I choose to believe.

Earlier today I felt like I needed to talk about something specific, but it has since escaped my mind. While I am thinking about it, I will share an experience I had today during the sacrament. As we were singing the sacrament hymn, "There Is A Green Hill Far Away", I couldn't stop thinking about the lyrics and the meaning of this song:

1. 1. There is a green hill far away,
   Without a city wall,
   Where the dear Lord was crucified,
   Who died to save us all.
   2. We may not know, we cannot tell,
   What pains he had to bear,
   But we believe it was for us
   He hung and suffered there.
   3. There was no other good enough
   To pay the price of sin.
   He only could unlock the gate
   Of heav'n and let us in.
   4. Oh, dearly, dearly has he loved!
   And we must love him too,
   And trust in his redeeming blood,
   And try his works to do.

I bolded some of the lines that stood out to me, and I highlighted the third verse because it hit me really hard. "There was no other good enough To pay the price of sin. He only could unlock the gate Of heav'n and let us in." There truly was no one else who was good enough. Sister Jones said something during Relief Society that goes really well with this verse. She said, "Jesus cannot save us in our sins." He can't save us in our sins, so He atoned for us so that we can turn to Him and so that He can save us. Sister Frandsen (in sacrament meeting) talked about how it is our choice to believe. Sister Jones said something along the same lines. She said that "the Savior cannot force it [the Atonement] upon us. We must choose."

The theme today seemed to be "Choose to believe." And it is true. We must choose. No one can force us to believe. It is our choice. I can tell you what I believe and know, and what I feel and have felt, but only you can choose to believe it for yourself.

I believe in God. I believe in Christ. I know that He lives. I know that He loves me, and I know that He loves you. I know that He has a plan for me and a plan for you. I know that He supports and cares for you, even if you don't believe in Him. He still loves you, and He still wants you to succeed in life. He wants you to return to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. He sent His Son to help us. We cannot get back to Him without our Savior.

I am so grateful for my Savior, and for His sacrifice for me. He died for me–my sins, my sicknesses, my pains, my afflictions, things I've gone through. He died so that I could have someone who knows exactly what I've been through. And I'm so thankful for that.

It is always our choice, and I am proud to say that I choose to believe.

Choose to believe.

Sister Frandsen visited and spoke in sacrament meeting today, and I'm so grateful for the message that she shared!! We do not accidentally come to believe in Jesus Christ, or accidentally come to believe in the gospel; we have to actively choose to believe. It is an ongoing process. I also love the experience she shared about scripture study–she couldn't figure out why she couldn't get into the habit of scripture study, but she realized that she has to consciously choose to study and pray. It seemed like the message overall today was "Choose to believe" and I love that. It is our choice to believe. 

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!! I'm so grateful for my daddy and for his example to me of how my future husband should treat me. I'm so grateful for all of the father figures in my life—my grandpas, my uncles, and all of the men who have taught me that a man treats his wife as his equal, and loves and cherishes her beyond comprehension. I'm so thankful for my Heavenly Father, who sent His Son to die for us so that we can return to live with Him. I'm so thankful for my Savior, and for His example of how we should respect and love our Heavenly Father and our mothers. I'm so thankful that I have so many good examples of great men in my life. I love them all and am so grateful for their examples and that they have been there for me throughout my life. I know this Church is true. I know that families are a central part of Heavenly Father's plan, and I know that fathers and mothers have equal but separate roles in the family. I'm so thankful for my family, and I'm so thankful that we get to be together forever. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Come unto Christ because He will never turn you away.

Hey guys. So I did have my wisdom teeth taken out on Friday, but I am a lot more coherent than I thought I would be–don't get me wrong, though; sometimes my mom can't understand what I'm saying. It's been a crazy weekend. Anyway, here's what I posted on Facebook and Instagram today:

"Come unto Christ because He will never turn you away." His arms are always open for you. His invitation to come unto Him is always there for you. He loves you and wants to help you become who He knows you can become. He won't ever leave you, nor will He forsake or turn you away. #lds #JesusChrist #HeLovesYou #ComeUntoChrist #HeWillNotTurnYouAway #HisArmsAreOpen

Spiritually mature obedience.

Hey!!!! So I'm getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow and I'll most likely be out of it all weekend, so I'm going to post a thought today. 

This is a really good quote. When we willingly follow the commandments, read the Scriptures, pray, go to church, and do service, we are showing Heavenly Father that we love Him and honor Him and want to be like Him. We are showing Him that we cherish His word and our relationship with Him. I know that we all make mistakes, but as we use the Atonement and try again, we are showing Heavenly Father how much we care for Him and how much we want to be with Him again. That's being spiritually mature. I try to be spiritually mature as often as I can. Being spiritually mature is also, I think, seeing and understanding deeper meanings about the gospel and applying it to your life. I love posting deep things about the gospel...my grandma and an old neighbor always say that I am very wise for such a young woman. <3

Women's role in the priesthood.

Today we learned about women's role in the priesthood. The priesthood is the power of God, and our role as women is to support the priesthood. We are also able to have priesthood authority. Only priesthood holders can hold the KEYS, but priesthood AUTHORITY can be given to anyone who is going to be serving in a calling, including women. Men's roles and women's roles are equal but different. In a family, the father's role is different from the mother's role, but they are each just as important as the other. I'm so grateful to be a part of this church where my role is equal to the men's/my future husband's role, and that I can have priesthood authority when I serve in callings.