out of place because most of the people who were still left in the AF area and were good friends with him were people I didn't really know. So, yes, it was awkward for me, especially since him and I weren't on the greatest terms. I don't what happened but let's just say he wasn't the happiest with me because of who knows what (I still don't know to this day why he was mad at me). He got called to Chili, but because of some complications, health I believe, he ended up going to Texas. And can I just say it's been life changing for him. The last time I talked to him before his mission he was still trying to forgive me, so I told myself, "Marissa, you can't email him until you get your mission call or you get married, whichever one comes first." Well, December rolled around, about a month after he left, and I was deciding if I should go on a mission or not. In the end, as many of you know, I choose not to go. However, this didn't end up stopping me. It was a few days after my last final when I felt prompted to email him. I thought, "Uhhh, no, not gonna happen. He's still mad at me, and I don't want to distract him, and I'm probably the last person he wants to hear from." That didn't stop me, see when I'm really suppose to do something the spirit won't let it rest until I do it. Thus, I broke down and emailed him. I wished him a Merry Christmas and asked him how the MTC was treating him and so on and so forth. His return email thanked me for my email and answered my questions. Nothing really special, I guess you could say. I tried emailing him back. The next email was polite but there was the cold feeling from it, as if he was still angry with me. I decided to lay off. So for the next few months I got his family emails and began to watch him grow and change and, yes, every once in a blue moon he would sent me a personal email. Normally it was when he had no one else to email. Sometimes the emails were as if nothing had ever happened and we were still friend, other times not so much. Then a few weeks ago I received an email from him. I was extremely surprised to receive it. The email asked me a few questions and such. A normal email I'd get from any other missionary. I replied back the next week and to my surprise he emailed straight back, and we were able to have a great conversation during his hour of email time on his P-day. I was really surprised at several things. The one thing, however, that I was really surprised at was when he said he'd been thinking about going to BYUI after his mission. My mouth dropped to the floor. This was the guy that told me he would never go there because of the cold, his dad even told me that, yet, here he was toying with the idea of going up there. I didn't ask him that day, but rather the next week, why he was even thinking about BYUI, this was his reply to me, "When you serve a mission you are set apart and through the authority of the priesthood you are given a blessing. My stake president gave me a really good blessing. Because of it and much prayer and fasting I have seeked in every action to open my heart to the whisperings of the Spirit. To be changed by the constant companionship of a God. My will is inferior to His will. My ways are lower than His ways. I have never spent long thought on what I'm going to do after the mission, but in specific occasions for short times I've wondered what it is that God wants for me. I will not have the same success and happiness in life if I follow what I want in contrast to what he wants. So as I have pondered, the Spirit has helped me figure out that if I'm in Utah for the first bit of my college, I will not be given the same opportunities and happiness that I could receive. Of course I'm not going to really seek an answer until my last six weeks in my mission, but know that having the Holy Ghost constantly in your heart pushing and impressing you into different thought patterns, your will changes into the desires that God has for you." I was stunned by his response; the guy I knew before would not have said something that profound. I realized then that he truly was changing and for the better, and I felt as if he had completely forgiven me. It was all because he was willing to change, and he had opened his heart to the spirit.
He has been out on his mission for about eight months and yet he has made a 180 and continues to change. It really has taught me how much the spirit can help us to become who we truly are, if we open our hearts to him and are willing to be molded into the person we are to become. It also taught me never to underestimate anyone. Many of us didn't believe that he could become the person he has as quickly as it has happened. It also has taught me to always encourage people and try to see them as God really does, not to talk behind their backs or to put them down.
The spirit can work miracles among us, but we have to be willing to change, we must be willing to be humbled, and we much be willing to work to change, and we must have patience. No one changes over night. It's a process and it can be a very long and hard road, but when we or someone else comes out of it stronger and a better person, all that grief and pain is worth it and it teaches us that anyone can really change by the help the spirit and many other things. So remember to have patience with those in hard times, help them where ever you can, encourage them, pray and fast for them, and love them. Never give up on them.
