Joy of Christmas

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone's day is full of love and laughter, family and friends, new memories and smiles! Most of all I hope everyone remembers why we truly celebrate this day- our savior, Jesus Christ's birth.
While we are giving and receiving gifts, take time to remember the many countless gifts our savior gives to us. We receive everything through Him. We will always be in debt to Him, yet He keeps giving.
When thinking of the story of the birth of Christ, I ask myself 'am I part of the inn crowd or part of the stable few?' We all can improve more to be like Him. Make room for Christ in you life.
I also love reflecting on Mary's life. She is my biblical hero. To have the faith to trust what the angel told her; that she, a virgin, would have a son who will be the savior of the world. People mocked her and treated her poorly but she knew what was about to happen and she had faith the entire time everything would end up right. I try to be like Mary and be steadfast in my testimony and ignore the comments of the world around me because I know what is right and what will happen to me when I choose the right.
My favorite thing about Christmas is spending time with my family. I am so blessed with a wonderful family who loves me so much. I know that each member of my family would do anything for me and I would do anything for them. When I think of Christmas, I think of hanging out all day in our pajamas with my family. The love and happiness and laughter that is shared is irreplaceable.
Christmas is the time to celebrate our Savior's birth. "When we keep the spirit of Christmas, we keep the spirit of Christ, for the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit. It will block out all distractions around us which can diminish Christmas and swallow up it's true meaning." When Christ is the center of our lives, everything else seems to fall in place. "We all are inn keepers who decides if there is enough room for Jesus."
Merry Christmas. May you be blessed and loved. Enjoy the love and laughter the Christmas holiday brings. Let the joy of Christmas fill your hearts and the love of Christ fill your spirit.

The Christmas spirit

I absolutely love the Christmas season. I am one of those people who listens to Christmas music all year long. I love everything about this time of year. The music, laughter, lights, family, love, snow, service, and the reminder of the birth of our Savior.
Everyone is happier around this time. I always try to serve year round, but this time of year I can find so much service to do. I am so grateful to have friends who love to serve like I do. It can be as simple as making cookies and dropping them off at families homes, like my friends and I did this weekend. It was something so simple. The Lord works in small and simple ways. Sometimes the smallest actions mean the most.
This year, our family invested in the "elf on the shelf". Every night we move her to different places in our house causing mischief wherever she goes. I absolutely love seeing the excitement in my little sister's face as she tries to find her and the smile on her face when she finds what she did over the night.
I reflect on my life this time of year as I reflect on the Savior's birth and life. This is where I truly find the Christmas spirit. When I think about my Savior and all He did for me, I am reminded how much He truly loves me. I am so grateful for the love He gives me and the life He lived that I can strive to be like Him. He is why I serve. He is why I started this blog-to share my gratitude and blessings I receive from Him. He is why I love Christmas so much. He is the reason for the season.

Thanksgiving

Happy thanksgiving!
I am grateful for life and the passion found through living.
I am grateful for my family. Each and every member of my family is such a blessing in my life. I'm so grateful I can be with them for eternity. I will always have someone who loves me and who I can turn to for anything.
I am grateful for my friends who support me and love me for who I am.
I am grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I'm grateful for how it blesses me and through it I find the greatest joy.
I am grateful for cheerleading. God gives us talents and He blessed me with the talent to cheer. I am grateful for the love and passion I have for the sport. I'm also grateful for my team who is like a second family to me.
I am grateful my dad has a job and can support our family.
I am grateful for a car that transports me and a warm place to call home.
I am grateful that I am able to go to school and learn and that I soon will be able to further my education at college.
I am grateful to have food and fresh water to nourish me.
I am grateful to have a temple so close to me and I can go and enjoy the blessings from God.
I am grateful for shoes on my feet and clothes on my back.
I am grateful for a body that works and performs amazing things.
I am grateful for music, especially the piano. I am grateful to escape from the world and entering into a new one when I play.
I am grateful for a living prophet and that he receives revelation for us.
I am grateful for forgiveness and that I can be forgiven of my mistakes.
I am grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and that through it I can return to Him and that I can become perfect like my Savior. I'm also grateful to feel His perfect and eternal love for me.

This is just a fragment of all that I am grateful for. I have been blessed beyond belief! Have a great thanksgiving full of family, food, and love!

