My favourite Christmas gift.

I don't know about you, but my Christmas rocked! I received lots of new and nice things that I'm so grateful for, but my favourite gift—the one I'm most grateful for—is the gift of my Savior. His sacrifice for me—He didn't have to do it at all, but He chose to. Guys, He could have saved Himself; He could have showed His power to the nonbelievers, but He didn't. He wanted to sacrifice Himself because He loves us. Even when we don't deserve it—even when we are complete morons (because, let's face it—at some point, we all do something so incredibly stupid at least once), He still wanted to save us. He still wanted to give us the option to be able to either accept Him as our Savior, or to decline Him. If we decline His offer, we have to go through what He went through for us. I don't know about you, but I'm so grateful that He suffered for me so that I don't have to. It makes me sad that He had to suffer for every single person who's lived or will live on earth, but I'm so glad that I'm not alone. No person on earth has ever gone through exactly what I have, which makes it hard sometimes to sympathise or empathise, but He has been through it—completely and exactly the way that I have. And I'm so thankful for that. That means that I can turn to Him, and He will know exactly how to help me. I'm grateful that He and my Heavenly Father love me enough to give me a way out. Granted, it's not an easy way out—it does require a bit of work—but it's better than nothing. And I'm so thankful for the way out—sometimes I do something so bad or I lose my temper, but I know that I can be forgiven if I do it the right way—His way. 

A Christmas Post.

Today is Christmas Eve! Can't believe tomorrow's Christmas! It's been a long week, and an even longer day. My brothers' anticipation has kicked them to space and they've been crazy-hectic today. Though they know that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ, they're too little to understand/remember why and what we celebrate on Christmas Day, and through the holiday season. I hope that, as they grow older, they will come to understand the real reason we celebrate Christmas, and I hope that they will come to love and adore their Savior just as much as I do. I am so thankful for Him, and for all He has done for me. I am also thankful for His mother, Mary, who had the strength and courage to accept the role of being His mother even though it was not ideal for her. I hope someday that I can be as pure and humble as she was, and I hope I can someday be as good a mother as she was and as good as my own mother.  

Well, I wish you a merry Christmas! I might not post tomorrow, which is why I did today. I still might post tomorrow; I guess we'll see. As you go about your day, remember to be safe, and remember our Savior. He loves you very much. :)

Christmas isn't just about His birth.

“You can’t separate Bethlehem from Gethsemane or the hasty flight into Egypt from the slow journey to the summit of Calvary. It’s of one piece. It is a single plan. It considers ‘the fall and rising again of many in Israel’ [Luke 2:34], but always in that order. Christmas is joyful not because it is a season or decade or lifetime without pain and privation, but precisely because life does hold those moments for us." ~Jeffrey R. Holland ("Shepherds, Why this Jubilee?" 2000)

I love this quote! Christmas isn't just about His birth, it is also about His life, and His Atonement. They're not separate plans; they are one and the same. Without His birth, there would have been no Atonement, and no example to look up to. They are interwoven events that can never be untangled. He agreed to come to Earth so that He could lead us by His example and so that He could save us with the Atonement because He loves us so much. 

He suffered for you, which is why He's there for you.

I don't know why, but this week was just so long, and so frustrating, and so hard. I just didn't feel super, super great like I usually do, ya know? I've cried a couple times this week for no apparent reason, but God has prompted me this week with things that have helped me remember who I am, and that have helped me remember who is always there for me: Jesus Christ. Christ is always, always there. When I'm sad, He's there. When I'm confused, He's there. When I feel so, so alone and so angry and so mad and so sad and so frustrated and so, so, so scared, let me tell you something: He is there. I know it's hard to believe sometimes, but He's there. He suffered for you, and He loves you, so why shouldn't He be there? He has felt your pains, and your sorrows, and your sicknesses, and your loneliness. He's felt it all. He knows what you're feeling, and He won't let you feel it alone, if you'll let Him help. He wants you to feel loved, and accepted, and wanted, and He wants you to feel of worth. Which you are all of those things. You're loved, accepted, wanted, and of worth to Him. He loves you so much. And I testify that He lives, and that He died and suffered for you, and that He wants you to turn to Him. He loves you, and I love you, too, and I know He cares about you so, so much. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

God loves you. And He knows just how to talk to you.

