don't give up now!

It's officially been a few weeks since the new year started. Have you gotten used to writing 2016? Yeah... me neither:)

A few weeks ago we all set some lofty goals. Most were attainable. Some were not. Some we are still going on. Some we are not.

We all want to be more in tune with the spirit, closer to Christ, healthier, more financially stable, organized, prepared, rested, and present. And those are all good goals! They are cliche for a reason, because they are things we should strive for!

But we fail so often and it gets rough to keep trying. So today I have a message for all those who are discouraged. Those who have already messed up and feel like it is over. The people who really want to improve but feel like it is too huge of a task.

There is one thing I just cannot stand about new years resolutions. I really really dislike the mentality that the new year is a fresh start and that we have to wait until the new year to improve, have a fresh start, and reflect on what we should do with our lives. Because the absolute truth is that we have the chance to have a clean slate daily!

 Because of Christ and his deep, incomprehensible, never failing love we never have to have a "dirty" slate! We can be washed clean each and every day as we humble ourselves and strive to become better through the Atonement.

We simply do not have time to wait around for the new year to set goals! I know it is easy to lose focus, and I do appreciate the emphasis the new year puts on reflection, improvement, and goals. But we should be doing that daily.

 We came to this earth so that we can become our best self! We can't just hope that that happens. We have to kick our self in gear, understand what we lack, and try our very best to overcome it daily.

Will we mess up?

Absolutely, it's guaranteed.

But you know what else is guaranteed?

We don't have to do it alone.

Christ will be there every step of the way! He will carry you when you don't have the strength to go on and he will dry your tears when you feel you can't go on. He wants  you to succeed! He is your cheerleader, your comforter, your best friend, your Savior!

So what does this mean?

This means that you lift your head up and you get going! You know that you are packed full of potential and that you have a mission to fill! You pray for Christ's help and know that He will come through. Most of all? You keep pressing forward. Don't stop! Keep repenting and trying again! Keep leaning on Christ and drawing nearer to him. Because the super glorious truth is that with Christ we can literally do ALL things! When you come unto Christ with righteous desires you are an unstoppable force!

Keep pressing forward, you've got this!

Thoughts on the Atonement// Articles of Faith 3

*The following is from a talk I wrote and gave a while back. I know the Atonement is real and the Savior and our loving Heavenly Father know us and care about us more than we can even comprehend. Please keep this in mind throughout the week! Happy Monday!*

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ all Mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

It was the ultimate expression of love.

The key to peace, joy, and happiness in this life and the life to come.

The Atonement plays such a vital role in each of our lives. “(Alma 34:9).... according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish;  Bruce C Hafen said, “Christ’s Atonement is at the very core of this plan. Without his dear dear sacrifice, there would be no way home, no way to be together, and no way to be like him”

Without the Atonement the gospel is pointless. We can never become like Christ and we can never return to live with our Father in Heaven, so why try? Living the gospel. without applying the Atonement is useless. We will never be perfect on our own, we will never overcome the Natural Man without the guidance of the Spirit we can get when we have repented, and we can never truly repent without Christ’s unimaginable sacrifice of taking our and other’s pain upon him.

The Atonement encompasses so much of our life. There are 3 principles of the Atonement:

