The Tender Behind The Mercy

This week has been full of tender mercies!!!! God has shown me his love and mercy for me literally every day this week! Miracle after miracle. I don't even feel deserving enough to even have these blessings! I love Him! He is part of every little detail in my life! He has listened to me as I poured out my aching heart to him! There were many times this week, when I would cry, feeling lonely and confused. I would pray for strength to move forward. God was ALWAYS there. His love for me was evident through His tender mercies. It sweetly reminded me that He is the number one important person in my life. He's the perfect example of how a father should be! I love Him!!! God is so good! Happy weekend!

I speak, He listens

Sincere, heartfelt prayers to my Heavenly Father are all it takes to get me through each day. The craziness and demands of life can be overbearing. But I always remember Him and his grace. I call upon Him multiple times throughout the day in need of strength, to thank him for his love and blessings, and to pour out my aching heart. He listens to me. Every prayer, He listens to me. He even listens to me when I pray silently at the same time someone else is praying. I feel his mercy and love for me, even when I can barely speak. Just knowing that He is listening to every prayer, whether it be once sentence or a twenty minute ramble, brings me comfort. I feel a sense of security and peace when I pray to my Heavenly Father. I feel like I am able to talk about whatever I want and not be judged or looked down on. He doesn't interrupt me, he waits until I finish and then pours out his love. That's what so neat about he power of prayer. It's real. He's real. He's listening. He understands. He doesn't judge me or criticize me. He just listens.

A Righteous Desire

"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words." - Alma 32:27

This scripture has brought a new meaning to me as of last Saturday. Sometimes a "desire to believe" is the only thing I can muster. Especially when I am struggling to find my faith. As long as I have the desire and I am letting that desire grow inside me, I'm okay. God understands that I struggle sometimes with having faith and trust in him. I don't have to believe right at the start, I just need to have that "desire to believe."

Two Post Day!

I really should be in bed. I mean, I said goodnight to my roommate an hour ago. I'm too happy to go to bed! I just wanted to quickly jump on and tell you how much I love life! This week has been wonderful! And it's only Tuesday! I just feel so blessed and grateful for the life that I have! My scripture study earlier today was so powerful! I love Ammon by the way. His example of faith and trust in the Lord has strengthened my testimony! I read my patriarchal blessing again today and it gave me strength once again! I felt reassured that the trials that I am currently going through and the responsibilities that I am taking care of are for my benefit! When I was driving home from work, I was trying to find a good song on the radio and this song came on! I absolutely love this song! It's magical! Seriously, I have so much to be thankful for! I can't wait for tomorrow! I'm going to the temple tomorrow night! It's been a long time since I've been. It'll be the perfect spiritual "pick me up" for the week! I hope you all are having a wonderful week so far!Happy Tuesday! And congrats to Collin and Ali Bush for tying the knot today! And to my dear friend Cierra for having her first baby girl!!! Lucy is such a beautiful baby!

The Quiet Girl

I was once the quiet girl. It wasn't that I was shy. (Actually it started out that way, but turned into my nature.) I still am quiet. I've been told by my co-workers that I am too quiet. In fact, one of my co-workers last week thought I was scared of her because I wouldn't talk. I chuckled and quickly apologized and reassured her that wasn't the case. I explained to her that I was just a quiet person.
 I thought about my ward and roommates. They would probably say that I was one of the loudest in the ward! (Which just goes to show that I do have a voice and it is well used.) What they don't know is that it takes a lot of guts to be outspoken. I guess you could say that I am two-faced.
In public settings, I tend to be more quiet and observant. I have been the wallflower before. I still am, depending on where I am and if I feel uncomfortable. I always find myself fading into the background during events. I don't like attention. (Even though I sometimes draw the attention to myself unintentionally.)I am a listener. I am an observer. Not a talker.

 I have never been good at "ice breakers" or even coming up with them. They rarely go smoothly. Usually it turns into one awkward moment. I'm a pro at creating awkward moments. Not on purpose of course. Especially when I haven't talked to some before, those are always the worst. I need to stop asking people what their life story is. That's my winner fail ice breaker. Actually it's probably more awkward for them. But to me, I love learning about people, so it's a winner. I love listening to people talk about their lives in a non-cocky-annoying way. To me it's fascinating! I love asking questions, just not answering them when they ask them back to me.
When I was younger, I was constantly told to speak up. I wasn't just quiet. I had a quiet voice. That's changed. I don't think I have a quiet voice anymore. I speak softer though. Does that count?

Recently I started beating myself up inside, wishing that I could somehow not be quiet ALL the time. I felt worthless as I was thinking about my quiet nature. I sat down at my desk, trying to get rid of the terrible feeling inside. I began to pray for strength. I paused for moment and a thought came to mind to read my patriarchal blessing. As I was reading, it mentioned that I was given quiet attributes. I stopped after reading that section. I felt immediate comfort. Those feelings melted away as I was sweetly reminded that the Lord recognized my quiet nature. Tears filled my eyes as I smiled from ear to ear. It's okay that I am quiet girl. Quiet attributes were given to me by my Heavenly Father. Those attributes are a part of me!

Life is precious!

Life is precious! Each day, each hour, each minute, each second is precious! Life is wonderful! There is so much good in every day! Sure there may be bad days, but the good ones always out weigh the bad. Live it to the fullest!

So go on, spread your wings! Chase your dreams! Accomplish those goals! You are free, free to live a beautiful life! So live!

Isn't this the truth? There's always a new beginning! Because of the beautiful plan the Lord has provided, we can always start off fresh. Life may get you down, but those times don't last long. After those hard times end, a beautiful beginning takes place.

Simply put. Open up and see the beauty of life! See the beautiful world around you. Take a deep breath. Feel the warmth on your face. See the beautiful colors, the different hues and shades. Tune out the world and listen to the peace surrounding you.

Capture as many good times as you can! And when life knocks you down, develop from them! Then get back up and "take another shot!" You're the photographer of your own life! Make it beautiful!

Take a moment right now. Stop what you're doing and be still. Tune out the world around you. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Thank your Heavenly Father who has blessed with you with a beautiful, precious life! Feel is love and peace surround you.

Life is beautiful! Life is precious. Life is a gift from our loving Heavenly Father. Live your life to the fullest!