My Week of Gratitude

For my Book of Mormon class I have Brother Todd Parker and I absolutely love him and all of his class lectures. One of the assignments that he has given to his classes is titled the "Application Paper". In this assignment we are all to choose a scripture each week and focus on living the message and doctrine that it teaches. We then must write a one page response describing how we applied this doctrine into our lives and what our thoughts on it were. This past week i choose to pick 2 Nephi 9:52 in which it says "...remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night..." I really enjoy this scripture because it focuses on how we should be grateful for all that we are given. So to apply this scripture I decided to make this last week my week of gratitude. I decided that when I prayed I would only pray about things that I was grateful for and not for things that I wanted or desired. I tried to have a positive attitude in everything that I did. Whenever something bad happened I tried to think of what was good about that situation or what I could possibly learn from it. At first this was difficult and I really had to focus on what I was saying, but I knew that it was be pleasing to the Lord so I decided to continue with it.

During my week of gratitude i specifically remember one event that really stood out to me and made me wonder how grateful I really was for everything. It occurred when I was, as always, dying, sweating, and struggling up that Freshman hill in between to Helamen Halls and the Tanner building (I am sure most of you know exactly what I am talking about). Then out of no where some guy walked past me whistling the song "Count Your Many Blessings". At first I was thinking, "Wow, this guy is really...interesting...", but then as I continued to trek up the steep daunting hill I started thinking about the words to the song. The words had so much more meaning to me as i realized how much God truly does for me on a daily basis and because of my dedicated week of gratitude I was able to see how much He really does love me. I am so blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! I am so grateful to know that if I live righteously I will be able to live with my family forever. I am so grateful to know that I am a daughter of God and that He loves me. So I guess you could say that I completely fulfilled my Book of Mormon class requirement and applied the scriptures to my life by making my past week my week of gratitude!

The forget-me-not

This past weekend was the first general relief society address I have ever watched or listened to. I have to admit that I really enjoyed it, but it also felt weird to know that I am now a member of the relief society because I still as if I am too young. In the address, my favorite talk was the concluding talk given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. As he began he shared a German legend about a flower called a forget-me-not. The legend says that during the creation, God created all of the plants and animals and then named them. However, this flower was so small that it thought that the Lord had forgotten about him. So the flower shouted out to the Lord, "Forget me not!" However, the Lord forgets nothing and no one; so "forget-me-not" became the name of this beautiful flower. Uchtdorf then relates all people to this flower saying that as humans we forget many things, but to try to perfect ourselves and attempt to become like God, we must follow five "forget-me-not" rules.

The first rule is to "forget not" to be compassionate and patient with yourself. As children of God, we must realize that we are not perfect and that no one else around us is perfect. God wants us to stop comparing our weaknesses to other strengths. However, this does not mean that we are to stop working on becoming better people, it means that we must stop punishing ourselves when we feel we are lacking in certain areas. Then, with God's help, we will be able to turn these weaknesses into our own strengths.

The second rule  is that we must "forget not" the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice. One example Uchtdorf gave of a good sacrifice is when you dedicate time for studying the scriptures or preparing for a lesson. On the other hand, a foolish sacrifice would be to stay up late and sacrifice sleep in order to stitch the title of your lesson into potholders. We must ask ourselves, "am i committing my time and energies to the things that matter most in this life?"

As a third rule, Uchtdorf said to "forget not" to be happy now. He explained this through the use of another analogy in which he talked about the children's story "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". He said that people tend to always be waiting for the next "Golden Ticket" in life and then once it comes, they can not wait for the next ticket to arrive. It is not bad to be excited and look forward to the upcoming event in our lives, but the problem comes when we put our happiness on hold. “The lesson here," Uchtodorf said, "is that if we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we could miss the beauty and wonder of the tiny forget-me-not's that are all around us."

Uchtdorf's fourth rule is that we must "forget not" the "why" of the gospel. As humans, we tend to see the gospel as a long "to-do" list and once we have finished, we simply check things off. We know what the Lord wants us to do, but we can sometimes forget why. This gospel is not an obligation but a pathway that we ourselves can choose. If we choose it, it will bring us happiness in this life and in the life to come.

The last "forget-me-not" rule is to "forget not" that the Lord loves you. Like the forget-me-not flower we can sometimes feel as if we are forgotten, small, and insignificant in this world, but as a child of God, we are never forgotten and we are always loved.

As Uchtdorf concluded his talk he asked the sisters in the meeting to make sure that the other "forget-me-not" flowers are not forgotten by being kind and loving to others. As a daughter of God, I know that my Father in Heaven loves me and knows me individually. He knows everyone and loves everyone just as much. I know that at times it feels as if I am alone, but i never truly am. He will always be there for me and He will always love me. I am so grateful for this gospel and the opportunity to know that I can live with my creator again. I know that President Uchtdorf is called of God and that he receives inspiration directly from God. I know that if i follow his words given through his living prophets, i will be blessed and be able to live with him once more.

An Inspired Calling

To start off this post I would like to explain how amazing my mom is and I know that I have already bragged about my spectacular family, but I simply can not resist doing it again! My mom is one of the most compassionate and service oriented people I have every meet. She is always the one to offer service to anyone in need and is known throughout our stake and community as the kindest lady. To some, her nickname is "Angel" and it is obvious why...she is simply AMAZING!!!

Ever since I was little, I remember my mom trying to teach my siblings and I how to be kind, compassionate, and offer service towards others. Every night at the dinner table she would ask us all what we had done that day to serve others. It did not matter if what we had to say was big or small, we just had to say something. Sometimes it would be hard to remember to give service to someone but because of my mom's teachings, it has become easier to notice the needs of others.

As I headed off this past month to come up to BYU, my mom gave me one last piece of advice. She told me that everything would be difficult and strange as I started my new life away from home. However, she warned me that I should never forget how to serve and be compassionate towards others. So this past month I have been praying and asking the Lord how I could follow my mom's advice better. Then in church my bishop announced that they would be giving out callings. Of course i was freaking out thinking that i was going to be called to be Relief Society President, but when the call came I was surprised and excited. My bishop called me to be the compassionate service leader for my ward. I am not fully aware of everything that this calling entitles but I know that it was called of God and that he was answering my prayers. Whatever I am asked to do, I know that the Lord will help me. He loves me and with the help of Him and my mother, I will be able to become a kinder and more compassionate person and be able to fulfill my calling to the best of my ability.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

I would just like to start off  by saying that I love my family so much and that they are the absolutely the greatest! I love my parents and my siblings like crazy and no other family can even try to compare! Sorry to brag, but I am just blessed! :) Having come from such an amazing family, I have such a strong testimony of the plan of Salvation. I love my siblings and my parents so much and am so grateful to know that I will have the opportunity to live with all of them again if i live righteously. As a latter-day saint, I am blessed to have modern day prophets who receive direct revelation from God for our day. In one of their recent addresses to the world, titled "The Family: A Proclamation to the World", the first presidency and the council of the twelve apostles discusses the divine right of individual children of God, the sacredness of the institution of the family, and the roles of a father and a mother.

Individually we are all described as "beloved spirit son[s] or daughter[s] or heavenly parents" and were all created in the image of our Father in Heaven. With this knowledge we must learn to treat others with kindness and remember that everyone is a sacred creation of our Heavenly parents. We must act accordingly in order to receive our divine inheritance. We all came to earth to obtain a physical body and learn how to become like our Savior, a perfect being.

Continuing on, the proclamation starts to focus less on the individual and more on a man and wife as equal partners. As the Lord commands in Genesis 1:28, we must "be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" in order to build his kingdom up and allow other spirit children the opportunity to obtain a physical body. However, these sacred powers are to only be used between a husband and wife and as husband and wife, they must raise their children unto the Lord. Each child is "entitled to birth" and as a child of God they must be provided for, loved, and taught of the ways of Christ. These are parents "sacred dut[ies]".

As most people know, happiness and successful relationships do not simply come. You must work for them. In my own family I know this to be true because we have not always been as close with each other as we are now. We have always loved each other and enjoyed each others company, but only after many years have we built strong relationships with one another. In this proclamation, it is advised that in order to have a happy family, your lives must be centered around the Savior and his teachings. Fathers must "preside" and "provide" for their families while mothers must be "responsible for the nurture of their children". Together with the Lord a happy and strong family unit can be built. I am so grateful for my parents willingness to follow the prophets teachings. They always have loved me and my siblings unconditionally and have always taught my family in love and righteousness. I LOVE MY ETERNAL FAMILY!!!!!!

A Child of God

For my writing 150 class I was recently assigned to read "A Child of God" by President Henry B. Erying. In this address, it is stressed that to pursue educational excellence here at BYU everyone must know that they are children of God and what specifically that divine right entails. President Erying began by saying that as children of God, we must free ourselves of pride for it is "the great spiritual destroyer" of all men. Instead, we must become humble because "the way to humility is also the doorway to educational excellence". To combat pride we must remember our Heavenly Father and the atoning sacrifice our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As the talk continues, President Erying highlights what he believes to be the greatest five characteristic behaviors to be a great learner and achieve educational excellence. The first characteristic behavior is to welcome and seek out correction. This can be hard because as humans we like to think that our thoughts and actions are correct and perfect. When in reality, others can see our divine heritage as more than we are. The second characteristic behavior is to keep commitments. In a learning community, we must live up to society's "accepted standards". In doing so others will trust us more and in return, they will keep their commitments with us. President Erying's third characteristic is that great learners work hard and know that "hard work is the only reasonable option". The fourth characteristic is service to others. Learners who are willing to help others are not "absorbed only in themselves" but have the ability to see that "every person they will ever meet is a child of God". The fifth and final characteristic is that a great learner expects resistance and overcomes it. Yes various aspects of our lives can become extremely difficult; however, we can't get too discouraged because resistance polishes us for the better. As President Erying concludes his talk he says that the time to start to pursue educational excellence is now. Having grown up in the church I already knew from a young age that I was a child of God, but I had never combined that knowledge with my education. I must realize the divine heritage of myself and of others around me and I must "do it now".