The first one is a young man that I have known since I was a Freshman. He has always had a hard time with the Gospel. It was always a bit frustrating trying to help him because I could only do so much and the rest was really up to him. Finally, I believe things really started to change for him during Heritage Tours. I was able to go on the same trip as him. We weren't in the same district, but I was still able to see a large change in him within those three weeks. It was amazing! To see him change into someone who was more receptive to the spirit was something wonderful. It didn't stop there, however, he has continued to improve. He is currently serving his mission in Japan. I get emails from him, and I just have to say he has change so much within the few months he's been out. He's become even more hardworking, even closer to the spirit, and so many other things. It has been one of my favorite things to watch him change and improve himself.
The other experience that I have recently been able to see is a bit of a longer process. It is one that a lot of people never really believed nor expect to happen as quickly as it has, me included. See I met this guy when we were seniors. I have to admit when I first met him I was like, "Oh, he's cute, nice, and funny". I got to know him even more as the year progressed and even though he continued to be cute, funny, kind, and sometimes spiritual, he began to drive me nuts. He became annoying and let's just say half the people I knew really had a hard time being around him because of a few things. We would tease him and, yes, even talked behind his back. Something that wasn't good or kind to do. I was able to have a few interesting experiences with this guy despite these things. Every once in awhile I was able to see someone else behind everything else, and I don't think a lot of people had the opportunity see that but then it would disappear when he became the boy that he was. I remember one of my friends making a comment to me saying, "That kid is going to need two missions to straighten him out." I laughed and kind of agreed with her; he was going to need a mission that would help him to really become the person that was deep down inside him. I remember going to his mission call opening, I was kind of out of place because most of the people who were still left in the AF area and were good friends with him were people I didn't really know. So, yes, it was awkward for me, especially since him and I weren't on the greatest terms. I don't what happened but let's just say he wasn't the happiest with me because of who knows what (I still don't know to this day why he was mad at me). He got called to Chili, but because of some complications, health I believe, he ended up going to Texas. And can I just say it's been life changing for him. The last time I talked to him before his mission he was still trying to forgive me, so I told myself, "Marissa, you can't email him until you get your mission call or you get married, whichever one comes first." Well, December rolled around, about a month after he left, and I was deciding if I should go on a mission or not. In the end, as many of you know, I choose not to go. However, this didn't end up stopping me. It was a few days after my last final when I felt prompted to email him. I thought, "Uhhh, no, not gonna happen. He's still mad at me, and I don't want to distract him, and I'm probably the last person he wants to hear from." That didn't stop me, see when I'm really suppose to do something the spirit won't let it rest until I do it. Thus, I broke down and emailed him. I wished him a Merry Christmas and asked him how the MTC was treating him and so on and so forth. His return email thanked me for my email and answered my questions. Nothing really special, I guess you could say. I tried emailing him back. The next email was polite but there was the cold feeling from it, as if he was still angry with me. I decided to lay off. So for the next few months I got his family emails and began to watch him grow and change and, yes, every once in a blue moon he would sent me a personal email. Normally it was when he had no one else to email. Sometimes the emails were as if nothing had ever happened and we were still friend, other times not so much. Then a few weeks ago I received an email from him. I was extremely surprised to receive it. The email asked me a few questions and such. A normal email I'd get from any other missionary. I replied back the next week and to my surprise he emailed straight back, and we were able to have a great conversation during his hour of email time on his P-day. I was really surprised at several things. The one thing, however, that I was really surprised at was when he said he'd been thinking about going to BYUI after his mission. My mouth dropped to the floor. This was the guy that told me he would never go there because of the cold, his dad even told me that, yet, here he was toying with the idea of going up there. I didn't ask him that day, but rather the next week, why he was even thinking about BYUI, this was his reply to me, "When you serve a mission you are set apart and through the authority of the priesthood you are given a blessing. My stake president gave me a really good blessing. Because of it and much prayer and fasting I have seeked in every action to open my heart to the whisperings of the Spirit. To be changed by the constant companionship of a God. My will is inferior to His will. My ways are lower than His ways. I have never spent long thought on what I'm going to do after the mission, but in specific occasions for short times I've wondered what it is that God wants for me. I will not have the same success and happiness in life if I follow what I want in contrast to what he wants. So as I have pondered, the Spirit has helped me figure out that if I'm in Utah for the first bit of my college, I will not be given the same opportunities and happiness that I could receive. Of course I'm not going to really seek an answer until my last six weeks in my mission, but know that having the Holy Ghost constantly in your heart pushing and impressing you into different thought patterns, your will changes into the desires that God has for you." I was stunned by his response; the guy I knew before would not have said something that profound. I realized then that he truly was changing and for the better, and I felt as if he had completely forgiven me. It was all because he was willing to change, and he had opened his heart to the spirit.
