One step at a time.

During the sacrament today, I was thinking about the Savior and His Atonement. I wrote a poem, kind of:

He did not have to suffer.
He did not have to die.
He could have stopped at any time,
Yet He did not.
He loves us so much He suffered.
He loves us so much He died.
So turn to Him in times of need;
He suffered and died for you.

Today in Relief Society, we talked about perfecting ourselves, and putting on the armor of God. One of the girls in my hall shared a quote by Elder Ballard, and I loved this part: "True spiritual power lies in numerous smaller acts woven together in a fabric of spiritual fortification that protects and shields from all evil." That reminds me of the scripture in 2nd Nephi, "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little." (2nd Nephi 28:30). It's easier to take things one step at a time, especially because we are not perfect, and we make mistakes. Sometimes I think we feel like we have to be perfect right now, and that it can't wait. It doesn't always happen all at once. But if you take things slowly—one step at a time—and work with the Lord, it'll be easier. It'll still be hard, but it won't be so hard. :)

 

He loves you.

During the sacrament today, I just kept thinking about the fact that Jesus Christ died for us, but He also died for me. He suffered for me. If I had been the only person on earth, He still would have suffered and died for me. He loves us that much. No matter what you do, He will always love you. You can always turn to Him. He will never leave you, nor will He turn you away. He loves you so much. He loves you so much that He will send you people when you need them! He loves you so much that He will bless you beyond anything you've ever imagined.

Today was fast and testimony meeting, and a lot of people repeated the phrase, "I know we're here for a reason." It was just reassuring to me to know that I am in the right place, and there's a reason why I'm here. I don't know the reason yet, but there is a reason. One of the guys who bore his testimony said that, "It's our choice." It's always our choice–we're all adults and it's our choice as to whether or not we go to church, or go to class, or do our homework. It's our choice, but we don't get to choose the consequences of our actions. 

Sabrina (my roommate) and I gave a lesson in Gospel Doctrine (my first lesson ever), and we talked about switch points in our lives, and how they can change our lives. President Hinckley gave a story about switch points:

"Many years ago I worked in the head office of one of our railroads. One day I received a telephone call from my counterpart in Newark, New Jersey, who said that a passenger train had arrived without its baggage car. The patrons were angry. We discovered that the train had been properly made up in Oakland, California, and properly delivered to St. Louis, from which station it was to be carried to its destination on the east coast. But in the St. Louis yards, a thoughtless switchman had moved a piece of steel just three inches. That piece of steel was a switch point, and the car that should have been in Newark, New Jersey, was in New Orleans, Louisiana, thirteen hundred miles away” (Elder Gordon B. Hinckley in Conference Report, Oct. 1972, 106–7; or Ensign, Jan. 1973, 91)

We talked about a lot of things that can be switch points in our lives, like the relationship between you and your spouse and God, the Sacrament, Spiritual Gifts, and the Resurrection and the three degrees of glory, and how they can be positive or negative switch points in our lives. It's amazing how a few inches (in the case of President Hinckley's story) or a small event/action in our lives can change it, for better or for worse. It was a really good lesson; there was a lot of participation, which was great. :)

I just want you to remember this:

He

     Loves 

           You

I know that He loves you. I know that He will always love you. I know that He will bless you and send those that you need to you when you need them. I know that, as you pray and read your scriptures, and begin to serve others, you will be able to feel His love more. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Come Unto Christ.

Hi guys! Today I'm just going to post a collection of inspirational pictures I saw on Facebook today, and one video. Hope you enjoy! They really spoke to me. <3

His mercy is our healer. <3

I love his analogy of relating the gospel to music. <3

I love this! <3

God will always keep us on our feet, even when we feel lost and forgotten. <3

Here is the video about Patience. Hopefully it will work!

I love you guys! I hope you know that you can always turn to Christ and He will always listen and help you. He loves you so much and just wants to to come back to live with our Heavenly Father. The way to do that is through Jesus Christ. Trust and put your faith in Him. He suffered and died for you! He wants to help heal you. The scriptures tell us, "Come unto Christ." He is your Elder Brother and He wants to bring you home. <3

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.

Jesus Christ, Savior.

First, happy anniversary to my blog! It was exactly one year ago today I started this blog for one of my personal progress projects. Over this year I have learned so much about this gospel and who I am. It has been a privilege, followers, to share my testimony with you. Second, I am going to try and do something different this month. I am going to try and write something different about Jesus Christ every time I post something on my blog this month. Sunday—even though it was technically August—was the start, with Son of Man.

Today, I want to talk about Jesus Christ as the Savior. He's our Savior! He was tormented, mocked, and crucified for us because He loves us. He is our Savior. If you had been the only person on the ENTIRE earth, He still would have suffered for your sins and afflictions. He loves you that much. Can you imagine that? Imagine the person you love the most on this earth—imagine that love for them, times it by 300,000...no wait...times it by infinity, and that's not even CLOSE to how much Jesus Christ loves us. And guess what else? He loves us all individually. That's right. I said individually. Just like when He atoned for your sins and afflictions individually, He loves you individually. As a person. He knows your name. We talk about Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world—which He definitely is—and sometimes we don't focus on the fact that He is our personal Savior. This is very, very important to remember. He suffered and died for everyone, even for those that don't believe. In 1 Timothy 4:10 it says, "For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially those that believe." He died for everyone—especially those who believe in Him. But it's important to remember that He died for you as an individual. He died for you, and He died for me. And I will never, ever be able to repay Him. But He still did it—He never did it for the glory, or for the reward. He did it because He loves us—you and me. No one is perfect—we all make mistakes—and He still loves us. He suffered and died for us—for you and for me. I don't know about you, but I have made many, many, many, many stupid mistakes that I wish I could take back but I can't. But He paid for them. He didn't have to—He could have chosen to not accept His role in Heavenly Father's plan, or He could've wiped out all of the Jews who were planning to kill Him. But He didn't. We are that important to Him. Don't ever, ever, EVER forget how important you are to Him: He died for you. He will not EVER leave you alone. EVER. He will make sure you are taken care of. I love Him because of His sacrifice for me. I love Him because He loves me. I love Him because He's my Elder Brother and He wants me to be saved—He wants me to be safe and sound, back in heaven, so He died for me. I love Him because I am able to love Him. I love Him because I feel His love, and that's why I love Him: because I can. 

(I also love you, treasured followers :). Please let me know if you have any questions and I will try and answer it or I will help guide you to references that can help you answer it. Or, if you're too shy, lds.org is a wonderful place to start :). )