Diligence.

Doctrine and Covenants 103: 36 - "All victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith."

Life is much like a baby chick breaking out of it's shell. We must work hard through our trials and it will only make us stronger to do so. Be diligent in all you do and don't give up.

Live long and prosper...

(Ok so not exactly like Spock...)

Doctrine and Covenants 78:19 - "And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more."

From this scripture I get that we will be very prosperous if we express thankfulness unto the lord. If you think about it, everything in the gospel kind of goes hand in hand. If we are thankful, then humble, then submissive, and will become prosperous. But we must be very careful to not fall into the pride cycle.

What we see versus what He sees

Doctrine and Covenants 58: 3 - "Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation."

I've probably talked about this before, but it's something that I have to remind myself a lot that He has the whole design, and I can only see the temporary picture. I know He knows what is best and that everything will turn out how it's supposed to in the end.

Music

Doctrine and Covenants 25:12 - "For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads."

I love singing and especially in church. For me it's my way of expressing my testimony. Music for me brings such an unexplainable spirit in a way that can't be brought any other way. My soul delighteth in the song of the heart.

He died of us...

3 Nephi 27:14 - "And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil-"

I love this scripture. It's just a reminder to me that we need to work both through our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ to return unto them. It isn't just one or the other. We must work through the Father to draw nearer unto Christ. Both relationships are as equally important.

Prioritize

3 Nephi 13: 33 - "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

One thing I've learned in my life is that if I put the most important things first such as scripture study, prayers, and church, everything else will fall into place and you'll be able to get everything else done.

Me and My Heavenly Father

I've avoided this assignment for a while, just because it's something that is very personal to me, and something I have never been sure about.

I have doubts about myself, as I'm sure a lot of people do about themselves. I've been to rock bottom and back again. But there is one thing I do know. I, am a Daughter of God. And he loves me and cares about me. He knows what's best for me and wants me to achieve my potential here on earth. He also knows that potential is greater than I think it is. He is my greatest cheerleader. He is the ultimate provider. He has given me a beautiful world to live in and an amazing family to go through and experience life with. He has provided me with guidance and great blessings thus far in my life. We talk daily. Usually in the evenings. I share both my worries and joys about life with Him and he offers comfort, guidance, and answers to the questions I have about my life. I thank Him for all the wonderful things in my life. He speaks to me as I read the scriptures daily and gives me insights on how I can be improving myself personally.

I am a Daughter of God.

Refocus...

I think personally I get too wound up in life if I'm not careful. I get too busy with the unimportant and forget what matters most. Last night I was reading a general conference talk given this last October by President Uchtdorf. He talked about not getting caught up in the thick of life and the importance of remembering what matters most. He said,

"As we evaluate our own lives with a willing mind, we will see where we have drifted from the more excellent way. The eyes of our understanding will be opened, and we will recognize what needs to be done to purify our hear and refocus our life."

It's time for me to refocus and stay on target.

My Great Thanksgiving...

If I were to write a list of everything I was thankful for, it would be infinite. I love this time of year. It's a great time set aside to be able to reflect and appreciate everything we have been blessed with in life. A couple years ago I was home on break with all my family at Thanksgiving, and I found this scripture. It has become my official Thanksgiving time scripture.

Alma 26: 35-37

35 Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all ^apower, ^ball wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a ^cmerciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name.

36 Now if this is ^aboasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a ^bbranch of the tree of Israel, and has been ^clost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, ^dwanderers in a strange land.

37 Now my brethren, we see that God is ^amindful of every ^bpeople, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.

There are so many things we should be grateful for in this life, but especially we need to be grateful for and remember our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They watch over and bless us daily with numerous wonderful things. We need to remember that he knows each one of us and is mindful of our needs. (I really need reminding of this a lot of the time.) He understands EVERYTHING and we have reason to rejoice in him and be grateful.

I have especially been grateful in this last year as far as my career and schooling goes. I have managed a 3.8 gpa the last two semesters, I have been blessed with a wonderful job on campus, I had a spectacular internship this last summer where I made tons of friends and learned a lot, I was able to go to NYC and visit companies and make contacts, and I am currently up for an internship position back there with the LDS Public Affairs office. (Lets pray I get it.) These honestly, are small compared to everything else I and my family have been blessed with this last year. As I said before and I'll say again... big changes are to come. Come what may and love it. Be grateful. He know's what's best and everything will turn out how it's supposed to.

Personal Success and Realization...

(This post is going to be a combination of several things... but please bear with me)

But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.

