Smack Dab In The Middle!

As I come to the close of my mission, I've pondered and reflected on the many lessons and experiences I've had! What a journey it has been. Many people have been asking me however, "How do you feel almost being done with your mission?" Elder Uchtdorf explains it best ;)

"There will be moments of beginnings and moments of endings throughout our lives, but these are only markers along the way of the great middle of our eternal lives. Whether we are at the beginning or the end, whether we are young or old, the Lord can use us for His purposes if we simply set aside whatever thoughts limit our ability to serve and allow His will to shape our lives.

Being always in the middle means that the game is never over, hope is never lost, defeat is never final. For no matter where we are or what our circumstances, an eternity of beginnings and an eternity of endings stretch out before us."

 

Wherever we may be in our lives, never forget that we're only in the middle! Be happy with where you are and find joy in the journey :)

Smokey sky, wish you goodbye!

 While on my mission here in Montana, I've enjoyed seeing and taking in the beauty and grandeur of it's landscapes and terrain. There are endless mountain ranges, valleys, lakes and so forth. Truly fits it's nickname as "God's country."

Recently though, the air has been filled with smoke along with ash falling from the sky! Something I've NEVER experienced before and quite frankly, it's not pretty and hard to breathe :/
Anyways, it has been about 3 weeks and every morning I wake up and say, "Today is going to be the day! No smoke baby!" Then I look out the window and what do you know it's still smokey :/

Today was different though. I said the usual, "Today is going to be the day! No smoke baby!" Looked out the window and what do you know?! IT IS CRYSTAL CLEAR :) Taught me a lesson. No matter how gloomy our day may be, no matter how hazy our circumstance is, regardless of how long it may all last. There is hope! There is hope that one day things will improve if we endure and remain positive. Never lose hope and know that all things will be made right through the atonement of Jesus Christ. :)

 

Wax it up!

Have you ever made a homemade candle before?! Well it's a pretty sweet process! You start with merely NOTHING! Just a simple piece of string is all! What happens next is a miracle to me. You dip that little piece of string into a pot of melted wax. You pull it out, let it harden up and then dip it back in again. Time and time again you dip it in and pull it out and wait for it to harden before you stick it back in for another coating.
The same is with our relationship with God and prayer! It starts out by just having a little bit of faith. As you continue to pray, your relationship with God continues to grow and becomes stronger!

"And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me." -2 Nephi 4:24

I know that as we pray, our Father in heaven is listening and will answer our prayers! Keep prayin' and waxin' stonger every day :)

You're supposed to say YES!

Have you ever asked your parents something and they gave you a response that wasn't what you wanted them to say and you thought to yourself, "They don't know anything! I just want to have fun. Why don't they understand?!"

You then proceeded to do it anyways. Ever done that before? Pretty sure we're in the same boat, because I've done that a few times myself. At first, I felt I was being so independent and rebellious with my defiant stance! I soon came to realize all I did was lose the trust of my parents, felt awful about doing something wrong and lastly, I restricted myself even more from further opportunities. 

We do the same thing with God's laws and His counsel at times. It's illustrated pretty well in the scriptures.

"Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide." 
-Helaman 12:6

When we "set at naught" the counsel and commandments we receive from God, we lose the light we once obtained and our lives begin to be filled with darkness. Our agency becomes limited and we have no promise from God. 

Let us listen and obey and know that God is on our side and knows what is best for us!

Time to get messy!

Thinking of my childhood and reminiscing on all the crazy things I did for entertainment, I remembered one of my favorite things to do. That was to play in the mud after a good hard Texas thunderstorm! Mud in Texas is a bit different though, It's really just a bunch of clay. I could be really creative with it most the time, but usually just made a mess everywhere ;)

Clay for me, back in the glory days, was simply something fun to get dirty in and play with. Now clay has a much more significant meaning for me. My understanding has been enlarged as I've studied the scriptures.

The Lord is our potter and we are clay in his hands. He is the one who shapes and molds into what He knows we can become! :)

"But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." -Isaiah 64:8

When we remember that it is the Lord shaping and molding us, we will have a greater understanding and perspective of why certain things happen in our lives.

"Hath not the potter power over the clay," - Romans 9:21

When we allow the Lord to shape and mold us, as He sees fit, He will use us to bless the lives of others! 

"When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay." -John 9:6

Who we are and what were made of is a great deal of how much we've allowed the Lord to work in our lives! :)

"..for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? -Isaiah 29:16

Mountains to Climb

 

I love this picture because when you look at someone on top of a mountain, you can be sure that they didn't just "arrive" at the top. It took effort, dedication, work and a desire. 

I think the same is with our lives. We don't just "arrive" at various pinnacles in our lives. We have to work everyday to climb higher and further!

