God is a God of miracles

Mormon 9:19 says: "And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles." 
My family has experienced an incredible miracle the past 7 months. My cousin, Eli, was born on Christmas day this past December weighing 2 pounds 7 ounces. He was supposed to be born in April. It was unknown of what was going to happen, but we all prayed for this little baby and for his parents and had faith that God's will would be apparent to us all. 
Eli suffered more in his first few weeks of life than I have had my entire life. He went through surgeries and treatments and scary things that babies, or anyone for that matter, should ever have to go through. 
Today, I was able to attend his blessing. It was one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever experienced. Looking at little Eli, I knew that he is a direct gift from God to remind us all that God is still a God of miracles. Eli is living proof that there is a God who is ready to bless us and answer our prayers. While Eli was receiving his blessing, I just sobbed because I was reassured that God loves us and He has a plan for each and every one of us. 
Eli has made many people depend on their faith in Heavenly Father for comfort and for answers. Eli is a miracle and he has helped many people strengthen their relationship with the Savior. Miracles strengthen our faith. 
I know that miracles are still performed today, just like they were when Christ was on the earth. 

The House of the Lord

Last night I drove to the Draper temple (my favorite temple!!!) with three amazing people I have met here at BYU. I am so grateful for the temple. It really is a special place and I am so grateful that we have temples on earth. It is the closest thing to heaven on earth. Walking into the sacred building, I can just feel all of the stress from life vanish and all that matters is the work I am doing.
I was so overwhelmed with the Spirit. I couldn't help but cry when I walked into the baptistry and just sat and thought about my Savior, Jesus Christ. While I was sitting, I looked at the paintings around and there was one that caught my eye. It was a picture of Christ surrounded by white sheep and he was holding a black lamb.
One thing I have learned at college is that there are times where you feel alone, but you are never ever forgotten. Christ is always with you. I have felt like that little black lamb before: alone, different. That doesn't matter to Christ. He will always stand by us no matter what our circumstance. He does it because He loves us.

This time at the temple was a different experience for me because I have always been confirmed and baptized by the temple workers, but the young man that went with me performed these ordinances. I had never had that experience before. It made me even more grateful for the priesthood and even more importantly, worthy priesthood holders. I look up to young men who honor their priesthood so much and I treasure their examples in my life.
The temple is such a special place for me. I try to go once a week so I can be edified by the wonderful Spirit that is felt there. It is my one on one time with my Savior. I am so grateful for the holy house of the Lord and that I am able to attend. I can not wait until I can be sealed to the love of my life in the temple.
I am especially grateful to be here in Provo, where the temple is just down the road and I am able to walk to the temple. I wasn't ever able to do that back home. I love walking around campus and always being able to see the steeple and Angel Moroni. Elder Holland said, "I testify that angels are still sent to help us." Angel Moroni is a symbol for me to come unto Christ and remember Him at all times. Seeing him all the time keeps Christ on my mind at all times. I am eternally grateful for all my Savior has done for me and that I am able to go into Heavenly Father's home and feel His love for me.
"As long as you can see the temple, you are never lost."

It's Not a Requirement

           For my writing class we were assigned to write an opinion editorial on something we have a strong opinion about. We had a one on one meeting with our professor about our paper, and my professor actually gave me the idea to post my opinion editorial on a blog for it to be read. Little did he know I actually do have a blog and  his idea was brilliant! So, this is my paper for my writing class, that I want to share with all y'all. (PS: Life here at BYU is great & I love it more and more every single day!)

           A father of a 20-year-old wrote a blog post about one Sunday at a sister missionary’s farewell, that his daughter was asked many times when she is serving, though she hadn’t received the prompting to serve. The father wrote about how he could tell she felt uncomfortable and that he felt the judgment that she was receiving. He expresses his concerns for all young women who don’t serve a mission; will they be thought of as not worthy to serve a mission, will boys not want to marry them, are some girls just going on a mission because it’s the “cool” thing to do?     

Being an almost 19-year-old LDS girl, I wouldn’t be able to tell you how many times I have been asked, “When are you going on a mission?” Not if I am going on a mission, but when. In 2012, President Monson delivered the news about the missionary age change. Young men, who previously left at 19, can now leave at the age of 18, and young women, who previously left at 21, now can leave at 19. With this age requirement lowered, it has become more common that young women serve missions, which has placed social pressure on 19-year-old girls of the church.

            First things first, I am not saying that going on a mission is a bad thing. I think it’s awesome that girls have the opportunity to serve. I have had aunts, ward members, and friends serve missions, and I have only heard positive things. I have a personal testimony of missionary work and how important it is. I am not in anyway trying to say that girls shouldn’t serve missions. I’m saying just the opposite - girls who feel that they should serve definitely should. That is the way it has always been and that is the way it always will be.

