Week 14

With the end of the semester underway, I find it kind of tricky to balance everything that has to be accomplished. I sometimes find myself in disbelief that I was able to get all my assignments done on time. This would not have been possible without the help of the Lord.

This concept was further strengthened within me as I read in 1 Timothy 1:12, "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful..." Because of Christ I can receive help and ability to do what is asked of me. I love that this applies to not only the spiritual aspect of my life, but also the temporal side. Christ is there to help me in all aspects of my life.

With the spiritual side of things, Christ has made it possible for each one of us to repent and become better. He has enabled us with power to overcome temptation and sin and become better. I know He is real and that with His help I can do all that is required for me.

Week 13

I was reading in Matthew 24 and Christ is telling His disciples about His future coming and the signs that will precede it. In verse nine He states, "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake." He is basically saying that it is not going to be easy to be a disciple of Christ.

A few thoughts that came to my head when I read this verse; what would I be willing to suffer and experience in order to become more like Jesus Christ and build a trusting relationship with Him? Would I be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ? Or would I stand up for what I believe, no matter the situation? I feel like I know what I would choose, but I also know that it won't always be easy and I may fail sometimes. Gratefully, because of Christ I can keep trying to follow Him even when I mess up.

Christ is real. He is our Savior and is ready to help us when we are ready to accept Him. It will require a lot of faith sometimes, but we can do it because we have chosen Him once before. He will give us power to withstand those who hate us.

Week 12

Something that has been pertinent to me lately is fear. Sometimes fear stops me from making decisions and doing things that I know I should do. Instead, I freeze and become acted upon rather than acting. This is a hard obstacle to overcome, but thankfully I do not have to do it alone.

I know God is aware of me and what I think and struggle with because He has given us latter-day prophets to guide us. Thinking about my same concern mentioned above, I received guidance and comfort from President Uchtdorf's talk in the Sunday morning session of General Conference. He quoted the scripture, "perfect love casteth out fear." If I have a perfect love for God, He will help me work through my fears and eventually overcome them. I know this does not mean it will be easy, but with God anything is possible if I keep trying.

I still have a lot to learn about this concept, but I am grateful for the opportunity to do so. God is real and He lives and is ready to help each one of us whenever we need Him.