Guilty as charged!! This topic is something that has been weighing on my mind because I am guilty at doing this: not thinking before I speak. I remember a conversation with a friend when I simply told a friend that atimes are not good right now as we owe our Home Owners Association fee which is a lot of money. I did not think much of what I was saying and although this comment would probably have some friends agree with me I was not thinking of the person I said it too. He replied that he could not wait until the day he had to pay a home owner's association fee because that would mean he would finally own his own home. I instantly felt horrible. Here I was complaining about something that he could only dream about. I put this in the back of mind and tried to watch what I said to others.
In Doctrine and Covenants 78:19 it states, " He who receiveth all things with
thankfulness shall be made glorious." We must always remember to be thankful for our blessings and also remember to find the true meaning of our trials. Keep in mind that others are fighting battles too. I think everyone needs to vent at times and that is perfectly acceptable. What I am suggesting is that maybe we be more careful about how we vent or complain. I once read a book that suggested you pick one person you vent to and that is the only person you vent too. I have tried this is my own life and I have one friend that I tell everything too. For the most part I keep my struggles to myself aside from telling her. This helps to ensure that I will not offend anyone with my complaints about life's struggles.
We must keep others in mind at all times. Think before you speak. Think could this person be offended by my complaints. Remember that although you might not be in love with your house layout that there are those who would just love a home to call their own; that you hardly have money to do anything fun there are those who can't even pay all their bills; that your kids are driving you crazy or you never have free time that there are those who would give up all their free time to be able to have children. These are just a few examples of simple things that you might say that could hurt other people.
I strive every day to keep my life positive and I know that I am blessed because I do so. We must always be thankful for everything we are given in life and even those things we are not given. Heavenly Father knows what we need and He will provide for us. I urge everyone to just think next time before you speak negatively about something if the person you are saying it too could take offense to it. I urge everyone to pick a venting buddy! It is good to get out life's frustrations. Pray to Heavenly Father for guidance. He is there to help you.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Monday, December 16, 2013
I've Repented: Now What?
Repentance is defined as one of the first principles of the gospel and is essential
to our temporal and eternal happiness. It is much more than just
acknowledging wrongdoings. It is a change of mind and heart that gives
us a fresh view about God, about ourselves, and about the world. It
includes turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness. It is
motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His
commandments.
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints there are some situations when part of repenting is confessing our sins to the priesthood authority such as Bishop, Stake President etc. We must repent of all sins because we can not be in Heavenly Father's presence if we are unclean. We must repent, abandon sin, and get on the path of living a righteous life. What happens when we have done all of these things yet others have not forgotten?
In Doctrine and Covenants 58:42 it states, "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more." Often when we sin our sins can have a negative effect on others so when we have repented and the Lord remembers our sin no more how do we move on when others still remember? And more so how do we move on when we have asked those for forgiveness and not yet received it from them.
We must stand strong and know that we have done what the Lord has asked of us. We have confessed and repented. We have changed our hearts and abandoned those sins. We have put ourselves on the righteous path. We will not be able to please everyone in this life and there will always be those that will judge us for our past transgressions. We must remember however that we have been forgiven by the only one who truly matters, our Heavenly Father.
I know from personal experience how difficult remembering that simple fact can be. I had to repent of my sins and although I was told I was forgiven. Others had not forgiven me as quickly. I have struggled over that fact for many years until I realized that I was letting the judgment of others define who I was. I wanted to be on the righteous path. Satan will pull you in his direction any way he can. He will convince you that because others are judging you and that because others haven't forgiven you that maybe Heavenly Father has not. Do not give in. Stand strong and know that if Heavenly Father has forgiven you and others have not then it is on them. We are commanded to forgive those as Heavenly Father has forgiven us.
I have a testimony of the repentance process. I know that if we truly repent and abandon the sin that we can and will be forgiven. I know that Heavenly Father loves us and wants what is best for us. I know that we most only remember what He feels and not what others feel about our sin. We must move on and become the righteous being we came here to be.
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints there are some situations when part of repenting is confessing our sins to the priesthood authority such as Bishop, Stake President etc. We must repent of all sins because we can not be in Heavenly Father's presence if we are unclean. We must repent, abandon sin, and get on the path of living a righteous life. What happens when we have done all of these things yet others have not forgotten?
