Every night before bed, me and my family read out of a daily quote book written by Gordon B. Hinckley called "Stand a little taller- Counsel and inspiration for each day of the year-" we also read Thomas S. Monson's daily quote book as well. His is called "A future as bright as your faith".
Anyways, last night's quote really stood out to me, so I'll share it with you right now! The daily quote always starts out with a scripture. The scripture says "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;..." -Romans 1:16 Gordon B. Hinckley says "Paul wrote to Timothy: 'God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.' (2 Timothy 1:7-8). I would that every member of this Church would put those words where you might see them every morning as you begin your day. They will give you the faith to try, they will strengthen your conviction of the Lord Jesus Christ." I read that and thought, I wonder how many of us truly are not ashamed of this gospel. I was also reminded of a talk just this past conference by Russell M. Nelson. It is truly one of my favorites. I have a couple quotes from his talk I want to share. In the first one he says, "My dear sisters, whatever your calling, whatever your circumstances, we need your impressions, your insights, and your inspiration. We need you to speak up and speak out..." The words 'Speak up' and 'Speak out' stood out to me. How many times have we had that fierce pounding of our hearts in fast and testimony meeting, and never took the call to action to get up and share? I know I have and I've regretted it every time. No one is perfect at it, but I want to challenge you to speak up and speak out next fast Sunday and share your testimony! No matter how small and not extraordinary you think it is, still get up. There have been times when someone has come up and said "I almost didn't make it up here, I didn't think I could do it." And they did! And every single time their testimony was something that I needed to hear. Every time. You never know how how you could inspire and uplift someone :) Elder Nelson goes on to say, "Sisters, do you realize the breadth and scope of your influence when you speak those things that come to your heart and mind as directed by the Spirit? A superb stake president told me of a stake council meeting in which they were wrestling with a difficult challenge. At one point, he realized that the stake Primary president had not spoken, so he asked if she had any impressions. “Well, actually I have,” she said and then proceeded to share a thought that changed the entire direction of the meeting. The stake president continued, “As she spoke, the Spirit testified to me that she had given voice to the revelation we had been seeking as a council.” Another great example! Even though I based this post on not being ashamed of the gospel, I don't mean by saying if you don't get up and share your testimony that you're ashamed. I don't mean that at all. I just know that your testimonies can make all the difference! :) The last quote I have of his says, "We need women who teach fearlessly." It is short and sweet but also very powerful. If you haven't followed the account on instagram called @sheteachesfearlessly you should! (You can find it through mine if that's easier) They have taken upon themselves to act on Russell M. Nelson's call to teach fearlessly. They have a link to their blog on their instagram as well. Check it out! I want to end with a challenge to extend to you guys... It's not hard. I want you to post something, anything your heart desires about the gospel on any social media that you have. It could be a quote, a picture, even as simple as a temple. Just share! And if you do, feel free to tag me in it. I would love to see it! Thank you for reading and hope you have had or are having a wonderful Sunday! Ness
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In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. day I thought I would base today's Motivation Monday on it. And welcome back to Motivation Monday! I feel like I haven't done one of these in so long... please forgive me :) One of my favorite quotes by MLK is "If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward." I feel like this quote could mean so many different things. But for the sake of this post, I want you to know that you can keep moving forward with who you are and who you want to be. You can be different. Don't be afraid to be. Especially in today's world, there is so much pressure around us whether it be on Social Media, TV, at school, work, etc. where there are people who want you to be someone you are not. Don't give in to that. We are all unique and different for a reason. How boring would that be if we were all the same? Heavenly Father didn't create us in MAN'S image... He created us in HIS image. Dieter F. Uchtdorf said it best, "No matter where you live, no matter how humble your circumstances, how meager your employment, how limited your abilities, how ordinary your appearance, or how little your calling in the Church may appear to you, you are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He loves you. He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness." Since these Motivation Monday's are meant to be short and sweet, I'll end with a quote by Al Fox and a scripture:) "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;" -Doctrine and Covenants 18:10
Hope you all have a fantastic Monday and MLK day! Spread the love by posting a quote or picture on your own social media. Tag me if you do! I would love to see it :) Ness My quote edit on my @_simplyness_ instagram today read "He loves you. Beyond your ability to comprehend."-Henry B. Eyring so I hope to be able to tie that into this post successfully today haha.
