I was originally going to post this for yesterday's Sunday post, but seeing how my church is at 2... I didn't get around to it. Sorry about that! So I moved it up to today and somehow made it motivational... hopefully ;)
So just this last Friday Me, my mom, and my older brother were driving home at 2:30 a.m from my Grandma's house. (Yes, super late I know haha) and we were heading northbound on the on-ramp on Center St in Provo, Utah. We were getting ready to turn. I was in the backseat, my brother was in the passenger, and my mom was driving. As we were turning we saw a car that had slid down into the embankment. My mom immediately said "Let's pull over and call 911!" There were no other cars currently on the road and it didn't appear that anyone else had called 911 to make sure the person in the car was okay. But before we had time to think a second thought, we too began to slide. We hit a big area of black ice. From what felt like an eternity, in reality we had only slid for a couple seconds before my mom was able to gain control of the car. There have been very few experiences where I have felt horrible terror and fear like this. I thought we were going to slide down into the embankment just like the other car, but to my hope... we did not. Looking back though, I knew we were being watched over. We were literally a couple feet away to something that could've been so horrific. Once we were able to pull to the side of the road, we called 911. They had 2 police cars come as well as an ambulance just in case. It turns out that the driver of the other car was okay and had no injuries whatsoever. Thank goodness, right? Before we left we said a prayer that we'd be watched over as we drove the rest of the way home. Surprisingly as we left, I felt something where I knew we'd be okay. And we were. I am so thankful for that. As I thought of an idea of how I'd tie this story into my blog I began thinking of how much we truly are watched over. Even at times when we are totally oblivious to it. I also thought of the Cokeville Miracle where their ancestors came and watched over them. We may not be able to see them, but we can know that everyone is going to be okay. I hope you guys have an awesome Monday and great rest of the week... And DRIVE SAFE! ;) If you haven't yet, check out the new Q.O.T.W and P.O.T.W. :)
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So, there is a scripture in Mosiah 24 verse 21 that says "Yea, and in the valley of Alma they poured out their thanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their burdens, and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God."
I had read this is seminary today and thought "Yep, this is going to be in today's Motivation Monday!" With thanksgiving just around the corner I thought it would be perfect to talk a little bit about giving thanks. In seminary today, we read a couple quotes. Here are some that really stood out to me! "Gratitude is said to be the memory of the heart." -Joseph F. Smith My seminary teacher had asked us after we read this... "What is a memory of yours that when you think of it, you automatically feel grateful for that experience?" Strangely and oddly enough I remembered a super hard trial that I went through just early this summer. Before and during this trial I had always thought that I would never be grateful for them and that there was no way possible that I could ever be grateful for challenges in the future. But, I was wrong. This particular dark place in my life had shaped me into the person I am now. At the time I definitely did not think so. The dark time made me realize all the light there truly is left. It took a good 3-4 months to realize that, which felt like eternity. But in the end I promise you that you will stand a little taller, walk a little taller, and smile just a bit bigger. Pray for that realization and you will get it. Other quotes that stood out to me said this "Cultivate within our hearts an ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE." -Thomas S. Monson "Gratitude is of the very essence of worship." -Gordon B. Hinckley And I can't exactly remember the other quote but it went along the lines of ... Giving thanks = Unlocks the doors of heaven. Pretty great, right? I've noticed that as I count my blessings and remember to thank Heavenly Father for all the wonderful things I have... I become happier, and my day brightens up a lot more from what it was before. I hope you all have an awesome thanksgiving with friends and loved ones and enjoy all that delicious food!;) Here is a link to a short little video that I watched in seminary today. President Monson sums it up so nicely. Click away! https://youtu.be/NwtQRDcU8WY If you didn't see my insta post on @_simplyness_, it basically said that these last few days have been pretty crazy and I had zero time to post Sunday or Monday, so bear with me since today will have to be "Motivation Tuesday" ;)
To start off this post, let me share a little experience of what happened yesterday. So I made a quick trip into Walmart last night. My mom was waiting in the car while I was gone, so when I came back out and sat in the passenger seat my mom was like "Guess what? You wouldn't believe what just happened!" So of course I ask and while I was gone, one of the Cart-collector people or whatever you call them was trying to get past our car which was parked next to a curb. There was no way possible that the cart-collector could've gotten the cart through without banging up our car. So of course he ends up totally scraping up the side mirror as my mom is sitting there watching, he can obviously tell she's there but he doesn't care. It gets better... My mom rolls down her window and says "Can you try and be a little more careful?" She said it in the nicest tone possible and wasn't trying to cause any trouble. And the kid says "What?? Excuse me?" super rudely acting as if nothing went wrong. He said more rude comments, but the point is... I don't understand why people have to be so rude especially when it's to a total stranger that they have never met before. Maybe I'm being super dramatic and we care about our cars too much... but the point of this post is that it is just so important to be kind. And of course no one is going to be perfect at it. We all yell, we all argue, we all get mad, etc. And I'm guilty of this too. In fact, I have little to no patience at all but I try to at least be kind and thoughtful towards others. Especially to random strangers whether its at the store, a restaurant, school, etc. I've