Day 15: Lowly in Heart

Anger doesn't solve anything. Sometimes in the heat of the moment it's hard for me to realize that. But anger is just a way to procrastinate getting to the root of the problem and finding a solution that can lead ultimately to peace. I know that anger is an emotion that everyone feels, and sometimes it is necessary to get something out that's bothering me. But in the long run, it doesn't help me feel better. Staying angry keeps peace from coming. Sometimes I feel justified in being angry because I've been wrongly accused or hurt.

But is that what Christ would do?

Jesus Christ always turned the other cheek and always took on humility when wrongly accused. He died by being wrongly accused. Yet he still stayed humble and didn't get angry. His last words on the cross were "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Would those be my last words if I died from being wrongly accused?

I have so much to learn from Christ. The next time I feel like choosing to be angry instead of working on fixing the problem, I hope I'm better at remembering Christ and his example. He left the world asking the Father to forgive his accusers. I'm not very good at asking Heavenly Father to do that for me right now.

Looks like I have a lot to work on.

Day 14: Peace

The Holy Ghost is not only a guide to help us know right from wrong, or give us warnings, he also gives us comfort. Jesus Christ can't be here in person on this earth while each of us lives our lives. He fulfilled his mission, and left the Holy Ghost to continue to help comfort us in times of need. Even when I'm not going through a huge trial in my life, I still need the Holy Ghost to give me peace. Peace in knowing that what I'm doing with my life at the moment is what is good. Peace in knowing that the decisions I made in the past have led me to the good place I'm in right now.

The plan of salvation was created so perfectly. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ knew life would be hard and we would constantly need comfort, so he sent the Holy Ghost.

Day 13: We Have a Promise

"I, the Lord, promise the faithful and cannot lie." (Doctrine and Covenants 62:6) My family read that scripture this morning and I really like that line. The Lord tells us so many times in the scriptures that we can count on him to fulfill his promises to us, but only if we fulfill our part to him.

He knew that we would have a hard time keeping our ends of the promises we made because we aren't to the perfect state yet. That's why I'm grateful we have the atonement, because it's more proof that he gives us as many chances as we need to keep our end of the deal. He wants to give us all that he's promised us. That's why we have so many ways to continue to repent and stay worthy of those blessings, because he wants all of us there with him in the end.

Day 12: His Mirror Image

This is just a short thought tonight. I was finally able to attend the temple tonight after it had been closed for a month. We went and did some initatories for some family names we have. Not only was that a great experience in and of itself, but I love doing initatories. The promises are still so new to me that I still consider them to be talking to me, and just me, even though I am doing the work for another person. There's one part that is always my favorite, where every part of my body is told what it is meant to be used for in the spiritual sense. I love knowing that Heavenly Father didn't just create our bodies without having any purpose behind them. I love knowing that with each part of our body good things were meant to come from them. Our bodies are such a precious gift from a loving Father. And Jesus Christ suffered so that our bodies could be resurrected and become perfect, forever.

This plan was so well thought out. I'm amazed by it every day.

Day 11: "We are His Hands"

President Uchtdorf shared a story from his talk in April of 2010 about a small town that had a statue of Jesus and because of the after-effects of a World War, the statue suffered damage. The hands of the Christ statue were broken off. The town held a meeting to decide whether to hire a sculptor to put up new hands on the statue or to leave it as a reminder of the devastation of war. In the end they decided to leave the statue as it was, without hands, but a plaque was put on the bottom that stated "You are My Hands".

I love that. I am a part of the work of Jesus Christ because I have the tools to share this gospel. I have the tools to better myself every day. He's trusted me with his Spirit since I was of the age of 8. He's given me the opportunity to make good choices on this earth. He gave me a body to use. He's given me everything.

I want to make better use of "his hands". I want to share what his hands have to offer to everyone.

Day 10: Hope cont.

I'm really liking how hope is viewed differently when the gospel is involved. If we "bow down before God, and call on his name in faith. . . then thou shalt receive the hope thou desirest." (Alma 22:16). Hope and forgiveness are tied closely together. We can't truly repent without the hope that our sins will be forgiven. We can't use the Atonement in our lives if we aren't hoping that it will lift our burdens and ease our heartaches. Hope is such a significant part of the plan that I think is overlooked just a little, because we see it in the categories of being forgiven and feeling the Atonement in our lives.

The scriptures teach over and over again about hope. Not just speaking doctrinally, but also by the stories they tell. Alma the Younger is a great example. He lived a life of sin and purposefully went against the teachings of the church. But when the angel came and visited him and he was in that darkened abyss, he finally found the hope that with the gospel, his life could get better, and he would have the chance to start anew. Another great example is of course, Jesus Christ. He taught hope because he lived a life of hope. He had the veil just like we did, but he also had the capacity within him to withstand temptations. Yet, he had hope all along during his ministry that he was fulfilling the mission he was meant to, and that Heavenly Father would welcome him back with open arms.

I'm trying to work on living the gospel better and keeping hope as a dominant trait in my life, hoping that someday I will also be able to return to Heavenly Father.

