Always there.

Sometimes, when all your homework is done, and your friend won't talk to you, and you're sad, or bored, or both, you just need to take a minute or five and read your scriptures and pray. The Lord won't let you be alone if you actually work/study. He'll give you answers, or He'll just talk to you, let you know that you're not alone. Or if you didn't get a part you really wanted. He can let you know why (I really hope I get a solo, though. Then I can tell Him thanks). He is ALWAYS there. Even when your friend is not. He is your friend, and He will always listen. Even when you're blubbering because your friend isn't answering or something. He will always listen and He always understands. Always. Forever and always He will love you, listen to you, help you, and be a shoulder to cry on. Or He'll send people to love you, to listen to you, to help you, and be your shoulder to cry on. But His influence will always be there. 

Temples.

I love temples. They're so pretty and it's a whole different experience in there. There's church reverent, with little children crying every now and then or the whole time; and then there's temple reverent, where it's so quiet, even whispers sound loud. Doing baptisms for the dead is so great, and a great testimony builder for me. Even just sitting outside the temple, looking at it is a testimony builder. Because my parents, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, one of my cousins, and several other family members, as well as other people who hold special places in my heart, have all been married in the temple. I want a love like that. Forever. And I can only get that in the temple. And so I am trying to live my life in such a way that I can enter the temple worthily with the right person. And I have some of the best examples in my life to look up to.

Isn't it gorgeous? I can't wait. This is one of my favorite Children's Primary Songs:

"I love to see the temple I'm going there someday To feel the Holy Spirit to listen and to pray. For the temple is a House of God a place of love and beauty I'll prepare myself while I am young This is my sacred duty." 

Happy life recipe.

I love The Lord will all of my heart. He sends me people and experiences that I need to become the best me I can be. He knows who I need and what I need to become the best me. I love His gospel with all of my heart. I love the way it makes me feel. I may be biased because I've been learning about it my whole life, but it just makes sense. I know it's true, and I know that my Savior lives, and I know that He loves me. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet today, and I know that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. I love it all, and I am so, so grateful for my parents, family, leaders, friends, and teachers that all help me live my life the way I've chosen to, which is by following The Lord and my Savior.

I found this "recipe" somewhere and I love it. How good are you at following the recipe for a happy life?

Just look.

Some days it is just so much easier to see the hand of The Lord than other days. Sometimes it's some weeks, sometimes it's some months. But I love it. I love recognizing His hand in my life. I love realizing that the world is so much bigger, so much better than I've thought. One of my favorite hymns is "How Great Thou Art" because it's so pretty and I love the message it gives. There are miracles in our lives everyday. We just have to look for them.

It will be worth it.

I cannot wait for this cultural event to all come together!!!!! It is going to be sooooo amazing!!!!! I'm super excited!!!! It's going to come together and it will be worth it all! For all the business that is my life, I know it'll be worth it in the end, and I know I wouldn't have/couldn't have/won't be able to have done it without the help of The Lord. He has been touching my life so much these past couple of weeks and I know He will continue to do so for the next couple of weeks more (at least six). I have been so, so, so busy, but I have been able to get everything done on time. I know that He will continue to bless me as long as I follow His commandments and try to live His teachings. I am trying so hard to be a good example and a happy person and a kind person and I am trying everyday to become more and more like Christ. Each day is different, and some days are harder than others, but I am getting better every day. And I know that, in the end, it will be worth it. So, so worth it, and I can't wait. :)

Stand Ye in Holy Places.

Satan or The Lord? Who do you want to stand with or for? I want to stand with The Lord, and I want to stand for The Lord. The theme this year for mutual is "Stand Ye in Holy Places." The reference is Doctrine and Covenants 87:8. In order for me to stand with The Lord (I don't know who you picked, but considering you're probably still reading this, hopefully you picked The Lord. If you didn't, you're reading the wrong blog), I need to know His teachings. Everything is always coming back to knowing His teachings. Maybe it's because that's what's most important. We need to know what The Lord stands for before we can stand with Him or for Him. The basis for everything surrounding this gospel is to know the word, and live the word. You can't teach it if you don't know it, and you can't teach it or know it if you don't live it. "I'm a Mormon. I know it. I live it. I love it." ~~Ann M. Dibb. I love that quote. You never know who is watching you and following your example, so you need to be the best you can be so that they don't get confused or something. But by being the best you you can be, you are setting an example to those around you that you have high standards and that you will not settle for less.