been thinking a lot lately about how scary, evil, corrupt, dangerous, etc. our world we live in is. I don't know all the details of the attack in Paris, but we all have heard about it whether it be on social media, the news, etc. It's scary. It's crazy. It's insane. A single person can either do a lot of harm or a lot of good. I ran onto a quote that @today_on_temple_square posted on instagram (Great account by the way of super pretty photography of temple square) I recommend you follow them! Anyhow, the quote says "Light dispels darkness. When light is present, darkness is vanquished and must depart. More importantly, darkness cannot conquer light unless the light is diminished or departs. When the spiritual light of the Holy Ghost is present, the darkness of Satan departs. "... We are engaged in a battle between the forces of light and darkness. If it were not for the Light of Jesus Christ and His gospel, we would be doomed to the destruction of darkness. But the Savior said, "I am come a light into the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.'" -Robert D. Hales When I think of the light of Christ I think of kindness. They go hand in hand. I just can't stress it enough of how important it is. It's as simple as smiling at someone, giving a compliment, helping someone out, talking to the kid that sits by himself everyday at lunch, saying hello to someone that stands by themselves at the bus stop, Picking up a binky that the little baby in the cart next to you at Walmart that just dropped on the floor, waving at someone in the hall or on the streets, simply showing that you care about others and making them feel of worth, etc. There's a quote that I see everywhere on social media, it is so cliche and said so much but it is so powerful..."Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." Uchtdorf said it best "We are all in need of mercy." I hope you can look for ways to lift up, help, and be kind to others during the rest of this week. It will not only make them feel better but you will notice that your day will immediately improve. Much love to you all. Ness So my alarm goes off, I hit snooze about 5 times (really bad habit, I know), then I start thinking of all the stuff I need to make up at school because I missed a couple days, and then my mind starts to go to negative things especially since it's Monday and those are the worst. See... there I go talking all negative and stuff. So, What a great start to my day, right?
So for today's Motivation Monday I thought I'd share some ways to look for the good and positive things in life especially when you're in a slump like me today. haha I'm not perfect at it as you can tell from my story, but when I think back of all the days I started my day right, I remember looking forward to certain fun and exciting things that day. For example, today is my mom's birthday so I immediately thought of celebrating later and how good of a day it will be. Even if there's nothing exciting that day, you can still count your blessings. That's what I always turn back to. There is always, always, always something to be grateful for, especially in November! ;) Another great thing that helps me is scrolling through my instagram looking at quotes to start my day. If you couldn't tell yet, I love quotes hahah. They're all over my instagram and on here! They just give me an extra boost for today. So a few great accounts to follow that have a bunch of awesome daily quotes are: @ldsliving @ldstexts @ldsuplift @thatmormongal @haleesthoughts (she actually has a blog too! It's awesome!) @themormondaily @scripturelight @mormoninspire @ldsyouth @teenmormon That was more than a few haha but you get the idea. :) I'll end with a couple quotes I love(of course right?) "Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." -Gordon B. Hinckley "A grateful heart comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives." -Thomas S. Monson "You are not forgotten." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf Have a great rest of your Monday. Much love. Ness To start off this post I thought I'd share another video by BYU Vocal Point. They're just so good that I can't resist guys. Here's the link. Click away. It's super good I promise....
https://youtu.be/WyxXGdG3-Io When I hear the phrase/song "Nearer my God to thee" I think of Prayer. I mean, that is how we approach our Father in heaven right? For me, prayer is huge. That is immediately what I turn to when I'm stressed, upset, discouraged, etc. Or even when I'm content and happy. It's so important to thank Heavenly Father for our blessings. I'm not the absolute best at doing that, but it is something I need to work on. It can be so easy to think "I wish I had this..., I wish this situation was different..., I wish... etc. etc. I get so frustrated with myself sometimes because I say those things a lot haha. But anyways, in situations like this I always go to prayer. Even simply asking how you can better recognize and count your blessings could change your mindset so much. I've been trying to do that and I have noticed my prayers being answered in that way! I think prayer is such a beautiful thing. They don't need to be structured and Heavenly Father doesn't care how clumsy or awkward you think your prayers sound. He just wants to hear from you. He wants to how how your day went even though he already knows your struggles and worries. He wants us to turn to him for help. This post might have to be short and sweet for me to be able to get this up at a decent time so I'll just end with my testimony:)... I love prayer. It is my anchor in life. I am so grateful for it. I know that if we even say simple prayers in our minds throughout the day (which I do haha) then they will make all the difference. They don't always have to be super long. I am so grateful that our prayers are answered. Even though they sometimes aren't answered when we want them to be. Here's a couple quotes on prayer I love... "Satan tries to limit your praying because he knows your praying will limit him." "Have you prayed about it as much as you've talked about it?" "If life gets too hard to stand... Kneel." -Gordon B. Hinckley "Prayer is your personal key to heaven." -Boyd K. Packer Have a great week. Ness Last night for mutual, I had an amazing opportunity to hear from one of the Cokeville Miracle survivors. There is a movie out now telling the whole story. If you haven't seen it... I highly highly recommend that you do! Here is the storyline behind it:
