Brother Joseph

     In school once, we had to think about what famous person we would first want to talk to if we died. I can't really remember who I chose at the time, (For some reason I think it was Amelia Earhart...?) But now... I'd choose Joseph Smith. In a heartbeat. I'd love to talk to him and thank him from the bottom of my heart for everything that he did for me and for our church.
 
     I've always known that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I've never doubted the fact that he had a vision, and that he translated the Book of Mormon with divine help.
     As I've gotten older, I've gained a new love and respect for our prophet Joseph Smith.

     One of my favorite sections in the Docterine and Covenants is section 135. It was written by John Taylor, and it was the first section written after Joseph and Hyrum were martyred.

Here are a few of my favorite verses in this section... (And I know that this looks like a lot of words.... if you want, just read the highlighted parts.)

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D&C 135:3-  Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!


6- Hyrum Smith was forty-four years old in February, 1844, and Joseph Smith was thirty-eight in December, 1843; and henceforward their names will be classed among the martyrs of religion; and the reader in every nation will be reminded that the Book of Mormon, and this book of Doctrine and Covenants of the church, cost the best blood of the nineteenth century to bring them forth for the salvation of a ruined world; and that if the fire can scathe a green tree for the glory of God, how easy it will burn up the dry trees to purify the vineyard of corruption. They lived for glory; they died for glory; and glory is their eternal reward. From age to age shall their names go down to posterity as gems for the sanctified.

7- They were innocent of any crime, as they had often been proved before, and were only confined in jail by the conspiracy of traitors and wicked men; and their innocent blood on the floor of Carthage jail is a broad seal affixed to “Mormonism” that cannot be rejected by any court on earth, and their innocent blood on the escutcheon of the State of Illinois, with the broken faith of the State as pledged by the governor, is a witness to the truth of the everlasting gospel that all the world cannot impeach; and their innocent blood on the banner of liberty, and on the magna charta of the United States, is an ambassador for the religion of Jesus Christ, that will touch the hearts of honest men among all nations; and their innocent blood, with the innocent blood of all the martyrs under the ^aaltar that John saw, will cry unto the Lord of Hosts till he avenges that blood on the earth. Amen.


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     Wow.... Our prophet Joseph Smith died so that I can have the gospel... So that you can have the gospel, too... He was persecuted by people his whole life, but endured it well. He had an amazing eternal perspective and trusted in God. Always.
     When I was at youth conference, we watched the Joseph Smith movie, and then sang Praise To The Man. It was a very spiritual experience for me, and my testimony of Joseph Smith grew a mile that night. 
     One thing that is very evident to me when I watch movies, look at pictures, and read about Joseph Smith, is that he was such a kind and loved man. Everybody loved "Brother Joseph". He was always preaching, doing service, playing with the kids, and smiling. He always put the gospel and its teachings first, even though many people hated him for it. 


     It is a very noble thing to die for your religion. Nowadays, you may be persecuted for being a member of this church, but most likely not as much as the saints in Joseph's day were. 
     Living in the United States in 2011, we have laws that protect people of different religions. Because of this, you will probably never be asked to die for your religion. 

I think that it may be just as noble to live for it.  

     This is the video that we watched while I was at youth conference. It is about an hour long, but SO worth watching. Maybe you could watch it for family home evening. Maybe you could wait till everyone else is in bed, enlarge it on your screen, and pop some popcorn. 


Either way, if you find time, you will not regret watching it. It will definitely bring the spirit to your day and increase your testimony. (Just have tissues handy... I bawled the first time I watched this... and I am not a cryer.)





Video can be found at this site.

Praise to the Man is now my favorite hymn... it has such powerful words...

1. Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!
Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer.
Blessed to open the last dispensation,
Kings shall extol him, and nations revere.

[Chorus]
Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven!
Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren;
Death cannot conquer the hero again.

2. Praise to his mem’ry, he died as a martyr;
Honored and blest be his ever great name!
Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins,
Plead unto heav’n while the earth lauds his fame.

3. Great is his glory and endless his priesthood.
Ever and ever the keys he will hold.
Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom,
Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old.

4. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven;
Earth must atone for the blood of that man.
Wake up the world for the conflict of justice.
Millions shall know “Brother Joseph” again.

In The Service of Your God

Okay... I'm ready for a real post. You?
Our church always encourages service. There are so many things that our church does so that we can help those in need.
Our tithing money goes to many good causes, but always, in some way or another, helps others.
We often do ward service projects.
We have humanitarian services, and the Bishop's Storehouse.