It must be done from the heart.

"To make a house into a home it must be done from the heart." This works for just about anything. If you want something to be or feel home-y or anything else, you have to do it from the heart. Service must be done from the heart. Repentance must be done with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Prayer must be done with faith, and it can be done from the heart. To become Christlike, it has to be done from the heart.

Music can uplift you.

There are so many uplifting and spiritual songs that I love to listen to on Sunday, or even when I'm feeling a little sad or when I need a pick-me-up. I usually listen to FM 100.3, and they always play Soft Sunday Sounds. They play many spiritual songs that I have never heard before even though I listen every week, and they play many songs that they play every week or every other week. Some spiritual/gospel artists that are popular that I love are Jenny Philips, Hilary Weeks, Cherie Call, Tyler Castleton, Amy Grant, Mindy Gledhill, David Archuleta, Fernando Ortega, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and many, many others that escape my mind at the moment. Some songs that play that I love are I Will Rise, Be Still My Soul, Better Than a Hallelujah, When I Sing, I Know Jesus Loves Me, and many, many more. But they all make me feel so, so good, and they really bring a spirit to my room that I just LOVE. It comes every Sunday when I listen to it, and I need it every week, I really do. I love to feel this spirit that it brings. It's a spirit of peace, and reverence, and knowledge. These songs bring more knowledge to my mind; they bring things to my mind that I sometimes have never thought before. I love the messages the songs bring, and I love that this station also plays/shares little clips from some General Conference talks. This station is my absolute favorite, and I love the peace it brings to me on Sundays.

The right team.

Today is the BYU vs Utah game. Those are not the kinds of teams I'm talking about. I'm talking about The Lord's team and Satan's team. Now, we don't know whether BYU will win or not, but we do know that The Lord is going to win His game. So. Which team will you pick? The team of The Lord, or the team of Satan? I hope you pick The Lord's team, because He's going to win. This game is not a game of win or lose, because The Lord is going to win. Instead, it is a game of team members. Who has the most by the end. Now, I don't know about you, but following Satan just makes me cringe and feel dark, and creepy, and bad. Following The Lord makes me smile and feel light, and sweet, and good. Given the choice between feeling dark and creepy versus light and sweet, I'd rather feel light and sweet. Choose your team wisely, for in heaven you will have to deal with the consequences. I know I've got some I will have to deal with, unfortunately. But now I've chosen The Lord. Satan just makes me feel bad about myself and I don't like that feeling. The Lord lets me know that I am a choice daughter of His, and He loves me, and I know from personal experience that The Lord is far better than Satan. 

Service in your heart.

Today I want to talk about service. I think that service is work you do for others without expecting to receive anything in return. It's any sort of volunteer work, or anything you do for others in secret, or without being asked. Service is the best kind of work. It's forgetting yourself and working for others. If you're having trouble in your life, stop what you're doing and serve others. You'll feel better and you'll be able to get through your trouble. Visiting someone who's sick or doesn't often receive visitors is also service. Writing letters to people who are sick, or on missions is also service. Sending a cute little package with a card and some little figurines inside is also a service. Anything you do out of love for others is service. Anything you do in place of Christ is service. Service can also be listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and following them. It can also be something as simple as saying hi to someone in the hall. Or offering babysitting services for a couple of hours so that someone can go out on a date. Anything you do with love in your heart for others and with no intention of receiving any sort of reward. You just need pure intentions. Service is charity, and charity is the pure love of Christ.

Miracles will never not be important.

Miracles happen every day. Tender mercies happen every day. Sometimes they're the same thing, and sometimes they're not. I know the last couple of days I've been focusing on miracles, but that's because they have been occurring so often in my life recently. When you start to notice them, they become more and more prominent in your life, and more and more important. And they will never, ever, ever become any less important. They will always be important. They build your testimony. 

Miracles and testimonies.

I KNOW without a DOUBT that I have seen the hand of The Lord in my life the past two weeks, and especially today. I had 35 chapters of the Book of Mormon to read today, and I finished them all within five or ten minutes of my interview with the bishop. It was a miracle and a testimony strengthener to me that with The Lord you can do miracles. I'm so thankful for this gospel. There is no way it isn't true, not after the miracles I've witnessed these last two weeks and today. I'm so grateful for Personal Progress and the strengthening that it did to my testimony, especially the past two weeks. 

