This past week I had a pretty rough day and even though I knew of the love of my family and friends, as I sat alone, pondering, this feeling of complete loneliness came over me. Immediately following that feeling, the Savior and the words “I am with thee” came to mind. I looked up the scripture that these words belonged to, which is Isaiah 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” I know that those words were not my own as I felt a tremendous peace wash over my soul. I did not pray for peace or comfort. It just came, but I know it came because He was/is so very aware of me and of all of us. It was sure sign to me that I was not alone, and that Christ really was and is there with me. He did “walk the path utterly and completely alone”, so that we would not have to. I felt and know that He did help me, He did uplift me, and He did strengthen me. This scripture was a huge blessing to me and I hope it can be to all of you as you face challenges throughout the course of your life. I testify of the Savior; that He is with you always. “His hand is outstretched still” and He is only waiting for you to take a hold of it. I plead with you to so. I say that in His name, Jesus Christ, Amen.

I ran into the scripture, Mosiah 4:19, this past week. It says, "For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?" This scripture really stood out to me for a few reasons, but I would like to write about one that has been heavily impressed upon my mind. I love that this scripture asks the rhetorical question, "..Are we not all beggars?". This shows that, whether or not we have the same temporal social status, whether or not we are "rich or poor, black or white, bond or free, male or female"(and so on) that we are all the same. We have been created equal by God. He loves each and every one of us the same. He is the God of us all and we are all heirs to his blessings. Because of these things, I know that it is so important that we become a unified people. Let us not label each other or define one another by worldly ideologies or statuses, instead let us look through the lens of Christ and see each other as he does. Let Him be the judge and let us be his servants, disciples, and ministers. I know that as we strive to develop this heavenly unity that we will be blessed beyond what we can imagine. As with everything else in the gospel, unity will bring us joy. We will be better able to strengthen others and to be strengthened ourselves. We will become a Zionic people, full of His light. I exhort everyone to do their part to become a unified people. It will bring those blessings which I have mentioned and many more beyond what we can even comprehend. This scripture means so much to me for all of these reasons. Let us listen with our hearts and minds to the beautiful messages which it teaches.

In class this past week, we talked about the atonement, beginning in Gethsemane and ending on the cross. In discussing these sacred hours, my heart and soul was struck by several things. Our professor specifically mentioned the significance of John 19:30 which says, "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." Our professor pointed out that no mortal being could've taken Christ's life. It was completely and entirely Christ's decision when He would "give up the Ghost". This is very significant because, despite His excruciating suffering, He chose to live for each and every one of us. He chose to live until His work was finished, so that all of us would have the opportunity to become as He is and be saved. I cannot even begin to understand how much love He has for us. That ultimate gift, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, was paid heavily for by Him. He experienced such depth pain that is unfathomable for all of us. Before this lesson I had not thought about the profundity of this, but as we discussed it, I became ever more grateful for my Savior. I cannot express such gratitude. This sacrifice means the world to me. It has already influenced how I live. I strive every day to more fully come unto Him and exemplify Him. I would invite anyone who will to come to understand the Savior, study His life, and come to know Him even better than you do now. I know that such a depth of understanding will fill you with a love and gratitude that you have never before felt for Him who has given it all for you.

In Psalms 95:2 it says, "1 O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. 3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods." With it being Thanksgiving this coming week, I have thought a lot about being grateful for everything we have and especially being grateful to Heavenly Father who has given us all of it. This scripture shows us beautifully how we should approach the Lord when we pray or come unto Him. He truly is great and He has given us all that we have. This scripture means so much to me personally because I have really felt a true and pure joy as I have looked for the Lords hand in my life and made a sincere effort to tell him and show Him how grateful I am to Him. I have also realized through reading this scripture that He has given us so much and yet asks so little of us. The greatest gift we can give to Him is to tell him in pray and show Him through our willingness to follow Him that we truly are grateful. These are such small and simple actions, yet showing and feeling such gratitude to our Father in Heaven pleases Him tremendously. I know that we will be filled with love and gratitude as we make a conscious effort to let Him know of our gratitude. May we all come unto Him in thanksgiving especially this holiday week as we take time to celebrate Thanksgiving. I know it will truly feed our souls and fill us with love and light.

