Gratitude Will Change You

All too often I find myself not being grateful for the little things I have in my life. Sometimes the big things too. It usually hits home for me when I hear someone talk about how grateful they are for all of the things in their life. Don't you hate realizing that you haven't been grateful for the blessings you have? Today is the day to start showing and telling your Heavenly Father how grateful you are for all things in your life. I mean, He is the one that has given us everything.

Prayer is such a huge factor in showing our gratitude to our loving Heavenly Father. We are advised to pray morning and night by our Prophet today and in times of old. In the Book of Mormon a Prophet named Alma was giving his son Helaman advice in Alma 37:37, and told him to "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day." Doesn't that just make you want to pray? I learned a few reasons why we need to be grateful. the first reason is because it will make you feel more humble. We all a kick in the rear sometimes because we are not humble. By expressing gratitude, it will automatically bring out your humility. Second when we're grateful we realize how blessed we really are which in turn, will make you so happy and humble. And the last reason why we should be grateful is because it will bring a beautiful spirit into your life.

Did you know that we can pray and during the whole prayer just tell your Heavenly Father what you are thankful or grateful for? These are called gratitude prayers. Try it, it will change you.

Someone once told me that we need to give gratitude every morning but especially every night. The reason why is because we need to go to bed feeling the way that you want to feel in the morning when you wake up. Prayer full of gratitude will set the tone for your day. I hope that this could bless at least one of you. It will bless all of you who read if you just try...

Build a Better Understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ

How do we come to have even somewhat of an understanding of the Atonement? Often times I feel like its going to take me an entire lifetime to figure it out!! Today though I learned some amazing tips from some AWESOME missionaries here in Palmyra, New York, of how we can come to learn to use and apply the Atonement in our lives. I thought it would bless you readers too.

A point that they made before they went into explaining to us missionaries the 3 tips to understand the Atonement better, was that:

Until we are faced with the Atonement, we won't truly understand it.

What I got from that, was that we need to have an experience with the Atonement, which every single person CAN have. Christ suffered in that Garden of Gethsemane in the picture above, for every person on this entire earth, including you. Here are the 3 tips they gave us.

3 ways of how we can come to understand the Atonement:

#1. We need to bear frequent testimony of the Atonement in whatever way we have experienced it in our lives.

#2. Be in the Book of Mormon as often as possible. The Book of Mormon references the Atonement numerous times. What better way to learn it than to read about it?

#3. Experience trials (which we do everyday) but to use the Atonement to get through those trials when they do come into your life.

I know that these three things can help you and I challenge you to try them out. I'm going to put them to the test myself! I know that our Savior loves each of us individually and if you don't know that, then ask Heavenly Father if I am telling you the truth. I know you'll receive an answer that will blow your mind and change your life forever.

For Time and All Eternity

Marriage between man and wife is a HUGE part of our Heavenly Fathers plan. It is something that is sacred and essential to receive all the blessings that God has in store for us, His children. Eternal marriage is a HUGE blessing that we have from Heavenly Father. Marriage is intended to last beyond life on earth, hence the reason why we call it "Eternal Marriage." Because Eternal marriage is such a sacred ordinance, the marriage ceremony takes place inside of a building that is dedicated to be a House of the Lord. This sacred building is called a temple. Today we are so blessed to have temples dot the entire earth!
Here is a photo of the Salt Lake City Utah Temple


When a couple goes into the temple for their marriage ceremony, they are literally sealed or bound together for the rest of their lives and throughout all eternity by someone who holds the authority of God to do so. This authority is called the Priesthood. Men who are given this authority to seal couples to each other hold a huge responsibility. How amazing would it be to seal a couple who is in love to each other for the rest of eternity

Have you ever been in love with someone? Are you in love now? Picture yourself and this person you love, being able to have to opportunity to not just be a couple now but to be a couple after you die. To have each other for ever...and ever, not just for now. Is that not just the most magical thing? It makes fights seem completely pointless. It makes the validity of your love that much more real. It makes you really change your perspective on life and your family.