I love The Lord with all of my heart and I love this gospel to the ends of the universe and back. Read the Book of Mormon. There's NO way it isn't true. I know, because I've read it. :)

Gratefulness, excitedness, and randomness.

Yay!!!! I'm super excited!! I'm pretty much done with all the requirements for my medallion. I just need to finish up a couple of stuff and then I get it tomorrow!! I know that I've seen The Lord's hand in my life, because there is NO way on earth that I could've finished five 10-hour projects in two weeks without His help. It's been crazy trying to keep up with my schoolwork and my Personal Progress projects. After tomorrow, though, it will be less crazy and I can focus on my schoolwork ;). But there is no way that I could've done everything in the past two weeks that I've done without the helping hand of The Lord. I'm so grateful to Him, because I know that He's given me many little miracles along the way. It's been super easy the past two weeks to recognize The Lord in my life, and I've been so, so grateful. It's easy to recognize His hand in your life if your life is super busy, but you get everything done, and done well. I love to just think and ponder sometimes on random life questions, like what happens after we die? Do we float around or what? Are we guardian angels on earth? Do we get to choose who we "guard"? Anyway, I just love thinking and pondering on different things that are totally unrelated to anyone else but are completely related to me. If someone could see inside my head, they'd be lost. After I've earned my medallion, I'm going to take a well-deserved rest....during the next holiday break. :)

Miracles and attitudes.

I know that The Lord works many miracles. I have been busting out the seams with stuff: I've had homework that's extremely hard and/or time consuming, I've been working on my medallion (almost finished!!!): five projects all at the same time. Did I mention homework?? For the last two weeks, homework and Personal Progress has been my focus. And music, but I'm always in a music mood, so that doesn't count. But seriously. I don't know how I would have gotten though the past two weeks without Him. I am positive that I would NEVER have been able to get anything done without The Lord's help. I've been really busy trying to keep up with my homework and trying to work on my Personal Progress and trying to stay happy and positive. All the while, The Lord has been my rock, and my quiet place when I have needed a break. He has been my go-to guy for when I've had questions or problems. He has just listened and watched when I've needed to state my problems. He has helped me realize my potential, and my worth, and everything that I am through this blog that I wanted to do. He has been my northern star. I am surprised that I have gotten as much done as I have. He has been the best listener because, as I've said before, Christ is the best listener. It's been extremely crazy and I'm grateful for The Lord's hand in my life recently. But I am sure that when Wednesday comes around, my load will be considerably lightened, and I will be so grateful. It's just been so hectic, but, looking back, it doesn't look as hectic as I remember, and I know that this is because of The Lord. He is so amazing and merciful and loving and I am so grateful to Him. And, to be honest, I don't have it as hard as some. I'm really lucky to live in a happy home, with food, and I'm lucky to be able to go to school. I'm lucky my dad has a job, and I'm lucky that none of my siblings or either of my parents is terminally ill. I'm extremely lucky to live in this day and age, and I'm thankful for that. And, no matter what your situation, it's always your attitude that makes your life happy or sad or bad. Remember that. It's your attitude. 

Little children.

I've been thinking a lot about little kids lately, for whatever reason. Maybe it's all the little babies being born lately, or maybe it's the fact that my siblings have been fighting tons the past couple of weeks, or the fact that I've been babysitting quite a bit lately, I don't know. Whatever the reason, I have been thinking of them recently. Just lots of different little things, such as what do they dream about, what do they see, do they remember the Pre-Mortal existence, etc. I've also just been thinking about how children process things [Like, if you ask a three-year old and an eleven-year old the same question (i.e., Why do you hate me?), the three-year old would say something like "Because you took my toy away," or "You ate my food," or something else like that. An eleven-year old would give you stories, examples, and (mostly) good reasons. Why is that?]. I have also been thinking about how children think. Just what kinds of stuff they think about. And how much of kids' 'wild imaginations' is actually wild? Because I bet that sometimes, if not every time, their 'wild imagination' is based on a little bit of truth. And how do they come up with the ideas that they come up with? And why do they always want the same toys? And, most important of all, how do they learn from the examples of their parents, friends, and families? Looking back on my own little siblings, I cannot answer practically any of my questions/thoughts. But I can kind of answer the last one. How do they learn from the examples of the big kids, their parents, friends, and families? Well, I do believe we all know that children repeat what they see/hear, yes? Yes. The answer to my question is this: because for some reason, little kids want to be like their bigger siblings and their parents. It's as simple as that. They don't want to be left out, so they try and act like those who aren't being left out, thinking that maybe they'll be brought in. I think it's also because they want to end up like them, too. They see that their siblings, parents, etc. have a happy life, a nice life, a good life, and they want one like it, so they try and act like the person who has the good life that they want. But mostly, I think that the reason is because, deep, deep, deep in their little child brains, they see Christlike attributes in these people. I think that, very deep in their memories, they remember certain things about Christ, and they see those in the big people in their lives. Note that this is just my personal opinion, but when I think about it, it kind of makes sense. Because their family and friends are all trying to be like Jesus, and the children see this. They see the Christlike attributes in their families and they want to have them, too. Also, children who grow up in a not-so-happy home want and, I think, cleave to those Christlike qualities that they see in the parents/older siblings of their friends that have nice and happy homes. Luke 18:16 says, "But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." And Matthew 18:3 says, "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." Jesus has said to be as a little child. However, He doesn't mean act like them, although it is fun. He means to be teachable and innocent like a little child. 