Since being in Montana the past few months I have LOVED gazing at the beauty and grandeur of the mountains here! There is just something refreshing about standing on top of a mountain and knowing,

 "I just climbed this! Look how far I've come!" 

"On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow." 

-Friedrich Nietzsche 

Never give up hope! Sure the climb is steep. Sure it's rocky. Sure there may be cracks in your path. Just never stop! I know you can keep going :)

Get out of the maze!

Have you ever been in a predicament where you feel like you have no direction? Where you feel you don't know how to get out  or away from your current problem? Do you feel lonely and like no one is there for you? Maybe you're just frustrated about your situation and want a change!

We ALL experience feelings like these throughout our lives! Sometimes more frequently than others. Regardless, we may feel trapped in a maze with chaos and confusion all around us.

So what do we do?! 

Remember first of all that everything happens for a reason! 

Remember that we are sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father!

That we chose to come to this earth to progress and grow!

Remember that we must look at things from His perspective, not our limited view!

L. Whitney Clayton once said,

"Our unique individual experiences can help us prepare to return to Him. The adversity and afflictions that are ours, however difficult to bear, last, from heaven’s perspective, for “but a small moment; and then, if [we] endure it well, God shall exalt [us] on high.” We must do everything we can to bear our burdens “well” for however long our “small moment” carrying them lasts."

I testify that as we remember these things, and remain positive and optimistic, relying upon God, that we may overcome any obstacle or tough time in our lives :) When we do we will have a perspective from on high! 

HANG IN THERE AND DON'T GIVE UP! YOU'RE NOT ALONE :)

What Did You Say?!

This blog I want all of us to go back to those glorious days where we took peanut butter and jelly in a brown bag to lunch and had an hour for recess! Yes I'm talking about those wonderful days of school :)

We all had a teacher in our classroom. On the first day they would go over what the rules of their classroom were, how we were supposed to behave, what would make us good students, etc. Throughout the year they taught, instructed, supervised and helped us to become the best students we could be! Sometimes we listened to the teacher and other times we didn't.

So why in the world did we even have teachers? We knew what to do didn't we? I'm sure you can think back and remember what would happen in a classroom the minute your teacher walked out of your classroom can't you?! Everyone went chaotic huh? At least in my class they would! Kids would pull out their phones, paper airplanes would be flying, friends started talking to each other, and on and on! Just think for a second what it was like when your teachers left the room! What happened to those rules that were there for us to follow and make us successful? We threw them out the door with the teacher! haha

This is exactly how it was and has always been when God has called a prophet as well! A prophets role is primarily to testify and teach of Christ. They also instruct us on matters that are necessary for our salvation, they prophecy of things to come, they interpret scripture and most of all lead us on the path of righteousness! Like a teacher in a classroom, the prophet provides the way for us to be successful in our lives. The way to find happiness and eventually return home to our Heavenly Father. We can either choose to accept and follow his direction and counsel or choose to disregard it. It's up to us.

I testify that God has once again has called a prophet in our time. We don't have to be like the students in that chaotic room. The heavens are still opened and God speaks to us just as in times past! His name is Thomas S. Monson and I'm proud to say he has been called of God to lead and guide us in this troubled world!

What Is That?!

Ever seen some of these things before?! This is what we would call, SHOE TREES! You stick them in your shoes to keep the form! It's like the cardboard and paper in your shoe when you first get new shoes.

While on my mission, I've been asked so many times what these things are and then have to go into this whole explanation of what they are, why I use them and so forth. They may look really odd, out of place and pointless, but once you understand the purpose and the stability they will give to your dress shoes, you really can't go without them! 

Missionaries shoes get dented, wrinkled, oddly shaped, loose and so on from countless of hours walking each day. Mine on the other hand stay firm, tight, formed and still look brand new after a year and a half! How do I do it? I use shoe trees! 

If these shoe trees were related to anything it would be to the gospel! At first glance you might think, "How in the world is going to church, praying, reading my scriptures or helping others really supposed to help me?" Once you try it out and apply them, they begin to have a whole new meaning to you! The gospel will support you when you feel all has fallen or is lost. It will bring stability to a hectic and busy life. It will strengthen you in times of trial and agony. The gospel of Jesus Christ will truly mold you into what our Father in Heaven wants you to become!  

Using the shoe trees or applying the gospel in your life doesn't mean you will never have any troubles or worries in your life. The gospel will simply allow you to deal with the obstacles in your life to overcome and solve them, while others fret and stress over the simple wrinkles in life. So you could use shoe trees if you'd like to, but more importantly, use the gospel of Jesus Christ in your life! You will be amazed how it will support and strengthen you :) I know it will because it has ALWAYS helped me! 

http://mormon.org/jesus-christ/

Does God Really Love You?