In Doctrine and Covenants 58:42 it states, "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more." Often when we sin our sins can have a negative effect on others so when we have repented and the Lord remembers our sin no more how do we move on when others still remember? And more so how do we move on when we have asked those for forgiveness and not yet received it from them.
We must stand strong and know that we have done what the Lord has asked of us. We have confessed and repented. We have changed our hearts and abandoned those sins. We have put ourselves on the righteous path. We will not be able to please everyone in this life and there will always be those that will judge us for our past transgressions. We must remember however that we have been forgiven by the only one who truly matters, our Heavenly Father.
I know from personal experience how difficult remembering that simple fact can be. I had to repent of my sins and although I was told I was forgiven. Others had not forgiven me as quickly. I have struggled over that fact for many years until I realized that I was letting the judgment of others define who I was. I wanted to be on the righteous path. Satan will pull you in his direction any way he can. He will convince you that because others are judging you and that because others haven't forgiven you that maybe Heavenly Father has not. Do not give in. Stand strong and know that if Heavenly Father has forgiven you and others have not then it is on them. We are commanded to forgive those as Heavenly Father has forgiven us.
I have a testimony of the repentance process. I know that if we truly repent and abandon the sin that we can and will be forgiven. I know that Heavenly Father loves us and wants what is best for us. I know that we most only remember what He feels and not what others feel about our sin. We must move on and become the righteous being we came here to be.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Prayer: It is for You
I had a talk with someone recently that has brought some thoughts to my mind. We discussed remaining calm when upset or frustrated. When I was alone later with my thoughts I wondered how do I stay calm when I am upset or frustrated. We are all human, but how is it that I stay positive and calm? I used to have a very bad temper and I would fly off the handle over little things, but today that is not who I am. You might wonder what has changed and that is my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I learned how to pray.
This topic is for everyone. We can all pray to our Heavenly Father and the more we do it the easier it becomes. We should not only pray in time of need, but also to give thanks for all the blessings we do have. When I first joined the church I disliked praying. It felt uncomfortable and I felt like my prayers sounded silly. In fact the first time I prayed out loud in front of anyone I told the missionary, who requested that I say the prayer, that I hated him. I said it in the middle of my prayer. Not a proud moment, but a view at how much I disliked it. Over the past couple years I have learned to pray to my Heavenly Father.
How does being frustrated and upset all the time have anything to do with prayer? Well every morning my husband and I say a prayer together. It is typically about the same things. We are thankful for our blessings, our good night rest, we hope to get to work and return safely, and that we will each have a great day. Simple and to the point, but I have a testimony that those prayers are what get me thru the day. There have been days when I am in a hurry and run out the door without saying a prayer. I can feel the change in my attitude and my outlook on the day.
Our rule is that we pray daily at least three times. We make it a rule so that eventually it will become a habit. I challenge everyone to make prayer a priority in your life. Even those of you who are not members of the same church as me can still pray. We can all use the guidance and we must learn to talk to our Heavenly Father. How will He ever know what you are seeking if you do not ask? He will listen to everything you have to say and remember it always. My challenge to all this week is to get on your knees at least once and say a prayer to Heavenly Father, even if the prayer is silently in your own head while on your knees. You will feel a change start to happen and if you make prayer a priority then you will see a change in your life. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ.
This topic is for everyone. We can all pray to our Heavenly Father and the more we do it the easier it becomes. We should not only pray in time of need, but also to give thanks for all the blessings we do have. When I first joined the church I disliked praying. It felt uncomfortable and I felt like my prayers sounded silly. In fact the first time I prayed out loud in front of anyone I told the missionary, who requested that I say the prayer, that I hated him. I said it in the middle of my prayer. Not a proud moment, but a view at how much I disliked it. Over the past couple years I have learned to pray to my Heavenly Father.
How does being frustrated and upset all the time have anything to do with prayer? Well every morning my husband and I say a prayer together. It is typically about the same things. We are thankful for our blessings, our good night rest, we hope to get to work and return safely, and that we will each have a great day. Simple and to the point, but I have a testimony that those prayers are what get me thru the day. There have been days when I am in a hurry and run out the door without saying a prayer. I can feel the change in my attitude and my outlook on the day.