He suffers so we don't have to

Hello everyone! I want to share something very special with y'all. When Christ suffered in Gethsemane, He felt every pain, sorrow, sickness, death, sin, and infirmity. (Alma 7:11-13) When we have any feeling of sadness, despair, doubt, or loneliness and we feel like no one can relate, Christ has felt it all. But He still continues to take upon himself pain and trials to protect us because He loves us so much. He steps in and allows us to be free from the despair and sorrow. When he sees that we are suffering, he steps in and suffers so we don't have to.
The Atonement was performed for us. Christ says in 1 Nephi 21:16, "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." When Christ was crucified, it was for two reasons. 1, it was His Father's will. It was He who has to perform that sacrifice. And 2, because He loves us. And because He loves us so much, He died for us so it is possible to return to Him. He literally died for each and every one of us, and that is a debt that can not be repaid.
I want to share this video that I absolutely love. It shows how much Christ loves us and will take away our pain so we can become closer to Him. It demonstrates just how much Christ wants us to stay with him and to be happy.

Always remember how much you are loved by a perfect being. His love for you is perfect and eternal. Never forget!

Children of royal birth

As I have come to know who I am, and who I always have been, I am beginning to realize how I deserve to be treated. Since the beginning of time I have been a child of God. All of us are. We all are literal children of a loving Heavenly Father. And we deserve to be treated as such, both by others as well as yourself.
There is nothing you can do that will change who you are. No matter what unique circumstances we experience, we will always remain children of God. I have come to know this is true beyond a shadow of a doubt.
I have been reading My Story by Elizabeth Smart, an LDS woman who, at the age of 14, was kidnapped. Reading about this and seeing all she struggled through didn't change who she was. She tells about how she felt worthless and dirty and she didn't know why this was happening to her. But even though she suffered through these terrible things, she remained a daughter of God. Nothing changed that.
Being a high school cheerleader, I am constantly surrounded by beautiful girls who are some of my closest friends. Sometimes, it's hard not to compare myself to the strengths of others. I find myself asking myself 'Why can't my tumbling look like hers?' 'Why can't I have good jumps like her?' 'Why can't I be as small as so and so?' etc. But I am telling myself that every single one of us on the team have strengths and weaknesses; that is how God created us. He loves me even if I don't have as good of jumps as so and so on the team. He loves everyone perfectly because He created us and we are his children.
"God made you and God doesn't make mistakes." Oh how true this is. God is perfect. He doesn't ever make mistakes. So why do we feel like we are so worthless at times? As long as we remember who we are and that the person who made us is perfect, we are reminded of the divine nature we obtain and the potential of what we can become.
Because we are children of God, we deserve to be treated as such. Don't waste your time being with people who constantly bring you down or make you feel worthless. I have been around people who are always negative and pointing out the worst in me and they always try to make me feel like I am wrong. Being around those kind of people doesn't do anything but hurt my self esteem. Why would I want to be around people who constantly act like that? Why do I want to be sad and unhappy with the people who I should be excited to be around? Find friends who will lift you up and treat you like the king or queen you are. The other side to this is treat yourself like royalty. Once you personally gain the knowledge of who you are, you have to change the way you uphold yourself. You were created by God, treat yourself like the divine being you are.
Never forget who you are. You have ALWAYS been a child of God. He loves you!
"Lord, you placed the stars in the sky, yet you call me beautiful."

Come what may

I know trials are an important and vital part of our lives. And while we are facing these hardships, it may be rough and miserable, but everything will play out and we become stronger. Al Fox said, "Christ is on our side so it doesn't matter who is against us." I believe every word. We are given hardships because we are loved. We are required to experience these things because we have to show our Savior that we will follow Him no matter what the circumstance.
I have struggled with confidence problems for a while. I know who I am and I know what I am capable of, I just see myself differently than my friends see me. It has been hard trying to get over this, and I am not fully past this trial, but I can feel help on the other side, carrying me through this. There will never be a time I can't drop to my knees and talk to my elder brother about my struggles. I have developed a relationship with my Heavenly Father that is stronger than any relationship I have here on earth. I am so confident that I am willing to take any trial because I know I have Christ on my side and I will win no matter what.
Enduring through these trials shows how strong we are and how badly we want to return to our Heavenly Father again. "Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." (2 Tim 2:3) This is my favorite scripture. Jesus Christ suffered the Atonement for us. He gave his life for every single one of us because He loves us. He suffered more pain and discouragement and humiliation than we could ever image. But he did it for us. We can not be true disciples unless we feel even a sliver of what He felt. We are given hardships to become like our Savior. And because of the Aronement that he performed, He is helping us the whole time.
Love yourself. Trust in the Lord. Cherish the good times. Be grateful for the hard times. You are on the Lord's side, so you will always win. No matter what.
"I believe in Christ so come what may."