 I was reading in a magazine this morning and came across this WONDERFUL thought! At times in our lives I know we wonder if God is really there or if He really loves us. You may go through a hard time and feel God has forgotten you or maybe you've gone through your entire life and have never felt God's love in your life. Whatever your circumstance may be I want you to read and remember this thought given to us by an apostle of the Lord.

“[God] loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked. 

What this means is that, regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us.”

      -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I too testify that no matter where we are, who we are, or what we are going through, GOD LOVES YOU! And so do I!

Don't forget to check yourself!

So I've been thinking about the world we live in today and how easy it is for us to sin or fall short with so many distractions and temptations fighting for our attention. It's pretty ridiculous if you ask me! I can hardly walk down the sidewalk without seeing something offensive or vulgar.

 I was reading in my scriptures the other day and came across this verse, from the prophet Mormon in the Book of Mormon. He gives this counsel for every single one of us. This is what he says...

"Be wise....'strip yourself' of all uncleanness."

-Mormon 9:28

What in the world does it mean to 'strip yourself of all uncleanness' ?

Well hopefully this will help you understand! I've just taken the word 'strip' and created an acronym with it!

Stop : Take a second to ponder the things you think about, the things you say, and of course the things you do!
Think : How do these things affect you? Are they uplifting and wholesome? Do they inspire you and drive you to become better? Is it satisfying a need, diminishing the spirit? Do you justify your actions or make excuses? Do you feel like you have to hide what you're doing or do it in private?
Realize & Respond : If anything you're doing is wrong or not beneficial for you, realize that you can make a change in your life and make it right.
Implement : Make a list of things you could do to change these things in your life. Whether it's refraining from a certain group of friends, doing different activities, making new hobbies, etc.
Press Forward : Our change for good has to be greater than our desire for sin. As you make changes, rely on the Lord's help and strive each day to become cleaner!

Remember that each day is a new day! Wake up each morning with a stronger determination to do a little more to become a little better! I know you can do it! 

What if finding the right way to go in life was this easy?!

I sure do wish that it was this easy sometimes, but I've come to find out it isn't. With a new year ahead of us I'm sure MANY of us want to improve our lives and hopefully find that right path so we can become successful in our lives! So what do we do so we can? Well a wise man named M. Russel Ballard once said, 

"I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life"

Let's not just make New Year resolutions, but let's make goals and plans throughout the year that will stretch and make us work to reach our potential nad become successful!

What's in your present?!

Christmas time is filled with excitement, anticipation, holiday cheer, food, family and of course presents! I remember many sleepless Christmas Eve nights anticipating what I would wake up and find in the morning underneath the tree for me! Was it a new bike? A brand new football? The newest ipod? Or maybe even a puppy!

My mind was always cluttered with what I was going to get for Christmas. I had made sure everyone around me knew what I wanted so my wish list wasn't forgotten! I'm sure you could relate too ;)

Well what if we were to open our gifts this year and they were empty? Would we look like this child?!

Or would we smile knowing we gave others everything we could and didn't need anything in return?

I know we can get caught up in everything WE want for Christmas, but this year let's see what others around us stand in need of and forget ourselves for once! It's better to give than receive :)

A gift given is a gift that will always be remembered :)

REFLECTION!

I was thinking the other day about our reflections. We see our reflections all the time as we pass a mirror, a car window, off some glass, all over the place! Sometimes we like what we see, other times maybe we don't like what we see. One thing for sure though is that others see us no matter what! Others see how we feel, if we're motivated, what we look like, whether we're happy or not, excited, tired, busy, hurt and everything else. So how can we make sure that we have a good reflection all the time?

 "..watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives.."

-Mosiah 4:30

Let's make sure all we do reflects our faith in Jesus Christ and love for him! Take that leap of faith each day to do what is right! May the Lord be our guide in all that we do and may we reach great heights with His assistance :)

And for those of us who don't like what we're doing right now, let's wash our face and change our attitude and our actions to inspire, lift and encourage ourselves and those around us! Let others see how our lives reflect our love for the Lord!

Have a lot on your mind?

In today's society we have more than enough to think about and do. We have so many activities, meetings, and appointments to make. Work to be done, kids to take care of, parties to attend and decisions to make. You may wonder at the end of the day, "WOW! Where did the day go?"  

So what do we do when are schedules are hectic and we have too much to do? We cannot confuse ourselves and think that merely being busy means being productive. We need to take a step back and review what we are doing and what's most important.

"We have to forego 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."

-Dallin H. Oaks

"Time marches swiftly forward to the tick of the clock. Today would be a good day, while the clock of mortality ticks, to review what we are doing to prepare to meet God."

