Hope

So lately I have been 'Little Miss Debbie Downer'...and people have begun to notice the way my eyes arent as Sparkly and how my overall demeanor is somewhat unpleasant. Well for all of you that have noticed, I am sorry. I find that i have been a little hope-less for the past couple of weeks and maybe even months. This very subtle change has been brought on by a couple of things...possibly boys, definitely money, not necessarily school...I was talking with Colin about it and he said that I need to find a new goal to fulfill, a new purpose...something new to do with my time. After spending a couple of weeks roaming aimlessly around my apartment I have decided to take up his advice. It is possible that I am supposed to learn some all important lesson from this experience, so I am going to try and figure out what that is.

So now I am looking for that thing that will give me a little more meaning to my very meaningful life. I think I am going to start by completing a very serious study of the Book of Mormon. Last time I did that I found that my days were more fulfilling and I slept better at night. I was also able to find a job that I found enjoyable...maybe working is not my first priority at this time...I need to really discover who I am...and this is a great chance for me to do just that!

Another reason for my state of 'blue' (silly but true) is that over 5 of my very close friends have gotten engaged in the past month or so. I am ecstatic for each and every one of them, and I wish them every happiness in the world!! I love seeing my friends happy and I know for many of them their dreams are truly come true...

I have to admit that it is hard for a woman, like me, to see others getting married. Only because it is something that is so expected of women my age...which is very ridiculous because I am only 20 years old...I have so much that I could accomplish with my life before settling down with 'mr.right' and having a plethora of bouncing babies that fulfill that longing in my heart. Provo Utah does put alot of pressure on girls and guys alike to get hitched and start repopulating the earth.

I have been feeling recently that I am unloveable, unattractive, and just plain unwanted. YES...that is right. 'Silly Maria, how could you think that? You are a great girl!' I know thats what you are all thinking...well thanks alot, but after spending 20 years alone I feel ready to make that leap into the unknown, uncharted world of love. maybe someday.

After shooting a text to my wise older brother Brandon, he sent back this..."Things will work out! Heavenly Father just is setting you up with the best options. As soon as the time is right you'll know. Read Preach My Gospel...Chapter 6...Hope...

Here is what that says...

Hope

"Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. It is believing and expecting that something will occur. When you have Hope, You work through trials and difficulties with the confidence and assurance that all things will work together for your good. Hope helps you conquer discouragement. The scriptures often describe Hope in Jesus Christ as the assurance that you will inherit eternal life in the celestial kingdom. President James E. Faust taught: 'Hope is the anchor of our souls...Hope is trust in GOd's promises, faith that if we act now, the desired blessings will be fulfilled in the future...The unfailing source of our hope is that we are sons and daughters of GOd and that His SOn, the Lord Jesus Christ, saved us from death."

"Being blessed with hope, let us, as disciples, reach out to all who, for whatever reason, have moved away from the hope of the Gospel. Let us reach to lift hands which hang hopelessly down." -Elder Neal A. Maxwell

SO what i gleaned form this excellent source of knowledge and power is that if I have Hope in Christ all things are possible and ALL things will work out! I have always known that, but it is always good to be reminded. REminded that no matter what happens we have a HEavenly Father who loves us and cares for each and every one of us! I am very grateful for this knowledge in my life!!

Now that I have done a little venting I am going to jump on the ball and get to work!! I am going to find that new meaning to my life and I am going to fulfill it and become engulfed in it! Ill keep you posted!

christmas cheer...

so i want a christmas tree...christmas lights...mistletoe...constant christmas carols...festive-ly decorated sugar cookies...my apartment is void of such festivities...which super sucks because i am spending the holiday here in provo...gah...alone at christmas...i can think of no better way to spend the holidays...sorry about the down-in-the-dumps attitude...provo is makin me blue...

