You can't choose consequences.

Growing up in the bible belt meant that a lot of people I associated with, was not of the LDS faith. When the discussion of Mormonism was brought up, the "rules" we have almost always followed.
No alcohol.
No sex before marriage.
No coffee.
No smoking.
No swearing.
Etc.

A lot of people seem to be under the assumption that we can't break a rule, otherwise we'll be kicked out of the church. Or that if you did those things, you were a bad Mormon.
This felt unsettling to me for a long time. I wasn't sure how to answer these assumptions. It was difficult for me to explain that these "rules" were not the core of our religion.
The church is there to welcome people from every manner of life, no matter how "good" or "bad" you are. The church is a place for people to make themselves better, no matter where they are at on the "righteous" scale.
It's not that we can't do any of those things, we totally can, it's the consequences that you can't choose.
For example, every member of the church is allowed to choose whether they drink coffee. We don't kick people out of the church for breaking that rule. They are there so you don't have to suffer the consequences of things, like addiction.

In Acts 27, Paul is goes on a perilous voyage. Before departing, Paul foresaw into the future and determines that this voyage would be a disaster and warns the people to not leave. Despite Paul's warning, the voyage continued because all of the conditions seemed to be perfect.
In verse 14-15 it says, "But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive."

They lost total control of the ship. That was the consequence of their actions.
They had the option so sail or not, Paul didn't take that away from them, but since they went against what he advised, they had to suffer those consequences.

I think that's why a lot of members follow the rules we have. It's not because we'll get kicked out of the church, it's because we don't like the consequences.
You are always free to make your own choices, but you're not free to make your own consequences.

Don't forget to be awesome!

Two Roads

Sorry this will be kinda short!

I know I've mentioned this before, but we all go through trials. They are supposed to make us stronger, but sometimes they don't feel that way. A good explanation of what the purpose of trials are can be found in Romans 5:3-5 

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Basically it is saying that tribulations are there to allow us to make a choice, the higher road or the lower road. 

The higher road allows for Godly attributes, such as patience, experience, hope, and not feeling ashamed.

The lower road allows for Satanic attributes, such as impatience, regret, despair, and being ashamed. 

Sometimes in the midst of our trials we feel as if we aren't good enough for anything. That we have no strength and can't fix our own problems. This is not true! Choose the higher road and don't feel ashamed if you're struggling. God wouldn't want you to feel that way. He wants you to feel hope.

Don't forget to be awesome! 

Being a mini Christ

Everyone goes through hard times. There is always some sort of struggle in everyone's life, even if it's not very visible. Sometimes, things are much harder than other times.
I know I'm guilty of this, but when things get harder I'm always on my knees praying more, reading scriptures more, and trying to be everything I can to get the blessings to come.
What I forget is that when I am comforted and feel peace, I need to be going out to help other people who are struggling.
In II Corinthians Chapter 1, verse 4 is says, "Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."
This brings me reassurance. It doesn't say He will comfort us after our tribulations, it says that He will comfort is in (during) our tribulations.

Sometimes it feels like eternities while we are in the midst of our trials. Sometimes they seem to disappear in the matter of an instance.
Do you ever wonder why God comforts us? Well, first of all He loves us. He loves us so much that He wants us to be happy and tries to guide us to the happiness He has planned out for us.
But He also comforts us so that we can help others.
He wants us to spread your comfort and happiness with others, and that's hard to do when you're in your own dismal state.
In a way, He is making a small extension of Himself within you by giving you the capability to help others.
That's pretty cool!

I have a personal experience with this. For a few weeks I had this constant anxiety and was feeling pretty alone. I felt like I was being abandoned by people that I cared about, and it was making me hurt deep down inside. It was like a constant ache in my body and it consumed most of my thoughts.

One day, I went to the temple while this thought was on my mind. It began with the usual pit in my stomach and an overwhelming feeling of loneliness grew inside of me. I closed my eyes and began to pray, even beg, for this to be taken away from me. I needed to be feel okay again, even if it was just for a moment.
Then, an overwhelming feeling of unconditional love washed over me like a wave. I had never felt such an increase of peace in one single moment. The thought then came to mind, "I will never abandon you"
And then I knew that I would be okay. People are going to fail you, but Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can always be counted on. They are not going to leave you, even if everyone else does.
It was as if everything I had been depressed about disappeared, and I had a new light was shining within me.
This feeling of peace made me a happier person. I spent more time talking through other people's problems. I was able to listen to others without being consumed by my own thoughts. I felt more able to be with other people, instead of staying shut away in my room. My mind was cleared so I could see what things needed to be done around my apartment without grumbling. I became an encouragement to other people.
I'm happier than I have been in months. I'm not saying I don't struggle anymore, I do, but they are only brief moments. If I keep my main focus on helping other people, I know I'll be comforted so I can keep aiding His other children on earth, and that's what matters.

Don't forget to be awesome!

Why I want to be a mom

There have been some really good leaders throughout history... and some really bad ones.

What makes the good ones is this, they don't just direct/inspire people, they are down with them. They put themselves down to their level. The greatest people succumb to be the lowest, so that they are relatable and can better lead people, not boss them. 

Here's a visual! 

I like relating this to the Atonement. Jesus was very almighty and powerful. He did not have the temptations and sins we suffer, yet, He allowed himself to suffer so that He could know how we feel. He already was a great leader, but now He understands us on every level. 

In I Corinthians Chapter 9, it says, "19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more."

