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,

We thank thee O God for a prophet!//Amos 3:7

A few days ago I was in charge of the seminary devotional. If you're unsure what that means it's pretty much the opening spiritual thought for early morning bible study. We had to draw scriptures out of a bucket and I happened to pull out Amos 3:7. At first I have to admit I was a little disappointed because it isn't super duper close to conference, but then I realized it was our dear prophet's birthday recently (I actaully ended up giving it the day before his birthday...) and I couldn't help but think how stunningly perfect the timing was for me to study about prophets. Isn't it just amazing how everything always works out?!

Amos 3:7 says.......

 "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

After looking at the foot notes I loved the Joseph Smith translation. It tells us the word but means until, so here is what it is really saying....

 "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, until he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

(As a side note secret means vision or revelation, not some kind of sneaky thing.)

I thought that was pretty cool. There is so much changing in a world where wicked is becoming the norm. There is so much we need to be prepared for. And we can, We can be prepared for those things that knock us off our feet and take us by surprise. Those crazy disasters and confusing society shifts.

Here are a few recent examples.....

• We were counseled to get food storage prepared. Since then the economy has dropped, jobs are harder to find, and countless natural disasters have taken place. Countless people have been  less hungry for following this inspired counsel. 
• In 1995 The Family a Proclamation to the World was announced. Since then laws have changed, divorce has increased, gender is being questioned, and countless priorities have tried to overtake our few hours of family time. By listening to that advice so many years ago and strengthening our families many latter day saints have been prepared to face these strong attacks on the family. 

I just wanted to wrap this up with one more quote:

{source: lds.org}

I am so grateful for the profound influence prophets have had on my life and the comforting knowledge that I never have to be taken by surprise and unprepared if I will just listen to the prophet.

uplifted & inspired

Conference was pure amazingness.

I just realized that was almost 2 weeks ago. Wow. That went by pretty fast. But it has stuck with me throughout the busyness.

As a slowly reread all the super inspiring talks, the importance of defending and growing close to family, the Savior's love and grace, being a light and example, and so many other important principles stick out to me,

I have been trying so hard to apply what was said in conference. I've been trying to read my scriptures and say my prayers more consistently. Aside from the broader areas it has helped me specifically too. Once a month members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints fast for 2 or more meals, we fast for a reason. I woke up especially hungry and thirsty, but I knew that I wanted to fast. After printing out Elder Erying's talk and reading about the blessings and importance of fasting it helped me have the strength and determination to keep going. While this was a tiny example it really shows how conference can impact our lives.

My favorite talk (it is super hard to pick a favorite! They were all so good!) was Elder Holland's. I loved the story about the 2 brothers. It is such a comfort, a humongous indescribable peace and blessing, to know that the Savior lives and loves me (and each and every one of you) and will never let us fall. I can just see the scene between the 2 brothers, but instead I imagine me falling and the Savior's arms. No matter who you are or what religion PLEASE read this talk for me?

I could write pages and pages about how much I loved conference and how I feel so uplifted and inspired, ready to tackle the world and become a better person. Please don't take it from me though, go read a talk or 2....... or all of them.....preferably all of them:)

-Shelby

Ideas for celebrating Easter

This Easter week, I am really trying to focus on the Savior and I thought you all might like to know what I am using! It is so important to focus on the Savior all the time, but especially close to Easter as we try to understand everything he did for us.  A lot of times it seems like Easter is a one time deal, where as Christmas has a whole season. Easter represents so many glorious things, the Atonement, the Savior, the Resurrection and all that was made possible because of them, so why does it get less attention?

I am totally referencing this GREAT resource! It is geared towards family activities, but it can be easily used for just you. The thing I loved most was how it had scriptures for each day and things to journal/think about.

These bible videos are great for understanding stories, especially with younger kids. Mormon Messages are also amazing!

I've been reading the mormon.org page about #becausehelives and #heishere, it also has things about each day of the week you can read. Later in the week I plan to post a picture with the #heishere marker. I'm also reading through the mormon.org page about Jesus Christ. It is super uplifting and a great reminder about all that Jesus Christ is and did for us.

