Robert D. Hales Quote

We marry potential. I like this! I think it is really important to make sure that you find someone who has the same goals and standards as you, but if you get hung up on the fact that they're not totally perfect, you will likely never get married. You will always be disappointed. I'm glad that my husband can see the potential in me and that I can see the potential in him. We knew that we weren't perfect when we got married, but we decided to take each other anyway. Now that we are married, we need to remind ourselves of the way Heavenly Father sees our spouse. He knows what we are capable of. I know that Elder Hales was inspired to give this message during General Conference, and I'm glad he did. It's a great reminder to me of the bigger picture.

Children and a Miracle

My husband and I quite some time ago (about two and a half years) decided that we wanted to bring a child into this world. After a few months, I started wondering why we weren't getting pregnant. Months turned into years. Each time one of my friends would announce their pregnancy, I struggled to feel genuine happiness for them. I felt jealousy on a level I've never felt before. 
Then, during the General Women's Broadcast this October, there was a video clip shown of a woman who didn't have any children of her own, but who was able to be blessed with nieces and nephews and primary children. That clip really touched my heart. During the whole time that Matt and I have been trying to have babies, I've been able to be a mother figure to a ton of kids. I have my own nieces and nephews that I'm very close to, I've served as a primary teacher for a lot of the time, and I've been able to teach violin for the past few months. 
Now, I don't know why Heavenly Father hasn't blessed me with my own children yet, but I know that He is ever mindful of me and my needs. Whatever the reason for not blessing me in that way now, I know that He still loves me and that He knows all. If you happen to be struggling with infertility or you have another reason that you aren't able to have children, I hope that this story gives you some comfort. I also know that even if we aren't blessed with children in this life, we will be in the next. In Jesus' name, amen. 

The Eternal Family

One thing that I was actually pretty surprised to learn this semester is that the family is the absolute most important thing in our entire existence. If you really think about it, you'll see what I mean. Heavenly Father wanted us to be able to become like Him. Why? So that we can have eternal families like He does! When Eve partook of the fruit in the Garden of Eden and Adam chose to stay with her by also partaking of the fruit, they made it possible for them to have their own eternal families. Since Adam and Eve fell, Heavenly Father provided a Savior for us to be able to return to Him. Our savior, Jesus the Christ, atoned for our sins so that we can become like God by having eternal families. 

I always knew that families were really important because the ancient and modern prophets emphasize that. But it never really occurred to me that families are the most important thing about being. When you think of it that way, it really makes sense that we are told that marriage is the single most important decision we will make in this lifetime. And that means that having children is not just a milestone that you may or may not choose to have as part of your life, depending on whether you like kids or not. Having children and getting married is a sacred and serious commandment from God that is of utmost eternal significance. That is the whole reason we are here with bodies. 

I am so glad that I am taking this religion class because otherwise it may have taken me much longer to truly realize what the most important thing is.

You can also say that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the most important thing, but that's the same thing, isn't it? The Atonement exists because Heavenly Father loves us enough that He wants us to become like Him and has provided the way for us to do that by sacrificing His Only Begotten Son. 

I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of us all. I know that if we choose the right and keep the commandments, that we will be able to live with our families for all eternity. I know that having a family will be the most important thing I do in this life. 

How can I show more love in my family?

This is something that I've been thinking a lot about over the past three weeks. In my religion class, we had the assignment to use the "5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman to show more love for our family members. I had each of them take the test on the website so that I could know what their primary love languages were. I was a bit surprised by the results! My husband's language was acts of service. My heart sank a little bit because I knew that I hadn't been doing very much for him in that area. So I've been making a marked effort to try and become better at this so that he can feel more loved by me. My mom's love language was also acts of service. Again, I realized how short I've fallen. And again, I've tried to be more helpful to her so that she knows I really do love her. My dad had a tie between physical touch and quality time. That made sense to me because he said that he really appreciates when I pat his shoulder if he looks like he's depressed. And he always loves it when we spend some quality time together talking about stuff or just petting the animals together. My younger brother had the love language of quality time, as well. I didn't know this about him, but it also makes sense. Luckily, that's what he and I do best! I tried to make sure I made some time to be available for him to show him that I care. I have a long way to go, I think, but knowing their love languages has helped be become a little less selfish. At least I hope it has. It has also helped me to recognize the way that they are showing love toward me. 

President Monson Quote

My family growing up was far from perfect, but I am so grateful that my parents tried to make these attributes prominent in our home. We had family prayer and scripture and family home evenings regularly. These activities helped me to grow my testimony. I know that if I do these things with my husband and my future kids, that we will have a happy home filled with the Spirit. 

Bednar Quote

I really like this quote! It doesn't do much good to just say how much we love our family if we aren't doing anything to prove that to them. Of course we should make sure that we express that love verbally, but we shouldn't be loving in word only. We need to think lovingly, and serve lovingly. I want to be the kind of wife, mother, and daughter who is this way. And about our words: in everything we say, whether or not we are specifically expressing love, there should be no doubt in the minds of our loved ones of how much we care about them. Once you say something, you can never take it back, so be careful!

Women: Our Divine Nature and Role

This semester in my religion class, I've had the chance to learn more about families and why they are so essential to Heavenly Father's plan. One thing I'd like to talk about in this post is women. It is overwhelmingly clear to me how much the brethren of the Church love us, sisters. Every time General Conference rolls around, more than one speaker will testify of our divine heritage and how much respect they have for us. When you think about where the brethren are getting these messages and remember that their topics are inspired, you can know that it's actually God telling us how important we are to Him. 
Elder Christofferson gave an awesome talk called "The Moral Force of Women" during General Conference of October 2013. He said this of us: "Women bring with them into the world a certain virtue, a divine gift that makes them adept at instilling such qualities as faith, courage, empathy, and refinement in relationships and in cultures." This makes me think of my mom. She brought a special softness into our home, and when she was out of the house, we could really feel the loss of those wonderful qualities that she added to our home. 
One truly amazing thing about women is that we have the incredible ability to create a human being inside of our own bodies! Everything about our physique is centered around this ability. We have wider hips that let us pass a baby through them, we have breasts that supply nourishment and comfort to our children, and every month our uterus prepares to grow a baby inside of it. The power to procreate is one of the biggest responsibilities and biggest blessings that Heavenly Father has given to us. The greatest thing He can do is create, and He has given His children that ability as well, although on a smaller scale. You can understand then why Satan uses this power within us to tempt us. All over the entertainment industry we see procreation being stripped down in very crude ways. It is one of the most sacred privileges of ours, yet it is the brunt of so much inappropriateness. 
Another cool thing about women is that we have great empathy. It is easy for us to tell how other people are feeling and this is part of what makes us good nurturers. 
I know that Heavenly Father has endowed great powers to women and that the family can't be complete without us. I know that He intended men and women to work together in marriage to create families that will last forever. I know that this is possible if we keep the commandments. There's so much more that can be said about women, but for now I will leave it at this. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.