He has been out on his mission for about eight months and yet he has made a 180 and continues to change. It really has taught me how much the spirit can help us to become who we truly are, if we open our hearts to him and are willing to be molded into the person we are to become. It also taught me never to underestimate anyone. Many of us didn't believe that he could become the person he has as quickly as it has happened. It also has taught me to always encourage people and try to see them as God really does, not to talk behind their backs or to put them down.
The spirit can work miracles among us, but we have to be willing to change, we must be willing to be humbled, and we much be willing to work to change, and we must have patience. No one changes over night. It's a process and it can be a very long and hard road, but when we or someone else comes out of it stronger and a better person, all that grief and pain is worth it and it teaches us that anyone can really change by the help the spirit and many other things. So remember to have patience with those in hard times, help them where ever you can, encourage them, pray and fast for them, and love them. Never give up on them.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
My New Favorite Sayings
Within the past month I have come across two sayings that I have fallen in love with the moment I have read them. Both have come in times where I needed to hear them the most.
The saying that I came across most recently is from an online class that I am doing. Every week my teacher posts an inspirational video. Sometimes they are words from the prophet or apostles, other times they are Mormon Messages or just simple inspirational videos. I rarely watch them because I just want to get my work done and over with; however, this particular time I decided to watch the video. The video was about being thankful, in the end it had the words, "Giving thanks isn't a holiday; it's how happy people live." This really hit me.
I will fully admit that this past month I have a hard time having a positive out look on life. I'm working two jobs, with another small one on the side, to try to earn money for school. It becomes a little daunting when you feel as if you may not have enough money in the end. Then there is my online class (which requires several hours a week) and enjoying the rest of my summer the best that I can. It gets a little over whelming very quickly, and it's harder to have a smile on your face. Thus, my 'quest' the past little while was and still is to become happier and this quote helped so much. It made me realize that I hadn't been grateful for a lot of things that I have been given and that I have been focusing too much on the negative. It made me think that it's when we dwell on the negative that we ourselves become depressed and empty. It's when we try to see the good in each day that we become happier and full of the spirit and love. "The bad days may out number the good, but the good out weigh the bad." If only we would find those tender mercies we are blessed with everyday then we would see how much there really is to be grateful for.
The saying that I came across most recently is from an online class that I am doing. Every week my teacher posts an inspirational video. Sometimes they are words from the prophet or apostles, other times they are Mormon Messages or just simple inspirational videos. I rarely watch them because I just want to get my work done and over with; however, this particular time I decided to watch the video. The video was about being thankful, in the end it had the words, "Giving thanks isn't a holiday; it's how happy people live." This really hit me.
I will fully admit that this past month I have a hard time having a positive out look on life. I'm working two jobs, with another small one on the side, to try to earn money for school. It becomes a little daunting when you feel as if you may not have enough money in the end. Then there is my online class (which requires several hours a week) and enjoying the rest of my summer the best that I can. It gets a little over whelming very quickly, and it's harder to have a smile on your face. Thus, my 'quest' the past little while was and still is to become happier and this quote helped so much. It made me realize that I hadn't been grateful for a lot of things that I have been given and that I have been focusing too much on the negative. It made me think that it's when we dwell on the negative that we ourselves become depressed and empty. It's when we try to see the good in each day that we become happier and full of the spirit and love. "The bad days may out number the good, but the good out weigh the bad." If only we would find those tender mercies we are blessed with everyday then we would see how much there really is to be grateful for.
"No matter our circumstances,
no matter our challenges or trials,
the is something in each day to embrace and cherish.
There is something in each day that
can bring gratitude and joy
if only we will see and apprciate it."