We do all these things because when we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are only in the service of our God.

Matthew 10:39- He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.



    When I was at EFY, our session director said something to us that I really liked.
Do the right thing
At the right time
For the right reason
With the right heart.

Maybe you are doing something really nice for someone. It could be at the right time, and you're doing it because it would help that person. Maybe though, you are only doing it because your mom forced you to, or you are doing it for recognition.
DO SERVICE WITH THE RIGHT HEART!!

God gave us everything, including free agency. He would never make us be obedient. He isn't going to make you do things with the right heart. Having a good heart and choosing to help others, while having a good attitude, is one of the greatest gifts we can give to Him.

Here's a cute video for you... if you follow mormon.org on facebook, you may have already seen it... (:
Pay attention to the scripture at the end... it's a good one!





... I read a wonderful story of service in a book I have... I looked for the same story online, and I don't have the book with me, so I can't exactly share it, but it's something along the lines of this:

   There was a man who was driving home from work. (Let's call him Paul, because I don't remember his name...) Paul was reflecting on all of his blessings and feeling rather happy about how his life was turning out. He realized that he was almost out of gas, and luckily happened to be right by a gas station, so he pulled in.
 
 While Paul was waiting for his car to fill up, he saw a very scruffy looking man pull into the gas station. The man was smoking tobacco and had a long beard. He looked pretty dirty. Paul looked down at his nice suit, and wondered how someone could possibly go out in public looking that bad. "He's probably some biker dude, just out of jail." Paul thought. "He doesn't have a chance in life!" His car finished filling up, so he went inside to pay.

   At the register, Paul reached his hand into his pocket to pull out his wallet. He was surprised to find that it wasn't there. He searched all of his pockets only to find that he didn't have his wallet with him. "I need to run out to my car to get some money." He told the cashier, "I'll be right back."
   
    Paul ran outside and started frantically searching his car. He noticed the scruffy man watching him and was annoyed. "Doesn't he know it's rude to stare?" Paul wondered. Soon after, the scruffy man walked into the building. After several minutes of searching, Paul realized that he had no money.
  
     On his way back inside, he passed the scruffy man, who was leaving. "Don't worry about it." the man said. Paul was even more annoyed. "Same to you, buddy." He said, although he didn't know what the man was talking about. When he got inside, he started telling the cashier that he had no money, but that he could hurry and drive home to get his wallet before coming back to pay. "You don't have to pay," the lady said, "That man out there just payed for you."
  
    Paul ran outside and barely caught the scruffy man as he was leaving. "Why did you pay for me?" he asked. The man simply replied, "I've been there."

     Overwhelmed with gratitude, Paul walked back to his car. He imagined himself and the scruffy man being judged before God at the last day. Sure, the man smoked. What if he didn't know how bad tobacco was for the body when he started smoking it? Maybe he realized later, and by then couldn't stop. Paul had never smoked tobacco before in his life, but had he gone out of his way to help others? Paul realized that if their lives both ended now, that scruffy man would be in better shape than he himself would.

     Paul left the gas station, grateful for the new perspective that he had gained, all because this scruffy man did an act of service for him.



NEVER forget that you could have a very significant impact in someone else's life. It doesn't have to be big, it could seem very small and insignificant to you, but it might still mean the world to someone else. Remember that.

Scripture Marking Saturday... And I'm Still Here!!

Okay to start... I haven't given up on my blog! I know I've mentioned that we don't have internet at my house anymore... I've been trying to post on whatever computer I can get my hands on... This will only last til Christmas! We're getting a new computer then, so there will be plenty more posts coming!

For today... Scripture Marking Saturday...

Alma 34:32- For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

Please make sure that you are being proactive while on earth. You really do control your future. If you work hard and prepare, you will absolutely be ready to meet God.

Thoughts on Christmas

I was saving a Christmas post until... Christmas...
But I want to write down a few of the things I've been thinking, because they are things that should be remembered throughout the whole holiday season.
I listed a few things in another post that I love about the holiday season (I'm not providing a link to that post... They keep getting screwed up on this tablet I'm using.)
They included music, food, decorations, well... Everything!

The world has forgotten the meaning of Christmas... The whole reason we celebrate it... There are people who celebrate Christmas for no reason. They just do it because that is what a lot of people celebrate. They want to be a part of the Christmas season. They don't do it because of Christ. Maybe some people say they do, but that isn't what they are putting near to their heart.