The greatest people we remember are those who effect us personally by serving us. 

Role-models become our role-models not because they are just really successful, but because they gave back. 

Our favorite bosses/presidents/leaders are the ones who takes time to know us personally.

In class we talked about the amazing sacrifice mothers make. Women, especially today, have a lot of exciting career paths and talents to expand upon. The pressure for motherhood vs career is on. 

I think being a mom is awesome. Children are work. It's basically a full-time job! Anyone who has babysat for 8+ hours knows that. 

A lot of women give up their careers to dedicate their time to being a mom. 

AND I THINK THAT'S AWESOME!

He is trusting women to be an incubator for one of His precious spirits. There is a lifestyle you should live while pregnant and adjustments have to be made... diets, exercise, sleep, etc. 

But He is trusting you to raise them and to lead them.

You have to be there for them and serve them 24/7. 

And I think that's awesome.

I think a lot of women think they are giving up their life by having children. I think it's the opposite. They are GIVING life. They are literally giving a life to someone else by becoming a servant to the Lord for his children down on earth.

And I think that's awesome.

A quote I've always liked says, "You rock a sobbing child without wondering if today’s world is passing you by, because you know you hold tomorrow tightly in your arms." (Neal A. Maxwell)

And mom, I think you're awesome. 

Being Elected

We talk a lot about how the United States is a democracy and how great it is that we can vote and that the government is run by the people.

In my anatomy reviews, the TA always has a vote on what lectures we want to go over during the review. Whatever section gets the most votes, we end up covering/reviewing.
He always says, "Isn't democracy great?! We get to decide what to do in the most fair way possible"

I think voting is pretty great, and I wish people did it more. EVERYONE NEEDS TO VOTE.
(Here's a link to the spectacular Hank Green who talks about voting!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avj7XUDCdEk

Anyway, in Thessalonians 1, chapter 1, versus 2-5 it says,

"2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;

 3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

 4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

 5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake."

In verse 4 it says "election of God" and you probably thought that it could mean "since we elected God we have all this patience and hope, etc, etc." 

I want to look at it in a different way. What if God is the one who elected us? Maybe He elected us to carry out His work (foreordination anyone?) I don't know about you, but I find great comfort in this. I feel like I'll always have a cheerleader throughout my life. There is someone who will always believe in me. He'll be at all my big games. He trusts me to make the right decisions, and He'll be there to encourage me when I fall. It's a pretty awesome feeling. 

As much faith and trust we have in God, I think He had faith and trust in us first. He voted for us to come down here and do what needed to be done.  He knew we could do it, and I think we can too. 

Don't forget to be awesome!

Thoughts from the Edge

I've been thinking a lot about the different social views everyone has. Opinions are so heated.
I feel like there is a constant war between two sides on practically everything.

For a long time, I've felt that you have to fully pick a side without reservations, or no one will accept you. Or that if you pick a side, you can't value any part of what the other "team" has to say. I've seen and felt a lot of rejection, neglection, and even ludicrous for having a certain opinion. That, somehow, what I think is always wrong, and there is no possible way that I can justify why I think the way I do, because I'm wrong and that's just the way it is.
"You're wrong, so we don't like you, and therefor anything you do or say from now on will also be wrong."
There's a lack of being empathetic towards the opposing view. This causes hurt between people.
I don't like hurting people.

This is why I try to agree with as much as I can on both sides. This doesn't mean I don't have strong beliefs, I do, and I intend to defend them if they are being threatened.
However, I will not shove my opinions down anyone's throat, post it all over social media, become defensive, comb through articles/comments and tell people why they are wrong. That just causes turmoil and there's a 99% chance you aren not going to change anyone's opinion anyway.
It's more important to make people feel like you are their friend than be right.

One of my favorite quotes: "Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound purpose larger than the self kind of understanding" - Bill Bullard

People are always saying, "Have an open mind!" I don't think this should necessarily be true. If you're going to be wishy-washy on everything, you won't be able to stand strong on anything and people can use you like a puppet.
The saying should be "Have a firm mind, and an open heart."

Rather than being totally on one side of the border, I think that it is okay to come to the edge to meet the other opinion. That is where compromises and unions are made. Things become more fruitful there.
One of my favorite YouTubers, Hank Green, explained this concept much better than I ever could. Hank studied ecology. He notes, that in instances where the ocean meets the land (called an ecotones), they tend to be more diverse and fruitful than either biome alone. The "edge" is a fantastic place, but it also tends to be a violent one. While there are many benefits from being able to use resources from either biome, there is also a lot more access for predators... and getting pummeled and dragged around can be exhausting. But because of the intermixing biomes, there is much larger adaptability, productivity, diversity created here. The key is to stay strong where you are, but have the ability to use the other side if you can. Here's the link if you'd like to watch what Hank has to say about the matter. (It's under 4 minutes, I highly suggest it :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WHRerf-lrw

Anyway, on a more spiritual note, in Acts chapter 14, Paul and Barnabas are praised as if they were gods... and then are heavily stoned...by the same people.
The problem is they had too open of a mind. First, they saw Paul perform a miracle and they were convinced that he was totally awesome. Then, in verse 19, it says, "And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead."
All it took was for someone to come and tell them that Paul was not awesome and they stoned him. They had no firm opinion of their own.