Day 9: Hope

The gospel puts hope into a different light than what the world sees hope as. The world seems to see hope as something you really just. . .wait for. For example "I hope the weather gets better tonight." Or, "I hope I did well on that test." As I was reading the little summary about hope on the Church website, they put hope into a different light. Hope is real. Jesus Christ suffered for our sins so that we don't have to just hope, we can have a "firm hope".

Moroni stated "Whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God." Hope in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ means we believe in what they say, that we trust that in the end, they will take care of us and it will all work out. It's not just waiting to see if it will, it's following the teachings of Christ and realizing for ourselves along the way that what they teach is true. While choosing to follow Christ, we are choosing to have hope for a greater life than this one.

Day 8: Choosing Christ

Agency is an interesting thing to me. Elder Hales spoke at this last conference about agency and brought up a lot of good points that I haven't ever thought about before. (Hence why I am doing this project. I'm learning a lot.) He brought up the council in heaven and how before we even came down to earth, we chose to follow Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation. We received the chance to have a body by choosing to follow the plan that would continue to let us chose while on earth.

He also talked about how the Savior is the ultimate example of making good choices that led him back to our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ was faced with all the tempations we would face on this earth, and he felt all that we would feel on this earth in order to fulfill his role as the Savior. Jesus Christ taught us through example that choosing to follow the will of Heavenly Father leads to eternal happiness and salvation.

this talk brought up the thoughts to me that even though I chose to follow Christ before even coming down on this earth, I have to continue to choose to follow him every day I am on this earth. Every day situations can come up, whether they are big or small, that show to myself and Heavenly Father if I am a true follower of his will or not. It's going to be a constant choice I have to make every day.

Day 7: Mercy cont.

I read an amazing talk given by President Monson in 1995 all about mercy. He shared a story that truly touched my heart.

During the civil war, a man by the name of Richard Rowland Kirkland, did an incredible act of mercy. He was a Conferedate solider, and was involved in the battle at Marye's Heights, just over looking the town of Frediricksberg, VA. The Union soliders were demolished, and taken down. The wounded Union soliders could be heard crying throughout the night as they lay dying in the field. Kirkland, who was only 19, asked his commander if he could go out into the field and give all the wounded soliders water, for he couldn't stand to hear their cries of pain any longer. At first he was denied, being told it would be too dangerous for him. He finally was granted permission, and set out to the field that was covered with his enemy, carrying as many canteens over his shoulder as he could. At first the Union soliders were too shocked to realize what was going on. But soon when they saw this young solider had come to help them in their time of need, their cries of pain turned to cries for water. This boy walked from solider to solider, giving aide to his enemy. A monument is now up in his honor calling him "The Angel of Marey's Heights" in Fredricksberg, VA.

I want to visit that monument. That story is incredible to me. This young boy chose to help out his enemies in their time of need when he easily could have justified turning his back. How many times have I helped out those I don't feel too fond of? I'm embarrassed to admit it. How can I expect mercy from my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ when I won't help out those around me that I can see need it, even if I'm not on the best of terms with them? It doesn't make sense. I can't expect what I don't try and give as well.

Mercy ties in so tightly with forgiveness. Just like the Lord stated "I will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." I always thought forgiving others wasn't too hard of a task until I went through a time where I suffered a lot because of the actions of someone else. I felt justified for a long time in feeling anger towards this person because I had done nothing to deserve it, yet I was feeling all the pain. I finally realized the only way I could really move on was to forgive this person, and stop blaming them for my negative and hurt feelings. I remember reading out of the book "The Miracle of Forgiveness" a quote that said "We don't forgive and forget. We forgive to forget.". I still try and remember that quote when feelings try to bubble up, causing me to feel justified. Jesus Christ forgave those who crucified him right there on the cross moments before he died because of their actions, not his. How can I justify my little spat compared to that? Heavenly Father made a plan with forgiveness at the center. My heart has room to forgive.

Day 6: Mercy

I feel like this is one of the qualities of Jesus Christ that I am always in awe of. Mercy. We came down on this earth not knowing how hard this life would be for us. But Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ knew. They knew that we would be tempted, beaten, and pushed to the very limit our spirits could go. As Joseph Smith said "He will rend your very heartstrings. And if ye cannot stand it, ye are not fit to be in his presence." I've felt that way before in my life, whether it's because of a mistake I made or something that happened outside my control. His mercy over takes all of it. When I do something wrong, he is there with open arms and never-ending love that will bring me back to him if I do what I need to do. And when things happen outside my control and I did nothing wrong, he is still there with that same love, waiting for me to come and be comforted by Him.

His love covers everything I will ever face or go through in this life. His plan is perfect, for each of us.

Day 5: The Master Teacher

"Seek ye not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men." (Doctrine and Covenants 11:21).

This scripture was mentioned in a talk I read on the LDS website called "Jesus, the Master Teacher". I really like how the scripture is set up with a "first, and then" structure. First, I need to obtain his word, and then I'll be able to preach of Christ. It's so simple, but makes so much sense. How can I teach about something I don't know very well? I can't. If I want to be able to tell others about my testimony, I first have to have one. If I want to talk to others about the Atonement and it's meaning, I first have to have felt it work in my life. Christ taught by example, that's why he understood his teachings perfectly, because he lived them. If I want to truly be a witness of Christ, I have to follow his teachings better, live a life patterned after him.