We are celebrating His birth.
His life.
We are celebrating everything that we have because of Him.



Just remember this during the Christmas season...
Just remember...

Post Coming!

I promise thee is a post coming! Suffering minor technical difficulties... Check back tomorrow!

Scripture Marking Saturday

Alright... Time for another scripture to mark.

D&C 88:68- Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.

This scripture tells me that we should sanctify ourselves and be prepared. We never know what is going to happen, but God does. Sometimes His will and our will don't match up. We must always be willing to accept whatever God has in store for us. After all, He can see the whole picture. Remember eternal perspective found here?

This reminds me of a story I just read in the New Era... A girl talks about how you can be led by the spirit in your prayers. While praying, the spirit can tell you what to say so that your will can be the same as God's will. If that doesn't make sense, or if you just want to read the whole story, click here.

Alright... Hope everyone has a great remainder of their weekend. Leave comments! I'm starting to wonder if there really is anyone out there who is silently reading this blog!

PS: Sorry the links are a little messed up... I'm trying to do this post on a mobile device because our computer broke... I know that it ended up highlighting a lot of text, but if you click on either of the places where it says "here", it should still take you to the right place. :)

Strong Roots: Building a Strong Testimony

     It is so important to gain a strong testimony of the gospel and of your Savior. There are so many tools that the adversary is using to try and break you and destroy your testimony.

  This is a pine tree that used to stand in my yard. Pine trees are huge, this tree was taller than my house. You would think that such a tree can never be knocked over by the wind, but this one was. It had shallow roots.
There is a lesson to be learned from this tree. We may seem like we are big and strong in the gospel. Maybe we go to church every week, and we pay our tithing. What would happen though, if you went through a trial and didn't have a strong testimony? You wouldn't have strong enough roots, and you would fall.

You must make sure that you gain a strong testimony. Life is going to knock us down - it is part of God's plan. When that happens, be prepared. If you have a strong testimony, you will be able to rely on God and you won't fall. You don't know when a trial will come upon you, so make sure that you have strong roots now.


     How can we gain a stronger testimony?

Go to church- Listen. Pay attention. Contribute. Do more than just sit there with a bad attitude, doing that won't gain you anything.

Read your scriptures- The scriptures are a gift to us from God. Many, many people sacrificed everything to give us these scriptures. READ THEM OFTEN!! Let their words become a part of you. I know that a lot of people don't read the scriptures because they feel like they aren't gaining anything from it. Make sure that you read slow and ponder what you are reading. Think about it- think about how it applies to your life. If that isn't helping, make sure that you are starting in a place that is easy to understand. The Book of Mormon, for example, is easier to understand than the New Testament, and the New Testament is easier to understand than the Old Testament. In my opinion, the Docterine and Covenants are easier than them all.
No matter where you read, you can gain something. Just make sure that you search, ponder, and pray.

Study the words of General Authorities- What the prophet speaks is scripture too. Don't forget that.

Go to seminary/mutual- You can learn so much in seminary. It is a great way to really get stories out of what you are reading. Mutual is important too. It is a way to get to know all of the youth in your ward and to become great friends with them.

Make sure that you are worthy to feel the spirit- You gain a testimony through things that the spirit makes you feel. Sometimes, I've felt the spirit SO STRONGLY that it is impossible to deny. At the end of the day, your testimony will come through the spirit.

Keep the commandments- This one probably blankets everything. All of these things that I have listed... we have been asked to do them. Follow the prophet. He really does speak for the Lord.

This video is called "The First Step." Hopefully you will be able to see that it's not hard to gain a testimony. If you ask the Lord, and try your very hardest, you will receive a testimony. Just take that first step.



to finish, I want to share a scripture.

"ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."
  
That comes from Ether 12:6. Remember that if you want to gain a testimony, you have to make an effort. You can't pray and say "give me a testimony on the Book of Mormon" without reading it. If you do make an effort to read it, and then ask, you will then receive a testimony.

Remember that God will always answer your prayers. He can give you a testimony.

What's Up Wednesday

  

  Okay, in an attempt to make this blog interesting, I have decided to add "What's Up Wednesdays" to my posts. In these posts, I'll just share what's been going on in my life recently... possibly more for myself than for you... I'm going to look back on this someday, right???

   The holidays are here! My favorite time of year! I love everything about the Christmas season. I love the snow, the music, the decorations, and just the spirit of it all. I love shopping on Black Friday (although I really didn't go out much this year). During December is also my birthday! Driving! Yippee!!