Now, I'm not saying you should never change your opinion. I think recognizing that original opinions were wrong can be hard. No one likes to admit they were wrong. I highly respect people who can do that. But if you truly believe and know something, stick with it! Hold fast to it! Be passionate about it!
I just beg you to not push other people away because your opinions.
I would consider myself an edge dweller. I connect well with people on both sides of the spectrum, even if my values belong on one side. I try and connect with whatever I can, even if it's small. Being on the edge allows you to learn a lot from both sides. It makes it easier to communicate to the other side without offending, but most importantly they feel like they matter.

In the words of our beloved prophet, Thomas S. Monson, "Never let a problem to be solved become more important to be loved."

Don't forget to be awesome!

Coming to know Christ

I frequently wrote in my journal as an 7 year old. Sometimes, I like to go back and read what I wrote. For instance, one of my favorites read, 

"We learn about Jesus every Sunday. I think I know almost everything about Jesus."

This makes me laugh every time I read it. I thought I knew so much because I had heard the stories over and over. The lessons all seemed the same. Now, I recognize that when I was seven, I didn't know Jesus, I just knew the stories. I didn't have a personal relationship with Him. 

Which also reminds me of a story I was told in Young Womens.

"A man died and was resurrected and waiting in a room to be interviewed. Another man was ahead of him. The door opened, the man entered, and the door closed. The man on the outside could hear the conversation on the other side of the door. The interviewer began: “I want you to tell me what you know about Jesus Christ.”

“Well, He was born of Mary in Bethlehem; he lived thirty-three years, spending the last three organizing his church, choosing his Apostles, and giving the gospel to direct our lives.”

The interviewer stopped him and said: “Yes, yes, that’s all true, but I want you to tell me what you know about Jesus Christ.”

“Well, he suffered and died so that we could have eternal life. Three days later he was resurrected so that we might return to Heavenly Father.”

“Yes, yes, that is true, but I want you to tell me what you know about Jesus Christ.” The man, a little perplexed, again began: “Well, he restored the gospel in its fulness to the earth through Joseph Smith, reorganized his church, gave us temples so we could do work to save our dead. He gave us personal ordinances for our salvation and exaltation.”

The interviewer again stopped him and said, “All of what you have said to me is true.” The man was then invited to leave the room. After he left the door opened and the second man entered. As he approached the interviewer he fell upon his knees and cried, “My Lord, my God.”

This story has always slightly haunted me for years. I feel like for a lot of my life, I have only studied the scriptures to just to put things in my knowledge bank. I thought this would make Christ happy. Sure, I could answer questions, I could retell the stories, I could describe what Christ tell us to do in certain situations, etc, but I never worked on developing a personal relationship with our Savior. 

This is the same story of Saul in Acts chapter 9. 

Saul knew every fact about the Old Testament and God. He could rattle of verses, laws, stories, etc. However, he failed to recognize Jesus when He appeared to him, and that scares me. 

In verse 5 it says, "And he (meaning Saul) said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks."  

It doesn't really matter how much we read the scriptures, how often we attend church, of if we ace every religion class, you can still fail to recognize Jesus despite how much you've studied and attended.

For one of my YW value projects, I went through a jar that was given to me by one of my leaders. In it, there were 21 slips of paper. Surrounding the jar were the words 21 days closer to Christ. Every single day you were supposed to read a certain passage of scripture, a story/talk, and then there would be a daily challenge relating to that topic. 

It taught me how to be Christlike and, therefore, closer to Christ. I testify that it is not enough to simply have knowledge of Christ. We need to know Him, and I mean really know Him. I have seen the blessings of having Christ in my life, especially over the past year and a half. I'm happier knowing Him. I can see all the blessings He has placed in my life. I can rely on Him. He is my guide. He is my friend. He is my Savior. 

Don't forget to be awesome!

Optimism Rules!

It can be really hard to separate ourselves from the wants of today.

They seem so important right here, right now.
It's just so enticing.
To have more money.
To have more fame.
It's just something we all want and I can't tell you why.

And a lot of the time, deceitful schemes are involved to get more gain.
A white lie here.
A white lie there.
Boom. Instant recipe for money/fame.
Then you collect your winnings and be on your merry way.
Right?
RIGHT?!

Let me ask you this. Do you think thousands of years from now, up in heaven, you will say, "Oh man, I wish I would have lied more to get more money" ?
Probably not.

Haha, I know it seems comical putting it that way, but I'm serious.
I'm willing to bet that you'll be glad that you didn't lie for money (hopefully). That just seems really selfish, and it will probably be embarrassing.
At the end of it all, we're not going to wish we lied for more money during our mortal life.
So next time you are faced with an easy way for money, think of the question I proposed. If it entails lying/cheating, DON'T DO IT.
I mean, it could also entail death.
In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira lie about keeping a portion of property from the church, and they lost their lives. Yikes.

Continuing on in Acts 5 we find that Peter and John get arrested and beaten for testifying of Christ.
A lot of the time, we are told that we will be protected for loving/serving the Lord. For most of us, if we got beaten we'd probably think, "Thanks Lord...? I defended you and I got beaten. What is that about?!"
But that's not what Peter/John thought.
I actually really love their reaction.
In verse 41 it says, "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer same for his name"
They felt honored to be beaten!
If you need a good example for optimism, look at Peter and John.
That's optimism.
Instead of being bitter, they were better.
I like those two words, "bitter" and "better", because if you look at the difference between bitter and better, it's the "i". Being focused on "I" or myself makes us bitter. Remember that :)

Don't forget to be awesome!