Day 4: The Simple Truth

I just finished reading a talk President Uchtdorf gave last conference about the things that matter most. It was so applicable to me and this new goal I have. He speaks about how being busy and productive is good, but too much business can lead us to be overwhelmed and forget what really matters most. I've fallen into that trap on both ends. Either I'm so busy that I forget to read my scriptures and just say hurried prayers without a lot of meaning behind them, or I have so much free time that I waste it on ridiculous things and then I feel lazy and very unproductive and dissapointed in myself.

It's all about finding balance. Building a relationship with Christ will help strengthen my relationship with others, and myself. I love the part where he talks about liking ourselves. It's just as important to like ourselves as it is to like other people. In fact, we can't truly love other people if we don't have a love and respect for ourselves. We can push it aside for months, and even years, but in the end we will be with ourself, always, and we should take this time to like who we are.

And in order for us to know Heavenly Father, we must know Christ. And what's so great is he wants us to know him. There are so many opportunities out there for us to learn about Him, and we can even talk to him whenever we want. He has given us so many gifts if we would just take the time to remember what they are, we would all be on a better level of knowing who Christ is.

Day 3: Bread of Life cont.

As I'm researching the Bread of Life reference to Christ, it all keeps coming back to the sacrament. I finally made that connection yesterday, so today I read an excerpt from the book "Jesus the Christ", and realized that the sacrament is the last thing Jesus taught before being betrayed and sent to trial. The sacrament must be one of the most important teachings he came down on earth to give us, why else would he save it for last? When I went back and re-read the accounts in the 4 gospels about the sacrament, he almost seemed urgent when breaking the bread and telling the signifigance of it. To me it seemed like he was saying "Listen. I'm about to leave you from this earth. Please, remember me every week by this ordinance. It is important."

This is putting the sacrament into a whole new perspective for me. I try to be reverent every week I take it, but now that I've realized that this is one of the last teachings of Christ, I feel like I should work on being even better when it comes to taking it, and remembering during that quiet time of sacrament meeting why I am partaking of his body and drinking his blood.

Day 2: The Bread of Life

John 6:35

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

I've heard Jesus Christ be referenced to "The Bread of Life", but never really gave much thought to it, or why he called himself that. I think the rest of this week, or at least the next couple of days, I'm going to focus more on this reference and why he called himself the bread of life.

Jesus Christ loved to use parables as ways to teach. He uses symbolism so well. I realized that he called himself the bread of life, and also taught his disciples at the end of his ministry the sacrament, where we each week take a bit of bread in remembrance of him. I can't believe I never connected those two before. His body is symbolic of the bread, and every week for the sacrament we eat broken pieces of the bread to symbolize his broken body that suffered for us.

In the scripture I referenced above, he teaches that he is the bread of our lives, that if we partake of it, we will never be hungry again. His lifestyle and love for us are always there for us to partake of, if we are willing. He will never force us to eat the bread, but he will always offer it to us.

Day 1: Upholding His Name

As I'm starting this process of typing up something about Jesus Christ each day, all I could think about today are how many attributes he has, and how there is so much to study about his life and ministry. Even though I have been a member my whole life, there is still so much about his life and teachings that I don't know, that I'll never completely know. I skimmed through a talk titled "What Have You Done With My Name?" given by Mervyn Arnold of the Seventy. He gives good insight into helping us remember that we are members of his church, and it is our duty to uphold his name.

I can always do better on that front. Better by remembering I am an example of Him whether I see it that way or not. I've taken his name upon me when I was baptized, and received my endowments in the temple. I took that responsibility to uphold Him, Jesus Christ, at all times. It's an overwhelming resposibility if you really think about it, but it's a responsibility I chose to take. Somehow, I can do it. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ wouldn't have given me this opportunity if they expected me to fail.

So here I go, day 1 of focusing on Christ, and remembering I am an example of his name.

Why This is Here

I haven't quite decided yet how I want all of this to go down. All I know is that today in church the idea finally all came together. I've been meaning to get back into more meaningful personal scripture study for quite some time, and some days I'm good, and others (mostly others) I'm not. Then I realized that I have the time for it, I just need to organize it better to really get it done. Then it all came to me today in Relief Society (I am a little ashamed to say that I was spacing off), I have a blog, and I like posting on it. Blogging has become the modern-day journal for many people, so why not tie scripture study and my love for blogging into one? Genius.

I don't really have anything mapped out yet regarding what I will post. I kind of like not knowing, not having a complete plan. I spent the rest of church looking up names, attributes and events of Jesus Christ to give me some idea of what I should try and do with this blog. I guess I'll just go with whatever comes, be it's a random thought I had, or a story I heard, or a scripture I've read. Anything will go on here that I feel belongs on here in order for me to reach my goal.

I'm not doing this to get more comments, or more followers. I don't care if no one reads this at all. This is something I need to do for myself in order to really get better at knowing Christ. He should be at the focus of my life every day, and I'm hoping having this blog on my mind will help me to be better at remembering Him.

So here goes nothing.