In John 10:10 Jesus declares, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life; and that they might have it more abundantly." I love this scripture! Christ compares himself to those who engage in worldly activities. The natural man has tendencies to bring forth fruits which are bad and decrease abundance and light in ones life, but Christ and His exemplary actions bring forth good fruits. I personally know that in my own life as I have set aside my own needs and desires to become a true disciple of Him that I have felt the abundance of life which comes from that. He truly is The Way, The Light, and The Life of the world. I know that it is by Him and through Him that we can be lifted up and have life in more abundance. If we dedicate ourselves to Him, we will find purpose and meaning in our lives. I know that because I have felt it. I extend an invitation, to anyone who will, to come unto Him and be perfected in Him. Make Him the center of all that you are and do. I know that, if you do that, your life will become more fulfilling, and you will find greater peace and joy.

I loved studying Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talk from the 2018 October General Conference. In his talk, he referenced the scripture John 8:29 which says, "And he that sent me is with me; the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him."  I loved this because  it emphasizes an important doctrine of the gospel. Christ always* did what the father asked Him. If we are to become like Christ than we must also strive to always* do what the father asks of us. In this life we will probably not execute that perfectly, but we must strive to make the gospel the very focus of our lives. All of our activities and day to day interactions must be centered on our Fathers will. Later in the talk Elder Christofferson says that, "to persevere firm and steadfast in the faith of Christ requires that the gospel of Jesus Christ penetrate one's heart and soul, meaning that the gospel becomes not just one of many influences in a person's life but the defining focus of his or her life and character." In my own life I know that when I strive to focus my entire life on the gospel of Jesus Christ that I have found greater strength and joy. I hope to continue on that path, always remembering what the Lord would have me do every day in all situations trusting in the Fathers commandments and following the Savior in all that I do. If we truly desire to be firm and steadfast in the faith we must center our entire lives on the gospel. We must keep the covenants with exactness and unwavering faith in Christ if we desire to have the gospel define us. I would encourage all of you who are struggling to center your lives on Christ to make a greater effort to do so and know that if you do you will have a "newness of life". You will find greater joy and be tremendously blessed now as well as in the eternities. 

As a part of my study this past week, I studied The Book of Omni. In verse 25 it says, "...for there is nothing which is good save it comes from the Lord..." I feel like this is pretty self explanatory, but the implications which it has for each of us are tremendous. This verse shows that we must be humble and that we must not allow the good things which come into our life lift us up in pride. I also know that it is so important to remember this principle as good things come our way. I have found in my own life that when I forget to remember where my blessings come from and to thank Heavenly Father for all that he has given me I become selfish and unhappy. We should strive to remember that God has given us all we have and that He blesses us with so many good things every day. I would exhort us all to go to Heavenly Father in gratitude for those blessings and good things always. Take time to reflect upon what He has given you and then return thanks. I know that if you do this it will bless your life with humble, grateful hearts.

I was studying Elder Bednar's talk "Meek and Lowly of Heart" in the April 2018 General Conference. I loved all of the principles which he discussed and the scriptures he used. Elder Bednar gave increased insight into my understanding of meekness. He highlighted so many different aspects of meekness that I had never thought of before.

In one part of his talk he said, "Whereas humility generally denotes dependence upon God and the constant need for His guidance and support, a distinguishing characteristic of meekness is a particular spiritual receptivity to learning both from the Holy Ghost and from people who may seem less capable, experienced, or educated, who may not hold important positions, or who other wise may not appear to have much to contribute." I had never even thought of this definition as being Christlike especially because Christ was perfect, so why would he need to listen to anyone else? Why would he need the guidance of anyone aside from the Spirit? Yet throughout my study I learned that Christ did listen to his Father and in so many other stories of Christ the attribute of meekness really is quite evident in this aspect. I hope that I can become meek enough to listen to others when they speak truth. That I will be meek enough to heed their counsel and direction.

