Easter Talk on Christ's Atonement

I have spent so much time over the last couple of weeks studying Christ's atonement as I prepared a talk for sacrament meeting for today. I learned so much and it changed my perspective for celebrating Easter today. I spent most of my time focusing on 4 main blessings we have because of His crucifixion and resurrection: resurrection, forgiveness for sins, strengthening, and perfecting. I read two wonderful books that I recommend to anyone who wants to study more as well - see the last slide. 

I'm so grateful for my Savior and His sacrifice and love for me. Happy Easter!

General Conference Notes

I decided to try a new approach for my notes during General Conference this weekend and I'm loving it. I know most people probably wouldn't get as excited as I am about taking notes, but I accepted my geekiness long ago. I tend to spend too much time just typing all the good ideas and words I like close to word for word, but then when I'm reading them later, I can just highlight them so much easier. 

I wanted to focus more on watching for personal revelation for problems and questions I have right now. I spent some time before conference started with a brain dump in my journal, writing out everything that's been on my mind lately. It was an emotional but cleansing experience for me. Then I summarized it all into 6 questions I want to look for answers to throughout conference. 

Next, I created a simple questionnaire with Google Forms with the following fields: Speaker, Session, Topic, Stories (the stories are how I connect back to the talks the easiest), Truth, Actions, and one field for each of my questions.

I have noticed so many more thoughts and quotes that apply to my life right now. My focus shift is already monumental for me. The summary page for Google Forms automatically pulls all of the things I've recorded for each of my questions together. After conference, I will be able to easily find the talks that inspired me on each question to continue my studying. 

I love technology. 🖥 

I love General Conference.

I love my Savior.

Positive Affirmations

The beginning of the year is a good time to reflect on how I'm doing in my life in important areas and what I want to work on improving next. One of my new favorite ways to help myself improve is through positive affirmations.

Negative self-talk is such a damaging bad habit. It undermines goals I set for myself. In our relief society lesson today, it was pointed out that we are much more likely to reach our goals if we set goals that line up with our identity, how we truly see ourselves. 

Repeating affirmations can help me to see the person I am striving to be, to begin with the end in mind. They can help me align my daily decisions so I can become the person I want to become.

In a weekly newsletter focusing on different talks from general conference called Work & Wonder, I have been reading affirmations that are created to line up with the main ideas of each talk. I recently started adding these affirmations to Google Keep and I put a widget on my home screen so I can easily review these throughout the week. It's powerful to envision myself becoming more. 

Instead of focusing on multiple traditional goals, this year I will focus on these two words, "I am." I can't wait to see how I will grow this year.

Sabbath Day Thoughts

I remember being young and dreading Sundays. I didn't like the restrictions like not being able to play with friends. Church itself was OK overall, but seemed to my young self to be long and frequently boring. Our family always sat on the very front row, a row that in most wards is always empty. I'm sure my mom loved everyone watching our antics as we goofed off, quietly or not, during sacrament meeting.

These feelings changed over time. In college, I recognized that going to church helped me be a better person. I made it a point to go, even when my parents weren't with me. I knew that continuing with regular church attendance was important to me. 

Now my feelings have deepened to something much more. I realized a few years ago that I look forward to Sundays now. I love that I can ignore my to do list and focus on things that are less stressful. When I first kneel to pray on Sunday mornings, I feel different than during the week. I feel grateful for the Sabbath. Sundays are frequently busy, especially with my calling, but it still feels more restful. I love having extra time to study. I don't see Sundays as restrictive like I used to. I look at it as a day that is separate from other days and I love spending more time focusing on Christ. 

Church is more enjoyable to me now than when I was a kid. I learn so much from others in my ward. I love hearing different perspectives. The more I study throughout the week, the more excited I am to hear comments from others because it helps point me in a different direction than my own thoughts have taken me. If I do start to feel bored during church, I recognize that I am less engaged. When I pay more attention to the talks and lessons, the boredom goes away. 

I love that the organization of the church gives me more opportunities to serve in big and small ways. As I serve, I form strong relationships with others that help lift me. 

In general conference in October, Dallin H. Oaks talked about the need for a church. I reflected on the blessings he mentioned and how I see them in my life. I love that I can progress through my church activity. I'm grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Thoughts to Words

I have been studying the conference talk by Brad Wilcox called "Worthiness is Not Flawlessness". I have found that when I write down my thoughts, I refine what I'm thinking and it gives me a chance to ponder a little more. Taking it to the next step, creating word art from my favorite quotes also allows me to ponder them a little bit more. So today you get my rambling thoughts. 

As a mom, I see each of my kids frequently pull away from any attempts to correct them, even when done with love. They tend to see it as a criticism instead of my intent to help lift them to a higher plane in their physical, mental, social, and spiritual journeys. I want them to learn from my experiences and knowledge, despite my imperfections. 

Frequently in the scriptures, I see the Lord trying to teach the things that will lift me, but it is sometimes hard to see that He isn't trying to punish, threaten, or criticize me at all. He truly loves me completely just as I am. But He also sees my great potential to become so much more and wants to help me reach that potential. 

When I humble myself and reach to Him for help, He helps me know the next right step, even when my best attempts at life are not as good as I want them to be. He doesn't wait for me to be perfect to help me, and I'm so grateful for His grace, mercy, and love.