Respect, love, and kindness–be perfect in trying.

Tender mercies are amazing, beautiful little things that always seem to come when I'm feeling the most down. I'm thankful that my Heavenly Father knows my needs and fills them, and I'm grateful for the little reminders that I am not alone, forgotten, or unloved. I'm grateful for the opportunities I have to bless others with that same knowledge, and to fill them with feelings of happiness, peace, and love.

 Sacrament meeting was wonderful! I loved all the messages on gratitude that were given today. Two of my favorites were:
-Being grateful is a good way to be happy.
-Being grateful for the things Heavenly Father does for us can improve our relationship with Him.

One of the things I learned in temple prep today I already sort of knew, but the way that it was presented was amaaaazing and just really stood out to me!

Josh wrote on the board:
worthiness ≠ worth/value
worthiness = preparation

I loved that! It was so clear and easy to see what worthiness is and is not. Worthiness is your preparation. It's not your worth or your value. You are ALWAYS going to have worth and value. That is never going to change. Your worthiness, however, will depend on how prepared you.

Josh shared a quote by President Hinckley. He said, "We believe in chastity before marriage and total fidelity after marriage. That about sums it up. That is the way to happiness in living. That is the way to satisfaction. It brings peace to the heart and peace to the home."

We talked about how we all have things that hold us back, but because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can get through it. We can make it through. We also talked about how there are a lot of different Christian/nonChristian churches, with a lot of different beliefs, and you can pick and choose which one fits your standards. But Josh said, "This is the church that helps us fit God's standards" (emphasis added). I loved that! We are not meant to change the Lord's standards, but we are meant to try and live them.

We talked about how to help people who are struggling with maybe the Word of Wisdom, or the Law of Chastity, and we just said how important it is to listen, and to love them no matter what, and to be respectful and courteous when they're talking to you. It's sometimes hard to share the deepest parts of you with people, and if they make fun of you, or make light of the situation, it doesn't make you want to open up to anyone ever again.

Relief Society was beautiful! We started off with a Dove beauty campaign video that shows/talks about how we view ourselves versus how we view others, and how others view us. We talked about how, as we visit teach our sisters, we help them see their potential. We help them see themselves how we see them. :)

We talked about fellowshipping with those not of our faith today, and there were just a few messages that I loved that I wanted to share:
-Focus on the positives about people.
-Just be a good example.
-Kindness is key.

President Hinckley's fourth point was one of my favorites. He said, "When we treat others with love, respect, and kindness, we show that we are true disciples of Jesus Christ." I love that so much. There is really no other way to show that we are true disciples of Christ. Treating others with respect, kindness, and love, no matter what the circumstances, is the epitome of being a disciple of Christ.

Personally, I try every day to treat others with love, respect, and kindness. It's important to me that everyone feels loved and respected. Sometimes, I make a mistake, but I try again and again. I might not be perfect at treating others with love and kindness, but I am perfect in trying, and I think that that is all God asks of us.

I'm so grateful for the lessons today. I'm grateful for my Savior, and for His hand in my life. I'm grateful for my Heavenly Father and for His love and support. I'm so thankful that the Christmas Musical Fireside I am in charge of is going well already!! I can't wait for it!! I'm so excited and grateful to be in charge of it! It's going to be so amazing and I am just super ecstatic about it!

Hope you have a great week! It's almost Thanksgiving! Hold on for about 11 more days!

Xoxo
Mattie

You are seen, loved, known, and remembered by a loving Heavenly Father.

First, a little thought from last night:

For some reason this quote by President Uchtdorf has been popping up in my newsfeed like every day this week. I'm grateful for this sweet and simple reminder that through everything I am going through, I am seen, loved, known, and remembered by my Heavenly Father. ❤️ 

Now, on to the thoughts of today! I'm so excited! I had TWO missionary homecomings today! So grateful for the examples of my friends and their willingness to go out and serve the Lord. I look up to them (both physically and spiritually ;) ) and am excited to see where they'll go in life. :)

While I was sitting and waiting for sacrament meeting to start this morning, I had this thought: People will come and go in our life. And their coming or going will change us, and oftentimes teach us something. It's important to remember that, most of the time, only we can decide for ourself what we will take from them, and from their presence in our life. Jesus Christ will always be there for us. He will be there to help us learn or recognize what we've learned from the people in our life. He is there to help us, guide us, comfort us, love us, and save us. He will never let us fall, fail, be, or feel alone. ❤️

One of the speakers today spoke on light–the light of Christ. One thing that she said that I loved was that we must displace the darkness that will appear in our life by introducing light. Sometimes we have to be that light, and sometimes we have to find the light, but that light will get rid of the darkness. Maybe not all at once, but it will get rid of it, and you can go to your Heavenly Father for help in getting rid of it.

One of my friends repeated something that I've heard before but it stuck out to me today. He said that the Lord expects progress–He expects us to try to be better. Our Heavenly Father knows we're not perfect, but we can at least try to be better today than we were yesterday. And He will help us with that. My friend also shared a quote that I loved and wanted to share: "Obedience brings blessings. Exact obedience brings miracles." I love that.