Our rule is that we pray daily at least three times. We make it a rule so that eventually it will become a habit. I challenge everyone to make prayer a priority in your life. Even those of you who are not members of the same church as me can still pray. We can all use the guidance and we must learn to talk to our Heavenly Father. How will He ever know what you are seeking if you do not ask? He will listen to everything you have to say and remember it always. My challenge to all this week is to get on your knees at least once and say a prayer to Heavenly Father, even if the prayer is silently in your own head while on your knees. You will feel a change start to happen and if you make prayer a priority then you will see a change in your life. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Righteous Friends
This topic has been on my mind often and I felt the urge to get out of bed at 6am on my day off to write about it. I have been thinking about friendships. I believe that it is so important to have friends of other faiths because if we did not then who would we teach the gospel too? However what happens when those friendships start to bring you down?
There are some friendships that I no longer have because I chose the gospel over them. However that does not mean I do not miss those individuals. I realized that when you feel as if you have to live two different lives then you are not being true to the gospel. This is how I felt. I felt that I had to be fun and crazy. I felt like I had to take bad about others and make fun of people because that's what made us laugh. What I quickly realized was the was against what the gospel was teaching me. This was against what I truly believed. I was striving so hard to have a home centered around the gospel, but no matter how hard I tried I did not feel it. It saddened me and I could not pinpoint the reason why. When others pointed out that I might not have the best influences around me I started to look deeper in to my friendships.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland stated,"...that living the gospel and being true to gospel principles is the key to true, lasting, triumphant friendship." What I learned about my friendships was they were not making me a better person. They were pulling me away from the gospel and so I made the decision to walk away from them. I was worried that I would have no one. These friends knew everything I had been thru and loved me anyway. Would new friends that shared my same beliefs love me if they knew all that I had been thru?
Months have past since I made this decision and I can honestly say my life is on the right track and in the right place. I have friends who know the truth about my life and they love me still. I have friends that help build me up and not break me down. But what I really learned was that there is one true friend who will never leave me alone no matter what I do and that is Jesus Christ. He has felt the pain I have felt and has loved me still.
Friendships are so important and I challenge everyone to make a new friend. Don't be shy about getting to know new people. Find people that will raise you up and that can help you become a better you. I have a testimony that have righteous friends will help bring you closer to the gospel and help you get thru trials. A true and righteous friend will love you no matter what. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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There are some friendships that I no longer have because I chose the gospel over them. However that does not mean I do not miss those individuals. I realized that when you feel as if you have to live two different lives then you are not being true to the gospel. This is how I felt. I felt that I had to be fun and crazy. I felt like I had to take bad about others and make fun of people because that's what made us laugh. What I quickly realized was the was against what the gospel was teaching me. This was against what I truly believed. I was striving so hard to have a home centered around the gospel, but no matter how hard I tried I did not feel it. It saddened me and I could not pinpoint the reason why. When others pointed out that I might not have the best influences around me I started to look deeper in to my friendships.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland stated,"...that living the gospel and being true to gospel principles is the key to true, lasting, triumphant friendship." What I learned about my friendships was they were not making me a better person. They were pulling me away from the gospel and so I made the decision to walk away from them. I was worried that I would have no one. These friends knew everything I had been thru and loved me anyway. Would new friends that shared my same beliefs love me if they knew all that I had been thru?
Months have past since I made this decision and I can honestly say my life is on the right track and in the right place. I have friends who know the truth about my life and they love me still. I have friends that help build me up and not break me down. But what I really learned was that there is one true friend who will never leave me alone no matter what I do and that is Jesus Christ. He has felt the pain I have felt and has loved me still.
Friendships are so important and I challenge everyone to make a new friend. Don't be shy about getting to know new people. Find people that will raise you up and that can help you become a better you. I have a testimony that have righteous friends will help bring you closer to the gospel and help you get thru trials. A true and righteous friend will love you no matter what. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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Sunday, November 17, 2013
"Even the Best Fall Down Sometimes"
The lines from Howie Day's song Collide has been in my head for weeks now and every time I get in my car it happens to play. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but I have realized that nothing is coincidence. The line I am referring to is, "Even the best fall down sometimes." This got me thinking that no matter who you are that you are not exempt from trials. No matter how much you serve, no matter how much money you donate, no matter how well you do your calling, no matter how many times you go to the temple, and no matter how much you center your life around the gospel you will face trials.
I work hard every day to ensure my home and life are surrounded by the gospel. We implemented rules to ensure that this happens, however my trials have not ceased to exist. What I have realized is that I have the tools to get me thru these hard times. Growing up I always felt that those who served others and did all they were supposed to would not face trials. Now that I am on the other side of that I see it differently. What I do know is that Heavenly Father loves me and he trusts that I can get thru these trials.
