The Will to Change

This past month I have finished reading Gone With the Wind and A Christmas Carol. Each book had me thinking of our choices and our ability to change. In Gone With the Wind Scarlett O'Hara develops through the book but I don't feel that her true character changes, her main concern is her needs. Contrastingly, in A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is able to recognize a need for change and he works to change himself. My favorite part of the book is when Scrooge is standing at the grave with the Spirit but hasn't yet seen that it is his grave they are standing at:

"Are these the shadows of the things that will be or are they shadows of the things that may be, only? . . . Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which if persevered in, they must lead," said Scrooge. "But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. . ."

I love this part so much because it shows us the moment Scrooge learns he has the power to change. Scrooge realizes that there is a chance for him to change his future. He is later able to act on what he has learned and improve his life by repairing relationships with those around him.

Similarly we are able to change and grow. This blessing of change and growth comes to us because of the Savior's atonement. Without the atonement we would be stuck. No growth would occur because our mistakes would be permanent. Luckily we have a loving brother in Jesus Christ and he has made it possible for us to look with hope to our future. When we make a mistake we can change it. We have the opportunity to change our course and change our ends.

We are blessed with the ability to use Christ's atonement to change us. As you look forward to this new year look to Christ to help you grow and make the changes you see necessary! Trust in God and trust that you can change!

One Inch Short

     This weekend I got to go to Aspen Lakes for a stake campout. At the site there was a team building area where there were different obstacles to get through. There was no direction for the actual obstacles so we made up our own rules and had fun playing around.

   
     One of the obstacles had some logs that were spaced out and some boards that would go in between them. The goal was to move from the log at the start to the log at the end without touching the ground (at least I made that my goal). There were five logs and four boards. As I was trying to get from one end to the other I noticed that one of the boards didn't fit. It was the last board that needed to be placed before I could get to the end. It was maybe an inch too short to fit in the distance so I wasted no time and decided to try something else. I picked up the next closest board and tried to fit it in the space but it was too long. I ended up measuring the boards with my feet to find one that would be smaller but not too small. I found it and moved it to the end and crossed to my finish line.

     As I was thinking about the experience my roommates were helping each other walk across the boards. Balancing was hard so they were lending each other shoulder support. As they were talking Janessa mentioned how it was like the Savior. He is always there to guide us and to help us keep our balance even when things are a little offsetting. I loved this thought and decided to continue my own analogy. Yes the Lord is always there but sometimes we need to shift the pieces to make things work. There was no way the short log was going to help me across. It was there as a distraction and focusing on making it work would have been pointless. Instead, I needed to recognize there was another way and adapt my plan.

     This is similar to our lives and our circumstances. Sometimes we focus on an idea that sounds good at the time and try to manipulate things until we find something that works when really we need to take a step back and look around at other options. I know this is not always the case but this is the beauty of prayer and revelation. We are ALWAYS able to turn to the Lord and we will always find guidance through Him. We may need to readjust but if we are focused we will make it to the end!

Sunday Thoughts

I was grading some math homework and getting frustrated with my kids. I know that it is not rational to be so upset by students struggling with their math but when I assigned the homework I told the students to take home their math journal to use when doing their homework... It was clear to me as I graded that they did not heed my advice and left their math journal's unopened as far as homework was concerned. The help they needed to get their homework was right in front of them yet they did not use it. To me as a teacher it was a frustrating thing. I finished my grading and finished getting ready for church.
I was in Sacrament meeting when I made a connection. I was blaming my students for not using the help that was right within their reach but so often I forget to use all the tools and resources provided for me by a loving Heavenly Father. I have the answers. I may have to look for them and study to find them but the answers I need will always be there for me because He cares about me and wants me to be able to do my best. I'm sure when Heavenly Father sees us doing things the wrong way He thinks, "Just look! I have given you the answer!" I am going to work on finding the answers that He has given me. Studying the scriptures and asking for help when I need it because, just as I will always help a struggling student He will always help a struggling child.

Also, I know I've shown this before but I love it so much!

Sunday Thoughts

Today in Relief Society we had an amazing lesson taught by my lovely roommate. The topic for this lesson came from conference it was a talk by Elder Hales Stand Strong in Holy Places. He talks about the challenges that we face in these latter days and the importance of standing in holy places and wearing the armor of God. There was one part of the talk that I found thought provoking.

