Love

Let's talk about love. The pure love of Christ. Charity. 

Moroni 7: 47-48

45  And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 

46  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

 47  But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

48  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

From one of my all-time favorite talks: 

"[God's love] is a love that transcends all of our mortal experience. It is a love that lifts and builds and strengthens, that calms and comforts us. The only way for us to increase our capacity to love in this way is to feel the love our Father in Heaven and His Son have for us. The more we feel Their love for us, the more we will increase our capacity to share that love with others.

The Savior is our example in everything—not only in what we should do but why we should do it. His life on earth was a life of invitation to us—to raise our sights a little higher, to forget our own problems and reach out to others."

-Elder Osguthorpe, "What If Love Were Our Only Motive?"

For more spiritual enlightenment, check out Elder Holland's, "How Do I Love Thee?" 

Marriage

***Disclaimer*** Sorry for the slightly mushy post--can't help it. 

On December 27th, 2014, I was sealed to the love of my life for all eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple. 

What bigger Divine Signature can you receive than kneeling at the alter in the temple, staring into the eyes of the one you love, and knowing that you've reached happily ever after? 

And then having it continue day by day, forever? 

I can't help but thank my Father in Heaven daily for this blessing, to be married to my best friend. I feel my Heavenly Father's love for me each day through my husband's love.

Tay and I had our Couple's Story and Wedding Day filmed, check them out!

PC: Mikki Platt Photography (who is THE best)

"The noblest yearning of the human heart is for a marriage that can endure beyond death. Fidelity to a temple marriage does that. It allows families to be together forever."
-Elder Russel M. Nelson

"The family is ordained of God. Marriage between a man and woman is essential to God's eternal plan."
-The Family: A Proclamation to the World 

Wake Up Calls

I believe that Heavenly Father gives us spiritual wake up calls--good and bad, to remind or chastise, but let's focus on the good. Like when you go to church and feel a rejuvenation and a renewed desire to improve, or when you go to the temple and receive comfort and instruction to just calm down and trust in God, or when you receive a confirmation of God's love for you that you seem to have slightly strayed from.

Well today was one of those beautiful days. But I got a wake up call for my focus in life:  recognizing God's hand. Isn't that ironic? My Divine Signature was about recognizing Divine Signatures.

Like a normal college student, I was eating Taco Bell in the Wilk before work. I saw an older woman walking towards my table with a bunch of bags and food, and she asked if she could share the table I was at. I said yes and kept studying for my test and eating my taco until she asked me what my major was. I replied and reciprocated, and she told me she was studying religious education and still had a while to go. Then I couldn't get her to stop talking about the gospel! (Which was great, of course, it just caught me a tad off-guard). She just kept saying how everything comes from God and that His way is the only way. She talked so fast with her Tongan accent that it was a little hard to hear everything. Then she just opened this large, spiral bound book full of quotes from prophets and apostles to show me her favorite quotes. She kept quoting them and saying, "He's right, you know..." and going off on how they have said how much we need God. 

At first, I was timid and wanting to eat and study uninterrupted. But then as she kept talking, and I'm sure others were watching with curiosity, I couldn't help but smile and prompt her along-even though I could barely get a few words in while she was talking. She told me about her life as a convert and told me how lucky I was to live in the gospel, knowing the true meaning of life.

When I told her I had to go, she offered to give me her large book. What?! How was I supposed to take this stranger's prized possession? She told me she had another copy in her bag. Only that lady would. But honestly, what an example: of a member missionary, of a friend, of an example of light and truth, of living your testimony, of a witness of the Prophet's divine calling, and of Christ. So I left with her book, happy to have met this example of living what you know with gratitude for God's Divine Signatures. What a wake up call. Anyone need a book? ;)



How have you recognized God today?

Voices of Courage-Elizabeth Smart

Today I had the opportunity to listen to Elizabeth Smart speak as part of BYU's Voices of Courage Campaign. As she shared her story and insights, I gained my own insight and recognized what a Divine Signature it was to hear her speak. 

As Elizabeth captivated her audience by sharing her experience, she testified of her knowledge that God loves all of us--no matter what. The advice she received from her mother upon being rescued is applicable to us all in our own trials. Her captor stole 9 months of her life, but she refuses to let him steal anymore. Instead of letting her horrific experience hold her back, she chose to be happy, be thankful, and live her life to the fullest. So can we--our trials don't define us, but how we react to them does. 

Throughout her story, so many little Divine Signatures popped out at me. To share a few...

• When she was taken, Elizabeth's "most important" decision was to stay alive, no matter what. During our own trials, we need to keep an eternal perspective. Remember, "Wonderful, glorious things are in store for you, if only you will believe, obey, and endure." (President Thomas S. Monson)
• What kept Elizabeth going was remembering the words of her mother, that only two opinions mattered: God's, and her mother's. God's opinion is truly over all else; He is constant and His love for you is constant. It is perfect. 
• "Your Heavenly Father loves you--each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God's love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there." (Pres. Monson)
• Elizabeth shared that she was so worried about forgetting who she was. She would think about her friends and family and old life so she wouldn't forget who she was. This got me thinking: I need to be more like this. We all have a divine potential to live up to, and we can live up to it if we remember who we are and allow our Savior to help us become. 
• Hearing Elizabeth talk about how much she wanted to be with her family reminded me of how much I want to return home to my Heavenly Parents. If only this was constantly on our mind, how much easier would it be to make decisions and go through our daily life?!

Doubt

Something that's been on my mind a lot lately is the idea of perfection--and how discouraging this can be. But it doesn't have to be! I've had so many Divine Signatures where I've been reminded that we don't have to be perfect now, all that matters is that we are progressing. And this takes faith.

Maybe you remember in General Conference this last October, President Uchtdorf urges in his talk Come, Join With Us to "please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith."




Now- for my little theory:

Doubt your doubts about yourself.  

Have more faith in yourself. 

     We are often so hard on ourselves. I've noticed that when I am struggling and doubting myself, this is most often when my Heavenly Father sends me a Divine Signature, even just a small instance to show of His love for me and for the faith He has in me. But guess what? He has faith in ALL of us. He believes in ALL of us. That's why we are here; He knows our potential as His children. 

A little more from President Uchtdorf (Four Titles):

"We have all seen a toddler learn to walk. He takes a small step and totters. He falls. Do we scold such an attempt? Of course not. What father would punish a toddler for stumbling? We encourage, we applaud, and we praise because with every small step, the child is becoming more like his parents.
God understands that we get there not in an instant but by taking one step at a time.
I do not believe in a God who would set up rule and commandments only to wait for us to fail so He could punish us.

I believe in a Heavenly Father who is loving and caring and who rejoices in our every effort to stand tall and walk toward Him. Even when we stumble, He urges us not to be discouraged-never to give up or flee our allotted field of service-but to take courage, find our faith, and keep trying.

Our Father in Heaven mentors His children and often sends unseen heavenly help to those who desire to follow the Savior."