~Dieter R. Uchtdorf
The second quote I was blessed with came a bit before I hit my rock bottom. Every Monday I get emails from many of my friends on missions. One of them, who's serving in Texas, sends me his family emails every week. I absolutely love them! He always has some sort of spiritual thought in them that is completely filled with the spirit. This particular week some of his words hit with more force than normal. He said, "Learning about who God wants you to be is a very long road, but it's such a fulfilling road that I don't regret anything." It made me realize that God gives us trials He knows we can handle. They are given to us to help us grow into the person that God wants us to be. It's long and tough but there is always an end. It's like hiking. The whole way up you are sore, tired, hot, sweaty, and even thinking why are you doing this, but then you get to the top and view, well, it's breath taking. It's worth everything on the way up. When you go through anything hard in the end you can look back and see how much you've grown and how stronger you are when you've over come it. The lessons you learn on the way are priceless and fulfilling and you don't regret anything at all. Through this past month I have found that my limits have been pushed in a way they never have. I have found that there are a lot of hours in a day, and you can do a lot if you work hard. I have found that your familly never gives up on you. I have found that there are people out there that go through harder things than me. I have found that your attitude is only up to you; you make your chocies, but you can't choose your consiquences, and you choose how you react to a trial. I have found that God never ever gives up on you and that He is always there. We need to trust in God, because He knows who we need to become, he knows what we need to do, He knows everything, and He can help you get where you need to get. He can strengthen you, but you have to let Him do so. I love being apart of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And I am so happy for the knowledge that families are forever and that if we turn to the Lord we can become happy and that if we give everything to Him and let Him take us and mold us in the way that he sees fit that everything will be OK. Just got to Trust Him!
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Up-date!
So, I have come to conclude that stairs, slush, and sore legs do not make a good combination. They never will! Stairs in general with sore legs is horrible. It's like you see the stairs and your legs start hurting even more, even the thought of stairs and my sore legs start to groan. Anyways, you are probably wondering why I have sore legs, well, I have started running again. I've gone running for the past few days. Two miles everyday and all in a half an hour. That's a lot when you are me, and you haven't done anything that really constitutes as exercise in a long time (like months and months). I walk a ton but other than that I don't do much. Anyhow, my legs have never been this sore, besides when I started track in junior high. (That was like six years ago!) Haha. Oh, well. I'll get use to it. Hopeful it's before I fall on the sluch/ice. I've slipped but I've been able to catch myself every time.
So, classes have been great thus far. I don't particularly care for my Math 108 online class, then again I've never cared for any online class. But it's my ED 200 that I'm in love with. Like seriously, I have never ever enjoyed a class like I have this one. I love doing the homework (bizarre right?), and I don't mind doing the work at all. I find everything that we talk about fascinating and enjoyable. I'm sitting thinking, "What is going on?! I love this but this has never happened. This is so strange!" In fact, it was funny today we had to turn in a paper. The topic was on master teachers and Christ as a master teacher. Well, the paper was suppose to be a minimum of three pages doubled space and our professor encouraged us to write a little bit more than that, well . . . my paper ended up being three pages single spaced which is about six pages double spaced, and I could have kept going and expanded on a lot more things. I wanted to too, but I knew I needed to restrain myself from doing so. I just found it so interesting that I've gained this strong desire for teaching and an enthusiasm for it all from one class. I hope and pray that I will continue to have this attitude as I go through more classes, my practicums, student teaching, and actually teaching.
I'm so happy I switched majors, and I'm immensely grateful to my sisters, particularly Rachel. She knew that I would end up doing elementary education and encouraged me to do it. Sara and her both assured me that I could do it and that it was the best idea for me. I am happy I listened to them. I guess I'm following in my Grandma's and mom's steps. :) It's funny that someone can know what's best for you before you know it yourself. In fact I think my parents also knew that I was going to end up switching. I think my whole family knew before I even knew, because they weren't surprised at all. :)
So, classes have been great thus far. I don't particularly care for my Math 108 online class, then again I've never cared for any online class. But it's my ED 200 that I'm in love with. Like seriously, I have never ever enjoyed a class like I have this one. I love doing the homework (bizarre right?), and I don't mind doing the work at all. I find everything that we talk about fascinating and enjoyable. I'm sitting thinking, "What is going on?! I love this but this has never happened. This is so strange!" In fact, it was funny today we had to turn in a paper. The topic was on master teachers and Christ as a master teacher. Well, the paper was suppose to be a minimum of three pages doubled space and our professor encouraged us to write a little bit more than that, well . . . my paper ended up being three pages single spaced which is about six pages double spaced, and I could have kept going and expanded on a lot more things. I wanted to too, but I knew I needed to restrain myself from doing so. I just found it so interesting that I've gained this strong desire for teaching and an enthusiasm for it all from one class. I hope and pray that I will continue to have this attitude as I go through more classes, my practicums, student teaching, and actually teaching.
