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.