"In January of 1982, I spoke in a devotional on the BYU campus in Provo, Utah. I invited the students to imagine that the Church was on one side of the podium, and the world was just a foot or two away on the other side. This represented the 'very short distance between the world was and where the Church standards were' when I was in college. Then, standing before the students 30 years later, I help up my hands in the same manner and explained, 'The world has gone far afield; [it has traveled; it is nowhere to be seen;] it has proceeded way, way out, all the way out of this [building and around the world]. ... what we and our children and our grandchildren have to remember is that the church will remain constant, yet the world will keep moving- that gap is [becoming] wider and wider... Therefore, be very careful. If you judge your actions and the standards of the Church on the basis of where the world is and where it's going, you will find that you are not where your should be."

In my mind I see a house (the church) and a tent (the world). The house is constantly changing but foundation is the same, it is unmovable like the morals taught in church are the same though revelation (thereby change)  is always present. On the other hand the tent is constantly moving from place to place like the world's ideas of morals are always changing they are not steady and can come down at any time the same way a tent might when it comes under pressure. We are blessed to have a church that has a strong foundation. It is able to withstand the opposition that presents itself.

'On Being Worthy'

I read an amazing conference talk by Elder Ashton the other day called 'On Being Worthy'. He starts of by talking about the meaning of the word worthy and the way we determine our worthiness. Often we are under the impression that we decide whether we are worthy or not. While that is true we are not the only ones who judge our worthiness. Elder Ashton states "We do not have to be hindered by self-Judgement. All of us have the benefit and added wisdom of a bishop and a stake president to help us determine our worthiness..." We are not alone, we have the wisdom of others to help us find our way.

Elder Ashton defines worthiness as "a process, and perfection is an eternal trek. We can be worthy to enjoy certain privileges without being perfect". Today in Relief Society we were talking about Temples and being worthy to enter the Temple. We came to the conclusion that as long as we are making an effort to be perfect we are worthy of the Temple and the blessings that come from visiting the Temple.

Sometimes I struggle with where I am in the gospel. I often feel that I am missing something because I judge my worthiness through comparison to others. I know that this is not wise and that it is a result of pride. Elder Ashton addresses this struggle in his talk.

"Perhaps we all live under some misconceptions when we look at each other on Sundays as we attend our meetings. Everyone is neatly dressed and greets each other with a smile. It is natural to assume that everyone else has his life under control and doesn't have to deal with dark little weaknesses and imperfections.

There is a natural, probably a mortal, tendency to compare ourselves with others. Unfortunately, when we make these comparisons, we tend to compare our weakest attributes with someone else's strongest. For example, a woman who feels unschooled in the gospel may take particular note of a woman in her ward who teaches the Gospel Doctrine class and seems to have every scripture at her fingertips. Obviously these kinds of comparisons are destructive and only reinforce the fear that somehow we don't measure up and therefore we must not be as worthy as the next person. 

We need to come to terms with our desire to reach perfection and our frustration when our accomplishments or behaviors are less than perfect. I feel that one of the great myths we would do well to dispel is that we've come to earth to perfect ourselves, and nothing short of that will do. If I understand the teachings of the prophets of this dispensation correctly, we will not become perfect in this life, though we can make significant strides toward that goal."

I have only addressed a few of the ideas from this talk but I would suggest that everyone go through and read this talk because I feel like is is something that everyone should hear.

Seeking the Light

Today in Relief Society our President gave a great lesson based on Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk from last conference "The Hope of God's Light". The talk was a great one and the lesson brought up many ideas that I had not previously considered...

To me, the most interesting idea that showed up from the lesson is the idea of light vs. dark. When thinking about the light and the dark I decided that there is not really such a thing as darkness. It is not tangible you cannot 'create' darkness. Darkness only comes when you remove the light. When you fill your life with light there is no darkness. Darkness cannot be where the light is and that is something that I often forget but at the same time it is something that is crucial to remember. If we are constantly putting light in our life we are removing all traces of darkness because they cannot dwell together after all darkness is defined as the absence of light. One day in institute we referred to the water bottle metaphor. We talked about how when you fill the water bottle with water or good things (Light) there is no room for air or sin (darkness) but if you get rid of some of the water there is more room for air. By filling our bottle with light we are removing all darkness because the darkness cannot occupy the areas where there is light.