     I also think that it is important to remember what this season is all about. It's such a beautiful time of year, full of cheerful people. I think that a lot of people get caught up in the unimportant stuff though. Christmas is about Christ, and we should always be quick to remember that.

     The Festival of Trees is this week.... we made a tree to donate in honor of my sister Sage.... Seriously, coolest tree ever... I'd buy it. :) Of course it makes it better that this is a fundraiser. The trees are auctioned off, and all of the money goes to Primary Children's Medical Center. Yay!

     School has been BUSY!!! (To say the least)  I've had one project due after another, one quiz after another, followed by tests. *Sigh* I've also been up really late each night trying to get homework done. I work right after school, and then I usually have some sort of other engagement... (piano, babysitting, mutual, etc.) To say the least... I am TIRED!!

     One last thing... My internet is down!!! Eeeek!! We haven't had internet access in our house for the last few days. I am blogging right now on the computer at my dad's work... I never realized how much I rely on the internet for homework, and also other things... like this. It's kind of sad how we start to rely on electronics. Electronics are not a bad thing at all, but we can make them bad if we get addicted or if we are doing bad things with them. Be careful!

Hmmm... this just made me think of a video on youth.lds.org. Maybe I will do a post on electronics sometime in the near future and share it... or maybe not. What topic do you want to hear about?

Hope you all have a fabulous week! Don't forget to leave comments!

    

Trials and Tribulations: Coming Forth as Gold

Job 23:10- But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

     The subject of "hard things" is one that means a lot to me and that I feel very strongly about. I've gone through trials, as I know that everyone has, and I learned a lot while I was enduring them. I'm just going to share what I learned, in hope that some of you will take something away from it.

     When I was thirteen, my little sister died. I'm sure that all of you reading this already knew that. It was very sudden, and this was a very hard trial for me, but I think that I was able to stay strong and endure it well. How? Ha... I'm not totally sure!

     Hard things... are hard. (I know what you're thinking... that last statement took a lot of brains! (:  )
But seriously. It's easy to say that you will be strong and lean on the Lord during trials... but would you really? The answer is yes. I'm pretty sure that all of you would... and all of you probably have before.

    One thing that I discovered was that you go into a sort of survival mode. You just sort of drift through and don't let things affect you. Eventually though, things start to sink in. When that happened, I was strong because I didn't have a choice not to be.  

I had to be strong.
I had to lean on others.
I  had to hang in there.
If I didn't, then that trial would've broken me.

     I learned so many things from this experience.
    
     People are good. Like, so good. Now I always knew that there were good people in this world. but I think that often, it is the bad things that people do that are spotlighted. One thing that I witnessed during this trial was the goodness of the human spirit. When people are going through a hard thing, make sure that you reach out to them. It really does mean so much. NEVER FORGET! You were made to do good.

     I wasn't the only one. Sometimes when hard things happen, we feel as though we are the only one alive enduring such a thing. This is almost never true. I always knew that I had a loving Savior who had gone through everything that I was going through, but I fully realized during this experience that there were many other people, too.
        I learned to never feel sorry for myself. One day I was walking through the cemetery. I saw a headstone that had a whole family on it. A father and his three little girls had all died on the same day. The mother's name was carved too, but she had no death date. She endured losing her whole family. This humbled me to the moon and back. I had gained a new perspective, and I realized that I had it good.
I still had the rest of my family.
I still had a home, and neighbors, and friends.
I still had the gospel. I had knowledge, and still have knowledge, that many people don't have.

     I learned to give myself a break. My family and I could take as much time enduring our trial as we needed. I also learned that you don't have to see the bright side right away. It took me a while before I realized all of these things that I've been writing about.

     Most of all, I gained a new perspective. I honestly don't really remember what my testimony was like before that experience. I know that I had one, but after this trial of mine, it was strengthened a million fold. I had different things that I was striving for after this. Better things. I learned to be SO grateful for trials. SO grateful!
Now don't get me wrong... I wish more than anything that this hadn't happened. I'm just so grateful that when it did happen,  I was able to let that trial refine me, rather than define me.

   You can too. It can be a trial small or big, but IT WILL MAKE YOU STRONGER! God wants us to grow stronger. Trials are a very effective way to do this.


This is a wonderful video that reminds us that If we have faith and endure, all will be well.


To close, I want to share one more scripture.
 Isaiah 41:13- For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
You are never alone. Please don't give up.

All Blessings Come by Obedience

 
D&C 130:21- And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

Okay, so nobody told me what subject they would rather read about... But did you really think I would write about chastity?? No way.