-Ian S. Ardern

Let us each make the commitment today to do those things that will strengthen our relationship with God and our families. The things that are MOST important in our lives!

Feel Out Of Place?

Have you ever been lost and you didn't know where you were going?

Involved in something and felt that you weren't important or appreciated?

How about not understanding something and feeling like you're the ONLY one who doesn't get it?

Maybe you want to know why you're here and what you're supposed to be doing?

Well I think we've ALL been in a situation similiar to this one! If you haven't I give it up to you!

We get ourselves so worked up sometimes about things, that sometimes are not that important. This scripture came to mind as I was thinking about times I was in some of these situations...

"Be still and know that I am God."

Psalms 46:10

When life gets crazy and we feel alone, remember that God is in control. That he is mindful of our lives. He knows us personally. I have felt his love and presence in my life and as a representative of Jesus Christ, I KNOW he can help you as well. Count your blessings today and look to Him for help :)

Remember,
Jesus Loves You
SMILE :D

Did you get a boo boo?

I was pondering back on the days when I had my knee surgery almost 3 years ago now. It left scars for sure, and I look at these scars often. I thought about what my scars mean to me. They mean very many different things to me. They remind me of the effort and hard work I had to put in to become fully healed. They remind me of the love and service that was provided to me. They remind me of the determintaion to change my circumstances. They remind me to remain positive. They remind me that God answers my prayers at all times. They remind me that I'm in constant need of help from the Lord!

I'm sure each of us have been scraped, cut or bruised, whether visible or internal, that have turned into scars. Each represent and remind us of different things. May I remind you of someone who is greater than each of us who has scars as well. That person is Jesus Christ. I wondered what his scars remind him of and ran across this scripture....

"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."

    - Isaiah 49:16

May we remember that Christ is aware of each of our lives! That he loves and cares about us! He is mindful of each of lives and the struggles we are enduring. Remember to look for the tender mercies of the Lord in every thing we do. May God bless each of you :)

Bacon Anyone?

So I was told from this young boy the other day,

"No bacon is bad for you when the healthier choice is a donut!"

Take a look at these 2 pictures and decide for yourself which you think is better?!

What did you decide? Is bacon really healthier than a donut? I'm not here to tell you because I'm no health nutritionist, but I do KNOW that bacon has some protein in it! It has GOT to be healthier than a donut for you! Right?

Well sometimes our decisions are between many good things, that either decision could be good for us! If that's the case, I believe Elder Dallin H. Oaks says it best!

"We have to forego 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."

So back to the decision between bacon or a donut. Maybe the BEST choice would be neither. The better choice could be a whole grain waffle with fruit and a nice glass of orange juice! :)

The choice is up to you to choose in your own life. Our decisions are often more meaningful than our breakfast meal, but may I encourage each of you to make the BEST decisions and always choose the right!

Box of chocolates anyone?

I was reading in the Bible the other morning and came across this scripture and it caught me by surprise!

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

Romans 5:3-5

Well I compared this to the famous quote, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get!"

I think life is truly that way. We really never know what life holds for our future. Sometimes we have it all figured out, other times we have no idea. Maybe we think we have it figured out and then the tables turn, like thinking you have the caramel filled chocolate and biting into it and realizing you just ate your least favorite, cherry filled :/ So what do we do when we eat a chocolate that maybe we didn't like or was too bitter or caused us to not want any more?

Well we keep going! Not necessarily to keep eating chocolates, but we move on with faith and hope for something better! We press forward and know that whatever lies in store for us will be better. That you will enjoy and learn something from it. So be sure you eat all the chocolates and know if you don't really like one, that there is always a better one waiting for you! :)

Hole in One

Well I received an email from my dad this week and I've been thinking alot about what he said,

 "I was thinking the other day when I was playing golf that what seems to bring back most amateurs is that one shot out of 100 that looked and felt perfect!"

I believe he is right, because I know that's the reason I continue to play golf is because of that one shot, one putt or one par for the hole! I think we can apply this in each of our lives. Sometimes there are things that we do where we feel the same way! Maybe it's that one act of service we did that drives us to continue to serve others. Maybe it's that one time we worked hard for something and achieved it! Maybe that one recipe that turned out perfect. The one answered phone call you made. Maybe a decision you felt was perfect!

There are many things that keep us going, and sometimes we only have to feel or experience it once to have a desire to continue feel that same way again! I've had many instances of this relating it to the gospel. The one prayer that God answered that keeps me praying. The one time I read the scriptures and felt is was written just for me. The one time someone taught me something about the gospel I did not know and many many more!

If you're discouraged or disappointed, remember that one time when you felt what you were doing was right and press forward with faith :)