            However, with the age lowering, so many more young women have been deciding to serve that there is now added pressure for all young women to serve. President Monson said, "We affirm that missionary work is a priesthood duty—and we encourage all young men who are worthy and who are physically able and mentally capable, to respond to the call to serve. Many young women also serve, but they are not under the same mandate to serve as are the young men. We assure the young sisters of the Church, however, that they make a valuable contribution as missionaries, and we welcome their service."  The prophet of the church, the one who received the revelation to lower the age requirement, said very clearly that young women are not required to serve a mission.

The flood of missionaries, especially sister missionaries, is so exciting. How rapidly the good news is spreading is exhilarating. I think it is wonderful that sisters choose to serve a mission. They are wonderful examples to me. I strive to be as faithful as the young women I know who have served a mission and hearing their stories has strengthened my testimony. Other sisters in the church that are wonderful mothers and sisters who haven’t served missions are just as good of an example and have just as strong of a testimony. I look up to them and they have affected my life just as those who have served missions.

One of my friends told me that at her high school, boys are now saying that they aren’t going to marry a woman unless she is a return missionary. This standard is a bit ridiculous considering the fact that girls aren’t required to serve a mission. Girls need to pray and fast to receive their answer on whether or not they are supposed to serve. Nothing should influence a girl’s decision except for inspiration received from Heavenly Father.

I have felt the judgment of others when I say I am not planning on going on a mission. I have felt almost expected to go on a mission. Sometimes I even feel like I am letting people down because I’m not planning on a mission, and it’s all due to the pressure and judgement that is being placed on us young women. Family members always ask me when I am planning on putting my mission papers in and I feel like I am upsetting them when I say that a mission isn’t in my plan as of right now.

I have spoken to some of my roommates and friends about this subject, and they all agree that there is so much pressure. Some of them are planning on serving a mission, but even though they have chosen to serve, they agree and say they can see the pressure that is so prevalent. The age change should not have caused this social shift.

The pressure on young women needs to stop because it is a problem. Everyone needs to remember what President Monson said: that young women are welcome to serve, but it is not a responsibility for them.

God has a plan for each and every one of us. Some girls are meant to go on a mission and others aren’t. Others are called to get married and start a family, while others are called to serve. Is the young woman who chooses eternal marriage and motherhood instead of first taking the option to serve a full-time mission any less servable to in the kingdom of God? Either way, the kingdom of God is growing and people are being blessed.

A girl who isn’t planning on serving a mission shouldn’t feel less about herself or feel looked down upon. Serving a mission doesn’t establish if you are a good person or not. What you do in this life and how you follow God’s plan for you shows Him how faithful you are. Serving a mission isn’t required of you. You have a choice. Let Heavenly Father guide you.

Happy, bright, and you

I want to focus this blog post on the title of my blog: Be happy. Be bright. Be you.
1. Be happy.
Life is too short to be anything but happy! If something isn't making you happy, remove it from your life! Surround yourself with things and people that make you happy.
Of course there are going to be hard days and sad times, and it's okay to be sad and to cry. But through these times, look around and find the happy things in life. They are there! You just have to take a step back and look!
In the end, it's up to you to choose happiness. No one can force it on you. If you have a negative attitude about life, then you won't be happy. And no one can help you.
I was in a funk for a while, just feeling so down and I never wanted to do anything or see anyone. I realized what my problem was and I knew unless I fixed it, I would be like that forever. I didn't want to be gloomy and depressed any longer than I was! I removed the negative stuff out of my life and I have become much happier! I am still working on being completely cured of this negativity but my progress is one of the many things that makes me happy each day.
Do what makes you happy. Surround yourself with people that make you happy. Be in a place that makes you happy. If it's not, change it!
2. Be bright.
Each and every one of us has a light. We must not dim our light. Share it with those around you. Someone specifically needs you in their life. You have what they need. Don't be afraid! You never know the affect you could have on someone.
Your light is unique to you. Everyone's is different. It is made up of your divine qualities and talents.
Stand out among the crowd. You weren't born to be the same as everyone else. Don't be afraid to let your light be seen. It's needed in the world.
I was once commented on why I have a light about me. That was one of the biggest compliments I have ever received. I knew then that I wasn't putting out my light, but my light truly was showing and it was showing bright. And from then on, I chose to live that way so everyone around me could see my light.
I challenge the same to you. Don't dim your light. Shine!
3. Be you.
You were made to be exactly who you are. God made you and God doesn't make mistakes.
You can't go through life pretending to be someone else. Embrace the person you are no matter what people think about you. God's opinion is the only opinion that is important, and His opinion of you should be your opinion of yourself.
I have struggled with this, struggled with loving myself. But I know from personal experience that you will not find happiness, nor will your light shine, if you don't love you.
You are not here randomly or by change; you are here for a reason and you are who you are for a reason. Don't forget that.
Each and every one of us is a child of God. A child of the creator! How cool is that? He created the earth, the stars, the moon, and He also created us. We are creations of Him. We are literally His children. When you understand that, you need to treat yourself as such.
Wise words from Dr. Suess: "Today yo are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!" You are special. No one else could replace you. Don't be someone else. Love yourself. Be YOU!