1. Love.
1. The Atonement is the ultimate expression of love. The Savior was willing to suffer unimaginable pain and humiliation for our, yes mine and everyone else’s in this room and in the world, salvation. If you feel like no one cares, I want each and every one of you to know that you ARE loved. I know with all my heart that there is a loving Heavenly Father who loves each and everyone of us beyond comprehension. A Father who was willing to send his Beloved Son, who had done no wrong and made no mistake, to suffer.
2. All things unfair can be made right through the Atonement.
1. Many things in this life are unfair. From simply being let down, to terrible shootings the age old saying “life’s not fair” rings true as ever. But why does our Father in Heaven allow this to happen to good people? Dallin H Oaks explains it best, “Our needed conversions are often achieved more readily by suffering and adversity than by comfort and tranquillity.”7 While we know that unfair things happen for a reason, it doesn’t always make it easier. The precious Sacrifice of The Savior allows us to press forward through trials and forgive those that have wronged us because our Savior has felt our pain and has payed the price for other’s mistakes. "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people…..(12) and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."(Alma 7:11) The Atonement allows the Savior to fully comfort us and stand beside us, carrying us when we are too weak to walk, and whispering peace into our hearts when we are worried and overcome; because he knows exactly what we are feeling. The night in Gethsemane allowed The Savior to overcome every unfair thing in this life.
3. You can overcome the natural man through the Atonement.
1. So what is the Natural Man? According to Mosiah 3:19, where King Benjamin is talking, “The natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam.” King Benjamin warned that in this natural, or fallen, state, each person will be an enemy to God forever “unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” The ultimate goal of our time on earth is to become more like Christ. But we can’t become like him on our own. It’s simply impossible. We are all human and imperfect beings learning and striving to be our best and we will all slip up and make mistakes at one time or another.One of my favorite scriptures, which happened to be the youth theme in 2014, states, “Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness” (Moroni 10:32).  This scripture reiterates the fact that we are all imperfect beings that rely on Christ. We can’t do it without his help. We have to depend on the Atonement to overcome the Natural Man inside of us. While it is easy to become frustrated on our mortal journey to our lofty goal of perfection, a New Era article puts it best, "trying to become perfect all at once is like trying to climb up a mountain while riding a unicycle and juggling, Impossible.” But as we learn to apply the Atonement to our lives, day by day, minute by minute, we learn a fundamental truth taught by Quentin L Cook “The enabling power of the Atonement of Christ strengthens us to do things we could never do on our own.”

The Atonement can bring us the peace we so desperately seek in this world of turmoil and contention. Quentin L. Cook said, “The Savior is the source of true peace. Even with the trails of life,  because of The Savior’s Atonement and His grace, righteous living can be rewarded through personal peace.”

The last part of this Article of Faith is key to our Salvation. “By Obedience to laws and Ordinances.”

The Atonement is not a magic wand. It doesn’t clean up and fix everything magically. We must do our part by living Christ’s word and desiring to become clean and pure. We must desire and try our very best to live according to the teachings of the Gospel.

Linda K Burton gave an amazing analogy to The Atonement in the 2012 Conference, “A woman walking along a road fell into a pit so deep she could not climb out. No matter what she did, she could not get out by herself. The woman called for help and rejoiced when a kind passerby heard her and lowered a ladder down into the pit. This allowed her to climb out of the pit and regain her freedom”

Luckily, we don’t have to wait and wait just hoping that someone will throw down a ladder. Christ has already paid the price of buying the ladder, which allows us to climb out of our pit of sin and come unto the vast beautiful world of righteousness and salvation once we truly desire to get out. Then we must do our part by actually climbing the ladder.

I have made too many mistakes to count, do I wish I could redo parts of my life? Certainly. But do I have regrets? No. because I know that once I have repented The Atonement has made it right. I think the key is to feel sorry, make it right, repent, learn from it and move on. Don't spend valuable time regretting your mistakes. They can be made right through The Atonement. I know without a doubt that The Atonement is real. I know that our Savior loved us enough to die on the cross for us, beaten, bruised, and spit upon so we could live again with him by becoming clean of our sins.. He loved us that much. He loves us beyond comprehension. I know that The Atonement makes it possible for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father someday. I know that Christ lives and loves us no matter what. He is your best friend, your biggest cheerleader, your Comforter, and your Redeemer. He knows we are imperfect, and walks beside us, helping us become who we are destined to be and fulfilling our Divine Inheritance as sons and daughters of a living Heavenly Father. Since he has faced such devastating pain we can find peace and comfort knowing that he always stands beside us. He will lift us up and carry us through times of strife, darkness, and hurt. He is there. He loves us. He added purpose to our mortal ministry no other could. I know will all my heart the he broke the chains of death, freeing us from it's bondage. We can have peace and hope and joy and salvation. If we will just believe and accept this glorious truth! It was the ultimate expression of love. The key to peace, joy, and happiness in this life and the life to come.I am so thankful for the Savior's amazing gift to us.