In his address President Uchtdorf refers to John 8:12 "I am the light of the word: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life". Through following the Savior we are able to continue in our growth and live to fulfill our potential. The idea of light and its application in the gospel fascinates me and I hope that as I study the scriptures and the words of our prophets that I will continue to learn more about the light and how to have it in my life.

Elder Bednar did a three part series concerning the ideas of light, this is the first.

By the way... My 100th post! Go me!!!

Springtime is here!!!

This week has been crazy!!!! Thursday was the semi-finals for the Volleyball tournament. Because BYU was ranked #1 the games were played at BYU. The first game was between Long Beach and U.C. Irvine, it was a good game but because the winner didn't matter as much to me I wasn't so invested in the game. The next game was BYU playing against UCLA. This was one of the best volleyball games I have been to this season! BYU lost the first 2 sets and everyone was disappointed. Then on the third set BYU started playing better and won the set! The fourth set was close but BYU ended up winning that one too. We then started the fifth set and it was intense! Both teams played well but in the the end BYU pulled ahead and won the set 15-10. The cheers in the Fieldhouse were deafening! It was so exciting to win the game and move on to the Finals! Saturday night I went to watch the finals and it was great but the game was not as exciting as Thursdays game. BYU won the match with a sweep and won the title! I am so glad that the volleyball team did well this year! I love the games and they are something I look forward to every year!

I also worked a lot this week... There were a lot of events going on due to graduation. I love working the graduation events but this year was interesting. Technically I would have graduated this year (I have been at college four years already!) but because of changes within my major I don't graduate until next year. Although I don't graduate for a year I have many friends who graduated this past week and it was crazy to me to see everyone decked out in their cap and gown with their family everywhere! I am so excited for graduation and seeing everyone else graduating has made me even more anxious... I can't believe I have to wait another year because of my internship!

In other news... My internship, I had a meeting the other day and we talked about themes and decorations for a classroom. I am struggling with ideas for my classroom theme. I don't want to do anything too cookie-cutter but I have not had any extremely creative ideas at the moment... Oh well, I have about 3 months to plan for it!!! I get to go to my school and meet my facilitator in a couple of weeks and I cannot wait! I have so many questions and I can't wait to get started actually planning my year! :)

By the way... I have created a new group blog (see it here.)! I'm super excited for it... The idea is for everyone to post little things that make their life better. A gratitude journal of sorts. I think that it can be a good thing to have when I need something to cheer me up!

Well I think that's about it for now but I do have one last thing to share... There is a new Mormon Message that talks about love and loving as Christ loves I hope that we can all come to accept those who are different from us and that we can realize that "different is good!" I truly believe that if we put forth the effort and learn to accept people for who they are we will see them as Christ sees them and recognize who they can become!

The Will of God

I have been re-reading one of my favorite books. This book focuses on living your life with a focus on the Gospel and growth in your situation. I have been contemplating some of the ideas within this book and I would like to share some of those thoughts today...

I would like to address the idea of goals. I am not the person I want to be. I like to think that I am a good person but I know I can be better. In making goals to improve myself I need to remember that "the achievement of some important goals in our lives is subject to more than the timing of the Lord. Some personal achievements are also subject to the agency of others... Do you see the difference between committing to what you will do, in contrast to trying to plan that you will be... married by the time you graduate from college or that you will earn at least X amount of dollars on your first job?" This thought was poignant to me it is important that I not make goals that depend on someone else. The book goes on to state that though we cannot justify goals that are 'subject to the agency of others' we can develop goals that will help us be better prepared. "Life has some strange turns. Do your best and then trust in the Lord and his timing." If we can have patience enough to accept the Lords timing we will be blessed! That does not mean that we wait to live our live we need to make plans an prepare to move on with our lives but we also need to stay focused on the Lord and strive to follow his will. Elder Oaks stated "Do not rely on planning every event of your life- even every important event. Stand ready to accept the Lord's planning and the agency of others in matters that inevitably affect you. Plan, of course, but fix your planning on personal commitments that will carry you through no matter what happens." I know that I can grow in many ways and I know that as I struggle to improve myself I can always trust in the Lord and ask for guidance and he will give it to me!

Sunday thoughts

I have so many family and friends at the moment who are on missions or leaving soon on a mission so I get a lot of missionary emails. I love reading these emails and seeing how much these family and friends have grown and applying their knowledge to my life. One of my friends recently challenged those back home to share a message every week that will strengthen or comfort someone else. I am going to try just that...


While looking at the Mormon Channel on Youtube I found this video. The video focuses on courage and perseverance. It refers to the story of Ester and the faith and courage that she needed, to accomplish the things asked of her. The story of Ester is one of my favorites. I'd like to think that I could be as faithful as her if the situation ever arose, so likening Ester to modern women of the church really made an impression on me. I know that we can do hard things. Like Ester and many others we are not alone, we have the support system of our family, friends, ward members, Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. As long as we are striving to be our best we will have the strength and courage to go on. I hope you enjoy this...

Moments That Matter Most

I'll be short and sweet today but I just want to say how thankful I am for the time we have on this Earth and the knowledge that I have of life after this Earth. I hope that we may all work to make the best of our situations and learn to devote our time to others! Here are a couple of videos that I have loved this week and I hope you enjoy them too...

Sunday Thoughts

We were talking about something in my Religion class that got me thinking of a parallel between God and I. My teacher was talking about why we get married, why we follow the word of wisdom, why we are charitable, etc. and the answer given was that we do these things because God does these things. Think about how happy he is when we follow in his footsteps? Now here comes the parallel... When I was younger, and my young cousins were younger they looked up to me! They would walk around with me and often, when I would do something they would do the same thing. It was always exciting for me to have my cousins doing the same thing as I. I loved feeling so important. I enjoyed the friendship that came as a result. Now that I am older and they are older things are different, they do not always follow me they entertain themselves and I always feel a little left out because they do not pay so much attention to me anymore. Of course they still like me and occasionally we will play but not as often. I think that God probably feels the same way when we do not give as much attention to him when we get busy, when we start slacking on our relationship with him. 

I was watching some of the Mormon Messages today and I found this one that I really liked, so here it is...

You Matter to Him

I had the opportunity to teach the lesson this week in Relief Society. This was a new experience for me (I was subbing, it was a one time thing ;)  ) but it was a good experience for me. This week the lesson was based on a talk You Matter to Him by President Uchtdorf an amazing talk if you haven't read it you should! If you get bored or you want an esteem boost look it up. We had a great discussion concerning the points made in this talk and I wanted to share what I learned through the discussion today...

The first point I want to share is the idea of the paradox of man. The idea that "compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God" I think it is important to recognize the importance of perspective in our lives. I am not so great as I would like to be, I make mistakes, I sin, and there is always something I 'could have done better' but at the same time I am a Daughter of God. Christ performed the infinite atonement for my benefit. He cares about me and that makes me worth it!

According to President Uchtdorf, Satan recognizes the paradox of man and appeals to the extremes of the paradox. Some people he leads to feel prideful, "he tells them that they have transcended the ordinary and that because of ability, birthright, or social status, they are set apart...". Others he leads to feel as though they are insignificant or that they are of not worth. Through appealing to the extremes Satan is manipulating people and they are losing perspective. By recognizing that the paradox of man depends upon God's perspective we are able to recognize the importance of it.

"God knows that some of the greatest souls who have ever lived are those who will never appear in the chronicles of history. They are the blessed, humble souls who emulate the Savior's example and spend the days of their lives doing good". We don't need to be famous, and we don't need to seek for recognition; we only need to trust in God and live by being an example to others. Everything we do will have an effect on someone else! We must not ever get caught in the idea that we are worthless because in reality every second counts. We are always doing something that will effect someone else. Even if it is something as silly as buying a piece of gum every action taken will reach farther than yourself and it is important to keep that in mind and recognize that the way you spend your time, the activities you choose to participate in are effecting people other than yourself!


Okay so this video gets a little corny about halfway through but it is an amazing idea to help us keep perspective!