I remember at a young age being told "Next time...when I see you again...I'll make sure to call...I love you... always will, etc." until I began to not believe it anymore because it never happened. This particular person who promised me all these things, never lived up to their intentions and promises. I remember every "promise" or "commitment" made never was kept and that is when I put up a "trust wall", as I liked to call it. From then on, I would be very careful about who I let too close. Later on in my life I would have to let that "trust wall" crumble down if I wanted to truly let in and feel my Heavenly Father's love for me. During hard times we tend to ask questions heavenward and demand answers, such as: Why me? Why can't I feel you there? I need you. Right now. Where are you? As I asked these questions, I soon came to realize that I was the reason of why I couldn't feel Him there, even though He WAS there. The WHOLE time, in fact. I also realized that the "trust wall" I had started to build brick by brick at a young age, kept me from seeing Heavenly Father on the other side. So I decided that I was sick of this wall in my way, so I knocked it down. It wasn't easy but of course I had His help. Each brick removed was a weight off my shoulders, and I felt the spirit stronger than I had before. Even though it was me who had a hard time trusting that He was indeed there, He continued to show me that He loved me and that He cared. Many prayers were answered, many priesthood blessings given to me made me stronger, and I slowly but surely found the light. It is in the gospel. Here are a few quotes that I have screenshot in my phone that I love, read away ;) "Your loving Heavenly Father would never leave you alone in this mortality to wander in the dark. You need not be deceived. You can overcome the darkness of this world and discover the truth." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf "I testify that God is in His heaven. He lives. He knows and loves you. He hears your prayers and knows the desires of your heart. He is filled with infinite love for you." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf "You don't have to SEE Him to FEEL His love." -Greg Olsen (could be wrong) And probably my most favorite... "I promise you that one day you will stand aside and look at your difficult times. You will realize that He was always there beside you." -Thomas S. Monson No matter who or what has made you bitter or caused you to develop a lack of trust, know that your Heavenly Father is always always there. His love never fails. Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday. Ness Also, good news.. I have updated the P.O.T.W and Q.O.T.W if you are on a computer, they are on the side bar. If you're on a mobile phone, scroll all the way down and they should be there ;) Forgive me as I haven't updated these in so long haha! Love you all! A couple of years ago my aunt showed me a blog called http://www.themomentswestand.com/
The author of this blog is Ashlee Birk. I would explain her story to you but I wouldn't give it justice so here is a small portion written on her ABOUT ME tab on her blog (Speaking bio) "Ashlee Birk is the Author of the blog and book series entitled The Moments We Stand. In them she tells of her personal journey of healing and seeking peace after the murder of her husband Emmett. On March 11, 2011 Emmett was shot and killed in a Walgreens parking lot by the husband of a secret mistress. Ashlee was made a widow at the age of 28 with 5 children—the youngest being just six weeks old. Her husband’s death left her with many messes to clean up—the hardest being her own broken soul as well as five others. She spent hours with detectives, Emmett’s business, a month long murder trial, and therapists . . . trying to piece together the broken pieces of the past. None of which helped her feel whole. Through her trials she has learned the importance of a personal relationship with her Father in Heaven. She has witnessed many miracles through the devastation of so much heartache. She has found light in the darkest of moments—and she has found hope when she thought it was lost. It is through Christ that true healing has come." As I began reading her blogs, I couldn't read just one. And pretty soon I couldn't put my Ipad down I was reading them from. I read for 2 hours. Her story really got to me and I could feel her special and strong spirit coming through her posts. At this point I never even imagined starting a blog. It never occured to me or came to mind. Well at least not until September of last year 2015. I was reading one of her blogs in September called "The voice to change". As soon as I read the last word I thought "Maybe just maybe I could start my own." I began brainstorming names that night in my bed and began making mental notes of what my blog would be about and what it would be based