I went babysitting yesterday for some of the sweetest girls. I put the younger girl down earlier than I did the older one, and when I was putting the oldest to bed, I read her some stories. She picked the first one, and it was a silly book about animal sounds and how pigs don't sing. Anyway, I picked the second book, and she had a copy of You Are Special by Max Lucado. I absolutely love his books, especially that one, and so I picked that one and read it to her. I had to whisper it because she kept saying, "Marlie's sleeping, Marlie's asleep," and she wouldn't let me talk in an above whisper. Anywho, as I kept reading the story, I smiled as I remembered reading it when I was little. But when I got to the part where Punchinello goes to see Eli, I started to tear up and cry because Eli represents our Heavenly Father, and we are the Wemmicks, and Eli was telling Punchinello that he is special, and loved, and the dots and star stickers (stereotypes--smart, dumb, chipped, etc.) only stuck if he let them. And I just couldn't stop crying because I felt like God was talking to me, telling me through this book that I could have not chosen (there were several others that I had read as a child and would've loved to read again) that I was special. That I was loved. That it doesn't matter what others think of me. All that matters is what God thinks of me. And He thinks I'm special just the way I am. And if you haven't read You Are Special or any of Max Lucado's books, you need to go find some copies and read them because I know that they will touch you. As a child, you don't really understand the meaning of stories—to you, they're literally just stories. But as you grow older, you come to realize that some stories have morals, themes, meanings, or symbolize other things, and you pick up on them. I know that God speaks to us in different ways—He speaks often through other people and what they do, and He also speaks through promptings He gives to you. I know that He loves you just the way you are. I know that He knows you and knows which ways you receive His words and love best. I know that I picked that book yesterday for a reason; I know I was prompted to pick it to help me. I'm grateful for God's love and I'm grateful that He cares enough to let me know through a children's book that I'm special and loved just the way I am, and the only opinion that matters is His. 

I'm not perfect—I worry. A lot.

I love Christmastime and I'm super excited for Christmas break, but I'm also nervous and worried. My brothers have been really, really mean to each other for the past couple of weeks and I hope that they'll be nice to each other over the break. I also have no idea what to get my mother for Christmas! Also, I'm still trying not to bite my nails and I'm worried that it'll get worse over Christmas break because I'll have nothing to do, and that's usually when I bite my nails. And I've got a ton of things to do this week before the break, and so I'm just really worried and stressed I won't get any of it done. But, when I relax and breathe in and out slowly (very relaxing and helps me calm down when I'm super excited or overly stressed about something; I highly recommend it), I calm down and remember that I have God on my side, and He will help me get what I need done finished, if I ask Him and do my part. I know that I can get all of my homework done if I ask Him to help me understand the assignment and focus. I know that I can have the courage to ask my seminary teacher a question about our class on Friday. I know that I can have a clear mind this week and be at peace when my brothers come home and begin to fight with each other. I know that I will be able to think clearly about what to get my mother for Christmas. I know that with His help, I can make good decisions, I can have a clear head, I can prioritize my time, and I can do great things. I know I'm not perfect, and He knows I'm not perfect, but with His help, I can become more like Him. 

My testimony of the birth of Jesus Christ, His life and mission, and His love for us.

Now that it is December, it's time to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, and His life and mission. He was born to save us. I'm so grateful for His mother, Mary, who was so very courageous and brave in taking on the role of being His mother. I'm so grateful for Joseph, His earthly father-figure who, even though it was difficult, still married Mary and took care of Jesus and taught Him to be a carpenter. I'm so grateful for my Saviour, who was always conscious of His mission in life—doing His Father's work—and who did everything in His power to teach His apostles what He needed to teach them so that, when the time came, Joseph Smith Jr. would be able to read the Bible and know to ask of God. I know that Jesus lives. I know that He was born to His mortal mother, Mary, and I know that He lived as Heavenly Father would have lived, and I know that He suffered for me. I know He suffered for you. Even if you don't believe in Him, He still suffered for you. He loves you so much that He suffered and died for you, even when He knew that some of the people on Earth wouldn't ever believe in Him. I know He loves me. I know He loves you. And I really hope that you know that there are people out there who love you. I love you, even if I don't know you. I love you because I know that you are a son or daughter of a King—our Heavenly Father, who loves you so very much. You are so, so precious to Him, and I hope that you know that. I hope and pray that you will come to know Him and know that He loves you, and I hope and pray that you will come to know that this gospel—the Gospel of Jesus Christ—is true, and that God exists, and that He loves you. Because I know it is true, and I know that He loves me and I know that He loves you. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.