I love the blessing that we have to be sealed to the one we love for time and all eternity. I can't wait to be sealed to someone I love for time and all eternity. I wrote a song a while back after blessed with an eternal perspective of my life. I realized the things that I want now and the things that were once important to me that now aren't. I want to be sealed to someone that I love for time and all eternity. Don't you? It's possible for each and everyone of us. All we need to do is prepare ourselves spiritually so that one day we can have the amazing blessing of being sealed to our husband or wife for time AND all eternity. Here are the lyrics to the song I wrote :)


Divinely Through You

I've waited my whole life for things to make sense like this
All of these lessons learned were taught amiss
that life we see with just the eyes
It's the eternal things that have always been disguised
The things now I want are beautiful and true
The only way I found this was divinely through You

You are the ray of hope that lit the path for me
It's simple, eternal but without you how could I have seen
The things this life has in store I realize now are so much more
I feel fulfilled like life's complete,
maybe it's because you are the one for me
The things now I want in life are beautiful and true
the only way I found this was divinely through you

Now that I have this new perspective on life
I need to live it, breathe it, despite the strife
With you by my side I know I can get by
times will be hard but in the end worth the try

Life's beautiful blessings are such a joy
Family is real, eternal not just some toy
The abilities we have to show love one to another
were exemplified by our loving Savior, our Brother
The challenge we have is to learn and be like Him
Now with You in my life this seems more possible than it's ever been

Now that I have this new perspective on life,
I need to live it breathe it, despite the strife
With you by my side I know I can get by
times will be hard but in the end worth the try

The things now I want in life are beautiful and true
the only way I found this was divinely through you

Modern Day Prophets

Have you ever heard a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints talk about a "prophet," and wondered what the heck they were talking about? Well, if you are familiar with the Bible, Moses wrote about a few Prophets in the first book of the Bible in the Old Testament; Genesis. Adam, the first man on the earth was a Prophet. There were quite a few more Prophets throughout the rest of the Old Testament like,

Noah, who built an ark before a huge flood.

Abraham, who was asked by God to sacrifice his only son (but didn't have to in the end)

Moses, who received the 10 Commandments and parted the red sea.

Jesus Christ who was more than just a Prophet, he is our Savior

There has always been a Prophet who is called by God since the world began, why would God stop calling Prophets today? God is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever, This is where Joseph Smith comes in.

He was the NEXT Prophet after Jesus Christ. When Christ lived on the earth, the world obviously wasn't prepared to have a Prophet, they killed their Prophet, our Savior. That's why the apostasy took place. God took his Prophets off of the earth to prepare the earth for 1800 years to have a Prophet again. Joseph Smith was called to be this Prophet who restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ that Christ established and taught while he was on the earth 1800 years after Christ's death. Isn't this AMAZING news? The Church of Jesus Christ is ON THE EARTH RIGHT NOW!!! This is why we have a Prophet. He holds the keys to be able to run this church.

In Amos 3:7 it says:

"Surely the Lord GOD would do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets"


That Prophet that God is revealing his secrets to is here.
Thomas S. Monson
Makes sense to have a prophet today doesn't it? I know that Thomas Spencer Monson is our Prophet of the World today and that he's leading and guiding The Church of Jesus Christ with Jesus Christ at the head. Christ lives.

The Effects of Music

I want to talk about one of my loves, music. Music has always been able to deeply touch my soul. I have had some super hard times in my life where I felt like nothing could fix the way I was feeling. Then I would go to my room and lock myself in or to my car and turn on some music and it would make everything seem alright. Have you ever felt that way?

Music has such an effect on us. It can lift us in times of need but it can also drag us down if we're listening to destructive lyrics. My Mission President Jack R. Christianson has written a book called

" The Power of Music: Purify the Spirit or Pollute the Soul."

In his book he talks about making the decision to listen to good uplifting music. It is SO SO hard in our time today to do that. There is so much music out there with great beats or amazing guitar solos that make us want to listen but then it comes to the lyrics and they are just awful.

I myself have been caught in the trap of listening to music that has an AMAZING beat but talks about horrible things. When I was home I loved listening to the radio and I would usually just listen to the things that came on and never really thought about the lyrics. Now when I have a song in my head I'll sing it and sing the lyrics that I never knew that I had imprinted in my head and will realize as certain words come out of my own mouth that it's a horrible song! Yikes! The music we listen to whether we think so or not has a lasting effect on our brain. We can even remember lyrics to a song that we haven't heard in over a year!

