what can i learn from this?

a few months ago, i don't recall when or where, i heard a talk saying that during trials instead of asking god "why me?" we should be asking him "what can i learn from this?" this turns our trials into great learning and growing experiences. ever since i heard that talk i have been focusing on asking god the right questions and it has actually made me become grateful for trials. the lord knows us so much better than we know ourselves and every trial we go through stretches us and allows us to become more like him. we have so much potential for growth. right now i am going through some trials very similar to ones i went through six months ago. it amazes me who much more easily i can handle them now. it is a reminder of how much i have grown which lets me know how much more i can grow.

who we are

"Our children learn more from who we are than what we do."

that is a quote from a high council speaker who spoke in my ward two weeks ago and i have been repeating it over and over in my head ever since. at first i was a little taken back when i heard this quote: of course it matters what we do! but he didn't say it didn't matter, he just said children learn more from who we are. it's true. looking back on my childhood i don't remember what stories my parents read me or all the games we played, but i do remember the type of people my parents were. i still notice the type of people my parents are.

the best way to prepare to be a parent or to become a better parent is to work on bettering yourself.

light and love

Ever since my junior year of high school i have been swept up in transcendental writers such as Emerson and Thoreau. Their words are so beautiful and they speak so much truth even though they were living at a time when the gospel wasn't on the earth. Right now I am reading "Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. One thing I have been taught since my seminary days is that all light is Christ, and that's not just figuratively but literal. Last night as I was reading Emerson I came across these words which really stuck out to me, "There is not object so foul that intense light will not make beautiful." wow. That is so beautiful and rings true on so many levels: trials, service, missionary work...etc. A lot of times we doubt too much. We doubt others, we doubt ourselves, we doubt the lord--when in reality there is nothing so messy it can't be cleaned up with the lord's help. Also on the subject of light=Christ: it has been rainy and cloudy the past couple days and this shortage of sunshine has made everyone become a little more lethargic and a little bit more cranky. That's exactly how it is when we have a shortage of the savior. We aren't as happy and we aren't as motivated. It is so important to remember Christ and keep Him in our lives. He is always there for us we just need to do our part to feel His light and His love.

he sees us

i always have to giggle to myself at work when i talk to southerners because they are so open about god and religion. it is almost a guarantee when you ask a southerner how they are doing they will answer with "i am blessed." yesterday i spoke with a woman, and what she said really stuck out to me all day. She said, "every morning i ask the lord to bless every person i speak to. i may not see you but he does." those sentences kept playing over and over in my head all day. first of all, what a great example of a truly unselfish prayer. secondly, it is so true that the lord sees us. he truly knows us, and he sees us at times when it feels no one else does.

comfort he brings

blue eyes cry

tired eyes sleep

hushed lips try

my secret to keep

loving eyes smile

knowing eyes teach

gentle hands guide

caring arms reach

salty tears dry

happy heart sings

my savior's nearby

comfort He brings

l

i have being feeling so much gratitude toward my savior lately. we live in a world where you constantly have to put on a perfect face, convince the world that you are good enough, and that you have no flaws--yet nobody knows the true you. the savior knows exactly who we are, what we are going through, and how we are feeling. and even though he sees (and has suffered for) all of our imperfections, he still loves us unconditionally.

the power to rise above

I recently just finished reading the book Twilight, which is definitely not church literature (although it was written by an lds author), but a quote in the book really stuck out to me. To preface, the book is about a girl who falls in love with a vampire (sounds cheesy, i know--but it really is a good read). Bella, the heroine of the story, has many questions for Edward, the vampire she falls in love with. She asked him how he could resist what he is, here is his response:
"just because we've been...dealt a certain hand...it doesn't mean that we can't choose to rise above--to conquer the boundaries of a destiny that none of us wanted. To try to retain whatever essential humanity we can." This really stuck out to me because each of us are sometimes dealt a hand we definitely wouldn't choose--we have to deal with putting off the natural man every single day, but that doesn't mean we can't do it. It is never impossible to rise above our shortcomings. There may be times we think we can't rise above but there is always a loving savior there who knows exactly what we are going through, because he has gone through it too.

all is as one day

i am an avid journal writer, and i feel that is something that has really blessed my life. just the other night i was feeling a little in the dumps and decided to flip through an old journal to see what was going on in my life at that point. it amazed me as i read to see how long ago yet how close those things seemed. it made me realize how important it is to keep an eternal perspective. all is as one day in the lord. it also amazed me to see my testimony progress, which helped me to better understand the purpose of trials. it is so important when going through trials that instead of asking, "why this?" we ask "what can i learn from this?" it really does make all the difference.

making the extra effort

It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord truly blesses us when we are obedient to Him. Even when going through the hardest of trials, it makes all the difference in the world when we choose not to go it alone. Things that can seem so little...kneeling to pray, starting your fast or scripture study with a sincere prayer, writing in your journal...do not go unnoticed by the Lord. This weekend I made an extra effort to put the Lord first by choosing the best possible choices I could and I received an outpouring of spiritual, and amazingly enough, temporal blessings.

choosing the best part

on sunday i was really inspired by this talk by Elder Oaks which our relief society lesson was formed around. My favorite quote from the talk: "We have to forgo some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families."
this is exactly what i was needing to hear. i recently got out of a relationship and it was really hard for me because i was really compatible with this young man. out of all the people i have dated i have never felt so relaxed and so much myself around someone. i was devastated when we broke up because i truly couldn't imagine ever being so compatible with another person. after a while i realized that although i was very compatible with this person we were not on the same level spiritually, which is so important. on sunday this talk really hit home because although things were good, they weren't the best they could be. i had been praying for heavenly father to help me get over this break up, and on sunday it was as though this lesson was meant just for me. another tender mercy.

my life is a gift

i am getting ready to go here (it will be my first time going to the new rexburg temple)

for some guidance and inspiration. i have really been wanting to go, but it is only open for baptisms (without a group reservation) from 11-4 each week day and i get off work at 4. i was considering using vacation time so i could get off work to go. well, today it was very slow at work and they were asking for volunteers to go home. i was able to get off, so now i have a chance to go!!! so i went home and got my things together and when i got in the car i heard a beautiful instrumental arrangement of this primary song, and even though primary was a long time ago the words came right to my mind--they were exactly what i needed to hear:

l

lMy life is a gift; my life has a plan.

My life has a purpose; in heav’n it began.

My choice was to come to this lovely home on earth

And seek for God’s light to direct me from birth.

I will follow God’s plan for me,

Holding fast to his word and his love.

I will work, and I will pray;

I will always walk in his way.

Then I will be happy on earth

And in my home above.

(I will follow God's Plan, pg. 164-65)

l

i love the tender mercies of the lord.

this is my little testimony for the world to see

it seems like lately i haven't been a very happy person, and i think it is because i have been focusing on my trials and not my blessings. i know that the lord loves me and blesses me in many ways. i know that the key to true happiness is through faith in the lord, and that through him all things are possible.
l
so here it is, my blog dedicated to all things spiritual. a place for me to come and reflect and to name my blessings one by one.
l
feeling inspired by: sarah, mary, and the gospel of jesus christ.