Simon Peter

Simon Peter

President Kimball relays so beautifully in his talk Peter, My Brother The important role that Peter played in the early church. Not only was he the first apostle chosen, but he was also the prophet and leader of the church after Christ had been crucified. Many people think of Peter as a traitor of Christ, because his faith waivered when Jesus was being trialed, but if we had been in the same situation what would our reactions have been. President Kimball states so perfectly, “Peter was a man of faith. He healed the sick by their merely passing through his shadow. Prison walls could not hold him. Because of him, the dead came back to life. He walked upon the water. Though this was not a total triumph, has any other human succeeded? Let any who would scoff at Peter’s momentary wavering try such a feat himself.” President Kimball is correct, we are not ones to judge the life of Peter. He who went through so many things to follow the Savior without question, to be the leader of the church, to be scorned and ridiculed. “He was full of faith, from the day he left his nets to follow Jesus, he never turned back to them again.” There are so many things, some mentioned before, that he did during his life and even after. He taught the Prophet Joseph Smith, and helped to bring to pass the restoration of the gospel during these the fullness of times. We owe much to the memory and to the man Peter!

If I could do something to be more like Him I would definitely exercise my faith and share my testimony with all those around me. Peter had such great faith to do all things, and such a brave heart to testify of Christ. I feel that it is up to us, as his brother and sisters in the gospel, to follow his amazing example and share our testimonies with all those around us. Doing so will help to build the kingdom of God here upon the earth and there is no greater joy than that.

Just as President Kimball said, I am proud to call Simon Peter my brother. He has done so much for us in these latter days that we would surely be ungrateful if we didn’t recognize his hands in the bringing to pass of the gospel!

The Holy Ghost

THE HOLY GHOST

- The Savior taught here that the Holy Ghost is the Comforter and to receive the Holy Ghost the apostles of the Savior must love one another.

- Not only is the Holy Ghost a Comforter, He is also a teacher. He comes through peace and pondering upon things we have been taught.

-The Holy Ghost is also a testifier of Jesus Christ, when we share our testimonies with others He also testifies unto them.

-The Holy Ghost also works as a repellant of sin, judgment, and righteousness.

-The Holy Ghost is the spirit of truth, He glorifies the Father and the Son, and shows us the truthfulness of their church.

-The Holy Ghost essentially is the witness of the Father and the Son to those who earnestly seek to know them. He expounds our understanding, deepens our love of God and enhances the natural man and makes him more like the God he is meant to become. The holy Ghost brings man to his fullest potential.

The Holy Ghost help the apostles fulfill their missions after the Saviors Death and resurrection by testifying and touching the hearts of men on the earth at that time. He enhanced the apostles faith and power while teaching and preaching unto others.

The Holy Ghost has been my constant companion since I turned 8 and was baptized. The gift of the Holy Ghost has certainly been helpful and instructive to me the past 12 years of my life and I know that He will continue to be through my faith and worthiness until the end. There have been many times in my life when I was instructed and taught be the Holy Ghost. Or when I was led in a specific direction in life due to His subtle yet moving nudges. My faith has surely been strengthened by the Holy Ghost, each time I bear my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and of the life of the Savior I feel His loving arms around me, and I feel the Spirit witness to me once again the truthfulness of all that I know.

A New Commandment...

John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

While reading in the New Testament I came across this scripture. WE can show our love for God, our discipleship, by love others around us. What a great blessing for us in our time. What an easy admonition from the Savior, Love others as I have loved you. There are times when we are faced with adversity, and the way we chose to respond to that adversity really shows what kind of people we are. If we are living breathing disciples of Christ, or not. If someone around you were being ridiculed for their dress or way of speech, how would you act? What would you do? I recently read another blog that spoke of the Power of One. There is so much that we can do all by ourselves. Much of that relies on how we would act in these kind of situations. Would we offer a kind word and a reprimand for those who are teasing or would we walk on by. As a child I was given this opportunity. While on a bus to school, I was shocked to see boys a few seats in front of me teasing a special needs boy. The boy looked out the window and cried because there was nothing he could do about it. With all the muster and spitfire I had I reprimanded those boys and in one swift motion sat in the seat next to the special needs boy. I was teased and taunted, but the taunting was not even something that i remember, all I remember is that little boy looking at me and smiling. What a great feeling that was for me. So empowering and so humbling. I knew then deep down in my heart that I had amde a great decision in helping this boy.

