The Spirit of God!

Tonight I had a great experience. I went to a training meeting for Relief Society and had my home teachers come over to share a message with me. The first thing I want to say is that the church is so amazing by having these programs where we can gather together to nourish and enrich one another. I am so grateful to be surrounded by people that have the same beliefs as me and that help me to be a better person everyday. God definitely knows what we need in life and He knows exactly how to bless us.
At the Relief Society meeting something that really stood out to me was the scripture that was mentioned in Alma 31:5 which summed up says that the word of God was more powerful than the sword in helping people to change their life. So, I relate that to my personal life because there are things that I need to do to change myself and the only way I can come closer to Christ and find lasting happiness is to allow the word of God to become a part of me. Only God knows what we need! There were many other inspirational talks and I felt the spirit teaching me and that is one of the greatest feelings I enjoy in life. Stacy Peters, who is the Stake Enrichment leader is such an amazing example to me of someone that is so optimistic and faithful. I want to be like her. Some of the attributes that she has that I admire is her ability to work hard, her devotion to the Savior and her love of the gospel. She loves others as the Savior does and I can feel her concern and love for me which helps me realize how genuine she truly is.
After the meeting Nick came over to share a home teaching message with me. He'll never know what an impact his message had on me. He shared his testimony of faith and how important it is for us to pray with extreme faith that God will provide, then act as if it was all up to us. I learned a great deal from his testimony and I'm so grateful that he's my home teacher. I am grateful that he took time out of his busy day to visit me and help me come closer to Christ. I do have a great faith in God's watchful eye in our lives. I do believe that He will help us to be successful when we put our trust in Him and go forward doing all we can to achieve our dreams and other things He wants for us. I know that challenges come to all people and that it is our opportunity to make the best out of our lives and learn from the boulders in our path. I am feeling very humbled today and I want to do whatever I need to to grow closer to my Savior and live my life in the way He would have me do it. The church is true! It is the spirit of God that has power to remind us of the Lord and help us become the people He wants us to be so that we can build His kingdom and prepare to build our own kingdoms in the future.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me!

I had a fascinating experience the other weekend while visiting some friends. I stayed the night and rummaged around this particular friends room, just some of the note papers he left out, and read them. I was very impressed with this individuals interests and goals in life. He had plans to attend the temple every week. He set a goal to live in the present and enjoy life in the stage he is currently at. I was also impressed with the notes he took at conference and how he was striving to live his life close to the Savior and follow the plan that He has for him. As I went home, I couldn't stop thinking about the respect that this friend had for the Savior and how it impacted him in the decisions he made and how he lived his life.
I then decided to study respect in the Book of Mormon and find out how the Savior wants us to show respect to Him. The scripture that first popped into my head is the first and great commandment that He gives us to "love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind... And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
So then I looked up the definition of respect vs. love in the dictionary:

Respect: esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.

Love: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person; a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.

I concluded that respect is a prerequisite to loving another person. When the Savior asks us, or rather commands us to love others, it is important for us first to respect them. We must recognize their worth and their excellence and then we can develop that tender affection and care that He wants us to have. By doing these things we are able to fulfill the commandment to love others as ourselves.

My friend is a great example of showing respect to the Lord, to others and to himself and I am grateful to have an example like that in my life. The greatest example that all of us can look to though is Jesus Christ. He is the first one to recognize the qualities of another person. His love in unconditional. He knows our strengths and helps us to magnify them. I know that when I am feeling down or that I am not qualified He is able to give me strength and remind me of my abilities, and help me to overcome the minor challenges that I face everyday. He is the ultimate Respecter! He is the definition of love! He is the only one we can always look up to as being who we should strive to become.

I have just been overwhelmed lately with the concept of respect and desire to increase my respect for those around me. Everyone we encounter in our life deserves to be loved and respected by us. We have a command to find the good in others and learn to love them for it. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ who paved the way for me so I can have a more positive life and be able to find peace in my daily activities despite my weaknesses. I love the gospel with all my heart and although I make mistakes, I know that Heavenly Father loves me still and will help me to do learn and do what is right. The church is true!

Follow the Prophet

This past week was General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was great to be able to hear the counsel from the leaders of the Church. Something that really struck me this time was the truth that President Monson truly is a prophet of God. I felt the spirit witness to me that He has a message for us that will bring us happiness and peace in this life and all we need to do is follow His guidance.
I feel that for the most part of my life I have tried to make good decisions. I know that as I live closer the the spirit, it is not so difficult to do what is right. When I let the little things slip, such as, reading my scriptures daily, praying with a sincere heart, arriving on time to church, etc, it is easy to forget the reason behind the commandment and simply obey.
This conference was special to me because I was able to spend time with some of my mission friends that are from out of the country. One of my former companions is here from Madagascar and another sister I served with at the Washington DC Temple Visitors Center is visiting from Switzerland. As I was talking with this specific sister about her life in Europe, I was very touched at how strong she is in standing for what she believes and keeping the commandments in a place where the majority of the people think negatively about the church. She understands the reason behind the commandment and lives the gospel because she knows it is the way to have happiness in this life and to return to live Heavenly Father again. I know that those that keep the commandments in a society where it is not generally accepted have wonderful opportunities to allow their faith to grow and be a light to those around them.
So putting these two ideas together, this past week I have realized again the importance of keeping the simple commandments, living the gospel for the correct reason, and how we need to heed the counsel of the Prophet and Apostles because they do speak for God. I know that they do reveal what Heavenly Father would say to us if He could speak directly to us today. I am grateful that we know that revelation exists today and that God loves us so much, He would never leave us without direction and guidance. I have recommitted myself to doing the small things that the Prophet (speaker for God) asks because I know that "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise". (Alma 37:6) I know that recommitting to follow the Prophet and doing the simple things that Heavenly Father asks will bring joy to us daily and we will feel God's love and acceptance more ofthen. I know the Church is true!