It doesn't always have to be.

Sometimes it's hard to be the big sister. Sometimes it's hard to be a good example. Sometimes it's hard to keep my temper. Sometimes it's hard to be patient. Sometimes it's hard to be calm. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of everything that's on my plate. Sometimes it's hard to let go. Sometimes it's hard to remember why. Sometimes it's hard to take a breather. Sometimes it's hard to remember the important stuff. I bet you have a list of "Sometimes it's hard to..."'s, too. But it doesn't always have to be. In times of "Sometimes it's hard to..."'s, you can rely on Christ. You can ask Him to help take some of the burden or to help you get through. But all you have to do is ask. He'll never say no, and He's been waiting for you to ask. It doesn't always have to be hard. Christ is there to lift the burden and help you get through it all. I know that life is hard sometimes. But, Christ is there to help you up. In the words of a certain genius songwriter I know: "Sometimes life is hard and you don't want to go on. But you need to remember you are a child of God, of royal birth, sent to this Earth to spread His word. And you need to remember to arise, shine, and stand for what's right and true. You need to recognize your faith and you have to tell yourself: 'My faith is sure. His love is pure. I believe in Him and know that He is true.'" Isn't that just genius? Everyone give a round of applause to...drum roll, please....Mattie Radke! Yes, me. I wrote that song for another Personal Progress project. Life doesn't always have to be hard. You just have to remind yourself who you are, and whose you are. Knowing exactly who you are helps you find out why you belong here, where you're going, and how to take care of all those "Sometimes it's hard to..."'s. To be honest, sometimes I get so caught up in the now, that I forget some of the most important things, like my friends and family, and scripture study. I've been better about remembering, but sometimes I forget. I think that the most important thing to getting over your "Sometimes it's hard to..." blues is this: Trials are like a roller coaster ride, with its ups and downs, but there are some calm moments at the beginning and the end of every trial, because The Lord doesn't always want you to be getting 'sick'. He wants you to feel good about yourself for a while. Remember that He sometimes sends people or something else that you may need when you need them. Just remember that life gets better, and it's only bad when your attitude is bad. Stay positive. It helps!! I should know. :) 

Tender mercies.

Sometimes you get so tempted, or so lost, and you don't know what to do. You know you're lost but you can't find the way back. You've tried and tried and tried on your own but it just hasn't worked out. You may have been back for a little bit but then, unfortunately, you strayed again. So, in your heart, and out loud, you ask Heavenly Father for forgiveness, and you ask Him to help you. And then He sends you someone. He'll send you someone that you'll look up to, and whom you'll love and adore an awful lot, who believes the same things you do (note that they may not always), and you'll start to change, to try and be a better person, so that you can be like them and, slowly but surely, that temptation will just fade. It will not be so tempting, and you won't want to do it anymore. And you'll look back and you'll think, "What was I thinking? Life is soo much better without it." And you'll be forever thankful for that person, even though they might not ever know it. They were just living their life, and didn't even know that you needed something from them. But The Lord did, and so He put them in your life. The Lord works miracles, and He sends tender mercies, and I can't help but love Him. He can't help but love and help me. I was seriously in a deep, deep pickle and I didn't think I could get out of it. I had been trying and trying to get out of it for at least one school year. And then there was high school. Someone was put in my life that made me want to be a better person. I saw what life could bring me and I wanted it, but I knew that my temptation wouldn't bring me the lifelong happiness I so desperately wanted. So, slowly and surely, I was able to stop being tempted by my temptation, and I replaced it with good things, like scripture study and working on my Personal Progress. And now, I can happily say that I don't remember the last time I was tempted by that particular temptation because it's been a while. And I know that Heavenly Father blessed me by sending her to me, because she (unknowingly) helped me get over my temptation. And I will forever be thankful to my Heavenly Father, and I will forever be thankful for her. I have seen the hand of The Lord in my life so many times and, each time, I never realize it until afterwards. But His influence is always there. His tender mercies may not always be so bold. Sometimes it may be something as simple as a butterfly, or a smile from a stranger, a beautiful day after rain, or even a bright sunny day. It might even be a simple phrase from someone or the scriptures. Whatever the tender mercy, they're always there. They're in our life all the time, whether or not we recognize or realize them.

Nature.

I love rain. It's so pretty and it feels good, and it smells nice before, during, and after the rain. Interesting factoid of the week: Did you know that the smell of earth after rain is called petrichor? Well, now you do. Anyway, I love nature. It's an amazing reminder to me that God loves us. 

I mean, do you see these pictures????? Isn't it just beautiful? How can you not love it??? How can you not think of Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ when you see any or all of it? Waterfalls, butterflies, flowers, rain scenes, forest scenes, and any combination of the five are my favorite types of nature/scenery, because they remind me how beautiful Heavenly Father made this world. He never forgets you, and sometimes He will send you different things that He knows you need, like a butterfly or something someone says or does. Sometimes He'll even send you a person. These, children, are called 'tender mercies'. Nature just reminds me of our Heavenly Father's and our Savior's love for us all. Springtime and fall are my seasons because it's changing and it's so beautiful, I can't help but be reminded of my Heavenly Father and His love for me. He created this beautiful world for all of us, and He wants us to remember that He is always there and that He will never forget us. 

9/11/01

When 9/11 happened, I was four. I don't remember any of it. I don't remember where I was or anything. But I will never forget. I hear the stories and I picture them in my mind, and they make me sad, and sometimes I cry. But I will never forget. Many people lost wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, neighbors, etc., and it makes me sad to think that some kids lost both of their parents. It makes me sad to think that some little babies will never know their parent(s). But it's a time to remember. Remember what we've lost, and remember how we grew because of it. Even though many people died, and it's sad, we will get to see them again. That gives me hope: all those people will get to see their family and friends again.

God does things for a reason, and we may not know the reason, but He does things for our benefit. We need to always remember that we are here to help spread the gospel to others and to love them; and we need to love others even if they don't want the gospel. "I want to be kind to everyone for that is right you see. So I say to myself remember this: kindness begins with me." Never forget, always be kind, and always love others. Spread the kindness and love. 

So you think you're not that great. Well, I know you're wrong.

This picture speaks such truths. Too many people are down on themselves, focusing on the negative, instead of focusing on the positive. I, too, have been a victim of this, and this picture reminded me that I need to value myself more. There are so many people that do so many good things, but they're too focused on all of the negative things about them that they don't realize that they are a great person. I do this often. I get so focused on how annoying I think I am and sometimes I forget how wonderful I am. No, that's not being vain. Recognizing that you are wonderful and beautiful is not being vain. Flaunting that and caring only about that is. Dressing nice and caring about your image is not being vain. Only caring about your image, however, is. “You’d worry less about what people thought of you if you realized how little they did.” Some person said this; I don't know who. I got it off of another blog. Anyway. But it is true. People don't really care about you in the way that you think they do. They don't care about your clothes or your hair in the way that you think they do. Yes, they want you to look and smell nice, but they don't only care about that. They care about how you act and hold yourself. Anyway, I got off topic. You are a wonderful being. Don't ever forget that. God made you just the way you are, and just the way He wants you to be. Don't ever doubt your capabilities. Don't ever doubt how amazing you are. There are people's lives out there that you need to touch because only you can, but you can't do that if you're constantly doubting yourself or underestimating your wonderfulness. There are some things only you can do. God has prepared you for many things, and you need to believe in yourself. Be confident. Don't worry what others think of you so much. Be the amazing, wonderful, fantastic, brilliant, and fantabulous person you are. 

Like I said, do what you do best and love it. Don't only care about others' opinions of you. The only person's opinion you should care about (besides your own) is Heavenly Father's. He made you just the way He wants you. So, that's that. You're perfect in His eyes. "Be yourself; everyone else is taken." So, once you've boosted your own self-esteem, you can do God's work and help others boost their own self-esteem, thus creating a chain reaction of self-esteem boosting-ness. Don't forget: you are amazing and you can do and be whatever you want to be, whether it be a lawyer or a mathematician, or a scientist, or a musician. You can do it. Be yourself, and don't forget that you're not just great: you're amazing and wonderful and brilliant. 

He will always listen.

Christ is waiting with arms wide open for you.

Do you ever just feel neglected? Like people don't want to talk to you? Like you bug them so much they don't want to even bother to answer? Well, don't. And, if you do, listen to these wise words that are, unfortunately, not mine: "God loves you; keep moving forward." Genius, right? Anyway, you are never neglected by Heavenly Father. He always wants to talk to you. You will never bug Him enough so that He won't want to talk to you. He always wants to talk to you, and He always wants you to talk to Him. How do you do this, you ask? Easy. I will tell you. It's very simple. And! It's two steps:

Step number one: To talk to Him: Pray. Or, if you can't pray, talk to Him. Literally, talk to Him. He'll listen, I promise. I should know. I do it all the time. Anyway. You could also sing hymns and primary songs. I do that all the time, too.

Step number two: To listen to Him/Have Him talk to you: Read the scriptures. Listen to the Holy Ghost. Read the Ensign. Read the Liahona. Read The New Era. Read The Friend. Stand outside in nature. Did I mention listen to the Holy Ghost? And just be in a quiet place, or be quiet. He'll speak. So you just have to listen. He's actually probably tried to talk to you already, you just haven't been listening and/or paying attention.

So. That's what my advice to you is. Don't feel neglected. The Lord loves you and wants you to feel loved and happy. He is always listening and ready to give His advice. You just have to listen and be ready. 

 See these pictures here? They speak truths. God is the best listener. You can talk all you want to other people, and half of them most likely won't care, but God cares about you, and He hears you, and He listens, and He loves.

He will never forsake you. You are His child and He loves you. He will speak to you through the service of others and through your experiences. He is always there to lend a listening ear. 

My brothers just saw that picture of Christ up there, and Porter said "Jesus!" and Lander said "Jesus is not my friend." So I told him, "Jesus is too your friend." Lander kept saying "No," and Porter was hitting Lander and saying "Jesus my friend." It was adorable. Porter (who is two) knows that Jesus is your friend. Out of the mouths of babes. Lander does know it. He just needs a reminder. But I want you to know: Jesus is your friend, and God will always listen. 

Lessons Learned.

Yesterday I was searching through some of my issues of The New Era for music that I could try to play to try and put on here. I couldn't find any. Instead, I got sucked into reading all the articles and stories in the magazines. This was a blessing to me. My testimony grew a lot. I found several scriptures I am going to look up. Actually, I'll share them with you, and we can read them together. The first one is 1 Samuel 15: 22. It reads, "And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." It is better to obey The Lord's teachings than to sacrifice something while you are not following The Lord entirely. 

The second one is Helaman 12: 1, which reads, "And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him." If we listen to the Holy Ghost and trust Heavenly Father, He will bless us. 

The next ones have to do with how to best use your freedom to choose. 

The first one is Jacob 4:10. "Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works." This one is saying that you shouldn't counsel (or question) The Lord but instead take His counsel to you, because he wisely, justly, and mercifully counsels us. 

The last one is D&C 58:26-28: "For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward." This one is saying that if we do good, we'll be rewarded, and that The Lord doesn't command all things because when we're told to do things, we tend to do things just because, or we don't do them at all, and we don't learn from the experience. 