Videos: ( I only linked 3 but there are SO many more on The Mormon Channel youtube account-they don't just apply to Mormons either, I encourage everyone to watch them!)

(I wouldn't encourage showing the last one to small children because it is super sad, the reason I included it is because of the words. It might be best to just press play and minimize it because I feel like the words are SO powerful. You can listen to the whole talk here.)

Most other links I would recommend are linked in the first source so you can find them there. Another great idea would be to look up talks about Easter, Christ, and the Atonement.

Journaling is my last recommendation. Some ideas are:
What role does Christ play in my life?
How do I see his influence?
What can I do to draw nearer to him?
What role does the Atonement add to my life?
Without Christ and the Atonement would life have purpose?
What purpose do they add?
How does the Atonement relate to grace?
What power is there in the statement he lives?
Thoughts on the Savior's love
How can we become more like the Savior?
Christ gave up all for us... what can we give up for him?
What blessings have you seen because of the Atonement?

What ideas do you have? Any great links you know of? I'll add them to the list!

I hope you all have an amazing Easter week as you strive to make Easter and the glorious truths it holds part of your lives.

-Shelby

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.

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!



12x Better: An update!

I looked at the calendar....
and then I was like shoot!
It's nearly a week into February!
I really dropped the ball on this one.
Remember a looooooooong time ago when I told you my new idea on new years resolutions?
I also promised that I would post a new calendar every month.
Well I kind of forgot.
OOPS! I am so sorry!
Today I will post my progress report and tomorrow (or sometime VERY soon) I will post the calendar. (If someone actually wants it- see the questions below)

My original goal for January was to have a GOOD scripture study every night. A few nights into the month I changed it just a little bit when my mom issued a challenge in our family to read 2 pages of the Book of Mormon every night. I am happy to report that I did it! I read it every night! I am pretty proud:)

I have a confession to make.... I didn't actually use the calendar much. I checked it off the first few nights. And that was the end of that.

I have a few questions that I would love it if you answered in the comments:
          - Should I take the time to make the calendars? Would you actually use one?
          -I got few emails requesting one- would you be more likely to use a calendar if it was a link?
          - Are you taking this challenge at all?
I would love some input, but lets keep it friendly please!

Also, if you participated, I would love it if you did an update post on your blog with a link and left it in my comments! Or if you don't have a blog you can shoot me an email. I will be happy to feature any I get! Please specify if you would like it to remain private! My email is: littlelightofmineblog@yahoo.com

Courage pt.2

Sorry it took me so long to get this post up! A few days ago I posted on courage; I promised that my next post would be filled with scriptures about courage. I accidentally lied and posted this post about Thanksgiving. So without further ado: Courage part 2!

Yeah, I know Halloween was last month, but part 1 had it & I wanted to stick with the theme...

22 Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.
(D&C 128:22)

But we can take courage from the Lord’s promise that His “grace is sufficient ... [to] make weak things become strong” (Ether 12:27). (How can relying on the Savior’s grace help me become a better teacher?)

, “Be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you” (
D&C 68:6).

1 When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
(Deuteronomy 20:1)

7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest (Joshua 1:7)

11 And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the king’s matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and the Lord shall be with the good. (2 Chronicles 19:11)

4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.
(Ezra 10:4)

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
(2 Timothy 1:7)

But we can take courage from the Lord’s promise that His “grace is sufficient ... [to] make weak things become strong” (Ether 12:27). (How can relying on the Savior’s grace help me become a better teacher?)

, “Be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you” (
D&C 68:6).

1 When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
(Deuteronomy 20:1)

7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest (Joshua 1:7)

11 And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the king’s matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and the Lord shall be with the good. (2 Chronicles 19:11)

4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.
(Ezra 10:4)

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
(2 Timothy 1:7)

I love all these scriptures! I love memorizing them- they are such good comfort! Courage is such a powerful, amazing attribute!
Have a Great Day!
-Shelby