In the October 2012 talk given by Elder Neil L. Andersen it states,"
I work hard every day to ensure my home and life are surrounded by the gospel. We implemented rules to ensure that this happens, however my trials have not ceased to exist. What I have realized is that I have the tools to get me thru these hard times. Growing up I always felt that those who served others and did all they were supposed to would not face trials. Now that I am on the other side of that I see it differently. What I do know is that Heavenly Father loves me and he trusts that I can get thru these trials.
In the October 2012 talk given by Elder Neil L. Andersen it states,"
How do you remain “steadfast and immovable”
during a trial of faith? You immerse yourself in the very things that
helped build your core of faith: you exercise faith in Christ, you pray,
you ponder the scriptures, you repent, you keep the commandments, and
you serve others.
When
faced with a trial of faith—whatever you do, you don’t step away from
the Church! Distancing yourself from the kingdom of God during a trial
of faith is like leaving the safety of a secure storm cellar just as the
tornado comes into view."
We must remember these things when are in the midst of our trials. We must stay strong. The Gospel is there for us. We must continue what we are doing and not let these trials lead us astray. We must stay strong no matter what so that we may live with our Heavenly Father again. I have a testimony of trials. I have a testimony that Heavenly Father allows these to happen because He loves us and because He knows we can overcome them. As hard as it might be we can do it and when we do we will come out stronger. We will have more faith and be prepared to make it thru our next trial. No one is exempt. We were sent here for a reason. We were sent to prove ourselves to Heavenly Father. It is my goal to make sure I prove worthy. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
30 Days of Thankfulness
I always intend to do the full 30 days of being thankful in November and I have tons to be thankful for. However I forget to post on some days and so I wanted to sit and think of 30 things I am thankful for and compile my list.
Day 1: I am thankful for my Heavenly Father for everything I have is because of Him. He has provided me with the things that make me happy.
Day 2: I am thankful for my incredible husband. I am so thankful to have him as my eternal companion. I don't know how I went so long without him. He is my world.
Day 3: I am thankful for my mom and dad. They have provided me with a great life and possibly spoiled me lots.
Day 4: I am thankful for two little brothers. I love them both so much and cherish every moment I have with them.
Day 5: I am thankful for my step dad Chuck. I am thankful that he attends church with my mom and without him there would be no Isaac.
Day 6: I am thankful for my mom's family. They live far away so I don't see them much, but I am still thankful to call them family. I am also thankful for those who played a part in raising my dad. Those who showed him hard work and dedication.
Day 7: I am thankful for the Haynes family. From day one they have always treated me like family as if I had always been there. I love them all so much for that.
Day 8: : I am thankful for the Lybbert family. They accepted me with open arms even though I might not have been the ideal match for their son. I was a convert and not a very strong one at the time, but they loved me anyway and helped me become strong.
Day 9: I am thankful for Jesus Christ. Without Him it would not be possible to live with my Heavenly Father again some day. I am thankful that suffered for my sins and that thru the Atonement and repentance I can be forgiven.
Day 10: I am thankful for the Gospel. I could go on and on about the reasons why. I know that my outlook on life is positive because I know the truth and I know it because the Gospel has taught me.
Day 11: I am thankful for temples. I am thankful that I can go do my family work and feel at peace with my Heavenly Father.
Day 12: I am thankful for the scriptures. I love that I can access them so easily and read them daily.
Day 13: I am Thankful for the power of prayer. I love that I can talk to my Heavenly Father.
Day 14: I am thankful for the priesthood. I am thankful that my husband is a worthy priesthood holder and has helped me with it.
Day 15: I am thankful for patriarchal blessings. I am especially thankful for mine. It is comforting to read Heavenly Father's words to me.
Day 16: I am thankful for Amber Winter. She showed me what it meant to love anyone even if they didn't believe the things you did. She changed my life the day she sent the missionaries to speak to me and without her my life would not be what it is today.
Day 17: I am thankful for the missionaries who taught me. I am thankful to the ones I wasn't very friendly too and I am thankful to those who changed my mind Elder Akina, Elder Redpath, Elder Choate, and Elder Bowers.
Day 18: I am thankful for my friends. I am thankful that I have so many great people in my life who help me stay strong.