Now what about in our day and age. many of us are active members of the church and therefore attend church regularly. If a new person comes into your ward or branch how do you treat them? do you welcome them and show them your love and appreciation or do you let them sit alone and wait for someone else to welcome them in. I was once on the receiving end, being new in a ward, and i was shocked to find that no one welcomed me. I attended the ward for over a month before I was even acknowledged. this was a very hard month for me. I was going through some hard personal times, and I was lacking frineds. I thought I would make some very soon in my ward, but it took about 3 months before I had even one friend in that ward. I can tell you from experience that I felt so small and so forgotten and looked over. Insignificance filled my soul and bitterness filled my heart. I made a pack with myself that day to always be welcoming to others int he ward, no matter who they were.

I guess what I am trying to point out is that being a disciple of Christ involves so much more than attending church, reading your scriptures, and praying. It involves serving others, loving others, making sure that others can see that Love of CHrist in your eyes and feel it when you talk to them. a question you could ask yourself is "Do people know I am a disciple of Christ by the way I treat them?" ponder this question, and act on it!! Do something for a family member, neighbor, or friend that shows them your love of Christ!!

Prep Yourself...Wise or Foolish!?

While reading through Mark 13 I found that the Savior gives us counsel/warnings. What is suprising to me is the fact that many people ignore these warnings. in this chapter alone He offers 3 specific warnings for us, as His followers, to heed before He comes again. Warning #1: Dont be deceived. We had a big discussion about this in my New Testament Group this week, about the ways that you can avoid being deceived. One of those ways is to have a solid, sure fire, know-without-a-doubt testimonies, that shakes the people around you when you share it. So dont be deceived! Warning #2: Watch. The word 'watch' is stated many times throughout this chapter, and again I think that the Savior is trying to reiterate something to us that we havent quite gotten yet. He is coming wether we like it or not, and He is coming on His timetable, not on ours. WE need to be as the 5 wise virgins were and have our oil lamps ready and extra oil on hand for when the Bridegroom comes, I have a feeling in the very depth of my soul that it is going to be sooner than later that we all meet Him again! So...take heed and WATCH! Warning #3: Pray. There is only one way to stay close to friends and family and that is by spending time with them, by talking with them on a daily basis and coming up to speed in everything that going on in both your lives. WEll that is the same with our relationship with our Father in Heaven. WE must have a daily, honest, non-repetitive, sincere commune with Him, otherwise we lose track of who we are and where we are going. WE need that constant companion and knowledge in our lives that we are not alone. Prayer is the one way that we can keep that love alive. WE have a direct channel to God! LEts not waste it! PRAY!!

Throughout the scriptures we are encouraged and exhorted to prepare ourselves for the Second Coming of the SAvior. D&C 87:8 States that we need to 'Stand in Holy Places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord comes.' Joseph Smith-Matthew states that in order to not be deceived we need to 'treasure up His word' and again we are exhorted to WATCH, for we do not know when the day of the Lord will come. WE need to be ready, for when that day is here, the days of preparation will be over! D&C 33:17 also states that we be ready and have our lamps trimmed and filled for the day of the Lord. That we pray always, and be faithful in all things! Preparation is the key to success, without it we will be lost at the Great and Terrible day of the Lord!!!

Marriage For Eternity

The Sadducees are in err thinking that there is no resurrection. They also believe that God is the god of death, that living after this earthly life is not possible. They do not believe in angels or in the Spirit. From this we can see that the Sadducees only asked questions of the Savior to vex Him and to catch Him in error. (which of course did not happen) The Sadducees were never really searching out the truth from the Savior, they just wanted to discredit Him.

I think what is meant by Matthew 22:30 is that there will be no more marriages after the resurrection in the temporal world nor in Eternity for those who were not bound eternally in the temporal world. Things will be as they were when Jesus comes again, those who are married for time and not for eternity will not have the blessings of being married eternally in the next life. Those things that are bound in earth, by the right authority, are bound in heaven. This we know for certain.

“In the resurrection there will be no marrying nor given in marriage; for all questions of marital status must be settled before that time, under the authority of the Holy Priesthood, which holds the power to seal in marriage for both time and eternity.” ---James E. Talmage

D&C 132:15-16 describes in full the glory that will come to those who marry only for time while on this earth. Their eternal lives will be spent as angel of God, ministering servants to those who are the chosen elect of God.

How blessed I am to know the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that I can be eternally sealed to the man of my choice and that we can be together for eternity, by loving lives unto the Lord. Hot dang I cant wait until we find each other! Eternity would be lonely without my other half!