There's a song by two of my favorite artists, Kristin Chenoweth and Carrie Underwood. It's called "Lessons Learned." My favorite part is the chorus. It goes, "Every tear that had to fall from my eyes, Every day I wondered how I'd get through the night, Every change, life has thrown me, I'm grateful, for every scar, Some pages turned, Some bridges burned, But there were lessons learned." And I love this. Throughout your whole life, you get to make the choices. "Not me, not Hermione, you." You get to make your own decisions, whether good or bad. And, yes, there will be consequences, good or bad, and often they won't always match the decision: a good decision may not have good consequences and vice versa: bad decisions may not have bad consequences. But there will be lessons that you learned. You may have learned that some decisions are better than others, or that you can't always do everything by yourself. But if you ask for, and listen, and follow God's teachings and inspirations, and make the best decision out of good, better, and best, you will receive blessings and more experience. And, in the end, you will be able to always tell the difference between the good, better, and best decisions. 

Tithing.

Now, I know you're probably thinking, "There's not much to do with tithing. You pay ten percent, easy. What's she going to talk about?" And yes, you're partly right. Tithing is ten percent, but there's more to it. Well, not really, but you'll see what I mean in a second. I've been paying tithing for about four years. That's a long time. I've been babysitting for a long time, and I usually get around $10-20 each time I babysit. Sometimes I'll forget to pay tithing for a while, so when I do pay tithing, instead of it being one or two dollars, it ends up being four or five dollars. But this doesn't bother me. Paying tithing, for me, is just so natural, I don't even think about. It's just natural instinct. That money is rightfully The Lord's and it doesn't bother me that I have to pay ten percent of my earnings. Right now, I have about $400 or so in total. If I didn't pay my tithing, I'd have a lot more money, and adding to that what I've already spent, it's probably quite a lot. I'll never know. But I don't care. Tithing is a simple concept, but you have to have the right attitude and heart about it. You have to realize that nothing is ever truly yours. Everything you get comes from The Lord. So, really, ten percent is nothing. Heavenly Father has given us such a beautiful world with brilliant minds and many great inventions. Without Him, you wouldn't be reading this, I wouldn't have typed it, the technology would be impossible (improbable at the very least). But He wants us to have a good life, a nice life, not just a church-going life. So He's given us entertainment: books, movies, technology. But He still wants us to recognize Him; He wants to make sure that we know that everything has come from Him. He doesn't want the recognition, nor the money. He wants us to know what He's done for us. It's not a gift to Him. It's a gift for us. He has given us so much, it's only fair that we give back to Him. 

Looking back on my life, I've seen the hand of The Lord so many times, and just because I've paid my tithing. I have a strong testimony of tithing. I have often felt like I have had less money than I actually do sometimes, and I know that The Lord has blessed me. Tithing is not just a ritual to me, and it's not just natural. I think tithing is an attitude, a lifestyle, and it's giving a heartfelt thanks to our Heavenly Father. 

You're worth it to Him.

How you view yourself is very important. You are a child of God, and He loves you very much. He loves all of His children very much. This is something I posted on Facebook a while ago:

He loves you for who you are. You don't need to change for anyone. God loves you for you, and He made you just the way He wants you. He is so aware of you, He sends you people when you need them, or He sends you experiences when you need them, and sometimes even when you don't want them and you feel alone. You are NEVER alone, ever, because Jesus Christ is always there beside you, and Heavenly Father sends you the Holy Ghost when you need comfort. You are not too anything for Him. He is our King, and we are His children, and He loves us beyond anything we can ever imagine. He never wants you to be alone, and He never wants you to feel alone. 

Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. ~~ D&C 18: 10

In February 2011, about six or so months before my family and I moved (and whether I knew it or not I couldn't tell you; I can't remember), I came home from school one day to hear my mom say, "Mattie, you got a package in the mail." "Who's it from?" "No idea." So, naturally, I opened the package. Inside, I found a little card with an angel on the front, a little angel statue, a little pink flower, and a little green gem. I opened the card and I read, "Faith means not needing to see where you're going to know you'll get there safely. Even though you can't see what lies ahead, please know you already have what you need to come out of this an even stronger person. May this flower show you your inner beauty, this gem your great value, and let this Angel guide you to your potential." I may have lost the flower and the gem (accidentally, of course! They were so cute!), but I still have that angel, and the card, and I will treasure them until the day I die, because moving from one city to another was really difficult for me. Because I had grown up there, meeting and getting to know new people in our new home and neighborhood, sometimes I'd be reminded of Orem, and sometimes during that first year I really missed Orem. But I would look at that angel and I'd read that card and I'd think, "I can do this. I can get through this." God knew me enough to know that moving would be hard for me, so He had someone (whom I will forever be grateful for) send me a package that I still read every now and then when times get tough. He knows exactly what you're going through, and He doesn't want you to go through it alone, nor does He want you to go through it not knowing what you're worth to Him. You are so worth it to Him. He sent His Son so that we can be resurrected and live forever with Him if we follow Him. He wants us to come home to Him. He wants us to know that we are worth it to Him. You are worth it to Him. 

