God didn't bring you this far to abandon you.

It's been a good day! :)

Many great messages were shared today. :)

I had some thoughts during the sacrament meeting that I've never exactly thought about before but I'd like to share them:

We have very few, if more than one, sacrament hymns from the point of view of the Savior, but "Reverently and Meekly Now" is one of my favorite sacrament hymns in general. For some reason, it just makes it [the Atonement] more real to me. Jesus Christ is asking us to think of Him, and of His sacrifice for us. He asks us (well, implores us) to be obedient, prayerful, watchful evermore, and be constant unto Him so that He can be our Savior. He can't be our Savior unless we accept His sacrifice and try to be better. We can't be perfect here on earth, but we can try to become more perfect with His help.

Today was Fast Sunday (because next week is General Conference and the week after is our Stake Conference) and several things were said in people's testimonies that I needed today.
-He loves you. He will never abandon you; only you can abandon Him.
-He knows what we need–in everything.
-He asks us to sacrifice a broken heart and a contrite spirit. He sacrificed everything for us. We can trust Him.
-He is there. You can always rely on Him.
-Our trials don't have to be secret. We have people around us to help us. Through the Savior, we can be made strong (I'm here to help you! I've gone through some crazy things in my life and I will listen and love and not judge, I promise <3).
-Regardless of struggles we face, our Savior is there for us. As we strive to do the little things, they add up and we can receive the light we need/want.
-He feels as we do. He will never, ever leave us.
-He knows us, and He knows what we need.
-He can push the darkness away.
-"Pride is not the solution to shame but the source." Humility is the solution; we need to humble ourselves before Christ.

Went to Gospel Principles today, instead of Gospel Doctrine. It was perfect! We talked about faith. How you don't always know what's going to happen in your life but faith in God can and will help you come to know His plan for you. If we exercise faith, He will manifest Himself to us. Trust in Him and in His power. God has a plan for you. Have faith. Remember the little things.

In Relief Society we talked about Elder Gerrit W. Wong's talk in the April 2016 conference, "Always Remember Him". He has six things we can do to always remember Him:
1. By having confidence in His covenants, promises, and assurances.
–> We can do so much if only we trust in Him.
2. By gratefully acknowledging His hand throughout our lives.
–> There are many miracles in our lives everyday. We just have to look for them.
3. By trusting when the Lord assures us (D&C 58:42; Repentance)
–> There isn't a point of no return. We can be healed and fixed.
4. Remember that: He always welcomes us home.
5. Remember Him on the Sabbath. Especially with the Sacrament.
6. Remember Him as He remembers us.
–> He loves us and is aware of us and is always thinking of us.
-If we ever feel like we can't feel God's love for us, we can just ask Him.
-Isaiah 40:28-31 He will make up the difference.
-As we choose to remember Him, He will bless us.

I was also blessed to be able to watch the General Women's Session of Conference last night. So many great messages that I was so grateful for! Many were ones that I needed. Some of my favorite insights were:
-God is real. He knows you. He loves you. He will not forsake you.
-Faith comes to the humble, the diligent, the enduring.
-There are more ways to see than with our eyes.
-Our faith in Jesus Christ enables us to meet any challenge.
-Hope and healing are not found in the dark abyss of secrecy but in the light and love of our Savior Jesus Christ.

It's been a fantastic weekend full of things that I needed: people I wanted/needed to hear from, things I needed to hear, things I needed to say, things I needed to feel. I'm so blessed! This past week was kind of difficult because as the week progressed on, I felt worse (#beingsick #IFinallyGotIt) but after Friday during the day, it was good. I was able to get a lot of naps this week and so that was definitely a huge factor in my feeling better and of course, being spiritually uplifted this weekend was great. Can't wait for General Conference next weekend!

I'm so thankful for my Heavenly Father, who knows what I need, when I need to hear it, and who I need to hear it from. I found this picture of something that was said today and I loved it and thought that it was almost a perfect summary of the messages this weekend:

He didn't bring you this far to abandon you. He is right beside you, and He will help you. I'm so thankful for the messages that I received this weekend. I am going to do my best to listen and apply. I'm so thankful for my Heavenly Father and for my Savior. I know that I wouldn't be where I am today without Them. I know that They love you and will help you with whatever you need help with, from quitting a bad habit to starting a new good one, and anything else in between. They love you and I know that you can rely on Them to be there for you. <3

Xoxo
Mattie