What started out as just an assignement...

My very first blog post back in October talked about how I really had no desire whatsoever to blog. I said how I  had never been interested in the whole blogging culture. All my roommates are crazy about bloggers. They all follow the young Mormon mom bloggers and freak out at how adorable they are. I just chill in the corner, outside of their little blogging world. So the fact that I ended up being the one required to create a blog was thee most frustratingly ironic things everrrrrrr.
But, in that same blog, I also mentioned how my professor had us read  Elder Bednar's talk To Sweep the Earth as With a Flood.

 After reading and watching his address on using our technological advances to spread the Gospel of Christ, I felt kind of selfish for thinking the way I had. I have been reserved for this time by God. This time filled with a multiplicity of blessings and numerous inventions that have completely changed the way humans live. I couldn't shake the feeling of guilt and decided I needed an attitude change. With that I decided to go into the blogging experience with an open mind and open heart.

I kind of hate to admit this, but I actually came to really enjoy blogging. It's kind of like a journal... except the whole world has access to it. It's a place where I can share significant events and things I've learned, especially from the scriptures and forms of modern scripture from our Church's leadership. I like the fact that I can be a hundred percent myself on this blog. At this point with my blog, I don't have a specific audience. If someone comes across one of my entries and likes it, then cool. If someone comes across it and hates it, then cool. I'm not striving to impress anyone or become a well-known Mormon mom blogger. I'm just letting the words flow from my mind and into my fingertips, sharing what I have come to know and sharing what I feel.This may have started out as an assignment, but it ended as a desire to share. Knowing that I can possibly make a difference in someone's life by spreading the word of God on this blog excites me.

Even though this is the last required blog post for my class, I'm thinking it won't be the last one of my life. I still am not crazy involved or interested with the blogging world, but I am extremely grateful for being a part of this world during this specific time and for having the knowledge that I have. I know that Christ is my Savior. And I know that He lives. He and our Father in Heaven love us more than our mere mortal bodies could ever comprehend. God's love is eternal and infinite and indescribable and perfect and completely necessary to have true happiness. He is with us always. During the best of times and during the worst of time. HE IS WITH US. He has promised us that. And that will NEVER change. This perfect being who understands every single thing that every single individual has ever or will ever go through, has told us to fear not and to come unto him so he can make our burdens light. Why would we not want Him in our lives?


To know that there are people without this knowledge makes me so sad. I really don't know how else to describe it. I just can't imagine living without my testimony of Christ and Heavenly Father. And that is the biggest reason I think I'll keep this blog. I know my efforts won't be in vain, even if no one is impacted by it or even if no one reads it. To know that I am declaring my testimony in the global online world is a big step for me. I can always improve and I will continuously be looking for what I can do better, but no matter what I will ALWAYS stand as a witness of God.

With that I should express my thanks to my professor for helping me to realize all this. It was Elder Bednar who made me feel, which made me act. But I most definitely would not have began a blog if I would have come across his talk by myself.

Take what life gives you and roll with the punches, but be sure to go to the Man, our God who knows the pain and anguish and sorrow and guilt of EVERY punch. Come unto Christ. And bring all those who you can with you.

Love Life. It's good.

Losing…

All my life, I've played sports. From a very young age I was somersaulting and cartwheeling and bridging/back bending and doing the splits and just running around like a crazy little girl. At 3 years old my mom placed me in a recreational gymnastics class and thats when sports began to take over my life… in a good way though for sure. I spent 11 years as a gymnast, 11 as a soccer player, 4 as a volleyball player, 3 as a swimmer, 3 as a track runner/pole vaulter and if you really wanna include this 1 as a diver hahaha. I also did dance sporadically throughout my K-12 years. I spent all my time on a competitive team or club. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that sports have always been there for me. I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't participating in some sort of athletic event. The thing is, I never ever, not once, got sick of the sports I played. I LOVED them all! Even in my free time, my favorite things to do was go out and play a game of ultimate frisbee or football with my friends. Really I would be down for anything that had to do with playing a sport. Oh and I'm ALWAYS willing to try new things. Like I did lacrosse for about a month just because my school was getting a team and it seemed like a lot of fun. And it was! Sadly time and some other things kept me from playing. I guess what I'm trying to get at here is that sports are an integral part of my life. I can't imagine it without them.
Here at college, however, I have not only had to imagine life without sports, but I basically have had to live without sports. I knew college would be crazy, schedule wise, and that sports would't be a prominent thing in my life anymore. But I feel like I'm missing something inside me. I mean I was on an intramural ultimate team and am currently on an intramural volleyball team, but games are only once a week, and that just doesn't quite suffice. Especially transitioning from practices everyday and games twice a week. It's just so different. And yeah I've got two dance classes that I am absolutely in love with. But again, each class is only two days a week for an hour. I honestly feel like I have lost a piece of myself. Ever since I got here something has been missing. And lately I've been coming to realize that it has a lot to do that I am no longer as involved with sports. Yeah, watching BYU sports is great fun and the environment is great. But there is just something about being on a team and feeling the nerves kick in as game time rolls around during warming up. Nothing can beat the feeling of sticking a tumbling pass, or making a goal, or getting a great kill, or setting a new PR time. Nothing, absolutely nothing beats those feelings. I really really miss that part of my life. And I'm not really sure what I can do to get it back or fill that void. Losing a game sucks. But losing sports is worse.