In the name of Jesus Christ Amen,

Why waking up at 4:30 am and being a bit peculiar makes me incredibly happy

Everyone says they are weird. It's the norm. While it used to be the "cool thing" to be normal, now people find pride in saying they are weird. Crazy how the world is always tossing, flipping, and mixing things up, huh?

I'm not going all the way and saying that I'm weird, but trust me when I say I'm not your average teenager. Sure I like to text, I have an instagram, I try to look decent, and I'm a fan of food, but here's where it gets a little....different?

• I leave my house at 5:30 every morning so I can get to church on time for 6 am scripture study before school.  
• I try to learn about my ancestors so I can help them on their path to salvation because they've done so much for me. Yep, I do genealogy. It's not just for old people. 
• I love to babysit my younger siblings and spend time with my family. Some teens think their parents and siblings are lame. Not me. I think they're pretty much the bomb.com
• Ummm, I blog. What teenagers do this? I know of a few who are pretty awesome people. While it might be a little strange it makes me so happy. Even though a lot of people don't realize it blogging is actually pretty cool;)
• Aside from waking up early I try to read the scriptures on my own. I choose to read the King James version which can be pretty confusing. But I do my best to understand and keep reading because I love the peace and happiness it brings. 
• Once a month, on the first Sunday, I fast. I skip 2 meals without food and water for a special purpose. 
• I choose to use clean and uplifting language. I don't cuss and I do my very best to make all my words kind. 
• I've never tasted coffee in my life. I choose to keep my body the way Heavenly Father created. Really the best energy giver is sleep. 
• While I don't make a lot of money, I give 10% of what I earn to help build church buildings, temples, help those in need, and support missionaries.  
• I choose to listen to uplifting music. It really stinks when a song is ruined by a dirty word. 
• My biggest dream is to get married in the temple, have a family with a few kids, and be a mom.

Now don't get concerned. I promise I'm not sick:)

And I don't say all of this for praise or to sound like I'm awesome. Because while I do these things I don't do them perfectly. I try to but it's impossible. 

I do all this because I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

I don't get punished when I don't do these things. My mom doesn't make me. I'm not forced or required to do any of these things. It's definitely not a social norm I've decided to fall into. 

i promise you. i choose to do all of this 100% on my own. 

So why? Why oh why? Why why why? 

Because it makes me so incredibly happy. Giddy really. Overjoyed. Elated. Can't wash the smile off my face kind of happy. 

I might want to fall over because I feel like I'm drowning in school and seminary came quite early. It would be easy to pocket that extra 10% that could bring me closer to that fancy camera I'm yearning for. One bite of a cookie on the first Sunday of the month wouldn't kill me. And that cup of coffee that everyone claims to be gold could probably help me stay up just a bit longer. 

It would be easy as pie. But I honestly don't want to. 

This gospel gives me so much purpose. Reading my scriptures and writing this little old blog of mine has filled my time along with endless church activities. What purpose would I have without the gospel? I honestly don't want to think about where I would be without it. Would I still want to do good? Would I still try to be kind? Would I still work hard? Would I have friends who were good influences? Would my language be littered with curse words or scriptures I'm trying to memorize? Would I understand who I truly am? Because all of this plays such a vital role in who I am. 

The gospel brings me peace and joy and so so much goodness. I really can't describe the feelings I get. When I think about where I would be without it my heart starts to beat furiously and my face twists with worry. When I think about where I am with the help of my Savior my heart fills with so much joy and peace, I can't help but smile and I just want to hug and love everyone. 

