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

Changes.

So these were my thoughts during the sacrament today:

Well this weekend has been full of change. My roommates for the past eight months/school year all moved out to a different apartment, I received a new roommate who's really cool, and we're going to be getting  a new bishopric today. I am going to miss the old bishopric but am excited to see who our new bishopric is going to be. I am looking forward to this summer–lots of fun things to do, and I hope to get more excited as the summer goes on. Right now I am excited and nervous, because I've never spent the summer away from home before, but I think it will be fun. I'm grateful for my Savior–finals week was rough and tough, but I did it! And I was sick, too. I got all the rest I needed to get through finals. And now I should be able to catch up on my sleep and get so much better. I might be changing my major...again. But this will be the last time, I promise! I was having lunch with some friends on Wednesday and they mentioned this new major to me–and I don't need to apply to get in! That's exactly what I need! I'm going to look into it and probably go see someone in the department in the next couple of weeks so that I can hurry and change my fall schedule accordingly. Also, I got a SCHOLARSHIP for next year!! So that's fun. :)

I am going to miss our old bishopric, but Brother Durfey is staying!! So that is really awesome. Our new bishop seems really great and I'm excited to get to know him, our new counselor, and their wives. 

I'm feeling much better this week than I was last week, but I still have that blasted cough and cold! I'm hoping that catching up on sleep this week will be just the thing I need. I'm so grateful–my custodial job's hours are being pushed up (back?). I'm not sure of the phrasing but it's now from 4-8 instead of 5-9. So that will be just great!

I might be changing my major again...the Lord sure has a funny way of getting me on the right path hahaha but I still love Him :) Also I got a scholarship for fall/winter of 2017/2018!! I am so excited!! What a weight lifted off my shoulders–I don't have to repay it!!

As you can see, it's been quite a weekend, and I'm grateful for it. I'm looking forward to the future, and to having new things in my life. On to what I learned today. :) 

Sacrament meeting was quite emotional haha–I tried not to cry but once Sister Anderson started tearing up, I started crying, and basically didn't stop...I mean, it wasn't full-on waterworks, just a slow trickle, but I definitely was trying to hold back.

Sister Anderson:

Get sleep. Look for ways to serve others.

Heavenly Father notices effort, and He blesses effort.

(our old bishop) Bishop Anderson:

Inspiration can come at any time (but hearing the Spirit is harder the later it is).

Service can be difficult, but the Lord blesses us.

The Lord loves His children. He loves you and knows you.

He lives, loves, and knows you.

He smiles and is happy with minuscule changes. Keep trying to change! Focus on where you know He wants you to go. 

The Lord is quick to forgive.

"I'm not perfect yet."

There is power in the priesthood.

If you will let Him in, He will bless you.

(My favorite thing that Bishop said was "I'm not perfect yet." There is power in the fact that we have room to change and improve. We have the chance to progress here on earth. That's why we're here.)

Sister Wilhite:

There is no other way but through this Church.

Brother Wilhite:

The Savior lives and loves you.

(our new bishop) Bishop Frank Maughan:

We are noble and great.

Some of the things mentioned in Sunday School were:

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know and love us

Temple attendance and prayer are great and important things that we should be doing

"Move your life forward."

Priesthood/Relief Society was combined today: (topic was Sabbath Day)

Pres. Hinckley said "every sacrament meeting ought to be a spiritual feast" and "a time of spiritual refreshment."

"If the service is a failure to you, you have failed. No one can worship for you." Pres. Spencer W. Kimball

"The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important, but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, writing letters to missionaries, taking a nap, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day at which he is expected." ~Pres. Spencer W. Kimball

Funny thing...the reason why this is so late today is because I've been napping all afternoon. I'm just following the prophet. ;)

On a more serious note, I'm grateful for what I learned today. I'm grateful for my new roommate, who is just awesome!! Seriously, guys, she wrote me a note while I was napping in the living room!! We are going to get along just fine :) #ilovewritingnotes

I'm also grateful for our old bishopric, and our new bishopric. I am excited to get to know them, and I'm excited to get to know all of the new people who are moving into the ward this summer. I'm looking forward to all of the fun summer things that can happen this summer, and I hope that this summer will be an awesome one.