20 days til Christmas!

My sister is currently serving her mission in Bulgaria. I am extremely grateful to her and the example she has set for me! Reading her emails is the highlight of my week. As soon as my mom forwards me my sister's email or I get one personally from her, I literally drop anything I'm doing to read it! I absolutely love reading about all her experiences. Everyone in Bulgaria must just love her like crazy! She works extremely hard, especially with the members. Watching her develop as a missionary has been amazing to witness. Though I have only been able to really see that through what she writes, so I can't imagine how much more so is visible in person.  I miss her like crazy and can't wait to be able to see her beautiful face again.
Lucky for me that is only… drumroll please… A WEEK AND A HALF AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH my gosh I'm seriously flipping out here! A year and a half goes much faster than two years haha! I'm happy it does though! I miss my best friend like crazy.
So yeah that's exciting news! Wanna know some more exciting news?? That would be the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And with Holiday Season basically here, it's a perfect opportunity to share the good news. In my sister's most recent email, she told us that Christmas time is actually a pretty easy time to find people to talk to. People are slightly more friendly and more willing to listen. How could one turn down a message of Christ when the whole purpose for Christmas is to celebrate His birth??? Right. It just
doesn't make much sense haha! Anyways, my sister tole us that having it be Christmas is the best introduction in and of itself. When approaching someone you could ask what they're doing for Christmas. See how and why they celebrate, then in that moment sharing a message of Christ fits right in. If gifts are brought up, you can always refer to the fact that Christ was the first gift from our Father in Heaven because He loves us so dearly. To me that whole process is just absolutely ingenious… well really its heaven inspired. :) Anyone and everyone can do this so simply. You get to be super excited about the Holiday season and an individual's plans for Christmas. And with that connection, you can then ask a more serious question as to why they celebrate Christmas in the first place. If they have knowledge of Christ, you are getting them to bear testimony of Him with that question. And if not, then it is a perfect opportunity to help them gain that knowledge and come unto christ and feel of his love and feel of his spirit. With that missionary technique talking to people about the gospel is so easy. It's just so perfect because the fun-locing, cheerful Christmas spirit can be there as well as the spirit of Christ. 

GIve Me Strength!!!!

Something that has really stood out to me in the first few chapters of 1 Nephi has been all of the times that Lehi and Nephi are told about a promised land that God has prepared for them. 1 Nephi 2: 20 reads, "And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands." Up until this time, the promised land referred to in that scripture has always been 'the promised land,' the America's, the land they would come to after crossing the sea. But this time around, the scripture was much more personal and applied directly to my life: God has prepared a choice land for all of us in the next life. A promised land that is greater than anything we could ever comprehend in these mere mortal bodies. A land that we will attain if we simply choose to keep his commandments. After reading that verse I just sat there and pondered on this thought, letting the spirit work within me. It was so cool to have that personal time to really think about how well God knows me and all that He has in store for me! 

A few chapters later when Laman and Lemuel and some of the sons of Ishmael bind Nephi, I again had a very new point of view on the story as I was able to apply the scriptures to my life. 1 Nephi 7: 17 reads, "But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound." Now of course I am not physically bound, but I can ask God to give me strength. To get through a hard school day. A test. The temptations of Satan. Things that make me stray from the path that leads to our promised land. And other trials that come my way. I have always known I can do that, but I guess the scripture helped me to realize that some of those things can be EXTREMELY binding, but all we need is the strength of God on our side. God tells us in Alma 7:15 "I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yeah come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism." Those sins that beset us, those sins that bind us, those sins that make us stray from our path to the promised land, those sins… they can have no power over us. Just take them to Christ and lay them aside. He will give you strength!!! 

Holding Fast to The Word and Love of God

1 Nephi Chapter 8 is all about Lehi's vision of the tree of life. I thought I was very well acquainted with these verses, but no matter how many times you read the scriptures, you can always receive new personal revelation/interpretation from them. In the latter part of Lehi's vision, he begins to explain the many multitudes of people he sees pressing onward to get to the tree of life. Two groups in particular were very similar, but have two very symbolic differences. The first group are spoken of in verse 24: "And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and hey came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree." The second group are in verse 30, "But, to be short in writing, behold he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree." The first major difference between these two groups is the way in which they are holding to the rod of iron. The first group is 'clinging' to the rod. Clinging almost sounds like a fear word... like they are moving forward out of fear! On the other hand, the second group was 'continually holding FAST' to the rod of iron. To me that sounds like faith... they were moving forward out of faith. I don't know why but I just really liked that difference. It really helped me to know that I should not just be clinging onto the word of God when I'm scared or in desperate need of help, but rather I need to be continually holding fast to His word. Every day I should be searching them and pondering them, holding fast to them all the time, not just sometimes.
The second difference is very symbolic. Notice in the first group they came to the tree and partook of it and thats definitely amazing, but if you look at the second group they came forth and 'fell down' and partook of the fruit. The fruit IS the Love of God. And It is when we have fallen to our knees that we feel His love. We feel his love when we use His atonement, and so often we feel that most when we are pleading on our knees. I love that. This reminded me of the quote that goes something like, "When we can no longer stand on our own, fall to your knees." God is always there. And he is listening. He is waiting for us, wanting to bless us with His love. A love that we cannot yet comprehend, but we feel it as he encircles us with His arms through the feelings of the spirit. He is waiting or us with outstretched arms. And when we have that amazing opportunity to see His face, Our Savior's nail printed hands and feet, we will undoubtedly fall to our knees at His feet. 

Another thing dealing with prayer is the fact that parts of this life are going to be difficult just as I imagine parts of the trail leading to the tree were very steep and difficult to get to. Parts where you could only get through them on your knees. 
We as imperfect humans could never succeed in our lives (both here on earth and in the eternities) if it weren't for Christ and His redeeming love. Pray to God for guidance and strength. On our knees is the only way we'll truly be able to overcome adversity.  Hold fast to that knowledge. Hold fast to his word. And hold fast to His love. 

Reserved for this Time by the KIng of All Kings! Trust Him!

Elder Maxwell invites all the members of the church to awake accept our discipleship in “these…[our] days” Even through all the turmoil and temptations of these days, we have been promised the guidance of the Lord. He WILL lead us along. Trust in God always, not in the things of the world (Psalm 20:7).We do not worship a God constrained by time. He knows all things, eternity to eternity.

Elder Maxwell quoted George Q Cannon, which gives me much guidance and comfort as to who I am, “God has reserved spirits for this dispensation who have the courage [and] determination to face the world… He has sent these spirits… to raise up a seed that will be righteous, and that will honor God, and honor him supremely, and be obedient to him under all circumstances.” These are OUR days, so let us not just sit around and waste our knowledge. There is much work to be done and the Lord has ordained us to be part of it.   

1 Npehi 22:7-9. The Lord revealed to Nephi that there would come a time after the house of Israel would be scattered that the Lord would rise up a "mighty nation" among the Gentiles! "8. And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; wherefore, is is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders. 9. And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; and not only unto all the house of Israel, unto the the making known of the convents of the Father of heaven..." As I read these scriptures immediately I thought to myself, "Lynsie... you are a part of that mighty nation, that marvelous work that is of great worth! You are a part of this amazing time that was PROPHESIED of in the scriptures! DO NOT take that for granted! DO NOT waste your knowledge of the gospel and that knowledge that these ARE the days!" Even though I'm not on a mission I can still engrave the words "The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints" on my heart. 

Don't let our knowledge go to Waste!!

Elder Uchtdorf spoke a lot about knowledge in his address Truth Restored. He tells us that secular learning is very important, but it is not enough to “save a soul or open the celestial kingdom to anyone.” And it is only through the Restoration of Christ’s church that we can gain a greater grasp on this life, the knowledge we gain, the gospel, and God. Elder Ucthdorf puts it this way, “Our learning, even by study and also by faith, when directed toward the Restoration, will give us supernal knowledge and wisdom to cope with the challenges of daily life and prepare us to receive all the blessings of eternity.” The message of the Restoration brings people closer to Christ day by day through the divine feelings that automatically come along with it. As members of the Church we have the responsibility to teach all nations of this gospel. This quote from the talk really puts it into perspective as the spirit is undeniably present while read, “ We need to reach out to them [everyone] in a courageous way with sweet boldness, with love, and with a pure desire to share the truth from which they have been kept ‘because they know not where to find it’ (D&C 123:12).”  We have been so blessed with this truth and people of all backgrounds all around the world are just waiting to hear it… how can we not partake in this mighty declaration of truth?

One thing to remember as explained by Joseph Smith is that “we don’t ask any people to throw away
any good they have got; we only ask them to come get more.” We would be wise to respect other people’s beliefs, but declare what we know with love and courage! To have a knowledge and testimony of the restoration is to have a saving power. We must not waste it.

The Infinite and Everlasting Atonement of Jesus Christ

  I feel like I’ve always at least somewhat understood the basis of the Atonement of Christ, but after reading Elder Christofferson’s talk, I understand that my knowledge of those sacred few days is extremely inadequate. In his address The Atonement and Resurrection, Elder Christofferson magnificently allows his audience to visualize the tender events of the Atonement, feel the spirit of sacrifice, and how to implement the Atonement and Christ and His love into our own lives.

The night in the Garden of Gethsemane as spoken of in Matthew reads, “He went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:  nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” When I was younger I never fully understood the importance of this scripture. And it was always kind of weird to me because that first phrase “let this cup pass from me” struck me before anything else and I didn’t understand why Christ was asking the Father to possibly allow him not to go through with the plan. However, now as I’m older and understand the impact certain words make on a phrase, I understand as well as feel the power of the ENTIRE scripture much better. Nevertheless is a word that makes the phrase after it completely trump the phrase preceding it, in fact the second will undoubtedly happen. Knowing this, Christ did not want to go through what would be coming, BUT He knew that His Father’s will was more important than His desires. No matter how Christ felt, He was going to do what His Father needed done. Christ’s main purpose was to do the Father’s will and His main motivation was to glorify the Father.  

Elder Christoffereson goes on to tell us that we must follow the example of Christ and align our will with God’s, offering a sacrifice of our hearts, bodies, and spirits in the similitude of our Saviors:  “…with broken heart and contrite sprit, we… submit ourselves entirely to God”.  Also, by being baptized in His holy name and enduring to end we present another sacrifice in the similitude of Christ.

Other ways we can align our will with God’s is through accepting chastisement to be better (because that’s how we are shown He loves and cares for us), following Christ, becoming like a child, keeping His commandments, and denying all ungodliness. I now have a much better understanding and love for the Atonement of Christ. I know that it is through Him, we are able to strive to do the Father’s will.  From all that I read from the article, this was my favorite: “Although we may not immediately attain to the Savior’s perfect example of always doing those things that please the Father and always living our lives in a way to glorify Him, we can progress as the Savior Himself did, from grace to grace, until we obtain a fullness.” 

The Spirit of Christmas

As Christmas time rolls around, the world and its people gain this certain spirit about them: the Christmas spirit. More charity is abounding in everyone. Love and service are felt at a magnificent level. It's quite honestly unexplainable. Words aren't sufficient enough to describe the goodness of the Holiday season. I think maybe a reason for that is that people don't really know how to explain why they might act differently themselves. They may mention that it is simply a time to celebrate. Whether that be the end of the year. Or success. Or family. Anything. Some say that it is a time of giving. Some bring up Christ and that the holiday is to celebrate his birth. In my opinion, none of these are wrong. This video by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints wondrously puts the Holiday season into perspective. We give gifts to share our love for others. No gift will ever beat the first gift. The Gift from our Father in Heaven to each of us: The Gift of His son Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father knew what would happen to his only begotten son, and he still gave him to the world. Because He loves us, each, individually and incomprehendably and eternally and perfectly. No gift could be greater and no gift will ever be greater. Come to know of that gift and feel of that gift. No other feeling beats feeling Heavenly Father and the Savior Jesus Christ's love. That is the spirit of Christmas. God's pure love is the indescribable feeling. We can try to explain the way we feel when touched by His love and His spirit, but nothing completely satisfies it. HE is the Gift. Share the Gift.

Picking Sides

I've been thinking a lot lately about the decisions I make and whose side I'm on. I don't get why humans can't just be told once and that's enough. Like we repeatedly have to be reminded of the same thing over and over again because we slip up and lose our way. We forget that there is no everlasting joy that comes from choosing wrong, choosing the devil. We forget that God loves us more than we can ever understand. We forget that through Him we can find true eternal happiness. In Mosiah 19 where King Noah is a portrayal of the devil, I was just reminded of the fact that Satan is only in it for himself. The devil wants to make us miserable so he's not alone in his misery. Verses 7-11 is where we really see the devil's cowardice. As King Noah's city was surrounded, he commands that his people flee. But, he flees before them. He makes sure he goes first to protect himself. He left the families in the back to be killed off first by the Lamanites that pursued them into the wilderness. As King Noah saw that many were dying he called ALL the men to go fight, leaving their women and their children. KIng Noah did not fight with them. He stayed behind everyone, protecting his own life. The devil's work has not changed one bit; he still is a coward and does not care about anybody but himself. Why follow a selfish, miserable coward?? The choice should be simple, but we slip up sometimes anyways! And that is why no one can go without the infinite Atonement of Christ. Goodness, his love is so abounding!! In Mosiah 24:13-14, Christ tells us "Lift up your heads and be of good comfort.... And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your back... and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." He will always be there for us, unlike the devil who runs to the back and hides for self fulfillment. Christ's atonement heals us through everything. Through Him is the only way we can achieve our full potential and have infinite joy. It really should be a simple decision. COME UNTO CHRIST; JUST DO IT! And bring others with you!

Tibias and other Broken Things

Alright first off… LOOK AT THOSE ROCKIN BANGS. They're just so dang hot. I'm actually thinking about bringin em back….
A few days ago my mom and I were talking. Talking about everything. Boys, school, dance, my siblings, what she’s doing as an empty nester, really just everything about life. We also reminisced on some old memories. One of which happened to be the time I broke my leg at the age of 5. I remember that moment quite well. Me and my three other siblings were playing on the trampoline in our backyard. My mom came out and started jumping with us. After throwing some gymnastics tricks and playing a few games, we began double bouncing each other. For those of you who do not know what that is, it's where one person times there bounce to happen right before the others person bounce, causing the later bouncer to go flying high. You literally feel like you're hanging in the air for at least 10 seconds. It's a wonderful free feeling. But it is also highly dangerous since you can't control where you land or how you land or how high you go. My mom had actually forbidden us from doing any double bouncing. So it's highly ironic that she ended up double bouncing us. Us kids took turns soaring into the air by my moms perfectly timed double bounces. It was just grand, that is until a mishap occurred during my turn. I heard a snap as I landed. I assume everyone else heard it too because my siblings just stared at me and my mom rushed over to me. As I reflect back to that moment, I don't ever remember feeling too much pain, but I did cry… hard. I feel like my mom was slightly more panicked than I was but I don't really know for sure haha. My mom picked me up, took me inside and laid me down on the couch. In order to know if I broke my leg or not my mom asked me to put some pressure on it. I really really did not want to do this, but I stood up on my good leg and slowly lowered my other foot to the ground. As more weight transferred to this foot, my leg (at my knee area) snapped back (an extreme hyper extension). It felt like nothing was there. Noting stopped my leg from bending in the direction it should. IT WAS THE WORST PAIN I HAD EVER FELT. I remember screaming out in pain and tears just began flowing again. With that my mom picked me up again and loaded me into the car in order to go the hospital. We found out I broke my tibia right at the top, pretty close to the growth plate in my knee. Got a cast. Got a wheelchair. Took a few months to recover, but there were no lasting effects. And thats basically the story.
Now what I want to focus on is the fact that I have never held this whole situation against my mom. At least I didn't think I was. But I do remember thinking back and finding it very funny that she asked me to walk on it. I just think its funny. Like I literally laugh ever time I think about that moment. The thing that I never realized is that when I would joke about it, my mom would never laugh. I never ever saw this until just a few weeks ago when we were talking about it and I started joking about the fact that she wanted me to walk on a broken leg. As this went on, I finally saw that she just completely shut down. I came to realize that she blamed herself for my broken leg and it seems like she's never forgiven herself for it. I tried explaining to her that I found it absolutely hilarious and I never ever held anything against my mom for the incident. It was NOT her fault. But she just couldn't let it go. As I've been thinking about it more, I realize the immensity of the situation. Thinking about when I have my own daughter and if that same thing happened to her…. I probably would blame myself too. I would always feel bad about it. I understand more why she feels that way. I never thought about her and her feelings about it all when I would bring it up and tell the story, exaggerating the details to make it funnier. The thing is its not funny at all. As I try to look at the situation from her perspective, I realize that I should not have been so inconsiderate. It's crazy how putting yourself in other people's shoes can completely change the way you look at things.