foundation

man oh man life has a pretty spectacular way of throwing you curve balls.

from really big things that kind of knock the wind out of you to little things like your internet stops working literally every time you sit down to work at the computer.

these past few weeks have left me feeling so grateful for the foundation that i've chosen to build my life on.

a foundation that i built through diligent scripture study, hours of church, lots of 5 am mornings in order to get to seminary, prayer, service, trying to see the positive, and trusting my Savior.

a foundation that is built on Christ and his gospel.

a foundation that is never failing, a foundation that is always there for me, a foundation that never lets me fail.

even when life comes and gives you a slap in the face and throws things that you would have never seen coming, when everything seems uncertain, i know that the Savior always has my back.

no matter what happens in your life, if you center your life on the right foundation, you can be strengthened when you're weak and lifted when you're lower than ever before.

the knowledge of eternal families and temples and the atonement has carried me through this past few weeks and i'm not sure if i've ever been more grateful for the blessing of the gospel in my life.

" And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12)

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.

Love

Today I was going to post about my New Years Resolutions, but I was just asked to talk about them in church next week so I will write more later on those. I know it will be kind of late, so I'm sorry.

One last note- this post is based off a wonderful testimony by an amazing woman in my ward so I take no credit- I just thought it was a great point and I know it is true beyond I doubt.

What is love?

In today's world it is thought of as "Sweetheart- I love you so I will give you everything you want and you will always be happy."


It is more of chance and romance.


But to God, love is deep and rooted in a care for the other person.


It means you are willing to sacrifice all for the other person. Just like the Savior was willing to die for our sins- the only man who was sinless loved so deeply that he was willing to suffer and die so us people on earth- who need his help so desperately- can live again and repent. That is true love.

Heavenly Father wants to make us the best person we can be. So his love goes more like this "I love you more than you know and I don't want you to suffer, but this is going to make you such a better person, I will help you through, but it's up to you."


Our loving Heavenly Father sees the big picture and even though it is hard to see the people you love most suffer, he knows that they need it. He knows that you can come out bigger than your trial. He has faith in you.


So if you're feeling like God isn't there- like he has abandoned you and he doesn't love you- Stop right now. He loves you more than you know. He loves you beyond comprehension. He thinks you are amazing.


You are a daughter/son of God and you are loved.

On trials and tribulations

As I was scrolling through my Instagram feed this amazing picture popped up: 

Turn your trials into life experiences. 

Wow. That really got me thinking. 

Every one has trials. It's the seemingly hard, cold truth. But with the right attitude.... It doesn't have to be. 

You've probably heard it a million times: Trials are for our own good. But it's true! I promise. 

Through trials we learn to depend on our Heavenly Father. We learn to truly pray with our hearts and to trust. Our faith grows to unimaginable heights. We become humble as we realize that we are not perfect, at the same time we become more confident as we realize we can do hard things. We are more grateful because what we before took for granted may not be there anymore. We become patient and learn to trust the Lord's timing as we wait for our tails to end. 

We become who our Heavenly Father designed us to be. 

So instead of grumbling and complaining through our trials....remember all the ways you can grow. 

 Just like the important life changing experiences we usually think of, such as weddings and birthdays, that will be told over and over. We have to remember our trials and tell them to our posterity. They will gain so much wisdom from them. Turn your trails into experiences. Don't forget about them and move on- remember them!

Have a wonderful day! 

-Shelby 

PS: Go follow army of helaman on Instagram- they are awesome! 

Hump Day #6: Come what may and love it!



It's time for our (some-what) weekly Hump Day! If you are lost check out the Hump Day tab above.



I could only find the pin this came from, not the original source!

 I love this quote! It is so simple, yet so true! In this world of fear a uncertainty, we just have to embrace life and find joy in everyday. We never know what is going to happen- there are so many disasters just waiting to happen. But we also know that what ever happens is for our own good. Heavenly Father has a plan for each and every one of us that allows for maximum growth. If face every challenge with anger and fear, then we aren't able to grow stronger. We have the choice to be happy or to be angry. Which will you choose?