I'm so happy I switched majors, and I'm immensely grateful to my sisters, particularly Rachel. She knew that I would end up doing elementary education and encouraged me to do it. Sara and her both assured me that I could do it and that it was the best idea for me. I am happy I listened to them. I guess I'm following in my Grandma's and mom's steps. :) It's funny that someone can know what's best for you before you know it yourself. In fact I think my parents also knew that I was going to end up switching. I think my whole family knew before I even knew, because they weren't surprised at all. :)
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
My Best Friend
I wrote this post a long time ago, but I decided to re-work it. :) I hope y'all enjoy it. Oh, and please share.
As human beings we each have our own personal struggles. It could be family problems, losing a job, money troubles, stress, school, not knowing what to do with your life, health issues, depression, or feeling horribly ugly feelings. We all face them. Sometimes we face one at a time, other times many of them just come crashing down on us.
Lately I have found that many of my friends have been challenged with some extremely difficult trials. I have always sat down and thought how can I help this person or these people. It's always the same thing: a plate of cookies and a note. I've always wished I could do much more, because hurting really, really, stinks.
I, myself, have felt pain. Pain that has made me not want to get up in the mornings, to just sit in bed and cry my eyes out, to be mean to others because I myself am in pain, I've had moments where there is no peace at all, moments that I have no hope, moments that I feel so frustrated and so weak. There were times where I felt as if I couldn't go on because of one stupid thing, or a few words that slipped out from someone's mouth. I've been curled up in a blanket crying because I felt so low.
I have come to conclude that no one knew how I felt when I was struggling. No one has suffered the exact same things that I have. No one has felt the hurt and pain and the uselessness and all the other negative feelings that I have experienced. No one has been there to comfort me in my lowest moments of life. No one, except one person. He has always been there for me even when I didn't think He was. He was the one that fueled me with the desire to keep going, He was the one that comforted me when no one else knew, or was there. He was the one that put His arms around me and gave me peace when I had none. He was the one that gave me hope when everything was pitch black and there seemed to be no light. He knew all those horrible moments, all my mistakes, all my pain; He's felt them all, He's experienced them all with me. He's never left me alone.
So this is for all those who are in a moment of suffering, even if it's something small or huge. This is for everyone who can't quite see the light at the end of the dark tunnel, no end to their suffering, no hope. Don't give up, don't give in, keep going, everything will work out. The reason I know this is because of that man I talked about. He is the one person who can take away all your pain, all your despair, everything that you are struggling with. He is the one who can comfort you beyond the ability of any one person on this earth. He's there with you through the thick and the thin. He loves YOU no matter what, and He will hear you no matter what. His love is infinite, it never wavers.
This man is so special to me. He is my brother, my savior, my redeemer, my advocate, He is my best friend, and the one person who will always be there. He is Jesus Christ. I love Him with all my heart and that will never change. I will never be ashamed of who I am and what I believe in.
As I've sought for comfort through many challenging times I have begun to feel His love so much. I have found scriptures, quotes, music, stories, and so many other things that have have strengthened me and made me feel so loved.
I want to share some of them in hopes that I will be able to help someone out there.
A quote that I absolutely love is this. "As we put our faith and trust in the Lord, we must battle our pain day by day and sometimes hour by hour, even moment by moment; . . . When pain, tests, trials come in life, draw near unto the Savior. 'Wait upon the Lord', . . . Look for him . . . Healing comes in the Lord's time and the Lord's way; be patient." Elder Robert D. Hales. I found this a few months ago when I was struggling, and I just felt the spirit so much that tears just escaped, and I couldn't stop them. I have learned that there are some days that you just have breath and take life as it comes. "There is always a voice at the end of the day that says 'I'll try again tomorrow.'"