Starting 2nd half of the New Testament

I've never intensely studied the second half of the New Testament, so I'm sure I have a lot to learn this semester, and I'm excited to share it with you!

In Acts 1:3 it says, "To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God"
---The "he" in this verse is referring to the resurrected Jesus Christ ---

In class we pointed out the words Luke used "infallible proofs." Infallible means absolutely or certain. This indicates that he probably showed the markings on his hands/feet/side. No one else would be alive and bear the same marks He did.
Have you ever thought about how when we resurrect, we are to have absolute perfect bodies while Jesus, the only one to truly deserve a perfect body, will be the only one bearing scars?
That's pretty powerful. He has engraved us onto his skin so he cannot forget our suffering. He will stand with us and plea for the forgiveness of our sins.

Which brings me to my next point, being a witness. In verse 8 it says, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
In Young Women's we recite a theme that starts "We are daughters of our Heavenly Father who loves us and we love Him. We will stand as witnesses of God at all times, in all things, and in all places..."
Now I want you to think about being called as a witness in a court.
If someone called you up to a stand and asked you to be a witness of the resurrected Jesus Christ, could you?
Do you have enough personal testimony of bear witness of Him?
That's how strong you have to be.

A lot of people like to take Acts 2:21 in isolation and hold onto, "... that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" If you ever run into this problem with someone, I encourage you to tell them to read on. There is a lot more to salvation, and the details are beyond that verse :)

The last thing I would like to cover is the lame man who is healed by Peter and John in Acts 3. In verse two it tells that this man laid daily at the gate of the temple. If you think about it, Jesus probably walked by and through that gate a hundred times. Why did He never heal him?
We don't know.
Perhaps Jesus knew the timing wasn't right to heal this man. That the miracle would be better performed by Peter and John.
Jesus knows the better plan for us, even if we don't. Our timings might be different, but we need to have faith in the Lord's timing.
I know this can be difficult. Being a BYU student, I can see lots of struggles of wanting things now. A spouse, an acceptance to medical school, a child, etc. Sometimes the answer is no, but it's not no forever. It would probably be great to get those things when we want them, but there could be something better for us/others just around the corner if you just wait.

The Atonement

The Atonement is so personal to me, and I decided to express my thoughts on it.

First, I want to emphasize that Gethsemane, the trials (whipped, spit upon, mocked, etc.) and the crucifixion were ALL part of the Atonement. They are all extremely important and part of the process, not just the cross, and not just Gethsemane. 

Gethsemane is Greek from the Hebrew word "The Sacred Oil Press"

Gethsemane is a garden where they would take olives (not the soft, black squishy olives we are used to, but like an extremely hard nut) and roll a HUGE stone over them, until the crushing weight causes the olive to break and causes the oils to "bleed out" from the olive. 

Don't you think that this is significant?

Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane where he was crushed and bled out for our sins, just like the olives. 

In Mark 14:36 Jesus prays to Heavenly Father and says "Abba, Father" 

If you look up Abba you will discover that Abba has two meanings. 

1. Papa

2. Father

I'd like to think that he called him "Papa." It's a little more intimate and personal :) I believe Jesus had that kind of relationship with the Father. 

Anyway, he pleads, "Take away this cup from me..." In the verse prior to this, 35, it says that "he went forward a little, and fell on the ground".

I don't know if we were allowed to watch from Heaven as this happened. I don't know if we were able to hear the plea in his voice, but I'm willing to bet that the moment that Jesus fell to the ground, Jesus, He who had never shown any sign of any weakness, that when he fell to the ground in fear and pain, all of us wanted to reach out to Him. I'm willing to bet that many of us were cringing as we watched our loving brother struggle... so much that he could not even stand.

As EVERY sin was thrust upon Him, he bled from every pore. 

Now, I want you to think about this for a second. 

What do you feel after you've sinned?

Guilt. Shame. Loneliness. Embarrassment. Regret. Pain. Depression. Fear. Anxiety. Loss of Love. Etc. 

He felt those for the first time that night.

But worst of all, He was cut off from God. 

And when you're cut off from God, you feel the full fury of Hell thrust upon you. You feel God's wrath. 

Jesus went to Hell for us. 

His whole body/soul was being crushed. He was bleeding out of every pore. Every part of His body should have been screaming to kill itself and give up the ghost. 

But He didn't. 

Most people say, "I'm grateful that Jesus died for me." 

I'm grateful for that too.

But, I'm most grateful that Jesus lived for me. I'm grateful that He didn't give up. I'm grateful that He held onto His life and completed the Atonement so that I could be saved. I'm grateful that Jesus took away the pains of Hell so I wouldn't have to feel them myself. I'm grateful that because of Jesus Christ, I can repent of my sins and return to live in Heaven. I'm grateful that He was risen from the dead and was victorious over the sting of death. I'm grateful that he lives today. 

Don't forget to be awesome! 

Love Inspired Correction

Today I'll be talking about John 14 and John 15.

First, I'd like to denote Jesus's character just moments before he goes to Gethsemane.
In verse 1, he tells his apostles "let your heart not be troubled"
If anybody should be worried, it's Jesus. He's about to suffer for all mankind! Yet, he tries to ease others before himself. I think this is a great example for all of us. We all have troubles and things to overcome. We're all busy. But! If we focus on others...even if their problems aren't as significant as ours, it actually does help. This is where service comes in :)
Service takes your mind off of yourself and puts love and focus on someone else. Service - also known as charity- is the pure love of Christ. So, if you are serving, you are focused on Christ.
Yay! Good job!
If you are focused on anything else but Christ i.e. yourself, television, games, websites, you are going the wrong direction. Whatever you are truly focused on, you will turn to in your spare time. So ask yourself, what are you doing in your spare time? That will give you the answer.

