Blessings unseen.

In Sunday School, we talked about Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac when God tells Abraham he needs to sacrifice his son, Isaac. We read in Genesis 22: 1-19:

1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

3 ¶ And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.

15 ¶ And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.  

We were able to discuss the similarities between Abraham and Heavenly Father, Isaac and Jesus Christ, and the symbolism of a father sacrificing his son in love and obedience. 

• Abraham and Sarah wanted and prayed for Isaac, and they loved him so much.
• Heavenly Father loved His Son so much.
• Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac.
• Heavenly Father knew we needed a Savior, and planned for His Son (and His Son also offered) to be the Savior who would be sacrificed for all of us, His children.
• Isaac helped carry the wood for the sacrifice.
• Jesus Christ carried His cross to the hill.
• The angel of the Lord tells Abraham, "thou hast not withheld thy son, thine ONLY son, from me" (capitalized by me). 
• Jesus is God's Only Begotten Son.
• Abraham told Isaac that, "God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering."
• Jesus is the Lamb of God. 

Something someone said their testimony during sacrament meeting today really caught my attention. He said Jesus suffered for and in behalf of us. That got me thinking about the temple, and doing temple work for the dead. When we do work for the dead, we do work “for and in behalf of” them. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He, too, suffered and was crucified “for and in behalf of” each one of us. 

Jesus did the hardest thing for us so that we don't have to. We help those on the other side of the veil with their temple work because they didn't have the opportunity to. I'm grateful for the blessings that come from doing temple work and finding the "lost and forgotten" in our family tree(s). 

Sometimes it's hard to see the blessings in our lives, but I know that as we pray, read our scriptures, and serve our neighbors (those here and beyond the veil), even if we can't see the blessings, they're real, and you'll be able to see them eventually. I think that most of the blessings that we receive in life are unseen, so that gives me hope that there are so many blessings, I'm just unable to see them all. 

I hope you've had a beautiful Sabbath Day and that you have a wonderful week.

Xoxo

Mattie

Exceedingly great joy.

I needed to share this thought that I had while I was studying for my Teachings and Doctrines of the Book of Mormon class this semester. 

We have two lessons each week, and this week's first lesson is all about Lehi's dream of the Tree of Life. There was a section where we were asked to ponder about the words that Lehi used to describe the tree and its fruit, and answer how these words teach me about God's love as shown through the gift of His Son Jesus Christ. I will now share the thoughts that I had:

Lehi's words:

* "I did go forth and partake of the fruit; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white..."

* "It filled my soul with exceedingly great joy."

    "Most sweet", "white", "exceedingly great joy". All of these terms give me the idea of the purest, sweetest, joyous things. The gospel, for one, but also what crossed my mind is newborn babies. They are so sweet, pure ("white"), and bring the greatest joy to all who see them. And how did God give us the gift of His Son? Through a sweet, pure, precious newborn babe, who brought exceedingly great joy to all.

I just wanted to share my sweet thought and new connection between the Tree of Life and Jesus Christ. Have a great week!

Xoxo
Mattie

Gratitude changes everything.

I am so full of gratitude this week!

I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and for His sacrifice for me, which makes it so that I can be with my family forever, and with Ricky forever. It makes it so that I get to try again and again to be like Him in order for me to live with my Heavenly Father again.

I am so grateful for Ricky. He is so thoughtful and sweet. I am so excited to be marrying him! He is a blessing gin my life and he is my best friend. There is so much that we still have to do to plan our wedding our future together, but he is oh-so-willing to help me (in most things 🤣).

I am grateful for the angels in my life–on this earth, and on the other side. I am grateful for the love, peace, and guidance that they–and the Holy Ghost–give to me. I am so blessed to have angels on both sides of the veil in my life to bless, love, and support me.

I am grateful for the Book of Mormon. I am grateful for its testimony of Jesus Christ, and for the truths in its pages, and for the lessons that these truths teach me. I am grateful for the peace that it brings into my life, and for the answers that come as I search its pages.

I am grateful for my Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. I am grateful for Her divinity and strength. I am grateful for His mercy and grace. I am grateful for Their love and guidance. I am grateful for the blessings they give to me, and for the big part that They play in my life. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father is always willing to bless me and lift me up.