Patience is a virtue.

So, for another personal progress project, I'm drawing my violin. Drawing, if you didn't know, takes time and patience. Much like the gospel. You need patience to learn and understand the teachings. I think patience is an important aspect of the gospel. I have eight siblings all younger than me, and six of them are boys. Sometimes I have a hard time being patient with them, because I am older and more experienced, so when they are doing something that I have already experienced or know what the outcome will be, and I tell them not to do it or I try to help them solve their problem and they don't listen, I get frustrated. I feel sad that they didn't trust me enough to listen. Much like our Heavenly Father when we don't follow His teachings and the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He feels very sad when we don't follow His advice and teachings, which were made specifically for us in this day and age. Patience is a virtue, and one I often wish I had more of. It just happens to be something I struggle with. Some people don't; it's easy for them, but some people do, and I am one of them. But patience is an important aspect of the gospel because we don't know everything. We don't know all that is in store for us at the end of this life, and sometimes I think that is a little frustrating to some people. But if we're patient and we endure to the end, I'm positive that it will be worth it in the end. There are some parts of the gospel that just revolve around patience. Prayer, for example, revolves around it. Sometimes you don't always receive an answer right away, and you get frustrated. You just need to remember that God is always listening and He always answers our prayers, but in His own time. We need to be patient and respect that. He'll give us answers when He knows we're ready for them. Faith also requires much patience. You don't just immediately receive faith. You have to work for it and be patient. Studying the scriptures takes time. You don't immediately understand them. It takes patience to study and understand them. Patience is very much a part of our everyday lives, and it revolves around the gospel, like I said. But if we keep our cool and respect others around us (God and ourselves included), I think that, in the end, the reward will be very sweet indeed.

Introduction.

Hey, guys! So, for my Personal Progress, I decided that I wanted to do a blog on different aspects of the gospel. These first couple of posts might be a little different, but as I get into it more I think it will make more sense. So, here's the deal: I'm going to try and post something every day, and you can ask me questions that you might have or if you want a little more insight or a non-biased opinion. I might tell stories to help set my view across, so bear with me as I might also go off on tangents. But here's my first gospel topic:

The first topic, and the most obvious one, is faith. I'm sure we all know what faith is, but just in case, here's a couple definitions I found:
1) "Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true (Heb. 1:11; Alma 32:21), and must be centered in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation. To have faith is to have confidence in something or someone (King James Bible Dictionary)."
2) Firm belief in something for which there is no proof; allegiance to duty or a person (Merriam Webster Dictionary).

As you can see, there is quite a wide definition of faith. However, I am going to shorten it a little bit and share with you my definition of faith. I believe faith is [centered in Christ], hoping and believing in unseen (but true) things. Does that make sense? Faith in Christ is the first step to keeping Him in your heart.
Now, you may be thinking, "How do I get faith in Christ? I'm not quite sure if I have enough, or even if I have any." Well, the first step to having faith in Christ is to read the scriptures, whether it be The Bible, The Book of Mormon, etc. In order to have faith in Christ, you need to first understand His teachings. It won't do you any good to turn to Christ and have faith in Him if you have no idea what He teaches and what He is about. After you've studied the scriptures, you need to pray. Pray to Heavenly Father and ask Him if it is true. You might not get an answer immediately, and that's okay. Keep reading and praying. It may be that you need to know more of His teachings, or you need to learn one specific thing that you haven't yet. I know that I learn different things every time I read my scriptures. Even the same verses. After you've received an answer, guess what you get to do next? You get to repeat the whole process for the rest of your life!! Isn't that amazing? There is so much stuff in the scriptures, you can study them your whole life and still learn new things every time you read them. There is so much stuff in the gospel that I haven't learned yet, and I can't wait to learn it. Christ is waiting to open His arms to you; He loves you and wants you to be happy. You need to have a whole lot of faith to be able to keep Christ in your heart, and that starts with a little seed of faith. It may be a mustard seed, or a rosebush seed, or a lily seed, or an apple tree seed, but a seed's a seed.