real beauty

Are you beautiful as a person?
I'm not referring to makeup or nice clothes or the way you appear.
But as a person. Are you a lovely person?

Do you appreciate God's creations? Do you pay attention to the little things and take pleasure in simplicity? Do you make others feel good when they are around you?
Today is Memorial Day, and today we celebrate all of the amazing people who have gone before us and the sacrifices they made for us. Are you doing good things with the life you have?

Your life is a gift. You have so much potential to do good things and leave the world better than you found it. Take the opportunity today to consider the legacy you will leave when you die.

How will people remember you? Will they remember you as someone who loved God, someone with a beautiful personality, and someone who taught others to appreciate the world around them?

Sometimes we forget what beauty truly is. We get caught up in our daily lives, and we don't often stop to smell the roses.
We won't live forever. Memorial Day reminds me that I have a finite amount of time on this earth, and I want to spend it appreciating beautiful things and making the world better for those around me.

Appreciate what you have, folks. Take pleasure in the simple things around you. Give love freely, and open up your heart so you can feel joy and love deeply.

Happy last week of school! :)

Haley.

dispelling doubts

Our simple human minds have so many flaws.
One of them is that we doubt. A lot.
Even when God has shown forth many signs and miracles, we still doubt our faith. We doubt our testimonies. We doubt that God is real.

"Did I really feel those feelings?" "Have I really had a witness?"

One of the greatest skills that you can learn is the ability to have faith even in times of doubt.
Because we all have times of doubt! Even those who have always been strong in the gospel, even those who have always had a testimony, everyone has moments where the devil puts doubts in their mind. And sometimes these doubts are hard to dismiss.

But the important thing is that you don't let these doubts into your heart. Remember the love that God has shown unto you throughout your life, and try and keep those grateful thoughts in your heart and in your mind so that your doubts will go away. Don't even give negative thoughts the time of day!

Sometimes we lose that conviction that we once held, usually because we have not nourished our testimonies well enough.
You guys, it happens. And it's okay. We aren't perfect, and God doesn't expect us to be. What's important is that you continue to show faith and trust in God, even if you are struggling to feel Him near you. The more you exercise your faith and do all that you can to believe, the more open you will be to feeling the Spirit, and that is how you can banish doubts from your mind.



Jake's Story from Milestone Creative on Vimeo.


"Even if I have to pretend I believe, maybe that's better than what I've been doing."


Doubts come. They come because Satan doesn't want you to feel loved or feel the joy that comes through the knowledge of Christ's Atonement.
But they can be dispelled. Heed President Uchtdorf's advice and "doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." Hold strong to what you know, and exercise belief and hope in the things you aren't sure about.
Remember the counsel given in Doctrine and Covenants section six:

22 - Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.
23 - Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?
When you doubt, consider the times you have felt the Spirit. Consider the times you have felt God's love. If you once knew for a surety that God exists and loves you, is that not still true now? 

Do all that you can to feel the Spirit close to you.
In the video, he said, "There was no book on Atheism that could make me feel that way. In an instant, I knew I was loved, I knew just how lost I had been, I knew I was saved, and I knew I was home."

The Spirit is really the one who can drive doubts away. Because the feeling you get when you learn of God and of the truthfulness of His gospel is unmistakeable.

Yes, doubts come. But the important thing is that we ignore them and that we continue to exercise hope and faith, even when times are hard. Show God that you are willing to trust that He is there, even if it is hard to believe it sometimes. I promise that as you open up your heart and come unto Christ, you will know through the power of the Spirit of the truthfulness of this gospel.

Have a great weekend, and keep the faith!

Haley.

Alleluia

First thing is first: I am now the proud owner of a lovely new domain name! You can now visit my blog via www.whatmattersmostblog.com. If you enter in the old URL, you will still be redirected, but I think this address will be easier to find me at and easier to share with others. Oh, and I'm still working out the bugs, so make sure you include the "www." I'm trying to fix it so that it isn't necessary, but for now it is.
Domain names are complicated stuff, I tell you. I've already chatted with experts online, and I still can't fix the problem. But everything else is working, so I'll take it! A stubborn www. could be worse. :)

Alma 26:16:
Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.


Make everything you do about praising God.
Make everything you are about praising God.

When you do good for others, make it about God.
When others see your good works, they should be praising God, not you!

God gave us everything. He is the reason you exist, the reason you feel joy. He is the reason for everything that's beautiful in life. Remember to thank Him for it!

Praise Him in all things. Praise Him at morning and at night. During joy or during pain. Show Him that you are grateful for what you have, even if you feel like you don't have much.

I promise that praising God at all times will make you a happier, more grateful, and more lovely person. Praising God will keep you humble and will help you to remember whom to go to when you need help.
Praising God will become a habit, and soon enough, it will be second nature to you. And it will not be hard for you to praise Him when times get tough.

There is a being greater than you. Greater than me. There is a God greater than the whole earth, even greater than any wonderful thing you could ever dream up.
There is a God above, I know it. He is capable of anything. He can help you turn sorrow into joy and regret into peace. He can help you feel fulfilled and loved. He can perform miracles, and He can help you to do the same.

Do not take Him for granted. Do not forget Him. Show Him what He means to you by remembering to praise Him in all things. And try as hard as you can to emulate Him and radiate His love so that others will lift up their praises as well.


I absolutely adore this song, and I love the way it is presented in this video. And it gets even better at 6:45.



Yes, if there are words for Him, I simply don't have them.
I could never say the smallest part of what I feel.

But this I know: He is mine. He is yours. He is omnipotent, and He is perfect.

And I will praise Him in all things.



Haley

choose GOD

Sometimes it is hard to feel worthy.
A lot of times, actually.

We go through the motions, we try to do the right thing, we feel guilt over our mistakes, we repent. And yet, we never feel good enough. We always are stuck wondering, "is it enough??" "Am I on good terms with God?" "If I died now, would I go to the Celestial Kingdom?"

"In the end, after all the mistakes I've made, would God really choose me?"

This, my friends, is where we go wrong in our reasoning. Understand this: God will always choose you. Always. In reality, it is He who is hoping to be chosen by us.

It is He who is hoping that we will choose to be close to Him and choose to desire heaven. He wants you in heaven! And if you show Him that you desire heaven, that, in the end, you are willing to choose Him, Celestial glory will be yours one day! Even in spite of your mistakes!



I'll let Brad Wilcox explain:
"In the past I had a picture in my mind of what the final judgment would be like, and it went something like this: Jesus standing there with a clipboard and Brad standing on the other side of the room nervously looking at Jesus.

Jesus checks His clipboard and says, "Oh, shoot, Brad. You missed it by two points."

Brad begs Jesus, "Please check the essay question one more time! There have to be two points you can squeeze out of that essay." That's how I always saw it.

But the older I get, and the more I understand this wonderful plan of redemption, the more I realize that in the final judgment it will not be the unrepentant sinner begging Jesus, "Let me stay." No, he will probably just be saying, "Get me out of here!" Knowing Christ's character, I believe that if anyone is going to be begging on that occasion, it would probably be Jesus begging the unrepentant sinner, "Please, choose to stay. Please, use my Atonement - not just to be cleansed but to be changed so that you WANT to stay."

You guys, Christ's grace is sufficient. We are never going to be perfect, we won't even be close. But heaven is not just something you spend your life trying to earn. It is something you spend your life preparing for.

Choose God. Choose Him in everything you do. Draw close to Him, stay by Him. Work to please Him, and understand that when you let Him down (because you will, we all do), you can be saved by grace. You can be changed by grace, and the changes you undergo when you strive to be close to God are ones that prepare you for heaven better than anything else.

The Afterlife isn't about scorekeeping. It isn't about guilt or punishment.
It's about choosing God and being happy with your choice. Brad Wilcox also said, "Heaven will not be heaven for those who have not chosen to be heavenly."

Do you think the unrepentant sinners will want to dwell with God after they die? No! They would feel more comfortable and more happy elsewhere.

If heaven is what you want - if God is whom you choose - then heaven is what you will get.



God will always choose you. He will always want you near Him.
Choose the same. Choose heaven. Choose GOD.


Haley


P.S. Read this article about our liberal (what - liberal??) theology. I really enjoyed it. Salvation is for everyone!

empathize

If you could see others the way Jesus sees them, how would you treat them differently?
Would you be kinder? Would you think them more important? Certainly!

It is impossible for you to know all of the thoughts going through another's mind.
Even if you know them really well, even if they try to explain their emotions to you, there is still no way you could really know what it's like to be them.
People have so many different layers to them; so many different interwoven thoughts and stories and emotions.
Sometimes, when we look at them from the outside, people seem to do weird things.
Sometimes we can't fathom what their motives are for the decisions they make.

But know that just about everyone in the world, I'd say about 99.99% of the population, are just trying to do what's right. But people have different ideas of what's right, and sometimes people find themselves in sticky situations.
So don't judge others too harshly by their actions or their words.

They're just trying, they're just doing what they can.

Everyone has a story. Everyone has lovely things to offer the world. Everyone is important to God.





Let us all try a little harder to consider what others are going through, to see them as Jesus does, and to walk a mile in their shoes before we judge them.

People are good, they really are.


Haley

abide

Let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God 

(1 Corinthians 7:24)

Sometimes we pray and we don't get an answer.

Sometimes we do all that we can to keep trying, keep moving forward, and keep trusting in God, and we fall anyways.

Sometimes we try to call upon the Spirit, we try to feel God near, and we just can't.

And sometimes we've repeated, "Everything happens for a reason" to ourselves so many times that it's simply impossible to believe it anymore.


Sometimes, folks, it really feels like God doesn't care. I can assure you that He does, but still, sometimes it doesn't feel like it.
Sometimes it is hard to feel close to Him, sometimes we can't feel Him reaching back when we stretch out our hand.

Despite all of this, please, please keep reaching out anyways.
Sometimes we have to wait upon the Lord for a long time before we get our answers.
But I promise you, everything the Lord does, every answer He waits to reveal, He does that for a reason.
It's important to show God that you are willing to stay by Him, you are willing to abide with Him even when times are hard, even when you are barely holding onto your faith and your trust, show Him that no matter what happens, you will abide with Him still.

It is important to make the Lord understand that you love Him and you want to build a relationship with Him, not just ask for blessings. When your prayers aren't answered right away, don't stop praying! If you give up and cease to pray and reach out, you are showing God that all you want is for your problems to be solved, you don't want to talk to Him and trust Him and love Him.

Does that make sense?

Sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers right away.
Sometimes He doesn't answer them in the way we wanted Him to.

It doesn't matter. He hears you, He does. And he will answer your prayers in His own time and in His own way.

Until then, show Him you are willing to love and trust Him regardless.
Abide with Him and keep your hand stretched out always.


Haley.

Because of Him

Because of Christ, I can find peace.

Because of Christ, I can look forward and know that my future is bright.

Because of Christ, I don't have to let sorrow overcome me. Ever.

Because of Christ, I know who to turn to in my times of greatest need.

Because of Christ, I know that I will never be alone.

Because of Christ, I live.

And because of Christ, I will live again.


What does Easter mean to you? I am reminded every Easter that there is One who was willing to suffer all things, not just for a world of sinners, but for each sinner individually.
And He didn't just atone to redeem us from sin, He atoned to feel what we have to feel. He atoned so we would never have to be alone.
And He atoned to be obedient to the Father.

There are so many things we can do to take advantage of His sacrifice. We can look to Him. Repent. Allow His peace to fill our lives.
But most simply, is it too much to ask that we all at least remember what He did for us?

Commit today to remember Christ and His sacrifice. Let His light fill your life. Let His truth touch your heart.

Follow His example and be obedient in all things. Show that you are grateful for His infinite atonement.


Happy Easter. This holiday brings the greatest message of all. We celebrate not just that He was born, not just that He lived, but that He lived again. 


Haley.

acceptance and bright futures

One of the hardest lessons we have to learn while on earth is that some things are beyond our control.

Bad things happen. They happen to good people, they happen to bad people. They have always happened, and they will continue to happen.

Why? 
I think everyone needs to find their own answer to that. It depends on the person. Truly.


I can only speak from my own experiences. But here's what I do know:
Bad things happen for a reason. They are an essential part of God's plan.

Now hopefully I have a lot of living left to do. I'm only seventeen and many of you readers have been through a heck of a lot more than I have.

But I've still got a little experience under my belt. I lost my sister, most notably, and with that, I lost the picture-perfect life I had basically lived up until junior high.
I've felt lonely. I've changed friend groups. I've taken the Spirit for granted. I've become busier and busier taking on so much schoolwork, and with that I've had to give up a lot more than I thought I would, including some of my favorite hobbies.

I think we have this idea in our minds that if we do what we're supposed to do and try our hardest, our efforts will always reap visible and even tangible rewards.
So what do we do when that doesn't happen? Because sometimes our efforts fall short. Sometimes our hearts are broken. It's how life is.

The fact of the matter is, our lives aren't going to be perfect. But we have to learn to accept things as they are and free ourselves from the sorrow that would overwhelm us if we let it.

I lost my sister when I was thirteen. Did I do anything to deserve that? No. I mean, could anyone really do anything that would make them deserve that? But it happened anyways, and I have to come to terms with that reality. I've already come to terms with it, actually. I've accepted it. I'm at peace with it.
Does that mean I can't still be cripplingly sad about it if I let myself be? No, of course I'm still sad about it. I never won't be. But I'm never going to move forward if I let myself keep living in the past.

I would never ask for the trials I've been through. But I have to make the best of them. The death of a loved one is just one example. But I've learned that with all trials, when we accept them and decide to make the best of them - instead of trying to change them - we are inviting the Spirit into our hearts and allowing God to shape us into better people.

We learn to be more compassionate people. We learn to see things from God's perspective. We learn to trust in Him and rely on Him when we have nowhere else to turn. We sometimes learn that our priorities are not where they should be.

One bad thing happening to you could weigh you down and haunt you for your whole life if you let it. But when you accept the past for what it is, and also accept the present for what it is, then will you be free to look to the future and shape it how you will.


Notice how the picture at the beginning of this post says, "It is what it is" and "it was what it was," but makes no reference to the future.
Your future will be whatever you choose for it to be. Don't let trials and sadness hold you back.


Decide today that you will let go of whatever is keeping you from moving forward. A lot of things are in our control, I'd even say most things. But some things aren't, and we have to learn to accept the things we can't change.
Does everyone feel pain sometimes? Yeah. But there is more good in the world than bad, more happiness than sorrow, and more beautiful things than ugly things.

Trust in God and in His timing. He knows what He's doing, and His grace is sufficient to carry you through every up and down in your life.

When it comes to trials, always search for the silver lining and look for the reason why God may be putting this in your path.



I know I shared this video before, but it's been a while, and it really is worth a second watch if you've already seen it.


Remember that trials are a part of life. You are never alone when you suffer.

Learn to accept what you can't change and help others do the same. Search for the good in every situation. I'm reminded of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin's talk Come What May, and Love It. (Watch it here.)

Let us commit to loving what comes our way. Always look up. Choose to go forward rejoicing.

The future is truly bright.


Haley


P.S. Don't forget about General Conference this weekend! Watch here this Saturday and Sunday!

LIVE

CONFIDENT.
SURE.
BOLD.
INDUSTRIOUS.

To me these are all words that describe members of our church.
We are committed. We work hard at what we do. And we are all in. 

I like this video because it reminds me to live life to the fullest.
We all have different roles in the church and in life. But whatever your role, give it all you've got.
Whether you're the stake president or the ward librarian, magnify your calling to the fullest extent.
Whatever you decide to do with your life, do it with full force.

"If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way." -Napoleon Hill 


Your life will take so many turns. It will not take the exact route you planned on it taking, probably not even close.
But if you want to be able to look back on your life with fondness, you have to be powerful and confident and throw yourself into whatever work you take up.
Whatever trial comes your way, look it straight in the eye and don't back down.

This is how you can live a happy and fulfilled life.
This is how you can find joy in the journey, even when things don't go your way.


"If you must leave, leave as though fire burns under your feet."
"If you must speak, speak every word as though it were unique."
"If you must fight, fight with yourself and your faults in the night."
"If you must work, work to leave some part of you on this earth."
"And if you must live, darling, well, just live."

Hopefully the video seemed relevant. I just thought it was neat.

Happy Weekend!
Remember who you are!

Haley.

a thought on GOALS

Okay, is this man not the cutest thing ever?

So with watching the Olympics so much lately, I've been thinking of all the amazing things that people achieve.
Granted, most don't make it to the Olympics, but we all have something or another that we love to do, something that we have dedicated a lot of time to.
We all have different goals and every person will live their life in a different way.
BUT we are also all united. We are united in Christ. We are united as children of God.

"One thing that has stood the test of time is God."

I guess in some ways we are united in our goals. We all want to be happy. We want to be able to look back on our lives and know that we gave our all.
We all, believers and nonbelievers alike, crave satisfaction and praise.

I love when he says, "I've experienced much in my lifetime. And all of it wasn't good. And certainly all of it wasn't bad."

I've recently been doing a lot of family history work, and every time I read someone's story, it reminds me that our lives differ so much. We are all born, we all die, but it is what we do in between that defines us. 

Why do we do the things we do? 

Keep in mind your final goal. Who do you really want to please? 

Is it the world? Certainly not. 

Is it yourself? Well sure, but what, in the end, is going to make us the most happy?

It's God. God is who we want to please. 

"I belong to the greatest Hall of Fame that any man or woman can ever belong to. And when you belong to that, and you know you belong to it, you don't worry about these halls of fame that men create down here. It don't mean that much to you."

Remember that there is nothing you could ever do that would be worth giving up your relationship with God, with Jesus Christ.

I look at my own life sometimes and I wonder what difference I am making, what I am even accomplishing.
Sometimes I just feel like a robot that goes through the motions.
But I have to remember that sometimes my best is enough. As long I have the right goal, and am at least trying to live my life right, I'm doing okay.

Take heart in the fact that you don't have to win a gold medal or make it into the hall of fame to live an accomplished life. These are just silly things created by men.
An accomplished life is one filled with service, filled with love, and filled with faith.

So keep in mind your goals. Remember that our lives are a gift and we have to use them to make the world a better place.



You guys are awesome, and I have been so blessed with your support over the years of having this blog. I'm sorry I haven't been posting enough lately. I have had an extremely long-lasting case of writer's block that I can't seem to shake. Often I sit down to write and I just can't find the right words. So thank you so much for being patient with me.

Happy Sunday.

Haley