Gratitude

It's November! Which means, my second favorite holiday is coming up! (Christmas is my all time favorite...) THANKSGIVING!
I love this time of year. The food, the family, the football, the fall weather, the laughter, everything! I love it so much! Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what we are grateful for. We should live an 'attitude of gratitude' year round, but Thanksgiving time is a time we can renew ourselves and really count our blessings.
What would you have today if you ony had what you thanked God for yesterday?
I ask myself this throughout the day and am usually disappointed with the few things I would have. God gives us everything in our life. How selfish are we to thank someone for giving us a gift or a service but not to thank Heavenly Father for the countless blessings we have been given, a lot of which are taken for granted. Our own bed. A pair of socks. Medicine. The list goes on.
Everytime I think about the pioneers I realize how blessed we are today. They are the perfect example of living with an attitude of gratitude. The pioneers crossed the country through extreme weather with no shoes and little clothing or food. Yet, they were always so grateful to the Lord and were determined to finish the trek. Many died, but knew they were choosing the right so they were grateful for their opportunity. I am blessed with shoes and jackets and warm blankets to keep me warm. I have never had to endure anything like the pioneers had to, and I am grateful for that. But I am also grateful for what they did and their strong testimonies to leave everything behind to follow the Lord.
I have learned to develop a grateful heart. Finding the joys in my life everyday makes me realize how blessed I am. There are so many things to be grateful for. I am grateful for my family, my home, my passion for cheer, the gospel, the Atonement, my friends, the gift of prayer, and so much more. But I am also grateful for the little things in my life: a text from a friend, a smile in the hall, a compliment, a hug.
President Joseph F. Smith said, "The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!” People who show their gratitude are always so happy. They don't compare what they don't have to what people do have. Heavenly Father blesses us each with specific blessings. These blessings are unique to our circumstances and we must show our gratitude to Him for all he had given us. Especially our gratitude for the life of His son, Jesus Christ, and the Atonement he performed.
Be grateful and show your gratitude. Gratitude brings happiness and joy. Don't wait to express your gratitude. Blessings will follow.


"I'm grateful for so many things, but mostly God, because without him I would have nothing else to be grateful for."

Happiness is a choice

We all have the choice to be happy. We are in charge of finding happiness. We can't depend on others to be happy. If we wait for someone to make us happy, we will be waiting forever.  
Our  father in heaven has provided a way for us to be happy in this life and for eternity. Alma 41:10 says, "Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness." Living righteously leads to ultimate happiness in life. 
When choosing the right, it's merely impossible not to be happy. I have felt so much more confident with myself knowing that I am staying on the right path. It takes much more effort to be sad and unhappy than it does to be happy and joyful. 
Recently, I have gained a testimony that service brings happiness. Serving others makes me think less of myself and more of those I'm serving, and even more importantly about my Savior. "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:17)  The knowledge of serving God brings me happiness that I can't describe. Losing yourself in service will help you find who you are. As you lose yourself in service, Satan's power over you is weakened. You become stronger. Some of the happiest people I know all have something in common; they are selfless. They go through trials and hardships, just like everyone else, but they forget themselves and go to work and serve the Lord. 
Happy people are also grateful for what they have. Happiness ends when you start comparing yourself to others. Be grateful for the life you are given and the countless blessings you've received. God blessed you with unique circumstances to make you stronger. Life isn't perfect, but look past the imperfections and realize all the good in life. There will always be something new you want, but if you are constantly thinking about what else you can have, think about all you do have and you will be content and find happiness. 
Heavenly Father wants nothing more for us than to be happy. The only source of true and eternal happiness is through Him. If we direct our lives to living as He wants us to we will be blessed beyond measure and find ultimate happiness. I can testify that when I am doing what is right and when I am serving, that is when I am the happiest.
Choose to live righteously. Choose to be happy.


"The Lord is in all of our lives. He loves us. He wants to bless us. He wants us to seek His help. As He guides us and directs us and as He hears and answers our prayers, we will find the happiness here and now that He desires for us."
-Thomas S. Monson