While I've never become inactive or committed a humongous sin I have seen in my life where I have slacked a little. I started caring a little too much about what the world thought. I wanted to reach that goal but it was unattainable. I was not very happy. I just wanted to be enough. During that time I started and continued writing my blog. And so many wonderful things have happened since. Since I've poured my heart into the pages of the world wide web. Since I've read my scriptures and realized who I am. Since I realized it's about anything but me. Since I've realized how good kind feels. 

I don't think I can say it enough. I am happier than I've ever been. 

I'm still your typical teenager in the sense that I'm so helplessly imperfect. I mess up constantly. But I'm doing my best to come unto Christ so He can help me become as perfect as I can. 

So try it out for me.... live your best. Dedicate yourself to things that really matter and live happy. Because it's such a glorious thing when you make that leap of faith. 

CTR Super Heroes

Superheros have been on my mind a lot lately.

I've been working my way through the Avengers movies. I saw Avengers 2 a few weeks ago and decided after seeing that one I should probably see the ones that came before. I knew literally nothing before I went to see it. If you want to know how clueless I was I thought superman and spiderman would be in it. Whoops... I know better now. Haha:)

A while back me and my youth group did a 5K (Which I wrote about a little right here.) It was a superhero one and it was pretty awesome. It rained SO hard that day and I don't know if I've ever been wetter, but it was still a great experience.  I learned a lot about dedication while I prepared for it and it was such a great missionary opportunity.

Our team name was the CTR League.

And we got so many questions about what that meant. Were we the choose to run league? Were we the cumberland trace running club? What does CTR mean?

Choose the Right. 

Wow, that's pretty straight forward. But so tricky at times.

And it really stands out to people.

We had an old man come up to us and tell us how much he loved the message and what we are standing for. People will notice when you get a group of teens together who are kind and fun, but not crazy and disruptive. Teens who are smiling and laughing with out cussing or doing anything inappropriate. Teens who are happy for others. Teens who are respectful of others. (The other day I saw some teenage guys at sonic steal the enter sign. Like they took the front panel off- let's just leave it at the manager very clearly was unhappy and then we left because it was not a G rated scene;)

So stand for choosing the right. And make it known. Through your speech, actions, and everything you do. People WILL notice and it will impact them!

Choosing the Right can be your superhero. It will save you and keep you out of bad situations. It's the most awesome superhero because it saves you before the situation even occurs. The CTR Superhero is pretty cool because it is up to you to use it. You don't have to hope it rushes to your rescue- you know it will always be there as long as you let it!

What's your favorite superhero?

Have a great day!
-Shelby

I've seen mountains be moved

Picture creds to mom and dad from many years ago......

 I have never witnessed the removal of an actual mountain. But because of faith I have seen a mountain of doubt and despair removed and replaced with hope and optimism. Because of faith I have personally witnessed a mountain of sin replaced with repentance and forgiveness. And because of faith I have personally witnessed a mountain of pain replaced with peace, hope, and gratitude. Yes, I have seen mountains removed.
-Richard C. Edgley

This is one of my favorite quotes from Young Women's a few weeks ago. How true this is! Miracles take place daily, we just have to look for them! 

Keep #embarking

Today in church we were asked to write down our best advice to someone who was embarking (is embarking a word?) on their journey to become more Christlike, here is my advice: 

The Savior lives and he loves you. No matter how dark life seems or how imperfect you feel, He is there. It is impossible to be perfect by ourselves, but we can become perfected through Christ. As we strive to come unto him and become more like him we will feel his love and the joy and peace that accompany it fill our hearts and lift our souls. He loves you no matter what. He is your best friend, your biggest cheerleader, your Comforter, and your Redeemer.