In John 15 Christ talks about cutting the branches off of a tree.

One of my absolute favorite message over this was given by Elder Christofferson. It is titled The Will of God.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr8xvw0cgw0

I don't think you can get a better explanation that.
Sometimes we are given trials and setbacks when we think we are doing so well.
The purpose of God "cutting" us down is so that we can refocus our energies to what will bear more fruit for the Kingdom of God.

So thank you Mr. Gardner for cutting me down, and loving me enough to hurt me.

We all need love-inspired correction.

Don't forget to be awesome!

Talented in Sufficiency

I think everyone who has a basic knowledge of the bible knows the story of the 10 Virgins - found in Matthew 25.

There is a TON of of symbolism in this story.

For starters, did you really ever think about why they were all virgins?
Virgins are clean and without major sin.
You NEED to be a virgin of sin to get to Jesus.
... but you need to be more than that.
Even though all of them were virgins, only half of them actually got into the wedding.

Being clean of sin is necessary, but not sufficient.

We need to be double prepared.

Anyway, more symbolisms!
We are betrothed to Jesus.
Guess who betrothed us? Heavenly Father.
The price for the bride (us) was paid for by the Atonement.

The comparisons are endless!

Moving on -
Also in Matthew 25 is the parable of the talents.

I want you to think of every major decision you have ever had to make.
Every major decision is based out of faith or fear.
Which ones were yours made out of?

5, 2,  and 1 were the amount of talents given to three different people.
I mean, that has always kind of bugged me. How was that fair?

Well, as it was explained to me, they all had different capacities and they received what got according to their ability.
This makes me feel better anyway.

Anyway, the guy with 5 talents acted in faith of the master's request and doubled his earnings as a reward. The guy with 2 talents did they same and doubled his reward to 4. - BOTH acting on faith.
The guy with 1 talent acted in fear and had his taken away.
Poor guy.
So have faith in what you're doing. I'd hate for your talents to be taken away.

Don't forget to be awesome!

For Elect's Sake!

The Pharisees always thought they were extremely righteous. That's why they didn't like it when Jesus told them what to do. For example, the Pharisees prayed all the time!
...except it was in public for excess amounts of time.
If they were really trying to make a connection with God, they would pray one on one in a meaningful manner, not in front of everyone to show how righteous they were.
No one likes that person who drags their prayer over the pulpit for five minutes.

In verse 13 of Matthew 23 it says they were "shut up from the Kingdom of God" Yes, they followed rules, but they were following so many that they were missing the point. Not only were they missing the point, but they were condemning people who weren't following the rules they made up.

You know how we have these rules that we are never to break?
So we create other smaller rules and boundaries for ourselves so that we don't break the big rule.
It's the same thing.
Which isn't a problem until you start judging people who don't follow the rules you do.
Not everyone has the same issues you do.
Relax.

The Second Coming has always been an interesting topic to me. Matthew 24 talks all about it. The signs and warnings can be both terrifying and interesting.

We've got wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes.
Next, we have persecutions, murder, betrayal, hate, false prophets, and iniquity.
Not to mention the darkened sun and moon ... plus the stars falling from heaven.

So that can be kind of scary.

Except Jesus didn't tell us all this stuff to scare us. He didn't want to scare us into righteousness so we wouldn't be burned or whatever.

Time and time again he says "for my elect's sake" - meaning he is telling us this so we won't be taken by surprise and be afraid when this stuff happens. He's telling us that these wars, earthquakes, etc. are going to happen and that we need to prepare ourselves.

Don't you love a good heads-up? I do.

Don't forget to be awesome :)

Being a Donkey

If you read my most recent post, you should now understand the relationship between Martha and Mary. If you haven't read it, go read it :)

Picking up a new Martha and Mary story in John 12, Jesus returns to Bathany where Martha and Mary lived.
Again, Martha was busily making supper while Mary was sitting dumping costly ointment onto Jesus's feet. This ointment costs 300 pence...which translates to 300 days work That's pretty much a year!
Judas then complains in verse 5, "why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?" (haha, as if that's his worry)
So here it goes again, finger pointing at Mary.
And Mary, probably feels bad, AGAIN.

Jesus rebuttals this accusation in verse 7 saying, "let her alone."

Jesus does not like it when we accuse or judge others, so stop it.

The story of Jesus riding on the donkey on Palm Sunday has never been one of very much interest to me, much less a miracle.
But think about it, how easy is it to ride a donkey?
Probably not.
How easy is it to ride a random donkey?
Probably even harder.

The fact that the apostles were able to find a random donkey, drape clothes over it, and that the donkey allowed Jesus to ride it's back surrounded by multitudes of people is pretty amazing.

Did you realize this is your story?

You're the donkey :)

The donkey was probably scared out of it's mind. It had never done this before. Being thrown into something like this would be extremely overwhelming.

Don't you feel that way sometimes?
Thrown into a new calling? Into a new job? A new parent?

No worries!

Everything turned out okay for the donkey, everything will turn out okay for you too. As long Jesus is on your back and directing you where to go, trust him, you will be okay.

