Women's Conference

This year I was lucky enough to go to Women's Conference with my wonderful mom, sister-in-law, and my sister-in-law's mom. It was amazing to be gathered with so many women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! I'd just like to share a few of my favorite things that happened that were Divine Signatures for me:

• Yet another witness that my Heavenly Father knows me. Lately, as in the past 2 or so weeks, I've been really interested in learning about grace. And guess what the overarching theme of the conference was? You've got it: grace. Don't you love how when you're learning about something you're interested in, and somehow it seems to appear everywhere suddenly? Yep. That's loving Heavenly Father sending me a Diving Signature.

• Elder and Sister Hafen: 

"The Redeeming and Strengthening Powers of the Atonement"-This talk was amazing. One point they talked about was Severe Mercy: A father held his daughters hand, making her run in the cold to the side of the wagon. He made the horses go faster, pushing his daughter to her limits. She was confused and upset at her father for pushing her so hard. Just before she hit her breaking point, he swept her up in a blanket and lied her in the wagon, now warm from working so hard. She then realized that he had saved her life by getting her blood pumping. God will push us to our limits so that we do all we can, sometimes to our breaking point. But then He will sweep us up and we will see that in reality He has saved our lives. He is there they entire time, hand extended, we just have to take it.

For the
LORD GOD

is a
Sun and Shield:

the LORD will give 

GRACE & GLORY:

no GOOD THING

will HE withhold

from them that

Walk Uprightly.

Psalms 84:11

What happens when your phone breaks...

About a week ago, my phone decided it hated me. It turned off and wouldn't turn back on. It's funny how different life felt without my phone constantly present! Turns out that even though I only had to go about a day without a phone, I noticed so many Divine Signatures come from this "frustrating" experience. I'd love to share a few:

First off, I noticed how nice it was to be just a little less connected with the world. There is so much to distract us. I loved noticing things in my day that I normally wouldn't otherwise with a phone constantly on me. It reminded me of President Uchtdorf's advice, "...we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most." (Of Things That Matter Most)

Secondly: I'm not that great at journal keeping. However, I do like to try and keep a few bullets each day of when I was able to see God's Divine Signature in my life--on my phone. HA. So I bet you've guessed by now how I felt when I couldn't get my phone to turn back on. But due to a great Dad, I was able to recover all of my little journal entries AND my pictures. This may not seem like that big of a deal, but it was a miracle to me. 

I just think it's funny, and quite frankly sad, how we can't recognize and be thankful for everything we have. A lot of the time, you don't miss something until it's gone. 

I don't know if we are capable as human beings to comprehend all God does for us. But even though we can't be perfect, we can become close!

Which brings me to one of my favorite talks from April's General Conference, Grateful in Any Circumstance, yet again great counsel from President Uchtdorf.

"And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?"

"Have we not great reason to rejoice?" -Alma 26: 2,13

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?!

Stranger Danger

Strangers impress me so often. 

Many times, it is through a stranger that I see a Divine Signature in my life. This almost makes them more special, because it is just a witness that my Heavenly Father knows exactly what I need, when I need it, and cares enough about me to prompt others to go out of their way in order to serve me. 

Whenever a random person makes my day, I just am reminded that I want to be that way; I want to be an instrument in God's hand and be worthy to receive promptings to help His children. This reminder in itself is a Divine Signature!

Recently, I was over at my friend's apartment down the road a bit. Around midnight, she walked me halfway home and then I continued on my way by myself. If you know me, you know I usually keep a rape whistle in my purse. Very prepared, I know. Suddenly, I noticed a car slowing down next to me...I instantly clutched my whistle, kept looking strait ahead, and walked faster. 
Then I heard the sweetest voice, probably a young woman somewhere in her 20's, say, "Excuse me!"  I turned and looked at her. She continued, "I know this is weird, and I promise I'm not a creeper, but do you want a ride home?" I replied cautiously, "Oh no, I'm fine! I'm just up the hill, and I have my rape whistle with me just in case." (Pulling it out as evidence while I'm talking. Usually people laugh at me for this, she didn't. But hey-you never know when it might come in handy!) 

She looked so concerned, and replied that she is easily paranoid, was paranoid for me, and if she was walking home alone, she would want a girl to offer her a ride. I could tell by her sweet voice and personality that she was genuinely trying to help, so I told her that would actually make me feel a lot better and thanked her for being kind and going out of her way to offer a stranger a ride. 

This may seem so insignificant, but it's not to me. It got me thinking, "What can I do, as weird as it may seem, to help another?" There are so many forms of service, so many opportunities all around us. It's amazing that we can listen to the Spirit and become an instrument in God's hand to help others receive a Divine Signature they may be needing. 

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."

Walmart.

You may be wondering why this post is title "Walmart" ...yeah. It'll make sense in a minute, hopefully :)

This holiday season has been the best-beautiful, busy, blissful, and blessed (I hope you appreciatively noted my use of alliteration, k thanks). However, the holidays seem to magnify the feeling that there is so much to do, and so little time. But this has always been a problem and always will be! As I've looked, I've noticed so many Divine Signatures this season. One particular instance occurred at- Walmart -you guessed it!

I was last minute Christmas shopping. I was a little tired and stressed, and then a lady stuck out her hand and grabbed my cart to stop me. Huh? She looked at me and said, "Can I just stop you for a second and tell you what I thought when I saw you?" This is where I got nervous, wondering what I had done wrong and if this lady was crazy, and worried for what she was going to say next. I said of course that would be fine, to which she so kindly gave me such a sweet compliment that meant a lot to me.

This happened at Walmart!

I was a little taken aback, but so thankful for this woman's courage, thoughtfulness, and kindness. Over the past few days, my mind has continued to linger on this Divine Signature.

This woman went out of her way to tell me something she thought would make my day. It really hit me- am I treating others the way I would want to be treated? We hear this ALL the time, from when we are little children. But think about it. 

• Do you like getting compliments? 
• Do you like getting random kind little texts from your dear friends? 
• Do you like when someone helps you with something you're working on?
• Do you like it when someone smiles at you and treats you well?
• Do you like it when others give you the benefit of the doubt? 

These are just some of the simple things I could think of. But if we like these things, odds are that so do others. So why not stop some random stranger in Walmart and give them a compliment? The smallest acts of service can make a difference.

"We live in deeds, not years, in thoughts, not breaths, in feelings, not figures on a dial and we really should count times, by heart throbs."

-Elder Maxwell, A More Excellent Way

So. "Don't wait for happiness, seek it out." 

     -Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Ha. 

Moments

I feel like I could post this video and comment, "nuff said" and get my thoughts across today. 

I'll share some of my thoughts anyway :)

The months of November and December are always so busy. Everyone's getting ready for and anticipating Thanksgiving and Christmas, finals are coming, and it's always harder for me to be productive when it's cold and snowy outside and I just feel like drinking hot chocolate and watching a movie. 

But the past few weeks, I've been noticing that my Father in Heaven sends so many Divine Signatures in order to remind me what's truly important. 

Whether it's taking time to play with my little siblings while I'm visiting home, realizing a Relief Society lesson was just for me, taking advantage of spur of the moment roommate ice cream runs, it's usually the little things that make my week so much better! 

I think one of the reasons why Prophets and Apostles often counsel us to find joy in the journey is because it is a challenge for us to recognize the blessings and opportunities God pours out upon us. 

"Sometimes we become so focused on the finish line, that we fail to find joy in the journey." 

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf