John 11

It was another great Sunday School lesson today. We studied the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11. This is a very personal story with tender feelings we can probably all relate to in some way. There were three neat points that stuck out to me today:

• Waiting on the Lord builds faith. Why did Jesus wait until Lazarus had been dead for four days before he came to raise him from the dead? Are there things that we wait for and pray for and hope for that haven't come quickly? Has it reached the point where we have given up believing the blessing will come? As we wait on the Lord we are reminded that He is "the resurrection, and the life" and He will heal us. It is only through waiting and trusting and exercising faith that it will grow. Miracles come AFTER our faith.

• Mourning is a part of the healing process. Jesus shows compassion and empathy as he weeps with Mary and Martha before raising Lazarus from the dead. This is an important part of the healing process. We are promised in the Sermon on the Mount that those who mourn will be comforted and we promise when we are baptized that we will mourn with those that mourn. I think this is part of having an open and loving heart and healing and helping others heal.

• We must allow others to be healed and change and move on. As Lazarus comes forth at Jesus' command and is healed others that were there were asked to "loose him, and let him go." Just as Lazarus, we need people around us that will help us move on after we are healed. While he was the President of BYU-Hawaii, Eric Shumway gave a talk called Loose Him, and Let Him Go that describes these exact ideas to help others heal.

He is the resurrection and the life! I am grateful for His love and the miracle of resurrection and healing through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful

I had an epiphany of sorts this week....and I think most of my thoughts can be summed up in this neat picture and idea from a Mormon Ad from the past:

I was sitting in an institute class this week when I started to understand more clearly this direction and reminder I needed in life right now. We were talking about Elder Holland's talk from this last General Conference, An Ensign to the Nations. It was a great lesson. We talked about ways that we are an ensign and standard and example of the gospel to the world. It was inspiring and important and specific to me. I feel like this is an important part of my calling in life and it gave me a renewed resolve to work to really find out what I need to be doing specifically now to help me become what I need to be later.

The thing that was really interesting to me was that after walking in the door I decided I was only going to stay for 10 minutes or so and then I needed to leave because I felt like I didn't belong or didn't want to belong. I ended up staying the whole time. I still didn't really feel like I fit into the group of people gathered there for the lesson, but by the end of the lesson I realized that didn't matter one bit. We talk a lot about unity and being of one heart and mind, but that does not mean that we are the same. We are all very different and have unique talents and interests and needs and goals, etc.... This is so cool! We can help and serve so much more when we have different talents and interests and roles and experiences. We need to be "true to our heart"! :) (I know that this song has a little different meaning, but it's fun.) :)

So, while this lesson helped me remember and decide to focus on finding my individual mission it also helped me really understand that I don't need to be working to fit in anywhere. I'm different than anyone else. We all are. I need to be me. :) I actually don't think I've really been myself very much the last several months and I'm grateful for this freeing feeling that I don't need to impress anyone or be anyone for someone else. I don't need to compare myself to anyone else in any way. I just need to be the best me that I can. :) I'm going to stop trying to fit in or spending so much time figuring out where I fit and just be happy and be myself.

I am grateful for God's individual love for us. I'm grateful that He's not comparing us to anyone else! :) I'm grateful for the chance to learn from many different people and experiences and let them be themselves, too. :)

A few neat reminders this week....

I have learned a lot this past week:

- "If you're scared, you shouldn't be scared because there's Jesus." - a seven-year-old's sweet testimony at Church last Sunday

- Free agency and choice is so important! We are blessed to be able to choose. We must stand up for what we believe and do what's right! It's our responsibility and an exciting time to be alive!

- I'm grateful for others and the work they do...bus drivers, VA-DoD hospitals, emergency management centers, pilots, mothers, etc...

- Be different! We are a "peculiar people" and should fear God and not man. We shouldn't worry as much about offending someone with our beliefs as we should about being true to ourselves and our beliefs.

- I love the opportunities, blessings and responsibilities of Relief Society! I am grateful to be a part of an organization who's mission is divinely inspired to lift and save those around me.

- The importance and blessing of repentance and how the Lord leaves the 99 and rejoices over the 1 (us) when we repent. :)

- The power of the Spirit to guide us, warn us and comfort us. The amazing power of prayer and blessings of safety. The nearness of our Heavenly Father and His ability to bless us.

- The importance of being honest and open, trusting, and collaborating in an effort to build partnerships and relationships by looking for shared goals and interests.

- The importance of humility and remembering that all we are and have is from God! :) "I am not my resume." That is a relieving and humbling truth that I think is really important lately for so many reasons. :)

- The importance of being prepared and generous.

- I LOVE walking around and exploring new cities....especially when tulips and parks are involved! :)

What do you want to be when you grow up?

....HAPPY! :)

I heard this at one of the talks at BYU commencement last month and I LOVE it! :) It really doesn't matter what job you have or what you do, but you can always choose to be happy or not. A particular job or status or circumstance is not what is going to make you happy. We choose to be happy! :)

"I was blind, now I see" (John 9)

I love Sunday School! :) I love the New Testament! I love the Savior! Today we had a great lesson. We studied John 9 where Jesus heals the blind man. The profound truth I was reminded of today was how dependent we are on Him who is the Light of the World! When we think about sight, we think about our eyes, but in order to see anything there must be light. He is the light! We can't see anything without Him! We must depend on him and humble ourselves to remember that everything comes from Him. I am grateful. I love the Lord and am grateful for His life and love! <3