The fullness of the gospel {an iron analogy}

Iron Pic Source (Edit is my work)

*Switches to story telling voice (and language)*

Once upon a time in a land far far away called Kentuckia, in a white farmhouse an iron broke (and their washer and heat...but that's beside the point) This was very startling to their oldest daughter who really liked non wrinkly clothes

So they got a new iron. And the very picky daughter strongly disliked it. (She was kind of a laundry snob) She would iron and iron and iron, but alas her clothes would still be wrinkly! She was often the last daughter out the door, and we all know that when you are in a rush, the last thing you want to do is take 20 minutes to iron.

So she went on despising the "iron that never worked." And having slightly wrinkly clothes.

Until one day her dearest mother, who knew of her frustrations, said dearest daughter; did you know the iron keeps being switched to the lowest power? That could most certainly cause the iron's performance to be less than satisfactory!"

The said daughter turned a shade pinker because she realized that she had been adjusting the power to what she thought was high, but was actually low.

The daughter learned to use the iron correctly and they all lived happily ever after in their neatly pressed clothes.

The End.

*Switches to normal writing*

So how does this relate to the gospel?

Sometimes we become frustrated. We don't feel the fullness of the gospel. We don't feel the joy and peace it promises. We don't feel a reassuring feeling or a confirmation of truth. We might not feel like The Savior is comforting us or standing beside us. There are numerous examples of ways we might not feel like everything is just right.

But it might be because we aren't fully taking advantage of all the gospel. We might be just like the oldest daughter, ironing and ironing with no change. We might be reading our scriptures and praying day after day, day after day, with no answers.

We may be forgetting the most important tool. The spirit. If we forget the spirit, we are still partaking of the gospel, but only at a very low power level because the spirit is the only way to truly partake of the fullness of the gospel.

It might take revelation. We may have to wait for our Heavenly Father, like the mom in the story, to help us know what to do.

So what is our responsibility? To throw ourselves into the quest to come unto Christ. To keep persevering. To invite the spirit into our lives in every way possible. To always be worthy of his presence. To be ready and receptive of revelation constantly.

I know our Heavenly Father is constantly there for us. He loves us. He is our never failing friend, the Prince of Peace, and The Savior of the world. He sacrificed all for us and loves us beyond comprehension. Sometimes life can become frustrating and these truths become blurry. I plead with you to not give up. Your dark night will end and you will wake to a glorious dawn.

I know this with all sincerity of heart,

-Shelby

PS: I am the oldest daughter.

{Guest Post from Halee} Stay Focused

Good morning blog world! 

I am so excited to have Halee guest posting over here today! 

I recently did a guest post for her on her awesome blog that you should totally check out:) I  agree so much with what she is saying- it is so important to stay focused so we can achieve what we really want! 

Enjoy! 

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Hello! My name is Halee (Not haley but haleeeeee ;-) and I blog over at Halee's Thoughts. Check it out sometime :-) A few random things about me: I love chocolate, Sadie Robertson, and blogging. I also own the Instagram account @haleesthoughts. You should go check it our sometime too! 

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We all have long term goals. Like getting married in the temple, having children, going to college, going on a mission, traveling the world, being president, becoming a famous singer or actor...etc.--whatever they may be keep them in mind as you read this.

Setting goals is a wonderful thing. But as always, Satan likes to destroy them. Why? Because his ultimate goal is to make you miserable like him. And if you where to accomplish your goals-- you'd be happy right?

That's why they are hard to accomplish. That why they are so rewarding when we do met them. Satan tries to tell us that we can't do it. We aren't good enough to be an actor, or go on a mission. That its too much work and you'll never make it. 

That is not true one but. You don't fall into Satan lies.

Are the little things keeping you from what you want most? For example is eating not so healthy keeping you from being a model, or is spending to much time with your friends keeping you from from reading your scriptures- keeping you from going on a mission? Is dating unworthy people getting you closer to marring you in the temple. Is spending all your money on ____ helping you save up to travel the world?

Don't let the little things -or big things- keep you from where you want to go.  That quote says it perfect. Think tomorrow. Think "How will this get me closer to my goals?"