Day 19: I am thankful for my puppies Rylee and Remy. Also our cats Roper and Reese (even though she makes me crazy). Since we are struggling with starting a family it is fun to spoil them and treat them like our kids.
Day 20: I am thankful for my job. I love working with children even though some days they might make me a little crazy.
Day 21: I am thankful for our home. I am thankful my husband bought it for us so that we would have a place of our own the day we were married.
Day 22: I am thankful for my car. I am even more thankful that it's the car I had been wanting forever and my husband gave up him nice truck to be able to get it for me.
Day 23: I am thankful for the Prophet and that I can hear his words and know he is a man of God.
Day 24: I am thankful for technology. I am thankful I can use it to watch my brother grow and keep in touch with all my family and friends.
Day 25: I am thankful for the military. I am thankful that my dad, brother, father in law, grandfathers etc have so willingly served. I am thankful to those who fight for our freedom and given up their lives to do so.
Day 26: I am thankful for the Plan of Salvation. It helps me to know that I will be with all my family again one day.
Day 27: I am thankful for my health. Although I am struggling with some things right now and I catch every sickness. I am still able to walk and talk.
Day 28: I am thankful for my calling. I love serving in Young Womens. It has brought me great joy and some of the greatest friends.
Day 29: I am thankful for my ancestors and genealogy. I am thankful that I can do their work and meet them one day.
Day 30: Although I have much more to be thankful for I am going to repeat one because none of this is possible without. I am thankful to know that I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father. I know the he loves me unconditionally. I know that when I remain worthy I will see him again.
I actually struggled keeping my list under 30. I have done this before and have struggled to keep going to 30. The only thing that changed is that I found the Gospel and found faith in my Heavenly Father. He has provided me with all the things I am thankful for. I encouraged everyone to look and search deep in your hearts and not only post on Facebook what you are thankful for, but pray that you are thankful for it.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Dare to Change
I have been horrible about my weekly blog so I decided to take some time and just do it! I have made it my life goal to always better myself. I believe we should always strive to be better so I find faults I have and ways to fix them. I know I will never be perfect, but I can try. =) I can't take credit for our most recent changes, but I got the idea from Al Carraway( Fox). Her blog is http://waysofthecarraways.blogspot.com/2013/10/intro-to-us.html
They have some really great ideas and when I read this post it really got me thinking. I try to make changes in my life, but there are some things I feel I really struggle with. Even more so some of the things they touched on were things that I didn't focus on before. Many of the reasons I think my first marriage did not work out. I am a technology addict. I just like reading news and whatever I can find to do. I found myself on the computer more than I focused on my marriage. I was always texting and facebooking that I never focused on the important things. So I wanted to get this thing right in my marriage now. So when I read this blog I thought that Clint and I could use a list of rules. So here is what we came up with together for a Family Home Evening activity. Some of these things have been very difficult to keep, but we have this list hanging in our home. We find ourselves talking more and discussing all sort of things. We have been more active and it has been amazing to discuss the gospel together on a daily basis. I never thought I would marry a return missionary, but it has been amazing for me because I am new to the gospel. My husband amazes me when I give him a topic I want to discuss and he can throw out scriptures that will fit that. Studying scriptures together has made me love him even more than I already did. This plan might not work for all, but you can't make your life better if you don't make changes. So dare to make a change even if it is just one!
They have some really great ideas and when I read this post it really got me thinking. I try to make changes in my life, but there are some things I feel I really struggle with. Even more so some of the things they touched on were things that I didn't focus on before. Many of the reasons I think my first marriage did not work out. I am a technology addict. I just like reading news and whatever I can find to do. I found myself on the computer more than I focused on my marriage. I was always texting and facebooking that I never focused on the important things. So I wanted to get this thing right in my marriage now. So when I read this blog I thought that Clint and I could use a list of rules. So here is what we came up with together for a Family Home Evening activity. Some of these things have been very difficult to keep, but we have this list hanging in our home. We find ourselves talking more and discussing all sort of things. We have been more active and it has been amazing to discuss the gospel together on a daily basis. I never thought I would marry a return missionary, but it has been amazing for me because I am new to the gospel. My husband amazes me when I give him a topic I want to discuss and he can throw out scriptures that will fit that. Studying scriptures together has made me love him even more than I already did. This plan might not work for all, but you can't make your life better if you don't make changes. So dare to make a change even if it is just one!
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