One of my very favorite quotes is about obedience, so I am using that as the subject of this post. Here it is:
"Obedience to God can be the very highest expression of independence. Just think of giving to Him the one thing, the one gift, that He would never take... Obedience- that which God will never take by force- He will accept when freely given. And He will then return to you freedom that you can hardly dream of- the freedom to feel and to know, the freedom to do, and the freedom to BE, at least a thousand fold more than we offer Him. Strangely enough, the key to freedom is Obedience."
                                                                                     -Boyd K. Packer

God gave us EVERYTHING! Without Him, we wouldn't even exist. He has already given us so much freedom, including the freedom to choose. The least we can do is obey His commandments. They are ALWAYS for our own good.

I found this awesome story that President Monson told in the Priesthood session of General Conference in October 2006. It is an awesome example of how obeying will bless us, even if it doesn't seem like it at the time.

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"[Young] Rupert stood by the side of the road watching an unusual number of people hurry past. At length he recognized a friend.
'Where are all of you going in such a hurry?' he asked.
"The friend paused. 'Haven't you heard?' he said.
" 'I've heard nothing,' Rupert answered.
" 'Well' continued [the] friend, 'the king has lost his royal emerald! Yesterday he attended a wedding of the nobility and wore the emerald on the slender golden chain around his neck. In some way the emerald became loosened from the chain. Everyone is searching, for the king has offered a reward to the one who finds it. Come, we must hurry.'
" 'But I cannot go without asking Grandmother.' faltered Rupert.
" 'Then I cannot wait. I want to find the emerald,' replied his friend.

"Rupert hurried back to the cabin at the end of the woods to seek his grandmother's permission.
'If I could find it we could leave this hut with its dampness and buy a piece of land up on the hillside,' he pleaded with his grandmother.
"But his grandmother shook her head. 'What would the sheep do?' she asked. 'Already they are restless in the pen, waiting to be taken to the pasture, and please do not forget to take them to water when the sun shines high in the heavens.'

"Sorrowfully, Rupert took the sheep to the pasture, and at noon he led them to the brook in the woods. There he sat on a large stone by the stream.
'If I could only have had a chance to look for the king's emerald!' he thought.
Turning his head to gaze down at the sandy bottom of the brook, suddenly he stared into the water. What was it? It could not be! He leaped into the water, and his gripping fingers held something that was green with a slender bit of gold chain [that had been broken].
'The king's emerald!' he shouted. 'It must've been flung from the chain when the king [astride his horse galloped across the bridge and the current carried] it here.'

With shining eyes Rupert ran to his grandmother's hut to tell her of his great find.
'Bless you, my boy,' she said, 'but you never would have found it if you had not been doing your duty, herding the sheep.'
And Rupert knew that this was the truth."

The lesson to be learned from this story is found in the familiar couplet: "Do [your] duty; that is best; leave unto [the] Lord the rest!"
(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

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I promise that if you obey the Lord, and obey His commandments, and TRUST HIM, then you will be blessed beyond your wildest dreams.

Scripture Marking Saturday

   Okay... so I've decided to have a once-a-week post just sharing one of my favorite scriptures and some thoughts on it.
     If It's a scripture that catches your eye or means something to you, mark it! Remember it! I also invite you to share some of your favorite scriptures in the comment box... the more the merrier!

Here's today's scripture... it is one of my all-time-favorites...

D&C 25:10- And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.

I think that this scripture has a lot to do with eternal perspective, like I was talking about in this post... I was actually going to use it then, but I forgot... (oops!)

There is a much better world out there. It is the place where God lives, and it is more amazing than you could ever imagine. It is a place that you want to seek for, and you need to seek for.

"Since 'God is love' (1 John 4:8), the closer we approach Him, the more profoundly we experience love. But because a veil separates this mortality from our heavenly home, we must seek in the Spirit that which is imperceptible to mortal eyes."Heaven may seem distant at times, but the scriptures offer hope: 'Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart' (Jeremiah 29:13)."

~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Love of God," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 23

This scripture reminds me to seek Him and to seek after the blessings of the Celestial Kingdom.

Okay, your turn now. Leave comments! Share your favorite scripture!
I'm also asking for your vote. Which topic do you want me to write about next?
- Obedience
       or
- Individual Worth?

Here's some incentive for you: if nobody votes, I will be writing a long, boring post on the law of chastity! :)

The Importance of an Eternal Perspective

Matthew 16:26- For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?