Don't forget to be awesome!

Be true to yourself

If there was any of the fives senses I would not want to lose, it would be sight. I think it would be so hard! Imagine never knowing what colors were. Faces. The sky. Buildings.

In John 9, Jesus heals a blind man.
Imagine you're the one who's blind and you're standing outside of the temple. The rest of your senses are heightened to try and compensate the loss of your sight. So, as you are standing there, you can sense someone coming up to you. Then you hear that person spit onto the ground.

Maybe that's a little rude, spitting at you at stuff. I mean, you're blind.

Not only that, but you hear them pick up the clay that they have now created.

Personally, I would be worried they were going to throw it at me.

Not this guy though, he doesn't react.
He just stands there as Jesus comes closer and puts the smushed clay onto his blind eyes. Not only that, but he then tells the blind man to wash in the Silom pool...the furthest pool of water from the temple AND there were many, many steps. That's a tough journey for a blind guy.
Jesus is going to make you work for your salvation. That's how it's always been.

So after this miracle of the blind man washing and receiving his vision, the Pharisees decide to question him.
First of all, this man was healed on the Sabbath day. This is a big no, no to the Pharisees. How could someone who did this kind of work on the Sabbath be the son of God?
Jesus was a sinner for spitting on the ground during the Sabbath. He could not perform miracles.

Again and again these outside forces were questioning this blind man's faith and this miracle. However, his testimony was only strengthened.

A lot of the time, we think that outside forces will try and tempt us to lose faith in our testimony. Outside pressure isn't what causes our faith to shake, it's internal doubt.
If you know, and I mean really know something to be true, you are not going to abandon that truth.
If anything, those outside pressures are going to solidify what is true to you.
If you are already doubting what is being questioned, you'll begin to lose it.

As Elder Holland so boldly stated, "Be true to the faith you do have."

Transitioning to Luke 10 -the story of Mary and Martha-

As a woman, this story has always bugged me.

How was it all fair that Mary was considered the better part, when Martha was busy trying to make everything comfortable and pleasing to the Lord?
I mean, wasn't Martha being the better hostess? Isn't that how we are supposed to be? Doing something?!?

Then, in Sunday school we were told that it was more important to be listening to the Lord's word.
This was still unsettling to me.

It wasn't until my New Testament class that things made a little more sense to me.

Let's pretend to be Mary for a moment.
In verse 40, Martha says "Lord, dost though not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me."

Okay.

Totally awkward.

Oops! I probably should be helping my sister.
She probably feels totally embarrassed. I would.

But remember that Jesus never congratulates the condoner. He never says to the Pharisees, Scribes or Saducees, Oh, you're right. So-and-so, go and do this. 
Nope.
So when Martha points a finger at Mary, Jesus doesn't tell her she is right.

What if Jesus was telling Martha to be Martha and let Mary be Mary.
We aren't all the same person. We have different strengths and do different things.

I know I'm extremely guilty of this. I get frustrated when people aren't doing what I'm doing.
I know what I'm doing is the right thing, so why can't they be like me?!
Because not everyone is me.
No one is me, but me.

Mary and Martha were both doing good things. The chastising came when one of them pointed a finger at the other telling them to be different.

I feel much better looking at it this way. The focus shouldn't be trying to better other people, but to better yourself.
Being different isn't a bad thing.
Focus on your own strengths and weaknesses, not others.

Don't forget to be awesome!

The Faith of a Woman

By Matthew 15, Jesus is pretty much a celebrity. You've got the haters (Scribes and Pharisees) as well as his fans (apostles and other followers). You can imagine that many people were seeking out Christ for miracles and teachings. Typically, we think of Jesus as a pretty nice guy, right? He blesses, heals, strengthens, forgives, etc. Which is why Matthew 15 is a bit surprising in regards to Jesus's character.

Staring in verse 22, a woman of *Canaan decent approaches Jesus saying her daughter is sick.
*Note - this means she is a Canaanite and of different decent (stuck with darker skin). Despite her different race (and there is a lot of racism at this time), she still had the courage to seek out Jesus.

In other stories Jesus would act according to her faith, telling her according to her faith her daughter would be healed. However, he doesn't do that in this story...at least not at first.

In the very next verse it says that, "but he answered not a word." Jesus was not paying any attention to her. How incredibly disappointing. This was supposed to be the almighty Jesus who could calm the seas, heal the sick, cure the blind, and be a friend to all mankind, yet, he wasn't listening to this woman who was pleading for his help.

Then in verse 25, she drops down and begins to worship Jesus saying, " Lord, help me." At this point, she would have had every reason/right to turn around grumbling about the so-called "Jesus Christ." Instead, she pushes her faith even further and worships Him. I think we could all learn to be a little bit more like this woman. If there are challenges standing in our way, disappointments, frustration, keep standing firm and don't give up. In the words of Elder Holland, "doubt your doubts, before you doubt your faith"
This woman knew that Jesus would help her.

Yet, in verse 26 Jesus responds to her worshipping with, "... It is not meet to take the children's bread, and cast it to dogs."
Okay, I think at this point I would have been totally insulted and probably given up.
This woman is way stronger than I am. She responds saying, "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs, which fall from their masters' table."
Wow. What an example of complete faith. Even when the answer was no, she showed all of her testimony, even if it was just crumbs.

