Today was kind of hard. But that's okay.

So, as the title says, today was kind of hard. But that's okay. Hard times make me stronger (though, I'm going to be honest, sometimes I wish I could become stronger in other ways). This morning was super fun–I went to rehearsal today and, though some of the pieces are challenging, I am excited. It's going to be so much fun!! Plus, I love spending time with my friend. :) After rehearsal, though, I was just so overwhelmed. I have a nature experience proposal due in Biology on Monday and I have absolutely NO idea what to do. It has been bothering me all day, and it is what has made today hard (that, plus the fact that my shoulders/back are super sore for who-knows-why and are killing me). But I was really looking forward to the General Women's Broadcast tonight. :) I was super excited!! I was not disappointed!! It was such a great session! I loved it! I am so excited for General Conference next weekend!! There were SO many good messages spoken that I needed to hear!!!

Sister Rosemary M. Wixom said:

Life is a gift, and God has a plan for each of us.

Our divine nature comes from God.

Because you are His child, He knows who you can become.

I love this. This is such a great reminder that we are His, and He has a plan for us, and all that we have been blessed with comes from Him. <3

Sister Linda S. Reeves said:

We will be blessed if we exercise faith in our Father and go to Him.

The reward is so great, so eternal...

As we keep our lives pure and clean...we will one day receive all that the Father hath.

I love this! We will be blessed as we keep His commandments–I love that she got emotional as she talked about how, when we see the Father in Heaven, we will be amazed at how awesome the reward is, and how all we had to do was get through our trials that seem extremely hard now, but, in the end, will be nothing compared to the reward. <3

Sister Carol F. McConkie said:

We must love one another and see in one another the beauty of the soul.

In the strength of the Lord we can do all things.

We repent so that we may be better.

"In this cause [FYI, she said that "we are here to serve a righteous cause"] we are all valued. We are all needed. The righteous cause we serve is the cause of Christ. It is the work of salvation."

I love this. I can't even add anything to it. <3

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf:

He told a story about a young girl who visited her Great-Aunt Rose over the summer while the girl's mother recovered from a surgery. These are some of the things he said as he told the story:

If we trust Him, we can find the brighter, happier things in life.

The best things take patience and work.

Brooding and worrying makes it worse. (this stood out to me in particular. <3 <3 <3)

God didn't design us to be sad. He created us to have joy.

Now is part of eternity. 

Faith will fortify every step of the way.

I love President Uchtdorf! This was such a good talk! I loved the story! Such a cute story, and very relatable. <3 <3

I absolutely LOVED this session!!!! God is watching out for me and He knows exactly what I need. <3 <3 <3 Can't wait for next weekend!!!

Xoxo
Mattie

Love.

I absolutely love these! The first picture is just saying that we need to love God with all our heart and might and mind and strength, and that we need to serve Him. The second one is saying that no matter what you've gone through--no matter how hurt you are or how broken you've become, through the Atonement, you can become healed, and I know this to be true. His Atonement is there for you. Always. He is always there for you. He loves us all and is willing to be our Savior and Redeemer, if we will let Him. He is waiting for us to come unto Him. 

If you just believe.

If you just believe, you can be an example. If you just believe, you will know that you are loved. If you just believe, you will know that you are a child of God. If you just believe, you will know that you are a daughter or son of a king. If you just believe, you can make it. If you just believe, you can be like Jesus Christ. If you just serve, you will be like Jesus Christ. 

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.