"In 1986 Cokeville made national headlines when a madman and his wife entered the elementary school with guns and bomb. They gathered over 100 children and teachers into a small room, and made a demand: $200 million dollars for the lives of the children - but then the bomb went off... How did a bomb that should have leveled the room take only two lives that day, the madman and his wife? Each child, each adult who made it out of that room has a story to tell. Follow the Sheriff's investigator Ron Hartley as he pieces together the evidence, including stories of prayer and divine intervention from multiple witnesses. Gather the evidence and decide for yourself. Do you see coincidence, or do you see miracles?" I consider myself lucky to have been able to hear from Kam Wixom. I sat patiently waiting for him to come in the room. As soon as he did, I felt such a strong spirit enter the room. Just from looking at him, there was a light to him. There was literally a light about him that shown through his eyes. I hadn't even heard him speak at this point but I knew i had felt something real. He spoke for a little over an hour about his horrific experience. I'd rather not go into detail about his sacred experience because I wouldn't be able to give it justice. I will say that the miracles he spoke of... are true. I believe there were angels watching over and protecting them that day. No doubt about it. There are no such things as coincidences. As I listened to Kam Wixom I noticed that he is a very humble, calm, and kind-hearted person. Despite the horrible event that he witnessed, you can tell it has made him stronger. He mentioned a book called "A witness of miracles" that tells many stories of The Cokeville Bombing. He recommended that we read it and told of how amazing it is. What really amazed me is what Kam said after the little Q and A that we had. He said that "bad things happen in our lives because without them we really wouldn't be able to appreciate the beauty in life." The bad makes us realize and appreciate the good. Sometimes we don't understand why we have trials, but we need to understand that Heavenly Father knows what He's doing. He knows us best. He loves us. Without a doubt, I know this. I truly am at a loss for words right now because I cannot explain it better than him. My words are inadequate compared to his but I will share my testimony. I know everything that he said to us is true. I know angels surrounded them that day. Kam reassured us that it doesn't have to be a life or death situation for our ancestors over the veil to watch over and protect us. They are with us everyday cheering us on. I was able to have my cute cousin come with me to this and she left in awe as well. I asked her if she'd share her thoughts for this post and she was happy to! Here is what she said: "Last night was an amazing experience. Vanessa is the best cousin ever for inviting me and so was her ward for being so willing to welcome me for the night. So... I hadn't seen the Cokeville miracle movie and (still haven't) before I went to hear about it yesterday, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect and didn't know if I would be able to understand anything he was saying, but I was wrong. Brother Wixom, being a survivor himself, summed up the actual miracle beautifully. I was SO touched by his words and the spirit that surrounded the room as I was in his presence. He described the event using so many details of that day. I was amazed not only by the ability he had to remember them all, but also that he was so open and willing to share that personal experience. He sure has a strong testimony and because he shared, I was uplifted and my own testimony grew enormously. Something he said that stuck out to me was: "things happen. We don't normally live expecting them to happen, but they could come any day so we need to be ready to live everyday like it's our last." It is so true, but we don't need to be afraid because Heavenly Father is always there for us if we have faith in him and he will answer our prayers. Brother Wixom is so incredible! The example he portrayed yesterday really made an impact on me. I can't even imagine going through what he did. I now have a better understanding of that day and really want to see the movie!! I love this gospel. Amen :)" I hope you go and see the movie if you haven't. It's amazing, and yes of course I cried. So get your tissues ready!! Have a wonderful weekend. Ness SCROLL FOR PICS! :) One talk from this last conference that really stood out to me was M. Russell Ballard's "God is at the helm". He referred to "The old ship Zion" as The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. He said that God is at the helm. He directs the church. He will guide us right.
He said that even though it can be difficult to sometimes heed and listen to prophets and apostles... it is SO ESSENTIAL. Click the READ MORE button For this week's post I thought I'd just share a bunch of my favorite quotes. I will also link a video at the end! "As we have more faith in Christ, our hearts will be changed, our desires will become more like his, and at the last day we will embrace our Savior having become like Him, and what joy will fill our hearts at that time. To feel his loving arms around us, to feel joy that we lived our lives so that we become like him, and to gain our exaltation." -Unknown "We take steps toward Them, never giving up hope, even if we fall. Our loving Heavenly Father rejoices in each and every faithful step, and if we fall, He rejoices in each effort to get back up and try again." -Elder Randall K. Bennett
"Great courage will be required as we remain FAITHFUL and TRUE amid the ever-increasing pressures and insidious influences." -Thomas S. Monson "Put God first regardless of the trials you face." -Koichi Aoyagi "God never loses sight of our eternal potential even when we do." -Carole Stephens "He weeps with us when we suffer and REJOICES with us when we do right." -Elder Stevenson "Though we are incomplete, God loves us COMPLETELY. Though we are imperfect, He loves us PERFECTLY. Though we may feel lost and without compass GOD'S LOVE encompasses us completely." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf Click the link below to watch a slideshow of super cool pictures. It's kind of lengthy (7ish minutes) but it's worth it and you just feel the spirit so strong. I love it. Have a great upcoming week. https://youtu.be/glQYsxJhv_E |
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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 |