Do you see where I am getting? Read that quote again. Do not let Satan get the best of you. Do not let him get the best of you. You got this. Your Heavenly Father and your loving Savior are there to help you. You can do anything you want to do.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you got something out of this. I'd love it if you would go check out my blog! 

h a l e e

Perfection

Becoming Perfect can be tricky.

There is so much to do!

You have to be kind to everyone, pray every day and night, read your scriptures, complete personal progress, attend church each Sunday, do family history, include everyone, share the gospel, index, get all a's, never be late, spend hours getting ready, etc

Whew! I'm tired after just typing that!




I love a recent new era articles comparison, "trying to become perfect all at once is like trying to up a mountain while riding a unicycle and juggling.


 Impossible.




The end goal of everything is to become perfect, but we don't have to do it all at once. That can lead to frustration and giving up. Those are two of the adversaries favorite tools.




You read about these on popular women's blogs. But I don't think that people realize how much it effects youth. We can feel the pressure of "being perfect" because we are the rising generation. The world is dark and taunting. The halls of school bring this to a peak. It can be a lot of pressure to be the one who has to stand up.




The rest of this article was amazing so I'll let you check it out here.
Please read it!


What was your favorite part?




Hope you have an amazing fantastic day!




PS: I wrote about this a little bit before..... You measure up!
PPS: Sorry about the crazy header.... I'm trying to redo my design but it's kind of messed up right now.

New Years Resolutions Talk

How will you embark this year?

When Heavenly Father sent us to earth, he had a plan for us. For some of us that was many years ago, for others it was only a few. No matter how long ago our purpose is the same.

We live in a world of constant change. Many of you were alive when the first iPhone came out- even I was. It was thick and bulky and few apps could be purchased for it. In less than a decade the iPhone has dramatically changed, it is large, skinny, has a great camera, and even uses fingerprint scanners to log you in.

So what does this have to do with the gospel?

First off, God is not like technology. He never changes. So no matter if you came to earth 50 years ago or 5 months ago- your purpose is the same. So what is that purpose? Heavenly Father sent us to earth with free agency. He wanted to let us grow and learn. The purpose of our mortal mission is to become as Christlike as possible.

So that leads to my second point. We can be like the iPhone. Constantly improving. Fast, Efficient. Smart. Full of good stuff like the gospel (or gospel library). Wide spread like all the apps you can download. Money smart. Food conscious. Organized. A good communicator. Even skinny:)

It’s a new year! A fresh start. A clean slate. The perfect time to become the person you want to be. The perfect time to reach your full potential as a son/daughter of God.

I was asked to talk on new years resolutions. Don’t roll your eyes because they are overused or start taking notes because it’s January 11th and you have to remember these for next year because it wouldn’t be right for you set a resolution later than January 1st.

The Atonement is real so every day is a new start. You can become the person you want to be today, whether it’s January 1st, 21st, March 15th, or November 8th.

And for the eye rollers- I get what you’re saying. Everyone sets a resolution to be healthy, be organized, or save money. And I’m not saying those are bad- you go for it!

But I’m not here to tell you the perfect diet, one simple trick to organize your life, or the perfect plan to come up with 5,000 extra dollars a year.

The youth program plays a huge role in my life- I love it so much. Wednesdays and Sundays are pretty much my favorite days. Each Wednesday we recite the youth theme. And it recently it changed. So this year I decided to set a few of my resolutions around the new theme. It reads:

“O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day” (D&C 4:2).

Wow- thats alot. Serving with your mind, strength, heart, and might. Some of us find it hard to simply rub our stomachs and head at the same- much less serve with 4 parts of us at once.

So how can we do this?

Serve with our heart:

1. Serve because you want to. Serve because it is important to you. Dedicate your whole heart to it.
2. Serve spiritually. Serve The Lord by reading your scriptures, praying, reflecting on The Atonement, repentance, following the commandments, and giving him a few minutes of your time each day. If The Savior lived in your house wouldn’t you take a few minutes to at least acknowledge him, learn from him, and talk to him? Then do it in real life too.