I have recently been reading a conference talk by Elder Richard J. Maynes called "The Strength to Endure." These are just some of the exerts that I've loved. "The Lord responded by teaching the Prophet Joseph, and all of us, that the challenges we face, if successfully endured, will be for our ultimate good." "Heavenly Father has organized our journey through life to be a test of our character." "The Savior's atoning sacrifice makes possible our future salvation and exaltation through the principle of repentance. If we honestly and sincerely repent, the Atonement can help us become clean, change our nature, and successfully endure our challenges. There are so many others, it's a fabulous talk. There are many general conference talks that are just amazing!
I have always been told that when you are struggling that that is the time that you need to draw close to the Lord. "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." "Don't lose faith in the things you do know because of the things you don't know." Read your patriarchal blessing, get a father's blessing, do service for others, read your scriptures, go to church, read general conference talks, pray, go to the temple, just do things that will bring you closer to the Lord. "When life gets to hard to stand; kneel." The power of prayers, of blessings, of the Lord's words are amazing and beyond anything else. They will give you strength you never knew you had in you. But always remember "He may not come when we call, but He will come on time."
I can testify that Jesus Christ will heal us when we are broken, even when we feel as if we are shattered. He loves us so much, more than we can ever imagine. I have felt the pure love of Christ multiple times and there is nothing in this world that can compare to it. I love the church I belong to: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The strength, the love, the hope, and the peace that comes from it is amazing and wonderful. This Gospel offers me things that nothing else can offer. I love my Savoir and Redeemer with my whole heart. I am immensely grateful for Joseph Smith, and that he knelt in that wonderful grove and prayed to know what church was true. I am even more grateful that he stood by it when he could have denied that he saw God the Father and His Son, just to stop the persecution on him and others. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a true and living prophet who gets direction from God for us. I am grateful for Brother E and Brother Pelo for the work and effort that that they put into Heritage Tours. That tour has changed me so much, and it continues to change me. I learned so much, and I grew so much from it, and still I do. I felt the power of the Book of Mormon, and I know it to be true. I know the power of the priesthood is true and that it can bless our lives in many different ways. I know the Temple is a refuge for us during a storm and that it can give us peace. I know that families can be together forever and that we will see God once again. I know that God has a plan for me and that everything will work out for me. I love this gospel and nothing will ever take it away from me. I will always stand by what I know and what I love. This gospel is true and that fact will never change.
I say/write these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I hope these words may give someone comfort out there. I pray that I may be able to touch one person.
As human beings we each have our own personal struggles. It could be family problems, losing a job, money troubles, stress, school, not knowing what to do with your life, health issues, depression, or feeling horribly ugly feelings. We all face them. Sometimes we face one at a time, other times many of them just come crashing down on us.
Lately I have found that many of my friends have been challenged with some extremely difficult trials. I have always sat down and thought how can I help this person or these people. It's always the same thing: a plate of cookies and a note. I've always wished I could do much more, because hurting really, really, stinks.
I, myself, have felt pain. Pain that has made me not want to get up in the mornings, to just sit in bed and cry my eyes out, to be mean to others because I myself am in pain, I've had moments where there is no peace at all, moments that I have no hope, moments that I feel so frustrated and so weak. There were times where I felt as if I couldn't go on because of one stupid thing, or a few words that slipped out from someone's mouth. I've been curled up in a blanket crying because I felt so low.
I have come to conclude that no one knew how I felt when I was struggling. No one has suffered the exact same things that I have. No one has felt the hurt and pain and the uselessness and all the other negative feelings that I have experienced. No one has been there to comfort me in my lowest moments of life. No one, except one person. He has always been there for me even when I didn't think He was. He was the one that fueled me with the desire to keep going, He was the one that comforted me when no one else knew, or was there. He was the one that put His arms around me and gave me peace when I had none. He was the one that gave me hope when everything was pitch black and there seemed to be no light. He knew all those horrible moments, all my mistakes, all my pain; He's felt them all, He's experienced them all with me. He's never left me alone.