My parents came into town last night and after we went to dinner. My dad went back to their hotel and I was able to spend some time with my mom. She did the typical mom thing and took me to the store to get groceries and some Christmas decorations for my pathetically decorated tree. She then took me up and dropped me off on campus so I could work on homework until the buildings closed. We got to talking on the way up about trials people have gone through in their lives. I have to tell you now, my mom has seen me through a lot over the years. I've dealt with a lot of conflict in my life and have been hurt by a lot of people I thought I could trust. My mom has seen me through it all. She's cried with me. She's let me yell when frustrated. But we both came to a realization last night. We are grateful for our trials. And because we have stuck with the Lord and trusted in him, we have become better people and have learned how to handle conflict better.

My mom reminded me last night that I am in a really good place in my life right now. And it's completely true I realized. Usually during each semester I am in conflict with one roommate or the other. I'm usually angry and frustrated and really wound up about life in general. But I've learned, it doesn't hurt anything for me to just stay out of it. I feel like I'm a well liked person and I have a lot of friends. And that makes me feel great about myself! I've learned to cool it and not get so wound up about school. Last Winter was the worst.... you could ask anyone. But this semester I am just as busy, or even more, and I am having a great time. I've taken a chill pill so to speak.

This class has been such a help in making me realize what kind of person I am and what my needs are in order to be happy. My first color is red, and my secondary is white. And I think I'm beginning to find a good balance between the two. I have no problem confronting people about problems. I'm confident when I speak can keep a clear head. But at the same time, I really hate conflict. In my experience. NO GOOD COMES FROM IT!!!! Trust me on that. That's where my white comes into play. I really do treasure a peaceful life. While I can stand up for myself and argue a point, I'd rather not because I know it really won't do anyone any good.

So let me revert back to the scripture... "But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction."

If I had to pick one important lesson that I've learned in my life so far, it would be this. Throughout everything I've been through in the last four years, I've put my trust in him, and my mom for that matter, and have kept with the church. Now, I'm not saying I've been perfect throughout everything. I have soooooo not been. I've made so many mistakes, but what's important is that I've learned from them. But as I look back over this last year especially, I've been so blessed in my life. And I know with out a doubt that's because of how I reacted to the trials in my life. I am grateful for my trials.

A Stumbling Block, or a Stepping-Stone

Isn't it strange how princes and kings,
and clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
and common people, like you and me,
are builders for eternity?

Each is given a list of rules;
a shapeless mass; a bag of tools.
And each must fashion, ere life is flown,
A stumbling block, or a Stepping-Stone.

I love this poem because it's completely true. It's our choice and no one elses of how we take life. We either can make something of it, or we can whine and complain that everything is so hard. We are all given the same tools as everyone around us. It doesn't matter our station in life. We all have difficulties whether we be rich and famous or plain and simple.

Fear not...

Doctrine and Covenants 6:36... "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."

I love this scripture and it made me relate to the concept of bungee jumping. Jumping into the unknown is a lot like having faith that when you bungee jump, the cord with snap you up and save you from falling to your death. In that way we need to have faith to take chances we normally wouldn't and believe that the Lord will take care of us if we confide in him everything we do and trust in him that everything will be ok.

For Granted...

Yesterday I was able to go visiting teaching. My partner prepared a lesson on temples and how it is such a blessing to have a temple so close. Now, I could make the excuse that I am crazy busy and there is no convenient time for me to go serve the Lord, but that is not entirely true. While I am busy, I just simply take for granted of the fact that I have two temples close by - one within two minutes, and the other with in 25 minutes. These temples are sacred, beautiful places where we can do work and serve the Lord. I always feel so much better when I go and want that feeling of the Spirit to be forever with me afterwards.

Making the good count

For the spiritual part of this portfolio, I've been doing journal entries for this part of the portfolio in a separate journal. For me, my relationship with Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father is a very private and personal thing. But I did want to write a little bit of my thoughts on this.

In my life, I've had my own fair share of struggles. Sometimes it seems like more than. But I've also had many many triumphs. And I think no matter what happens in life, we should make the good count for more than the bad, no matter what. (Just a side note, I am surely not always this positive... It's just a good day.)

For me it doesn't matter any more that I didn't go to prom in high school, or that I was talked about behind my back a lot, or even that I really haven't dated that much here at college. It all still hurts, I just try to not let myself get hung up on this. What matters most is that I have a wonderful family, that I get to attend this University, I have parent's that support me in what I do, I get to go to New York City in 29 days, I have the fullness of the gospel in my life, and I have a Savior and Heavenly Father who love me, who are looking out for me, and who want me to succeed.

The truth is, I have everything going for me, and I owe it all to Him. He asks me to do simple things like reading scriptures, saying prayers, serving others, and in turn he gives me great joy. I have faith in Him and want to do what is right. I still struggle every day, and I think I always will. But life isn't about focusing on the bad things, it's about stringing all the little things together and making them count for more than the bad. I pray so hard every day for happiness in my life, and he dearly blesses me with more than I deserve.