My challenge for you is to listen to the lyrics of the music that you do have. Listen to the lyrics and if they are uplifting then keep them, and put only wholesome things into your mind! You will be blessed, I promise listening! If they aren't then STOP immediately. I promise you that you will feel a joy in your life that you have never experienced, if you keep the spirit there with you while you are listening to music. Don't drive the spirit away by listening to destructive lyrics! You can do it, especially if I can! Be the best you can be and you will be blessed, I promise.

Lehi's Dream is Our World Today

I read in an Ensign article a while back about how we can find ourselves in Lehi's Dream and it really impacted me. There is SO much symbolism in the Scriptures. I know that Heavenly Father prompted these men who wrote the scriptures to write certain things so that we today, could relate them to our lives and help better ourselves. I want to touch on a few of those symbols that can really help us in our everyday lives.

LEHI'S DREAM

found in 1 Nephi Chapter 8 of the Book of Mormon

IRON ROD = The Scriptures

The people were trying their hardest to hold to the rod. If you hold to the rod, then you will have the Spirit to guide and direct you. IMMERSE YOURSELF in the scriptures

GREAT AND SPACIOUS BUILDING = The World and Temptations

We have so much temptation around us from the music we listen to or the movies we watch or the things that we allow ourselves to talk about that aren't appropriate. We need to try our hardest to keep ourselves away from the world (great and spacious building). In Lehi's dream some of the people who were on the path were ashamed because they let the people in the great and spacious building make fun of them. People ARE going to make fun and think that our beliefs are strange because we believe in being wholesome. The world is not teaching us to be wholesome. This is why we need to try our hardest to be in the world but not of it.


PATH = The Commandments

God has given us certain commandments not to make our lives miserable but to help us. Think about the commandment to keep the word of wisdom. When we faithfully keep the word of wisdom our bodies are blessed tremendously! We are healthy and don't make stupid mistakes that we would have if we were under the influence of a harmful substance. Stay on the path on you will be happy. It's a promise that I know to be true personally.

MIST OF DARKNESS = Temptation from Satan

Satan is a jerk! He always seems to tempt us when we are trying to be good. Like the people in Lehi's dream who were trying really hard to hold to the rod. Satan puts a mist of darkness over our eyes to make it hard to see the end result (tree of life). He tempts us to give in to our carnal desires especially if it will hurt us and make us fall off the path. Keep holding onto the rod even when it's hard to see the eternal benefits of what you're doing

TREE OF LIFE = Jesus Christ

When I picture the Tree of Life I think of this huge beautiful white tree that has light beaming from every leaf. Our Savior Jesus Christ is Light! He is the Light. Everything that is good comes from Christ! Follow him and you will be happy. You will have eternal life.

FRUIT ON THE TREE: The Gospel/Love of God

The Lord has given us this fruit (the Gospel) because he LOVES us so much. Think about how much he loves us. He DIED and SUFFERED for us. He wants you to follow the path to him and then to partake of his love. Partake of the fruit. I know that if we do this that we will find eternal happiness. What is better than that? Even if the mist gets us confused and we have a hard time on the path at least we can get right back on it! Hold to the rod! Follow the light! And try not to be ashamed after you HAVE partaken of the fruit. This gospel is real and will be for eternity.

Learning to Forgive

The only way to truly forgive is through and with the help of Jesus Christ. This video shows how a man was able to forgive someone for taking away the life of his wife and family. I know that the only way he was able to do this was with the help of prayer. I know that Heavenly Father will always support us when we are lonely and anguished. He is waiting for us to come to him to ask him to help us heal and forgive someone that has hurt us. Watch how this man used the strength of the Lord to get through this horrific trial in his life.

Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light

This inspired me beyond words. I know that what this man is talking about is real and can be real for anyone who needs to forgive. Holding a grudge is the last thing that our Heavenly Father wants us to do. It hurts us WAY more than it does the other person that we are holding the grudge against. Don't hurt yourself, forgive. Learn how to do it with the help of the Lord. Remember what Christ said when he was on the cross? Rather than saying how mad he was at the Jews for crucifying him he said "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." He forgave these people who did HORRIFIC things to him. Let the Lord help you to forgive those who have done horrific things to you. He loves you and wants to help you. I know that through the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ that we can forgive people if only we rely on Him.