on. I had silently said a heartfelt prayer asking Heavenly Father if this was something I should pursue. I remember just feeling all good things. Then suddenly out of the blue these words came to my mind "The courage to rise". It came out of nowhere and that's when I knew I was going to start planning this thing. Ashlee Birk's story played a big part in my decision to start a blog. If she ever reads this, I want her to know I truly thank her for being strong and courageous enough to start hers. Each and every one of her posts inspires me beyond words. She has such an amazing testimony. So I thought it was about time that I share her blog and story with you. I encourage you to click the link that I left above in the beginning. If you don't know where to start reading, scroll down and on the right side there will be a subtitle called "POPULAR POSTS" you can also read the post I mentioned called "The voice to change" in September 2015. One of my favorite posts of hers is called "Please hold me" . It brought me to tears. Im tellin' ya... read it guys! Ashlee also has an instagram @themomentswestand which you can follow too! Here are pictures of her and her cute family found on her instagram as well as a quote she posted that I love. Happy Sunday! Man, where do I begin? When I think of 2015 for me as a whole, I think and feel so many emotions. There were plenty of good and exciting times, as well as tough and hard times that I thought I would never be able to get through. But I did, cause I'm here telling it all to you:)
A big part in why I started this blog was because of experiences and trials I faced in 2015. I thought how selfish it would be of me to not share what I have learned and how I've grown through challenges that maybe, I thought, could somehow help others see the light that I have found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The year started out great for me January- March. I mean yes, we always go through hard times but during those first few months it seemed as though I couldn't complain. Then April came along. That month was great too but I always felt there was something missing. I had an uneasy feeling. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Then there was May-August. For most, those months of summer break are the most memorable times. But for me, I wanted to forget them all. The feeling where I couldn't quite put my finger on, came and slapped me in the face. Later on I would come to find out that I would be diagnosed with severe clinical depression and severe anxiety. Wait, what? Yep, that was the exact reaction I had. I had always been a happy-go-lucky person and nothing seemed to dampen my mood. I was always told by my family especially that "How are you so happy, Ness?" "You never have any worries, huh?" That all changed within a couple months. There were plenty of times where I asked, "Why me? Why now? What did I possibly do to deserve this?" Until it was so exhausting that I became mentally and emotionally drained. Suddenly I realized that I needed to rely on the little faith I had and rely on Christ. As I prayed and pleaded and practically begged, I became so much closer to the spirit than I thought I would. My eyes and heart was opened and I could literally feel The Savior's arms wrapped around me telling me that it would be okay. Maybe not right away, but it would be. It is in hard times that we feel The Savior's love for us the most. I have found that out first hand. I am so grateful for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I would not be who I am today without it. If someone were to ask what would be the most memorable part of 2015? I would say the growth of my testimony. I am so grateful for that. I came across this picture on @ldsuplift account on instagram and thought I'd share it with you all. I think it is a great outline for our New Year's resolutions! So here are my "New Year's resolutions" for 2016... Spiritual- I hope to be able to strengthen my testimony on faith and enduring. Physical- I've been saying it for so long but eating healthier would be nice. Haha! Mental- I want to be able to set my mind to things and follow through and do them. Emotional- I hope to continue to inspire and uplift you wonderful readers. Seriously though, if there is anything I could do to make 2016 more memorable for this blog... I'd love to hear your answers or suggestions! Send a quick message on my "Contact me" tab, leave a comment on my @_simplyness_ account on instagram, or leave a comment on here! I'd love to hear from you guys. Also, I'd love to hear your New Year's resolutions. It can be your own or you can follow this chart below. Happy New Year! Ness |
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Ponderize Of The Week:
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." - James 1:5-6 Quote Of The Week:
"Give it to God and go to sleep." - Unknown |