February 12th, 2008 Book of Mormon Class Entry

"It is about God giving us trials to help us return home to him."

 

"He gives us trials to help us remember Him."

{Above are notes from my Book of Mormon class back in 2008}

It's amazing, I look back on the struggles, my trials, and on those days that forced me to choose a side. Those are the times when I can see who I am, why I am here, and what my mission is here on earth. What is my mission? To return home to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again one day, pure and clean (as much as we can do ourselves, with a little help from our Savior, of course!). For eternity. With my family. This is the ultimate goal.

When you are put into a hard situation like mentioned before, you think, "Okay, I can either give up, or I can be strong and stand on the Lord's side." It's like saying, "Okay, I have this trial in my life. I can either laugh my way through it, or cry the whole way through." Happy-Sad. Good-Bad. You choose. So I chose. That was when I knew what I wanted. Those were the moments when my testimony grew and was strengthened. That was when I knew my Heavenly Father loved me and has and always will be right there, by my side.

What have you learned through your trials in life? What will you take from it? Will you choose to fight, be strong, and have good courage through the Lord? I hope so. For that is the only way to be truly happy. He has a plan for you! And ultimately, all of these trials we face that are not so fun at the time, become such a blessing in the end! I always learn and gain so much from them. Don't you?

Remember: God's plan for you is wayyyyy better than what you've thought up in your mind already. (No offense, but seriously...He has showed me up a time or two ;)  )

A Little Testimonial/Devotional

This is a post from my personal blog that I felt I should post on here too. Hope you enjoy a little Spiritual boost from our dear Sister Dew :)

"Jesus Christ Himself has promised, 'Draw near unto me & I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently & ye shall find me; ask, & ye shall receive; knock, & it shall be opened unto you' (Doctrine & Covenants 88:63). There are no disclaimers or exceptions in His invitation. We are the ones who determine whether or not we will come unto Him. The drawing near, seeking, asking, & knocking are up to us. And the more we know about the Lord--meaning the more we experience His mercy, devotion, & willingness to guide us even when we may not feel worthy of His direction--the more confident we become that He will respond to our petitions." -Sheri Dew ("No Doubt About It", pg.27)

What an amazing woman. I love reading/listening to her inspiring words.

There's no doubt about it..I know the Church to be true. The Gospel is real, the Holy Spirit is powerful, & I know for a fact our Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ loves us deeply & is watching over us as we walk through this life of turmoil & struggle...but I know by leaning towards our Savior, our burdens, strifes, stresses, aches, pains, & heartaches may be lifted. Which then will bring us peace & comfort, which leads to joy & happiness.

May we take this day, the Sabbath day, & remember Him, our Lord & Savior. To thank Him for all that He has done, for the love that He has given us, & for the chance to be made clean & live with Him & our Father in heaven again.

...It's a wonderful life...

"If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing. In all conditions, we can choose the right with the guidance of the Spirit. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ to shape and guide our lives if we choose it. And with prophets revealing to us our place in the plan of salvation,  we can live with perfect hope and a feeling of peace. We never need to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord's service because we never are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right to bear us up. And He always keeps His word."
--President Henry B. Eyring, "Mountains to Climb," Ensign, May 2009, 89-92.