My other friend said something that I'd never thought of before. He said, "If it's a good thing, why be afraid?" He was talking about speaking in church, but it applies to a lot of things, and I just really wanted to share that. He also said that being humble is a sign of spiritual strength, and I thought that was just a really great thought. :)

There were two songs that played on FM100.3 while I was writing this that I really loved. The first one was called "Something Sacred" by Aaron Edson. I can't find a YouTube link to it (it can, however, be found on iTunes and you can either buy or listen to a snippet there, or on FM100.3's recently played page, there is a part where you can search for songs and play a clip from it there) but I really loved it. Its message is that though we may all have different beliefs and religions, we can still have respect for the things that others of different faiths believe are sacred. The second one was called, "It's Not About You" and you can find the song here. It's a great song that talks about how sometimes the things you go through aren't for you. They're to help you be who you need to be to help those around you.

I'm grateful for the power of music, and for the messages that were shared today. I know that things can be really hard sometimes, but I also know that Jesus Christ is there for you, and I know that your Heavenly Father won't leave you alone. He has given us the greatest gift: He has given us the gift of His Only Begotten Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He loves you, and He is always watching out for you. There is nothing that you can ever do that will take you far enough away from Him that there isn't hope you for you and He will give up on you. That is not the kind of God that He is. He is always there for you, you can always come back (though it may take some time), and He will always love you. ❤️

When God talks to me.

I love it when God talks to me!! So, I was feeling a little alone, left out, forgotten, and sad about a bunch of things, and so I typed up this "letter":

Dear God,
I'm glad that all my friends are having fun. I'm glad that all my missionary friends are excited to go on their missions. I'm glad that everyone is having a good time. But what about me? Did you forget about me? I love you and know you have my best interests at heart, but what are they? I like seeing that all my friends are alive, and well, and having a good time, but what about me? I feel like I'm just doing the same things over and over, and I haven't really had a big fun thing since the beginning of the summer. It's just the same old routine. I feel like I'm never going to find anyone who is going to love me for me. Am I ever going to have a good time? Please, don't forget me. I feel alone enough as it is.
Love,
Your Daughter,
Mattie

And I tried to talk to my friend, but they weren't answering. So then I decided to open my scriptures. I'm ashamed to say that it's been a little while, and I'm also ashamed to say that opening my scriptures wasn't my first thought. I'm trying to be better about it, though. That's what I'm trying to work on as I get ready to leave for college. (P.S. College was part of the reason why I was feeling alone). ANYWAY. I have a "Spiritual Directory" and it's got all of these different "When you need to..." situations. I looked up the "When you need to feel loved" (John 15:13) and "When you need comfort" (Isaiah 49: 15-16). I also have a copy of the Relief Society theme that I looked at as I opened up my Daughters in My Kingdom book (I glanced at the first line before turning to my scriptures). Turns out they were all exactly what I needed!!

The Relief Society theme said: "Our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction."

Isaiah 49: 15-16 said: God will not forget me. I am engraved upon the palms of His hands.

John 15:13 said: "Greater love hath no man that this, that a man may lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:14 said: "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you."

John 15:13 makes me think of the Atonement, and he called us His friends. His friends. We are not just a sea of people to Him. He knows us all by name. He knows our thoughts, our anxieties, our deepest fears, our deepest loves. He knows our trials, our tragedies, our happiest times, our worst times. He knows how hard losing our friend was. He knows how hard seeing someone you love get sicker. He knows how hard being alone is. He knows how hard you've worked. He knows how anxious you feel when you think you are bothering people. He knows it all. He knows. He did not just watch you. He is not just watching you go through it. He has gone through it already and is standing by, helping you get through it. He is giving you the strength you need, and when you cannot do it any longer, He will carry you. He has felt it all, and because of that, He will not let you fall.

I know that life is rough sometimes, but as I was thinking about it earlier, guess what? God is doing me a favor. I worked so hard though high school! I worked my tail off! Yeah, I did a lot of fun things, but I worked so hard to get good grades so I could get into a good college. It worked! I got into BYU-Provo!! And so I think that God is rewarding me. I worked really hard, and so He is giving me the summer off–literally. I would rather be doing fun things, like hanging out in my yard, going to the park, pool, etc. with my friends because we are all going in separate directions, but there's still time for that, I think. Anyway, I'm grateful for this break, now that I think about it. I don't know what I'm going to do about feeling like I'm not ever going to find someone who is going to love me for me, and who is worthy to take me to the temple, and who is going to make me feel safe, and who is going to treat me like a queen (When I find him, I'm going to make him feel safe and I'm going to treat him like a king). And so I'm trying to be worthy to go to the temple. I'm having a hard time finding time to study my scriptures, but I am going to try so hard this week!! I have two missionary farewells on Sunday (although my dad says they're not called that anymore, but whatever) that I am super excited for but I am also sad. A lot of my friends have already gone. And it's hard. It's been hard on me. I'm so excited for them and I'm so grateful for their examples, but I don't know what to do. Um, I have to go–it's getting late, and this topic is turning real personal real fast, and I don't want to get into that right now. So, to sum up: We are His friends, we are loved, and we are not forgotten–least of all by Him. Love you guys!! Thanks for reading! <3

P.S. The topic of the temple keeps popping up EVERYWHERE!! I am not even joking. So I do not know what that means. Maybe it means that I need to be getting ready. I am trying so, so hard, but I do not know if I am ready to be sent out into the world on my own yet...