I was also very grateful that he quoted the two scriptures Matthew 11:29 "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:and ye shall find rest unto your souls" and D&C 19 :23 "Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me." Upon reading these verses I found it interesting that the promises of being meek were rest and peace. If we are meek we will find peace and rest! What an amazing gift and promise!

All of these definitions and principles of meekness really have touched me. They have given me a greater desire to become meek and lowly of heart. I want the much needed blessings of peace and rest in my own life and I know that as we all strive to become meek, these blessing will come. We will find peace. We will find rest. I strongly encourage those who will to study Elder Bednar's talk and to strive to become meek. I know so many unforeseen blessings will stem from these efforts. 

As a part of my study for my class this past week I read Matthew 6, which is a part of the sermon on the mount. Verses 19-21 of this chapter really impacted me.

They say, "19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

I've read and heard these verses so many times that I have grown to really take their message for granted. Yet, as I read it this time, I was reminded of the powerful principle which it teaches, which is that we, as disciples of Christ, should be seeking after the things of heaven, we should be seeking to become like Christ and to do those things which exemplify Him rather than worrying about worldly things. When we become so focused on clothing, entertainment, social status, or anything of this world that we stop worrying about becoming like Christ we show that our heart and soul are laid up in unimportant things. Just as the scripture says “...where your treasure is, there will your heart be also...” For me personally, I realized that I often place value in many worldly things and I have already begun to re-prioritize what I value and have noticed such a difference in my commitment and love for my family, Heavenly Father, Christ, and His gospel. I would also like to add that we all can apply that important principle, to treasure up those things which are most important. I would exhort all of you that find yourselves following that which is fleeting, temporary, or unimportant to reevaluate your priorities and treasures. I plead with you to seek for those things of heaven, seek to become like Christ, seek after all good things that will draw you closer to others and to Christ, seek to place value in service and in strengthening relationships with family and friends. I know that if you do so, your will and our heart will become aligned with Heavenly Fathers and you will find true joy in heavenly treasures. This joy will become lasting and ever-increasing as you seek to treasure up that which our Father would have you do.

In my personal study of Jacob 2, I was quite affected by verse 17 which says, "Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you."

This verse teaches several important lessons. The first is that we should view all of the children of God as we do ourselves. We should see others as our brothers and sisters and not as people who are below us in any way and we must be familiar with ALL. We must minister and strive to befriend all of the children of God not just those who "look like us..think like us.. act like us". In conjunction to all of that, this verse teaches beautifully that we must use our substance freely to lift and help our brothers and sisters.

After reading this verse I felt a strong desire to look at people through Christs eyes and not my own, to become familiar with all of my brothers and sisters who I come in contact with, and to give freely to those in need all that I can of my own substance. I have a long way to go before I will be perfect at living any of these principles of the gospel, but upon reading this scripture I have grown to understand more fully how important it is that I make a conscious and a sincere effort to incorporate these actions into my life.

I know that this verse is not just applicable to the brethren of Jacob, but that it is applicable to all of us. Let us refrain from any sort of prideful interaction with our brothers and sisters, let us make an effort to be familiar with all of the children of God, and let us give our physical substance to help others where we can.  If any of us are not striving to apply these principles, I plead sincerely with all of us that we might make a sincere effort to do so. I know that with the aid of Christ these beautiful teachings can truly draw us closer to Him. I know that the action of these principles are a remedy to the pride which can so easily beset all of us. Let us apply them as Christ would so that we can be more fully united as brothers and sisters and children of God.

     While studying in 2 Nephi 28, I was stuck by verse 32. It says, "Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts."
     Upon reading this verse I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the mercy of the Lord. Just as the Gentiles, I have often denied His hand, yet in spite of all that He has still extended it. As I have repented and come unto Him, He has never withheld forgiveness or withdrawn His love for me. He has truly been merciful.
      I would like to add that this mercy is not there for just me or even just a few of us, and it is not only there for a set period of time in this life. Even when we deny Him He does not leave us. He is always ready to extend mercy, we simply have to reach for it and accept it. I know this doctrine to be true because I have experienced it many times. I have felt the presence of His hand every time I have reached for it. He is ever ready to bring us back to Him, to strengthen us in times of struggle, and to pull us out of sin with his merciful arms.