     Living on earth, we can only see a little tiny piece of a huge picture.
     Imagine a never-ending string of Cheerios. Our earth life is one Cheerio on that never-ending string. Would you trade an infinite number of perfect Cheerios for one little misshapen one?

Imagine the sorrow you would feel if you didn't achieve your most important goal - to be in the Celestial Kingdom. What if you didn't achieve that goal because of something silly that you did on earth... a silly choice that won't profit you anything after you die...

“As we pass through the trials of life, let us keep an eternal perspective, let us not complain, let us become even more prayerful, let us serve others, and let us forgive one another. As we do this, ‘all things [will] work together for good to [us] that love God.’ ”

James B. Martino “All Things Will Work Together for Good,” Ensign, May 2010, 103

(click here to read the rest of the article)

   This quote reminds me how important it is to serve others and keep the commandments. Some people criticize our church and our commandments. Those people think that obeying God's commandments will limit them.
     Think of a commandment that is hard for you to keep. It could be paying your tithing, going to the temple, or anything really... Maybe to you, it seems as though paying tithing limits you. You don't have as much money, and that is especially hard if you are struggling financially. Maybe you don't see that your life is being blessed because of it. Does that mean you stop paying your tithing? No. Blessings are eternal. Sometimes you don't see that you are being blessed, because those are blessings you must wait for.
    I promise... In the end, it WILL all pay off. You WILL be blessed for keeping the commandments, and you will NOT be limited in any way, shape, or form.

Keep the commandments. Love God. All things will work together for your good.

1 Corinthians 2:9- But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Just because you can't see the good things waiting for you in heaven, doesn't mean they are not there. If we could have one glimpse of the heavens, we would want nothing but to be there.
Don't give it up for a worldly pleasure.

There are many things that we can do to gain  an eternal perspective.
Pray to God. Ask Him to soften your heart and to help you.
Read your scriptures. Your scriptures are a wonderful gift and often their words will answer your prayers. They will educate you on what's important. You will gain more treasured knowledge reading the scriptures than you could ever dream of.
Serve people. Possibly one of the greatest ways to gain a new perspective. There is always someone in a worse state than you. There is always someone who could use your help. Let yourself be an instrument in the Lord's hands, and your eyes will be opened.

Don't forget to leave comments! What are some other ways that you can gain an eternal perspective?

Post #1: Gratitude

“When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives.”

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

     Hello everybody! Welcome to my new blog! This is my first post, and there were a few topics that I wanted to post thoughts about. After tossing them around in my head for a few minutes, I realized that it would probably be appropriate to share a thought about gratitude, seeing as it is Thanksgiving and all...  I love the quote above by President Gordon B. Hinckley. I know that this is so true. If you live your life with gratitude and are thankful for all things given to you, it truly will make you a better person.

    
     What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday? Wouldn't you wish that you had showed more gratitude for what you've been given? You can tell when a person acknowledges what they have. Generally, they are more willing to give of themselves because they realize that they really are blessed. There is a quote by Pavithra Mehta that says "What you truly acknowledge is truly yours." How true that is.

My dad shared something with me that can be a reminder for us all to be thankful.

- If you woke up this morning with more health than illness... you are more blessed than the million who will not survive the week.

- If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

- If you can attend a religious meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death... you are more blessed than 3 billion people in the world.

- If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep... you are richer than 75% of this world.

- If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealth.

- If your parents are still alive and still married... you are very rare, even in the United States.

- If you can hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful... you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

- If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder... you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch.

- If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over 2 billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Doesn't that make you a little more grateful for your blessings? It does for me. Something like that can really give you a renewed perspective.

I was looking in my scriptures for a story of gratitude. There are many such stories in the scriptures. I'm only going to share one, however, and it is one that you are all familiar with.

Luke 17:

 11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Bishop Merrill J. Bateman taught: “In becoming a whole person, the grateful leper was healed inside as well as on the outside. That day nine lepers were healed skin deep, but only one had the faith to be made whole”

See what gratitude can do for us?? It can make us whole.

Alright... to finish, here's a lovely video that the church posted on facebook... enjoy...

I'm thankful for: the gospel, my testimony, my family, my scriptures, my Savior, the piano, my ward family, a roof over my head and food in my pantry, school, and the wonderful country that we live in.
And oh, so much more...

Psalms 100:
4- Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5- For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

I hope that we can all remember that being thankful is not just for Thanksgiving... It is a lifestyle.