Forget Yourself

Service is one of the closest things we have to godliness on this earth. I personally know how important service is because it has changed my life. I have gone through some times when I would just sit in my room and cry and not want to go out with friends or do anything. I was miserable and I didn't want to be in public. All I wanted to do was be alone. I was going through medical problems as well at this time and I was given the choice to go talk to a professional about everything I was feeling, but I chose not to. I wanted to overcome this on my own, but I had no idea where to start. And then one day I realized how selfish I was being. I realized the only way I was gong to get over this was to get out, forget about myself, and serve. There are so many people who need my light and I was sitting in my room dwelling in my own self pity. I was keeping my light and gifts to myself when I needed to be out sharing them with the people around me. I devoted myself to serving every time I got the chance. I made cookies, I walked elderly women to their cars after church, I told people how much they meant to me, I did anything I could to share my light with someone else. Doing this has changed my life.
Service is so important to me. There is such happiness that only comes through serving others. I can't explain it, but I have felt it. Gordon B. Hinckley said, "The happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others." Through service, I was pulled out of my miserable state and I remembered why I am here on this earth. I am here to share what I have with everyone around me.
Forgetting yourself seems hard at times, but when it seems the most hard, that's when it is the most important. Serving others deepens your love for others, opens your eyes to what you have, and makes us discover who we really are. Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "As we lose ourselves in the service of others, we discover our own lives and our own happiness."
When Christ was on the earth all He did was serve. We are His hands on the earth today and we need to reach out to those who are struggling or down trodden. We are promised that when we serve, Satan will lose power over us.
Forget yourself and serve.
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." -Mahatama Gandhi

Resolve to be better

I was on a run today with my neighbor, and she asked me if I wish I would have done anything different throughout high school and if I had any regrets. I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head but I've been thinking about it throughout the day.
On Sunday, a kid I've grown up with and who I have gone to church with for years took his own life. I was shocked when I first heard and I didn't want to believe it. This really opened my eyes and made me feel more deeply for those around me.
So, with this tragic event that just occurred and the question I was asked, yes I do have regrets. Two big ones.
Regret number 1: I wish I would have reached out to others more.
Everyone needs a friend. Everyone needs to feel loved. Thinking back to so many people who I could have gone and sat by who was alone or saying hi to someone who looked distressed makes me wish I would have done those things. I regret not befriending people who needed it the most.
A guy in my seminary class said "While Christ was on the earth, He spent all of His time with those who were afflicted or downtrodden or lonely. Why can't we do the same and spent our time with these people who need someone in their lives?"
We can be a light to people who are stuck in the dark. We are Christ's hands on earth.
"Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of reward. Your life will never be the same again." -Og Mandino
It can be so simple. Give a smile. Say hello. Ask someone to sit by you in class. Give a compliment. Invite someone to lunch with you. Anything to show that they are loved. Remind them who they really are, children of our Heavenly Father.
"Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime."
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle."
Regret number 2: I wish I would have shown those I care about how I felt about them.
I think I assume that my friends around me know I care about them, but I can't remember any specific time telling them how I truly feel. After I received the news on Sunday, I did text three of my closest friends, telling them I loved them and I was grateful for them, but it's almost pathetic it took a big event like this to make me tell my friends I love them.
It has been easier for me to show my family I care about them this year because I know I'm leaving them in just a short amount of time, but same concept, it took me until my senior year to say I love you to my brother and to spent time with my parents on the weekend.
I wish I would have shown this love and care throughout.
I want my friends and family to know that not a day goes by that I don't think about any of you. I am so grateful to have you in my life. Every night in my prayers, I thank God to have you in my life. I am so grateful that I get to spend all of eternity with my family.
"We should remember that saying 'I love you' is only a beginning. We need to say it, we need to mean it, and most importantly, we need to consistently show it." -David A. Bednar
We all get annoyed with our friends and family, but I think it is during those times that it is even more important to show how much they mean to you. You never know when it will be the last time you see them, so make sure to speak kindly and say I love you.

I hope that those who read this can learn from my regrets and not make the same mistakes as I did. I am resolving to change and start living more Christlike now.
He reaches out to everyone and so should we.

Sunday thought

Life is so fragile. Stop judging. Start loving.
When you step back, you can see everything as a whole. Take a step back when you feel lonely or depressed. You will realize you are not alone and that someone loves you.
Everyone needs to be loved. Be that one person who shows someone they are cared about.
Live with no regrets.
Tell your family and friends you love them. And don't forget to show them either.
Be kind. Be patient. Be loving.
Little things go a long way. The Lord works in small and simple ways to bring about great and marvelous things.
Be a friend. Reach out.
You are not alone.