So this is for all those who are in a moment of suffering, even if it's something small or huge. This is for everyone who can't quite see the light at the end of the dark tunnel, no end to their suffering, no hope. Don't give up, don't give in, keep going, everything will work out. The reason I know this is because of that man I talked about. He is the one person who can take away all your pain, all your despair, everything that you are struggling with. He is the one who can comfort you beyond the ability of any one person on this earth. He's there with you through the thick and the thin. He loves YOU no matter what, and He will hear you no matter what. His love is infinite, it never wavers.
This man is so special to me. He is my brother, my savior, my redeemer, my advocate, He is my best friend, and the one person who will always be there. He is Jesus Christ. I love Him with all my heart and that will never change. I will never be ashamed of who I am and what I believe in.
As I've sought for comfort through many challenging times I have begun to feel His love so much. I have found scriptures, quotes, music, stories, and so many other things that have have strengthened me and made me feel so loved.
I want to share some of them in hopes that I will be able to help someone out there.
A quote that I absolutely love is this. "As we put our faith and trust in the Lord, we must battle our pain day by day and sometimes hour by hour, even moment by moment; . . . When pain, tests, trials come in life, draw near unto the Savior. 'Wait upon the Lord', . . . Look for him . . . Healing comes in the Lord's time and the Lord's way; be patient." Elder Robert D. Hales. I found this a few months ago when I was struggling, and I just felt the spirit so much that tears just escaped, and I couldn't stop them. I have learned that there are some days that you just have breath and take life as it comes. "There is always a voice at the end of the day that says 'I'll try again tomorrow.'"
I have recently been reading a conference talk by Elder Richard J. Maynes called "The Strength to Endure." These are just some of the exerts that I've loved. "The Lord responded by teaching the Prophet Joseph, and all of us, that the challenges we face, if successfully endured, will be for our ultimate good." "Heavenly Father has organized our journey through life to be a test of our character." "The Savior's atoning sacrifice makes possible our future salvation and exaltation through the principle of repentance. If we honestly and sincerely repent, the Atonement can help us become clean, change our nature, and successfully endure our challenges. There are so many others, it's a fabulous talk. There are many general conference talks that are just amazing!
I have always been told that when you are struggling that that is the time that you need to draw close to the Lord. "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." "Don't lose faith in the things you do know because of the things you don't know." Read your patriarchal blessing, get a father's blessing, do service for others, read your scriptures, go to church, read general conference talks, pray, go to the temple, just do things that will bring you closer to the Lord. "When life gets to hard to stand; kneel." The power of prayers, of blessings, of the Lord's words are amazing and beyond anything else. They will give you strength you never knew you had in you. But always remember "He may not come when we call, but He will come on time."
I can testify that Jesus Christ will heal us when we are broken, even when we feel as if we are shattered. He loves us so much, more than we can ever imagine. I have felt the pure love of Christ multiple times and there is nothing in this world that can compare to it. I love the church I belong to: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The strength, the love, the hope, and the peace that comes from it is amazing and wonderful. This Gospel offers me things that nothing else can offer. I love my Savoir and Redeemer with my whole heart. I am immensely grateful for Joseph Smith, and that he knelt in that wonderful grove and prayed to know what church was true. I am even more grateful that he stood by it when he could have denied that he saw God the Father and His Son, just to stop the persecution on him and others. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a true and living prophet who gets direction from God for us. I am grateful for Brother E and Brother Pelo for the work and effort that that they put into Heritage Tours. That tour has changed me so much, and it continues to change me. I learned so much, and I grew so much from it, and still I do. I felt the power of the Book of Mormon, and I know it to be true. I know the power of the priesthood is true and that it can bless our lives in many different ways. I know the Temple is a refuge for us during a storm and that it can give us peace. I know that families can be together forever and that we will see God once again. I know that God has a plan for me and that everything will work out for me. I love this gospel and nothing will ever take it away from me. I will always stand by what I know and what I love. This gospel is true and that fact will never change.
I say/write these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I hope these words may give someone comfort out there. I pray that I may be able to touch one person.
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