I know that God loves you, and I know that He is watching out for you, and guiding you. I know that your Savior loves you, and wants what is best for you. I know that service is the best way to show your Father in Heaven that you love Him. I know that service also always, always, always makes you feel better, about whatever it is you're going through. Taking time to put aside your worries and troubles and bless someone else's life makes you feel better, and you will be blessed for it.

I hope you all have a great week! For those of you still in school, hold on! It's almost over, and you can do it! <3

Xoxo

Mattie

Actions speak louder than words.

I've probably mentioned and shared this song before, but it's one of my favorites. It's called "It Passes All My Understanding" by Cherie Call. It came on the radio this morning and I just couldn't let it be. It describes all of my feelings about Heavenly Father and His creations–all of nature, and all of us. He believes in us and loves us so much–He created this world for us. It is one of my favorite songs about the world around us that our Heavenly Father has created for us. I hope you'll take a listen to it.

This is a random thought I had the other night. If you're a friend of mine on Facebook you've probably already seen it but for those that aren't, I will share it with you:

Dreams are crushed. Hopes are dashed. Life is shattered. But only when you put them on your "this is going to happen this way" pedestal and wish for it to be that way only. When you've given a little room for them to grow and develop, dreams are built. Hopes are known. Life is changed.

I'm so grateful for the knowledge that I have that my Heavenly Father has a plan for me because it makes it easier for me to know that things won't always go the way I plan them to, but things will work out.

As I was sitting during the sacrament, I was thinking about two different scriptures: Matthew 5:16 and Isaiah 53:3-4. And this is what I thought about and wrote down:

"Actions speak louder than words." That's a common phrase that everyone knows, right? But do we really believe it? These two scriptures that I thought about both talk about actions. The verse in Matthew talks about our actions. We need to let our light–the light of Christ–shine through our good works, or actions. The verse in Isaiah talks about the actions of Jesus Christ. He died for us. Think of someone you really love. Would you die for them? Some would and some maybe wouldn't; that's okay. But Jesus Christ–the Only Begotten Son of our Heavenly Father–suffered and died for all mankind. And throughout His whole experience with Pilate and the Roman soldiers, He said nothing; nothing of protest, nothing of explanation. He was quiet, and let it happen because it had to happen. I don't know about you, but I am extremely grateful for Jesus Christ's example of how to love. John 15:13 says, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Jesus Christ is also the perfect example of how to deal with those who may be talking about you–in front of or behind your back. Say and do nothing. If you do not react, they will soon move on. In the Savior's case, however, they went on to beat Him and give Him a crown of thorns. Then they nailed Him to a cross, where He suffered in agony and died for us. If that isn't love, I don't know what is. 

 I am one of those people who likes to serve others and make their lives easier. Whether it's by being there for them when they need me, babysitting, listening, or serving them in a small way, that's me; that's what I love to do. And to me, those actions mean that I am there for them, I am listening to them,  and I am loving them. Our Savior oftentimes will send us to those who need love and guidance from Him for Him (did that make sense? He will send us in His place). Sometimes, when I am there for someone, listening to them, and loving them, they not only feel my love, but they feel the Savior's love because they needed to feel Him, and I was able to help them do that. The way that He shows His love is that He died for us, and because of that, He will never leave us alone. He will never let you feel lost or alone for long. He will always send someone to save you.

Sacrifices.

Número 11: I'm grateful for all the men and women who have served to protect our country, and who have died protecting us. I'm grateful for their families: their children, their wives/husbands, their parents, their siblings, etc., for letting them go and serve. So I'm thankful for all the sacrifices that have been made in order to protect our country.