I am grateful for friends and family who are always willing to help me, especially with wedding plans as my wedding is coming up. Everyone has been offering help and advice, and I so appreciate it.

When we are grateful, and notice our blessings, we're happier. I've seen this in my life. As we recognize the Lord's hand in our lives, we are able to notice more and more all of the good things in our lives. The more grateful we are, the more dopamine that our brain makes, which means that we are happier! It's science! I learned that in college! But I've also experienced it in my life. I am grateful for the love and peace that being grateful has brought to me. What are you grateful for?

I hope that everyone has a great week! God loves you! I love you! Thanks for all of the love and support!!

Xoxo
Mattie

The focus of our lives should be on Jesus Christ.

I’m loving this new year already!

I've been striving really hard this week to study my scriptures every day, and I am proud of my progress. :)

Two of my brothers were ordained to advancing offices in the Aaronic Priesthood and I am so proud of them! My little brothers are growing up so fast and are such sweet and smart little dudes!

This week was a bit of a challenge in some ways, but I am grateful for the lessons that I learned through those challenges. I learned that nothing is worth mental, emotional, or physical agony. I learned that communication is a two-way street, and as much fun as texting is, the important conversations need to be had in person.

In Relief Society, we talked about Elder Holland's October 2019 General Conference talk entitled "The Message, the Meaning, and the Multitude". There are five main points that he explores in his talk that we discussed.

• Surround yourself with spiritually sensitive people.
• I loved this! These 'spiritually sensitive people' don't have to be of your same beliefs or faith. It is possible to be surrounded by spiritually sensitive people of many different beliefs and faiths. As long as they are uplifting and allow you to do and be what you believe you need to do and be, they can be a spiritually sensitive person for you.
• In the commotion, fix our attention on Him.
• In the commotion of life, we need to fix our attention on Him. He is the Light of the World, and He will keep us grounded and sure.
• We must focus on the Savior in the temple.
• The temple is a wonderful and beautiful place. We go there first to make our own covenants, and then to help others make their own covenants and remember our own. We go to focus on the Lord, and to respect Him, and to remember His gospel.
• The real reason for revelatory adjustments is to focus on Christ.
• There have been many adjustments in the Church recently, and they are helping us to remember the heart of the gospel, which is that it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and this is His Church. We must never forget that. That is why there have been many changes recently. They are helping us to focus on the Savior.
• Learn from the First Vision Jesus' divine identity.
• Heavenly Father said to Joseph, "Joseph, this is my Beloved Son. Hear Him!" Jesus is the Son of God. Elder Holland said it best: "No greater expression of Jesus’s divine identity, His primacy in the plan of salvation, and His standing in the eyes of God could ever exceed that short seven-word declaration."

I am ever so grateful for my fiancé! We went to the temple yesterday and did some sealings and I just love going to the temple with him! Afterwards, he let me take some pictures of him! I am so excited to be marrying him and I get so emotional just thinking about it! I am so, so blessed to have been chosen by him! 💜

This week is going to be fun! I will make it fun! Looking on the bright side of things is something that I used to do when I was younger and I want it to make a comeback in my life.

God is so good, you guys! I love Him, and know that He loves you. This year will be an amazing one! Can't wait to experience it all with my best friend! 💜

Xoxo

Mattie

Humility is having self-compassion.

I'm grateful for the rain! Yeah, it's cold, and wet, but it's peaceful and means it's time for sweater weather! Ready to read some thoughts I've been having lately? Sweet–let's go!

So grateful for the opportunity to listen to/watch the General Women's Session of Conference last night! It was a wonderfully uplifting session! SO excited for General Conference next weekend! I'm also grateful for the weekend that I've had, alone though I was. My roommates all went to a Relief Society overnight trip our ward was having. I wanted to go but couldn't get anyone to cover for me. Anyway, I did have fun, and I learned some things. For example, I learned there is a medicine that sufficiently helps me feel better when I've had a headache all week and its intensity worsened on Saturday (grateful my coworker had some!). I also learned a lot from the conference session last night. While I was listening to Sister Eubank's talk on the way home from work, I had an amazing and profound thought that has been growing for a few weeks now: "Being humble doesn't mean you can degrade yourself or believe you have a negative self worth." Something she said just sparked that thought, and I'm so grateful it did because it was something I've needed to hear for awhile. I'm also grateful for my Savior, who blessed me this week and weekend, and for the fact that, as I've followed my new therapist's advice to be more self-compassionate, and as I've been reading my scriptures and praying more consistently, my week has just been so much better! Despite the headaches, and the crazy week, overall it was just better than last week. I was less stressed, and less anxious, and less depressed. I'm grateful for that experience. It gives me hope for the future. :)

I went to Gospel Principles today, and today we talked about Jesus Christ. There were honestly just a lot of really great things that were said about Him, so I'm just going to list them:
-Jesus should be relatable. Someone we trust to talk to.
-God has never asked for anything but faith from us.
-Christ loves us for who we are right now. He'll turn our weaknesses to strengths. He takes what we already are and turns us into a better version of ourselves.
-You are ENOUGH.
-Heavenly Father loves you and wants you to be happy.

Relief Society was awesome! My roommates were teaching today :)
-One thing that Dahlia said that I really liked was that, "Only a perfect person can really see all our imperfections." She said something about how you know how much you've grown or learned when you look back, and see how little you knew way back when. And only Jesus Christ can really see all our imperfections. Sure, we know we're imperfect. But we don't know just how imperfect we are because we ourselves are not perfect.
-God wants us to be happy was repeated again, but also it's just such a true statement. God wants us to be happy, no matter who we are, or where we are in life.

I was bearing my testimony after the lesson, and I said, "Humility is having self-compassion." Humility is learning to love yourself as you are. Humility isn't, as I've said, 'degrad[ing] yourself or believ[ing] you have a negative self worth.' Humility is learning to love and accept yourself–flaws and all. It is something that I have been struggling with, but I have been working on it, and it has made me happier. Praying and reading my scriptures daily, or more daily, has also really helped. Together, working on these little things has made me happier, and brought more peace into my life. I challenge you to do the same. You don't have to work on them all at the same time, like I am, but I promise you that you will be blessed in your efforts.

Xoxo
Mattie

A message about life and love. I hope.

I know I already posted today, but I need to post this. I had a headache today (shocker, I know) and I just didn't know why. And earlier today (around 4) something so extremely small happened that made me a little sad (I don't even know why; it was so stupid). And then I had a meeting about my calling, which is Compassionate Service and I was like, "Okay, it's all good when I get to pray for and serve others and be compassionate towards them, but what about when I need compassionate service?" And I hate asking people for help like that because I'm really blessed because I don't have things as bad as others. And so I decided to watch something, and I was, until like 40 minutes ago when I decided that maybe walking would help get rid of my headache. So I got up and I was looking at Facebook and one of my friends liked a post I had shared and written yesterday. I was looking at it and I was like, "Oh my gosh, I needed that!" And I almost started crying but I walked around in circles a couple times (strangely, this tactic works sometimes for different things like trying not to stress or cry. I don't know why) and decided to walk downstairs. Did you know it's really hard trying to find a private spot in a dormitory hall where there's hundreds of girls living? Like, the only private areas are the practice rooms downstairs. ANYWAY. So I decided to come downstairs, which is where I am now. And then I decided to turn on my church/inspirational playlist and read my scriptures. But when I opened my LDS library app, a song came on that made me start sobbing. I just started sobbing (and it was awful to listen to because I sob weirdly when I'm trying not to sob really loudly and so I tried not to sob so much but that just made it sound even more awful) and so I turned to the section with texts about Jesus Christ. And I read The Living Christ, or the prophets and apostles' testimony of Jesus Christ. And this song ("Take Me There" by Hilary Weeks) was just describing exactly how I felt and what I needed and wanted and it made me cry more, but as I kept reading The Living Christ my tears stopped streaming down my face. I know He lives. This world we're living in—it's getting really bad, and it's making me sad for everyone who's hurt because of bad decisions made by other people. I wish I could just wrap all of those people who are hurting in a big hug and I wish I could make it all better. But I can't. Maybe...maybe I'm supposed to serve a mission, to spread His message of love and peace. Until this moment, I never actually felt a burning desire to serve a mission. It's always been something that wasn't really a part of my plan and I thought that was it (oh gosh, here come the tears again). Maybe I need to ask God again. Maybe I need this. But I'm scared. I'm not gonna lie—the thought of serving a mission has always frightened me. I'll have to ponder on that some more, I think. ANYWAY. Back to how I wish I could wrap everyone in a big hug. I personally cannot. But because God is real, He can bless them. I know everyone is always like, "How can an all-powerful God let bad things happen? How come so many people die because of cancer, or terrorists?" First I have to say this: I'm so sad about the way that our country (and the world) is going. People aren't as trusting in or believing in God. And it's so sad to me. I know I haven't been as studious with my personal spiritual growth (weird, right? You'd think at BYU it would be easier) but I still believe in Him. I love Him, and I know that His plan is just too grand for our human brain to comprehend fully. I don't know everything but I do know that God loves us. I do know that He sent His Son—Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer—to die for us. He DIED. Can you comprehend that? He did absolutely nothing wrong, and yet they crucified Him anyway. He atoned for you and He suffered for EVERYTHING. All of your pains—heartaches, afflictions, wounds, headaches, bumps, bruises, etc.—and all of your worries and stresses and He suffered for your sins. All of them. All the little ones, and all the bigger ones. He bled from every pore of His body sweat like drops of blood. He was in agony. And someone brought this to my attention today: Luke 22: 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. He "prayed more earnestly". What should we do when life gets tough? Get on your knees (if you can) and pray. God doesn't always answer our prayers exactly the minute we demand an answer. Sometimes it takes awhile. But "for those who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they come" (Elder Holland). Answers and blessings will come. You just have to have faith. I know I'm just a girl from Utah and you're probably going, "Oh, what does she know?" But I am telling you: He will answer you. He will bless you, and He will help you. I promise. I don't know everything about history, or math, or science. I don't know why some people do the things they do. But people are human. We make mistakes. And we are imperfect. But I know that He loves you, regardless of your mistakes. He does not condone the sin, but He loves you and He blesses you and He sends people to you to do His work in His place because He can't personally be here. I know He lives. I know He loves you. I promise He will help you. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

Gratitude and Lessons Learned.

This is my 201st post. Woohoo!

I know it's the middle of the night but I just wanted to stop and thank people. Being grateful is a quality of Christ that I am almost positive I do not have to work on because it is just in my nature to be grateful.

I am just soo grateful for soooo many people.

I am first and foremost grateful for my Heavenly Father and for my Savior, Jesus Christ. They have given me love and support my whole life, even when I felt like I didn't deserve any. They've always been there for me. I have always been able to count on them, even if I haven't done so for a long time.

I'd also like to recognize my parents. They love me and have given and taught me so much. I am so grateful for their sacrifices for me and for their constant support. They have done so much for me that I can't even begin to describe my gratitude for them.

I am so grateful for all of my family–my aunts and uncles, cousins, siblings, grandparents, and my great-grandparents. I am so thankful for all of their examples and for all of their love. My great-grandparents aren't on earth anymore, and I only knew two of them, but I know that they still love me and are proud of me. I was named after my mother and her grandmother (who I knew and loved dearly), and my father's grandmother (who died before I was born, I think) and I am so grateful for her. My daddy says that I am just like her, and I am so glad. I know I haven't always been a good girl, and I'm so sorry for that, but I am trying to be better and I know that my family still loves me. I don't think many of them know what I have done, but I am sure if they did that they would still love me.

I am so grateful for all of my schoolteachers. I have loved each and every one that I have had. They have all taught me wonderful and valuable things that I will always cherish.

My kindergarten teacher taught me that even grown-ups can look at the world in childlike wonder.
My first grade teacher taught me to be honest, and also that you don't always get rewarded for being dishonest.
My first second grade teacher taught me that I am special just the way I am, and my second second grade teacher taught me that reading is fun.
My third grade teacher taught me that love comes in many different forms; she also taught me that people may move on, but memories of love and kindness will never fade.
My fourth grade teacher taught me that you can be brave and do things that you never before thought you could do.
My fifth grade teacher taught me that love is kind, love is tender, and love is time; she also taught me that you can do anything you put your mind to.
My sixth grade teacher taught me that you can be brave and bold, and also kind.

Now we get on to the years of many teachers. I do not remember all of my junior high and high school teachers–I do not have that good of a memory–but I do remember several of my teachers from each year. I will only post about 2-3 of them in each grade, because that alone is 12-18 teachers.

Seventh grade: 

My science teacher taught me that science can be fun and challenging, and I relate that to being just like school in general, and also life.
My math teacher taught me that math is actually kind of fun sometimes–also like school and life.
My choir teacher taught me that timing is everything. 

I had two teachers that I had both in seventh and eighth grade, so I will talk about them in the middle. My English/History teacher taught me that being in advanced classes isn't always so hard, and it is super fun. My orchestra teacher taught me that you can always have fun doing things that may seem a little difficult, and looks can be deceiving. (Also, looks can be deceiving was the class that was deceiving. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, because I'd never been in a real orchestra before–one with violas and cellos and basses–but I was pleasantly surprised.)

Eighth grade: 

My science teacher (different one) taught me that different forms of science are different, yes, but they are also still science, and can even be fun.
My math teacher (different one) taught me that being different, and being funny, is okay. Fun, even.
My ballroom teacher taught me that, even with a small number of guys, ballroom class can still be fun, and you can still learn something (I will always remember the basic waltz, and the swing, and the cha-cha).

Note: after eighth grade, my family moved from Orem to Lehi, and I had a kind of hard time with it at first.

Ninth grade: 

My English teacher taught me that you can make the most out of every situation.
My math teacher taught me that you can have a sense of humor and can also have a deadly side that no one wants to see.
My P.E. teacher taught me that exercise can be fun sometimes. (Even when you are being forced to participate and you are getting graded on it.)

Tenth grade:

My history teacher taught me that you can do hard things, even if you don't always get along with someone. (Though I did get along with my teacher. I feel like I should mention that. She was great.)
My first math teacher that year taught me that you can turn hard things that seem impossible to hard things that are possible.
My physics teacher taught me that you can do fun things and learn in a class that may seem boring.

Eleventh grade: 

My floral design teacher taught me that even a class that seems easy takes work.
My calculus teacher taught me that just because you're hungry, you can't get out of doing work. (Also that when your name is called for val-o-grams, and you're not certain it was yours, and your teacher assures you that it was, and you jump out of your chair happily, your whole class will laugh at–and with–you.)
My chemistry teacher taught me that you can get rewarded for taking a lot of notes. (Like, A LOT of notes.)

Twelfth grade:

My art teachers taught me that you are more capable than you know.  

My government and citizenship teacher taught me that you can have fun in a class about government.

My AP statistics teacher taught me that if you stick to it, you can get through it.

Finally, I had one teacher all throughout high school. My orchestra teacher (she also happens to be my favorite teacher). I love her so much!!! She taught me so many things!! About life, about music, about relationships, about service (both being the giver and the receiver of said service).
She taught me that it's okay to be yourself.
She taught me that it's okay to be different.
She taught me that it's okay to be scared sometimes.
She taught me that sometimes life takes work.
She taught me to be independent.
She taught me that everyone has their stories.
She taught me that you may not know their whole story, but their story is what makes them who they are.
She taught me that you can make someone's day by doing something simple, without even knowing or understanding why.
She taught me that love is selfless, caring, and being a good listener.
She taught me that love is more than just words: Love is actions.
She was (and is) such a great example to me and I will be forever grateful to and for her because she changed my life. She may not know it, but she did, and I love her so much and am so grateful for her.

I know that I did not mention all of my teachers, and I know that I learned more things from a lot more of my teachers, but if I wrote about all of my teachers, I would be up all night. :) So, I am going to sum up by saying that: I loved all of my teachers, and they all taught me the importance of hard work, stick-to-it-iveness, and kindness, and I am so grateful for all of their sacrifices.

I am also extremely grateful for my church leaders. I know that without them, I would not be who I am today. They have taught me many things and been such good examples to me. I've learned so much from them. They have helped me in so many ways. I am so grateful for their sacrifices and service.

Finally, I am grateful for my friends. Oh how I love them!! They have all taught me the power of numbers, the power of love, the power of influence, and so many more powers. ;) They have all taught me that sometimes you have to stick up for yourself, and sometimes people will follow you–also, sometimes they will not, and that's okay too. They taught me that true friends can get together, and it will seem like no time has passed. They taught me that true friendship is magical.

I am so, so, so, SO grateful for all of the people in my life. Those that have been, those that are, and those that will be–for the first time, or again. I have learned so much from all of them, and I have taught them all, too, I'm sure. I know that God put them in my life for a reason. I know that they have all helped me in ways that I did not understand at the time, and in ways that I may still not know. Their presence in my life changed my life for the better. "I do believe I have been changed for the better" ("For Good", Wicked). Every one of the people that I have talked about here has taught me that you can love so many people; it's unbelievable how much love you can have for a lot of people.

I know that Heavenly Father sends us exactly who we need when we need them. I know that His influence is constantly in our lives. I know that sometimes things don't turn out the way that we would like them to, and that it is hard sometimes. But I do know that He is there for us. He is there for us when things get rough. When things get tough. He is there for us when we are sad. He is there for us after everything we've been through. He never left us, and we are never forgotten. I testify that these things are true. I testify that Jesus Christ really did die for us. I testify that He lives. He is our Redeemer, He is our Savior, and He is our Elder Brother. He loved us–and loves us– so much that He died for us. I know that, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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.

End of November gratitude.

Hard to believe it's already the end of November!! I'm so grateful for my family and friends and for all they do and for their examples to me. I am grateful for the Thanksgiving season to get me in the mood for gratitude and I'm so excited for the Christmas season to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for Him and for all He's done for me, and for His love and faith in me. I love Him and am grateful that He believes in me and wants me to return to live with our Heavenly Father. 

Jesus Christ, Healer.

I am so thankful for the opportunity I had this month to delve deeper into who Jesus Christ is as our Saviour and Redeemer and the other names I chose to focus on. I am going to end with Jesus Christ as our Healer. The reason He atoned for us, and died for us, was because He loved us, and He wanted to be able to help us get back to our Heavenly Father. We can't do that alone; we all make mistakes, and we all become broken pieces of what we used to be. And Jesus is there to help us heal. When I made a big mistake a couple years ago, I became broken, and miserable, and I felt so alone. But guess what? Jesus was there, and He helped me pick up the pieces, and slowly—ever-so-slowly—I have been putting them back together. Sometimes I break some of the pieces again, but He is so patient, guys. You don't understand how patient He is!! I am still putting the pieces together, but He is always right there, helping me. I love Him so much because He has done so much for me when I caused Him so much pain, but He loves me and that is why He atoned and died for me. That is why I know I am never alone: because He loves me! He died for me! And I will never be able to thank Him enough! He is my Saviour, my Redeemer, my Mediator, my Healer, and my Best Friend. I can always count on Him because He never leaves me. He has always been there for me when I needed Him; He has never left my side, especially when I needed Him the most. That is when He picked me up and carried me because I could not walk! He know everything about me and how I work, and so He knows what I can handle and what I can't and He works with me through everything—when I am frustrated about school, about my family, about myself as a person—He works with me through all of that and more. Guys, I don't know what else to say except this little bit of a song I'm working on:

"In a sea of faces, I only know so many

But He knows them all personally

He knows your doubts

He knows your fears

He knows all about you

He knows your hopes

He knows your dreams

He knows all about you

He knows

He knows you."

That is all I have so far but it is so true! He knows everything about you and He knows you personally. I love you all and I know that God loves you very much. Don't ever forget that. We can't comprehend how much sometimes, but He died for us; that's the price He was willing to pay for us. Just remember that He knows you, He loves you, and He died for you. 

Jesus Christ, Lamb of God.

Doctrine and Covenants 76:39 says, "For all the rest shall be brought forth by the resurrection of the dead, through the triumph and the glory of the Lamb, who was slain". Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. This is a reference to the fact that He was a sacrifice for the sins of mankind—of us. Through His sacrifice, we can be resurrected and we can be saved. We were not redeemed with things of the earth like precious metals, "But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:19). He was the perfect example and He was the perfect sacrifice—He died without having made a single mistake—and that makes Him the Lamb of God. 

Jesus Christ, Mediator.

Jesus Christ is our Mediator. A mediator is a person who tries to make people come to an agreement or makes it so that the price is met. Doctrine and Covenants 76: 69 says, "men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood." Through His Atonement, He agreed to be our Mediator—that is, if we agreed to do our best to the best of our abilities, He would make up the rest. He already paid the price—we just need to do our best to get back to Him and He will make up the rest. There is a video that explains this perfectly here:

http://broadcast.lds.org/video/BookOfMormon_Presentations/BM_GospelDoctrine_Video_05_Lesson30_Mediator_04396_eng_1M.mp4

Like the man in debt, we, too, are in debt—not monetary debt, but a debt of sin. With Jesus as our Mediator, we will be able to come clean through His Atonement if we choose to accept Him as our personal Savior. 

Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son.

To be honest, it was only recently that I understood the term "Only Begotten Son", and it was thanks to my brother. Before we came to Earth, we lived in Heaven as spirit sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ was our Elder Brother. When we came to Earth, we received a body of flesh and blood from our Earthly parents. Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of our Father in Heaven—He was born of a mortal mother, Mary, and an immortal father—our Heavenly Father. He is the Only Begotten Son—meaning He is the only literal Son of our Heavenly Father. This is an important name because if Jesus had just been born of a mortal mother and a mortal father, then He couldn't have atoned for our sins and afflictions because He'd be mortal, like us, and wouldn't have been able to handle it. But He was born of His mortal mother, Mary, and of His immortal father, Heavenly Father. He wasn't just a human—he was an immortal God who chose to accept His part in The Plan of Happiness and die for us so that we could come to Him in our time of need and so that we didn't have to pay for our sins and afflictions. I'm grateful for His love and sacrifice for me, and I'm grateful for the prompting I had from the Spirit to focus on Jesus Christ this month because I am learning so much more about Him. :)

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 :). )

Jesus Christ, Son of Man.

Today, third hour was combined with the young men and we learned about Jesus Christ—who He is and how we can show our love for Him in our daily lives. In the topical guide of the Bible, there's about 20 or so pages full of scriptures that have to do with Christ. There are lots of different names for Him, like Savior, Redeemer, Messiah, Lamb of God, Bread of Life, Good Shepherd, Rock, Son of Man, and Only Begotten. And they all fit Him. But my favorite name for Him (at this point in my life—it will probably change my whole life) is Son of Man. Because I think that sometimes we forget that He was not only a God, but He was also human—through His mother, Mary, who was a mortal woman. And, to me, Son of Man is my favorite name for Him right now, because He, too, was human—He was a perfect human, but He was human nonetheless. He lived a mortal life, learned how to be a carpenter, and did human things that humans do—eat, talk, teach, learn, etc. And right now in my life, I need to remember this. I need to remember that He was human, too, and that He knows what I'm going through not only because He is my Savior and He atoned for my sins, afflictions, etc., but because He was also human. And I love Him all the more for that because He chose to accept His role, and when it came and He had a hard time with it—He who was a God—He could've stopped anytime, but He said, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (St Luke 22:42). He loved us so much and He loved His father so much that He followed through with His part in Heavenly Father's plan. And I will never be able to thank Him enough. 

Hope.

So, I totally love this gospel. Do you want to know why? Well, I'll tell you why. Because it gives me hope. All the time—no matter what I'm going through, it gives me hope. If I'm having a rough day, I can pray to my Heavenly Father and He will give me peace and comfort that tomorrow will be better. If I feel alone, I can pray to Him to help me find someone to talk with and He will guide me to where I need to be so that I can find them. If I am watching a friend die slowly, or if I've had deaths in my circle of family and friends, I can pray to Him to comfort me and I know that they will be or are at peace and that I will see them again someday. And I know that through my Savior, Jesus Christ, I can become clean and start over so that I can try to become a better person than I was yesterday so that I can live with my Heavenly Father again. And that? That gives me hope. 

Forever families.

I am so grateful for my family. I am so grateful that I can live with my family forever because of my Savior, Jesus Christ. He died and was resurrected so that we can all live forever with our families.

This sweet boy is my little brother forever!! And I am so thankful for him!! :)