It has been quite a few months–life gets busy so quickly!
First update–we are expecting a baby girl in December! We are so, so grateful to God and for His hand in the science that helped us find all the answers we needed to move forward. We are also just really excited and can't wait to meet her! She is quite the little mover already and I know she is going to be just as adventurous as her daddy.
Second update is that I have received my certificates in Digital Content Creation and Computer Science, as well as my Associate of Science in Software Development! I am so, so thankful for all of the friends I made and the the knowledge and experience I gained during my time at Ensign College. I am grateful to be finished and look forward to the opportunities in the future that will come because of it.
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This week in Come, Follow Me, we have been studying Psalms. I was reading the introduction of the week's lesson, and I wanted to share it, because I think it's a great reminder of what we can find in the scriptures–not just in Psalms, but all of the scriptures.
"The writers of the Psalms shared deeply personal feelings in their poetry. They wrote about feeling discouraged, afraid, and remorseful. At times, they even felt abandoned by God, and some psalms carry a tone of frustration or desperation. If you’ve ever felt that way, reading the Psalms can help you know that you aren’t the only one. But you’ll also find psalms that can encourage you when you’re having such feelings, because the psalmists also praised the Lord for His goodness, marveled at His power, and rejoiced in His mercy. They knew that we are burdened by evil and sin but that the Lord is “good, and ready to forgive” (Psalm 86:5). They understood that having faith in the Lord doesn’t mean that you’ll never struggle with anxiety, sin, or fear. It means that you know who to turn to when you do." (emphasis added)
I love the faith that we find in the people of the scriptures. They know that they can always turn to God. They know that He will always give them peace. They know that He will never leave them, nor forsake them. They know that their relationship with Him is as that of a parent and child, and that the love they feel from Him is constant, and will never go away, no matter what is going on in their life.
As humans, we are imperfect. We make mistakes in many, many ways, but God's mercy is for us all, and covers everything. The important thing to remember is that God loves us as we are, but He also loves us as He knows we can become. Everything we go through, and everything He teaches us, is to help us become more like Him and His Son. We read in Matthew 5 of how to become like Him.
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
In Mosiah 18: 8-9, we read:
8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life.
I wanted to show a few examples of Jesus exemplifying the characteristics in Matthew 5 that we are taught to be like. Jesus has never asked us to do or be something that He has not had to do or be.
Starting with "Blessed are the poor in spirit", this meaning is those who are humble.
We see Jesus humbling Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 26:39 says, "39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." Jesus knew He needed to do this for us, but He also experienced what we feel every time we experience hardships. We never want to go through the refiner's fire, but as we humble ourselves and recognize that we do need to experience the changes that will come to us as we go through our hardships, we draw closer to God, and come to know Him in new ways that we never would have before.
"Blessed are they that mourn."
In John 11: 35, "Jesus wept." We see Jesus mourn with Mary and Martha for the death of their brother, Lazarus, who was also Jesus' dear friend. We see Jesus mourn with Mary and Martha, but He also mourns for His friend. Jesus shows us how important it is to mourn with those who mourn, and comfort them, but He also shows us how important it is for us to mourn personally.
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake"; "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake."
Jesus is persecuted, reviled, scourged, hit, spit upon, and crucified by men who do not believe in Him, or His Father. He knows they are wrong, but He also knows two things: that one, no matter what He says or does, they will still not believe Him; and that two, He needs to finish His mission on earth so that He can be there for us in all our times of turmoil, persecution, and all other ways that we will suffer in our lives.
Jesus has always stood with those who mourned, comforted those in need of comfort, and He has always stood as a witness of God, no matter what He was going through.
I am so grateful for my Savior, and for His love and example of how to do and be what He has asked of us. I am so grateful for His love and mercy in all things. I am so grateful for all of the experiences of His people in the scriptures, and for the love and comfort that I find in connecting with them, and seeing the Lord's hands in their lives. It is not always easy to see His hand in our life when we are going through it, but I am grateful to see His hand in the lives of His people in the scriptures, and His hand in my life as I look back.
I hope you have a wonderful Sabbath Day and a wonderful week. I hope you are able to see Him in your life this week, and see where He was in your life last week.
Xoxo
Mattie
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