So finally, after three attempts of getting Jesus to heal her daughter, in verse 28 Jesus says "O woman, great is they faith: be it unto thee even as though wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour."

Is it possible that Jesus knew all along that he was going to heal her daughter? Maybe.
 I do think that also He wanted to test the woman's faith and see how far she would go, laying out her testimony and then solidifying it for herself.
If every time we asked for something, and Jesus just gave it to us, we would become (as my professor so graciously put it) spoiled spiritual brats. He wants us to work for it and not be greedy just because we asked Him for help. Remember that.

Don't forget to be awesome!

All who wonder, really are lost.

One of the best parts of the Bible is all the parables. Parables are so great because they allow us to learn lessons in the form of a story, making it easier to remember them. Another really great thing about parables is that they allow us to make personal connections. One misconception that a lot of people, myself included, think that parables have a lot of different interpretations, they don't. Parables only have one interpretation. However, they do have an infinite amount of applications. That is what makes them so cool!

The parables I find the most interesting are what are known as the "lost" parables found in Luke 15. They are known as the lost parables because in each story, something is lost; a sheep, a coin, and a son. Together, these also three make up the 3 ways to leave Jesus Christ.
 1. The first parable is the sheep that wonders off from the rest of the heard. Mind you, this was a slow process. I really don't think that the sheep woke up that morning and decided to leave the safety of it's herd and try and survive on its own. More than likely, the sheep became too focused on what was in front of it (what it was eating) thus drifting farther and farther away without looking up and rechecking where it was. The sheep was more interested in what it wanted, than it's own safety. In verse 4, it says, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?"
I don't know about you, but this really bothered me growing up.
Why should we risk leaving 99 good sheep just to go get 1 lousy sheep that wondered off?
I finally have a good answer, and hopefully this makes sense to you too. The 99 other sheep all have each other. They should be able to strengthen and protect each other. If the shepherd has to leave, the sheep are being trusted to carry on what they are doing and rely on each other for guidance. However, the lost sheep needs extra help to come back. The lost sheep has no one to look to. Hopefully that helps clear that up, because it definitely helped me!
2. Is about the lost coin. In this parable, a woman turns her house upside-down looking for a coin she misplaced. This "person" was lost because of neglect. Someone did not do their job. It makes me sad, but the only reason the coin became lost was because someone did not care enough to remember who/where it was. Whether this be not loving a person in our congregations or not opening our mouths when we were supposed to, souls can be lost. People always need to be looked after and cared for. It is our duty.
3. The Prodigal Son. This lost soul didn't wonder off. It wasn't misplaced either. Instead, it just flat out rebelled. This one chose to leave. Instead of caring about the relationship with his father, the son only cared about the here and now and what he, himself wanted. Referring to an earlier post, he wanted instant gratification to make him happy. The problem is, instant gratification (or sin) will always leave you in want. You can never fully be happy, because it is not eternal. The difference between the wonderers and misplaced is that for them, you can go find them and invite them back into the fold. For those who rebel, reaching out to them only pushes them farther away.
Have you ever tried to convince someone who has purposefully left the church to come back? Sinned? How often does it work? It doesn't.
The hard part about this, is that the lost have to come back for themselves. They have to learn the lesson for themselves. The most we can do is to do as the father did, and pray/watch for them to return.

That's it for this week. Don't forget to be awesome :)

At least you aren't a pig

One of my favorite stories is found in Mark 4:36-41. This is the story of Jesus and his disciples on the boat crossing to Capernum when it starts to storm. The apostles start to panic and think they are going to die. It's interesting that they are so frightened when their profession is fishing. They are on boats all the time! It must have been pretty bad for them to be shaken up. However,  they failed to realize that there is NO way they are going to drown when Jesus is with them.  Heavenly Father and Jesus aren't going to let them fail if they are with Christ. 

Like the apostles, we often feel overwhelmed. We get scared, think we are going to fail, and possibly drown. I know everyone feels this way. How many times do we think to ourselves 'I can't do this anymore' or 'I'm failing at everything" ? It happens all the time in school, family life, and our professions. We need to remember that if we are in Jesus's boat, He is not going to let us drown. We are pushed and tested to prove our faith. Sometimes, it is a reminder of where we should be focused. 

I also find Legion's story very interesting. He's the guy who has been possessed by many devils. It has driven him to the point of uncontrollable despair. I sort of feel bad for the guy. However, I want to think about the devils for a moment here. They are spirits and they don't have bodies. They will never have bodies. There is nothing they wouldn't do to be able to have a body of flesh and bone. They will tempt anyone and everyone so they can get inside and reside within a body. They don't care about the body shape, size, color, skill etc. They don't care what it looks like, because without flesh and bone, you can't progress. Our body was a gift from God for our spirit to reside in. We take our gift of a body for granted. 

We complain about the way we look. 

We complain that we wanted straight hair instead of curly. 

We complain that we are the wrong size. 

We complain that we are too tall or too short. 

You know how insulting that must be for God? From a young age we are taught that when we are given a gift, we are to graciously accept it and be thankful. Our body is a gift from God, we should appreciate everything about it. 

When Legion asked Jesus to release the spirits from him, the devils asked Jesus, "...Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them." The spirits would rather have a pigs body, than no body at all. That is how important having a body is. So, love yourself. Be happy you have a body. They are important. 

Don't forget to be awesome!

2 Tips of the Mount

If you search "perfection" on dictionary.com, it will define it as, the highest proficiency, skill, or excellence, as in some art. Typically, when we think of Christ, we think of him as the only perfect being who has walked this earth. While we take Him to be our perfect example, He excluded Himself as being perfect during his early earthly ministry. 
In Matthew 5:48, it says, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" Notice that He immediately referred to Heavenly Father as the only perfect being. 

You may be wondering, "But Jesus never sinned! How can He not be perfect as well?"
Jesus had a different definition of being perfect. To be perfect, you had to be complete. Think of it as a download. You start at 0% and climb to 100%. Until you are at that 100%, your "mission" is not complete and it will fail. Often times, during our download, we have hiccups, bugs, buffers, etc. that make hinder us from completing our task. However, Jesus did not have all these blemishes, instead He had the task of completing the Atonement before he could become 100% complete. There was still more for Him to accomplish, so He wasn't considered perfect. Luckily for us, Jesus gave us steps to erase our imperfections...THE BEATITUDES!!! 

Seriously though. If you look at it, the beatitudes could be an outline for us to follow and become perfect like him. It's not just each group of people receiving blessings, it's Him wanting us to receive all the blessings by gaining each attribute! So cool.

Another thing we talked about was in Matthew 5:29-30, they say, "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast in from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." "And if they right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of they members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."
Reading these, I first thought, "Oh, that would be really painful to pluck out your eye or cut off your hand. Better not offend God if it will be worst than that! Yikes."
But there is so much more to learn! The particular selection of the eye and the hand is actually quit interesting. Think about it.

The eye is a major source for input in your life. The sight your eye gives you, puts in a large portion of knowledge into your brain. Your eyes help create the world around you. What is the counsel here? If whatever you are inputting into your life offends God, PLUCK IT OUT! There is no other way. God is telling us it is much easier to be half blind and get to heaven than have full vision also being swallowed in sin.

The hand is a major output for your life. You use your hands to effect the world around you. Your hands were given to you to do good in the world. What is the counsel here? If we are using our hands to offend God, CUT IT OFF! This could mean harming others, denying the gospel, or even being idle in our time. We were placed on this earth to do good with our time. If we are so caught up in playing games, watching shows, etc... in other words doing NOTHING, how offended will God be when we come back to heaven so much wasted potential? It would have been better to fully cut off whatever wasted output we have than lose the potential bonds/love we could have experienced otherwise.

The virtual addictions have to stop (this also includes pornography). I cannot even begin to describe how much wasted time goes online. Sometimes, the only way to get rid of the addiction, is to do exactly what Jesus says, and pluck/cut it out of our life.
"But not having a smart phone/tablet/laptop is super inconvenient! We need these things today!"
...yeah well so would be losing an eye or hand. This is what Jesus counsels us to do. I suggest we do it.

Don't forget to be awesome!

Rebuilding OUR temple

 This year I am taking New Testament as my religion class at BYU. For part of it, we are required to write a reflection each week about something we have learned. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to put those writing/thoughts onto my blog. So, here ya go :) 

This week we read in Matthew 4. This is the story of Jesus fasting for 40 days and then is tempted by the devil. One thing that stuck out to me was that Satan and God have different ways to make us happy. Satan will appeal to us in instantaneous gratification. Instantaneous gratification is to experience the pleasure of something you wanted without delay. Basically, we get whatever we want at that moment without thinking about the past or future, a.k.a always living in the now. God, on the other hand, tells us to trust him. He even tells us that if we follow him, it won't be easy. That alone can cause others to stray from the light of Christ. Today, our world is so used to getting things instantaneously. We have lightning fast internet, ovens, light, phones, etc. If there is any sort of delay, we easily become frustrated and fussy. This is a huge advantage for Satan. If we are down and distraught, it is easy to fill the agony with drugs or being some place we should not be...something that will fix the pain immediately. While this indulgence will last for hours, or maybe days, it is not eternal. God wants us to follow him, step by step, until we are perfected by Him. The joy we will feel at the end of the journey to Him, will be far greater than any instantaneous gratification we would ever experience. 

It would have been so easy for Jesus to fall into the enticings of instant gratification. In Matthew 4:6 it says, "And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: an in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash they foot against a stone."

It was not easy for Jesus to gain followers in the beginning of his ministry. Many mocked him, thought him to be a fraud, and cast him out. If he were to through himself off the pinnacle and an angel to come and catch him, all of the people below would witness miracle. Witnessing miracles is a quick way to convert someone. Jesus would have had an instant following, a lot less work for Jesus. However, as we know, witnessing miracles is not enough to convert souls forever. Moses's people witnessed many, many miracles. The plagues, parting of the Red Sea, manna from heaven, etc. Yet, they were not strong enough and strayed from Gospel of Christ. The best way to convert people, is by small and simple things. 

We also covered John 2. This chapter covers Jesus cleansing the temple. In verse 19 it says, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." This can apply metaphorically to our lives as well. In church we learn that our body is a temple. Jesus can come and clean inside our "temple" just as he did for the temple in Jerusalem. Our temples are blemished with sins and temptations. If we let him, Jesus can cleanse our temple through the atonement. However, just as it was for the temple in Jerusalem, it is not a pleasant process to go through. He will "pour out" parts of us that we have held onto for so long. He will "overthrow" our habits and "drive away" anything that is not inline with heaven. This is so powerful. He can rebuild us and make us as pure as himself and our Father in heave. The Atonement can do this for all of us. 

Don't forget to be awesome(: