Lessons From Fall

Today was a good day. As I walked through campus, I was in awe of the beautiful Autumn scenery. The mountains are covered in oranges and reds, all over campus the yellow leaves are falling. My favorites are the trees that are just starting to change. One tree had just the tips starting to turn red and it looked as though it had been dipped in red paint, ready to create something beautiful. While admiring all the gorgeous Fall hues, I realized on thing. All the wonder of the Fall season comes from change.

Oh boy. If you know me at all, you know that change isn't really my thing. I love to stay in the same place and have the same friends and have the same role for a long time. For instance, I lived in Helaman Halls for four years straight with the same job. What kind of college student stays in one place for so long?? As I am sure all of you have heard from me many times already, I am in the Fall of my life. (Or one of the many I suppose.) Everything is changing or about to change. I am terrified. I don't know what to do in my new environment. The worst part about it is that I have been seeing my life as a scary almost dreary place. I have been seeing the dead plants, the cold, and the dark skies. In doing this, I have missed the beauty of change.

There are two ways to see Autumn. The leaves fall off the trees, there is no grass and here lately, it rains a whole lot. But then there is the other side of crisp sunny days and lots of exciting colors. Its really all about perspective. In an earlier post, I talk about focusing on the Sunshine. Well, in the Fall I need to focus on the beauty. Change is hard and scary, but it has amazing results. There is an alluring charm to change. Change is what shapes us.

So I can look at change as ugly and scary or I can view it as a glorious opportunity to become better than I was. When I look back to when I first left home, I was more scared than I have ever been in my life. But looking back, I know that I am better than I was in high school. I have grown and learned so much. The changes I have gone through have given me knowledge, understanding, and a firmer testimony of my Savior. I am not anywhere near perfect, but I have come a long way. I get to choose how I view all the changes in my life. I can go with it and see the beauty of becoming better than I am today, or I can see only the end of old ways and allow it to hold me back. Hopefully I can remember that life is about being happy and excited for the changes coming around the corner and the growth that comes with it.

Rainbows

Wow, its really been a long time hasn't it! Well, I think I am due for some extra positivity, so time to update the blog!

For those of you who don't know, I am in my last real semester of college! AH! Next semester I will be doing my student teaching and then I am done! So I am squeezing in all my last classes,working more than I have before, trying to get used to living off-campus, finishing all kinds of paperwork and licensing, and stressing out over it all. If you have seen or talked to me in the past few weeks, you are probably sick of hearing about it. But I am getting used to it! And everyday, I keep receiving tender mercies from my loving Heavenly Father that help me to know that I can get through it! The most recent one found in the scriptures. In 3 Nephi chapter 13 verses 32-34 it says:

"For your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."

I am so grateful that I have this knowledge. It was such an important reminder to me that Heavenly Father knows what I need. He knows all about all this stuff that I have going on in my life! But He also knows what is most important. He knows what He wants me to do. And first and foremost, that is to draw nearer to Him. Before I do anything else, I must pray unto Him, and read His teachings and feel His Spirit. I must take the time to help someone else, to be a true disciple of Christ. If I can dedicate myself to this goal, Heavenly Father will help me to get everything else done. Everything else will fall into place. Now, I am not saying that I should take absolutely "no thought for the morrow." Heavenly father can't help me if I refuse to do any work. However, as I strive to seek Him first, He will bless me with the focus, the strength and the ability I need to succeed.

Another tender mercy that I want to talk about happened last Saturday. If you live in Provo, you probably remember this:

Basically there was this huge super random out of nowhere storm that delayed the BYU football game for like 3 hours. (The football Stadium is the Lavell Stadium...That's why this is funny. Haha)

So normally when it rains I freak out and just hope I don't get wet. But this time, I kept running from front window to the door and opening it, and running back to my room and looking out that window and back to opening the front door to see the crazy storm. It was beautiful! (Plus it distracted me from my homework. :) )

And out of nowhere, I started singing a primary song. "I like to look for rainbows, whenever there is rain. And ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again." I realized that I want to be the person that sees the rainbows in the storm. 

There is something truly beautiful in seeing how our lives are changed when we get through something hard. For example, out of all the stress that I am going through this semester, I am going to gain an education that I can use the rest of my life, a degree that will earn me a job so I can support myself, and so many new friends that I know are there to support me. Trials are hard and scary just like storms can be, but if you look closely, you can always find a rainbow. Sometimes the only rainbows you will be able to find are simple truths like the ones I wrote about in my previous post, but there is always light and color in our lives if we search for it. I am so grateful for the storms in my life so I can learn to appreciate all the blessings I have received. I love life!! :)  

Truths

This Sunday, President Uchtdorf spoke at the CES Fireside. I was lucky enough to be able to see him live! Haha And I am so glad because he brought up his grandson or something and told us about how he gave a talk in church about preparing for a mission. The kid had a running countdown of years, months, weeks, days, and hours until he was old enough to serve a mission. It was absolutely adorable. The kid was like 12! Haha And that got me even more excited for my first baby brother getting his mission call THIS WEEK! AHHH! I am so proud of him. Anyway, President Uchtdorf's talk was on truths. What some are and how we must have an open heart to know them. How to discern them and how they are always true no matter what we think or believe. So to help me remain positive during these rough times, here's a few truths that I know are true 100% in my life. Sometimes I forget them or take them for granted, but I always know they are true.

1. I am a daughter of a true and living God. That Father in Heaven has blessed my life more times than I can ever count, and I can never repay Him for the love He shows to me everyday (even when I don't realize it.)
2. This gives me a divine nature. I am the spiritual offspring of a God. That gives me the potential to become a God myself someday after this life is over and allows me to inherit my Father's kingdom. This means that I have greatness within me. I have strength. I am a good person and can become even better as I strive to be more like my Savior. I think this is the hardest one to remember.
3. I also have an older brother  who loves me as much as my Heavenly Father does. He sacrificed unimaginable pains, that He might take my burdens, sorrows, and worries off my shoulders and guide me through this life. He died that I could be perfected and return to live with Him, my Father, and the rest of my eternal family someday. Words can not express my gratitude.
4. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ created this amazing world that we live in today. He created the laws of science that we strive to understand, but won't until he perfects us. He created the human body, which is the most amazing creation I could ever imagine. My testimony of this grows each day as I learn more and more about the brilliant processes the body undergoes to function and grow. Millions and billions of activities are going on simultaneously in the body and our amazing brains keep up with it all and we stay alive and breathe all the time and don't even think about any of it. It is an absolute miracle. This could not have occurred by chance. My body is a divine gift from God and is a testament of His power and love for me. This alone makes me one of Gods greatest miracles.

I know that to some people these things seem far-fetched and even wacky. But in my life i have received witness upon witness that they are true. Even if we don't agree, which is perfectly fine, I will always stand by these truths that are most important to me. They give the strength and joy to carry on in life and keep a smile on my face. Life is truly happy when I can remember these basic gifts given from God. And even when it is hard, I always have these truths to rely on and I still love my life. :)