     In my personal study of the Book of Mormon this past week I studied 2 Nephi 26. I had a lot of thoughts and insights throughout the whole chapter, but I want to focus on verse 24 because it is incredible to me. It says, "He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation."
     This verse is speaking of our Savior, Jesus Christ. What struck me about it most is that Christ doesn't do anything unless it benefits us. More than that, anything He does is out of the unfathomable love He has for us. He laid down His life, so that we could rise from the grave. He atoned, so that our spirits could rise from their spiritual grave.
      I know these doctrines to be true. I personally know that Christ loves me so much and because I know that I also know that I can come to Him in time of weakness and trial. I know that He perfectly understands because He made the ultimate sacrifice and I know that I have been and continue to be blessed by a truly loving Savior, but even further than knowing these things of Christ, we can and should directly apply this knowledge to our actions.We have been commanded of Christ to partake of His salvation. We should take this commandment very seriously and with the utmost sacredness. When we need Him we should come unto Him with a humble heart and seek for healing, comfort, forgiveness, peace, and so on. I would exhort that we all seek Christ and utilize His gift of salvation.

In my study of the Book of Mormon this past week, I studied 2 Nephi 4. The entire chapter really struck me, but I would just like to share a few verses.

In verses 27-30 it says,"27 And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?

28 Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.

29 Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.

30 Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation."

I was so grateful to read these. They were very thought provoking questions and responses for me personally and can be for all of us if we really take them to heart. Why do we give in to sin.. why are we angry.. why are we doing and being all those things contrary to the commandments of God and giving way to Satan? We do not have to yield to the devil. We don't have to become angry or sad. We too can waken our souls, we can rejoice and be glad, we can choose to do the right and to withstand temptations. We do not have to remain in a state of anger, sin, or weakness. It is a choice each and every one of us have in every single moment and situation. We can always choose the better way and we can always choose to be happy. Though I understand that we all have imperfections and won't be perfect in this life, I know that if we make a conscious effort to rejoice in the Lord as Nephi does, if we trust in Him, follow Him, and make Him our rock and foundation we can feel the spirit awake our souls from a state of despair and sorrow and sin. I have personally been very grateful for that choice as I have faced/face difficult times. I have felt that joy come from my Savior, my soul has been awakened and I testify, once again, that we all have the choice to feel that as well.

Opposition in all things

During this past week of my class Jesus Christ and The Everlasting Gospel we discussed several principles and doctrines, but one that really stuck out to me is illustrated in the passage Moses 1:1-22. These verses tell of Moses's beautiful experience with God while he was on a high mountain and of the following encounter he had with Satan. Upon discussing this, our professor pointed out that Moses had had a "spiritual plateau" as he referred to it. He had felt an abundance of the spirit as he viewed God's creations and the grandness of the universe. When he returned from this he was confronted by Satan with an extremely evil and opposite power. Our professor said that Brigham Young taught, "Whenever God gives you a very high, holy, or sacred experience either right before or right after he is going to allow the devil to tempt you or he himself will give you a trial equal and opposite in proportion to what you just experienced." Moses's experience and this quote instantly reminded me of several of my own personal struggles and spiritual highs that I had gone through recently. In recognition of those experiences, I was humbled, and it caused me to realize that I need to prepare myself now for those struggles ahead. Moses, though he felt fear and a struggle to oppose Satan, did not falter because he had prepared himself spiritually and followed the will and counsel of Heavenly Father. Our professor told us, "Don't beat yourself up when you struggle after you've had amazing spiritual experiences... let you grow through them instead of go through them." Just as Moses all of those who do experience a very spiritual high will at some point face the opposite amount of struggle or trial. We must all do what we can to prepare ourselves against those times. We must make decisions now to follow our Heavenly Father, to endure and press forward, and to allow hard times to help us grow and progress. I am grateful for both trials and spiritual experiences. I know that they are the means to growth in this glorious gospel. How we face both types of experiences will determine which way we go and who we will follow.