Personal Check

I have now been home from my mission for about 4 months. During my scripture study this week I was reflecting back on what I have learned in these last 4 months. I was reading in Alma 7 where Alma is talking to the people of Gideon, and how he is pleased with how they have been acting while he has been away. This is a stark difference from chapters 5-6 where Alma is chastising the people for their actions.

I imagined which one of the speeches Alma would give to me after now being home for a couple of months. I hoped that it would be like chapter 7, and some parts were, but there were also parts from chapter 5 and 4 that seemed to also fit me quite well.

I want him to say to me... "yea, hath given unto me the exceedingly great joy of knowing that they are established again in the way of his righteousness." (7:4)

Although I am not perfect, I still have much room for improvement. Being home has been hard and its taken me a few months to feel back on my feet but as I reflected on my time home realized that I had continued to learn so much, even though I was no longer out serving the Lord 24/7. In my case I feel like I may have even learned more being home. This isn't me writing about what I have learned but more on the importance of looking back and reflecting what we have learned and where we are now because of it.

I hope that I can stay in the way of his righteousness now and forever.

Let Your Hearts Be Comforted

This week I went back and read some scriptures from my mission that meant a lot to me. I came across one that really impacted me and helped me to feel calm in regards to the upcoming future. 

16 Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God. 

My mission president shared this scripture with me and said that we can replace "Zion" with anything that is going on in our lives. This time I read it and replaced Zion with SCHOOL. School stresses me out more than anything in this world. I put so much pressure on myself to do well in school that I am constantly worried about what will happen. This scripture helps me to know that I am in Gods hands, and he will take care of me. When we really believe that God is God, and has all power and can do anything, than we can be still and obtain the peace that we want. 

I hope that as I remember this scripture I will be able have a comforted heart admit the finals and 3 years left of school that I have. 

Grateful Hearts

There are a few things that I feel like the Lord is constantly reminding me of. In may scripture study this week I was reminded of one of these things.

Alma 26:8
8 Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever.

Gratitude. I think that it one of those virtues that we get to when we already have the other virtues, like charity and kindness. Its a harder virtue to obtain because it requires a lot more virtues to come before. Kind of like prerequisites to gratitude. 

I really believe that when we have gratitude in our hearts we will be so much happier and be better able to see the hand of God in our lives. I personally can be more grateful in my prayers. Instead of constantly asking for things I should be constantly singing praises of thanks to my father in heaven, who has given me so much. 

I love that when we are grateful we start to feel less in titled to blessing that we don't have because we see all of the blessings that we already have in our lives. 

I hope that I can have a more grateful heart and remember the Lords mercy in all things.