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