Serve with might:

1. This is similar to the first. Be dedicated. When you are raking your neighbor's yard, don’t be dreaming of cuddling up in your bed with a good book or movie, a yummy snack, and falling asleep. I don’t care if it’s negative 3 degrees and you haven’t slept in 3 days. Be there because you want to. Give your heart to The Lord for a few hours.

Serve with mind:

1. Use your brain. Help tutor someone. Teach someone else. Use your talents to help others and bring The Spirit into their lives. Heavenly Father gave us talents for a reason don’t be like the foolish man who hid his talents. Use your talents to bless others.

Serve with strength:

This applies in 2 ways.

1. Don’t be scared to serve. Don’t be scared to sit with the unpopular girl at lunch. Don’t be scared to be the only one who stops to pick help the shy kid pick up their books. There are people who need our help. Sadly in today’s world helping others isn’t necessarily “cool” or popular. But it’s part of our role as children of God and it’s what Christ would want. Isn’t his approval more important?
2. Serve with your muscles! Don’t be afraid to get dirty. Sacrifice for others.It is so worth it for them and for you.D&C 73: 3,5 says “Behold, I say unto you that it is my will that you should go forth and not tarry, neither be idle but labor with your might. “And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many sheaves, and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life.” Wow! That’s alot of awesome blessings.

All this seems pretty overwhelming. But you can do it. You can become the person you want to be. You can do it!

I know we have a Heavenly Father who loves us. I know we are sons/daughters of God. You are special and you are loved.  We were meant to shine. I know The Savior Atoned for our sins so we can come back to live with him someday. Because of him there is purpose to our mortal existence. We can be forgiven! Isn’t that an amazing blessing?! Heavenly Father knows each of your struggles. He knows you and as you strive to become more like him by serving with all your heart, might, mind, and strength and drawing close to him through the gospel; you will feel his arms around you. You will feel his love, his hope, and his peace that can be found no other way. I know my Savior lives and he is the perfect example.

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Lately.....

Life has started again. Ughhhh. Oh, how I miss those summer days filled with cousins, traveling, sunshine, fun, and sleeping in.

Yep, you guessed it. School has started. It's not to bad really....just time consuming. You know?;)

 

 

A picture from my amazing trip to Boston that I hope to write about later;)

 

 

I know we all complain about school, getting up early really stinks. Teachers load up on so much homework it's ridiculous! And all the bad words and actions can get really discouraging. But the purpose of school is actually a good thing. Heavenly Father sent us to earth so that we could learn. And whether you like it or not, school helps with that purpose. Does this mean that I am automatically going to start liking school? Nope. Is it the truth? Yep. Does that mean we should try to not hate school and realize it is actually a blessing? *Sigh* Yes.

 

A few scriptures I found on Learning:

 

 118And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith

 

 18 Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

 19 And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.

 

 15And set in order the churches, and study and learn, and become acquainted with all good books, and with languages, tongues, and people

 

Just a few other random notes:

-I renamed my blog Let Moore Light Shine in hopes that with a bit more of a unique name my blog would be more easily found on google.

-I already mentioned this, but we are now on instagram! @moorelightshine_blog

 

What is your opinion on school? Has school started for you? Do you have an instagram account? I would love to check it out!



Keep Going

I saw this on pinterest the other day and loved it! I have used it as my wallpaper for my phone and it is so cute!  Click here for the original source.

 

It is so important to never give up! Just keep moving forward!

Another great quote on this topic:

(via)

 

Even when you feel like you cannot take one more step, when life seems so dark you feel as though you won't ever see light again- keep moving forward. Don't get discouraged, keep trusting, keep believing, kneel as much as you can, cry unto God. Do anything you have to, just don't quit. You are worth an infinite amount and God has a plan for you. You are not destined to fail,  but to succeed gloriously. He will not leave you in the dark.

 

Good things WILL come, I promise.