Put God First

I feel completely behind in my life right now (probably because I have been so busy getting ready for Christmas and now I am out of town). I apologize for missing last week's post. Congratulations to Ashley and Nate on the pregnancy! My husband and I are also expecting our first baby, a boy due May 18th!

I just want to share a simple yet profound thought with everyone. I have been witnessing people around me that are having difficulties with their marriage. It is extremely hard for me to see the sadness that these people are experiencing. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful marriage. I love being married to my best friend and I am so grateful for the wonderful person he is! I often wish that I could fix the marriages around me that do not seem to be going well. I know how good it can be so I guess I want everyone to have that in their life. The most important aspect of a marriage is that you must put God first, your spouse next, and yourself last. If you do this then you will reap the benefits of a happy, healthy, and successful marriage!

I will be the first to admit that I make many mistakes in my own marriage. And being a natural "woman" I am often more selfish than I ought to be. Thankfully I have a wonderful, patient, and loving husband who overlooks many of my more selfish moments (hopefully I do the same for him). My challenge to all of you readers is to do something thoughtful and selfless for your spouse every single day this week. That would add up to 7 selfless acts! Next week I'll check up on you and see how you did, as well as report on how I did. Good luck!

Wrestling with God Makes Your Soul Stronger

I am so sorry! I wanted to blog on Saturday, but our computer had a virus that was crippling our internet and we had to go get it wiped clean over the weekend. I just couldn't wait until this Saturday to share what I learned.

I'm reading a book we got from our wedding called Living a Covenant Marriage:Practical Advice from Thirteen Experts Who've Walked in Your Shoes which is a compilation of articles by prominent LDS authors with their soundest marriage advice. In it, there was a quote from Boyd K. Packer that says:

"We seem to be developing an epidemic of 'counselitis' which drains spiritual strength from the Church...That, some may assume, is not serious. It is very serious!... We have become very anxious over the amount of couseling that we seem to need in the Church. Our members are becoming dependent...If we are not careful we can lose the power of individual revelation...."

I know we've all either had the friend or have been the friend who has had the hard question in their life and asks everyone's advice about it. I have a friend right now that is struggling to pick a direction for her life. She wants everyone to tell her what school and what program she should enter, she keeps asking what she should do about a boy that she keeps dating and not dating and then dating again, and she wants to know where she should move to and when. I understand how difficult this part of her life must be. But I also know that she already has a lot of the answers she is looking for and I feel so sad that she doesn't trust herself just to follow through with them.

"It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal.

Teach our members that if they have a good, miserable day once in a while, or several in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out.

There is a great purpose in our struggle in life."

As always, there is sometimes a need for professional and/or medical help. But I learned a long time ago, hard times always come before the good times, and good times will always be followed by bad. But the joy of overcoming makes the journey exciting and intriguing. Enjoy the ride.

Finding Joy in Womanhood

Before I begin, I really quickly want to say how much I love love love all the citations from the Book of Mormon that have been posted this week. I really have a love and respect for these scriptures and find such joy that you all do too.

I apologize for not posting last week. I didn't exactly forget as much as I had a really hard time last week feeling inspired enough to write something to all of you whom I have grown to know and admire without having it feel contrite. But this week I did want to share some thoughts with you this week.

Ever since I graduated high school I have been offered amazing jobs and opportunities one after another. I work with a lot of really successful and motivated women and have had mentors that have directed me towards a successful future in whatever career I end up in. I find a lot of joy in what I do, but despite all these things I find that the future I most look forward to is being a wife and mother. I never realized all the potential that I have in myself until I saw it through the eyes of my husband.

I know it's hard to be a woman, especially now as I am a wife, full-time student and breadwinner. Unfortunately, I've taken quite a few "poor me" moments within the last couple of months. But when I look back at all I've had to handle, I know more than ever that I have been prepared as a choice daughter of God to be in this situation at this moment for a purpose greater than I truly understand.

Our current general relief society president, Julie B. Beck, has talked quite a bit lately about cherishing our roles as daughters of the divine:

“I have a testimony gained from pondering and studying the scriptures of a plan of happiness given to us by our Father in Heaven. That plan has a part for His daughters. We have the female half to take care of, and if we don’t do our part, no one else is going to do it for us. The half of our Father’s plan that creates life, that nurtures souls, that promotes growth, that influences everything else was given to us. We can’t delegate it. We can’t pass it off to anyone. It’s ours. We can refuse it, we can deny it, but it’s still our part, and we’re accountable for it. There will come a day when we will all remember what we knew before we were born. We will remember that we fought in a great conflict for this privilege. How do we meet this responsibility? We daily put our energies into the work that is uniquely ours to do.”

“Latter-day Saint women must be strong and immovable in their faith. They can and should excel in living and sharing their testimonies of the Lord Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. We do this as we:

“1. Make and keep covenants with Him.

“2. Are worthy and worship in His temples.

“3. Study His doctrine in the scriptures and the words of prophets.

“4. Qualify for, recognize, and follow the Holy Ghost.

“5. Share and defend His gospel.

“6. Participate in sincere personal and family prayer.

“7. Have family home evening.

“8. Live principles of self-reliance and provident living.

“These are essential things which must be done before nonessential things. These are simple, indispensable practices that almost seem mundane. … No one can do these things for us—these are personal practices and habits that set us apart as strong and immovable for that which is correct” (“What Latter-day Saint Women Do Best: Stand Strong and Immovable,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2007, 109–10)

My prayer for all of us is two-fold, one that we can, as women, will take care of ourselves with the love that our Heavenly Father cares for us and, two, that we will have the discernment and patience with ourselves to know what is essential and what is not. Make time to enjoy being a woman.

Five Thoughts on Marriage

Our FIFTH wedding anniversary is Friday. I know, anniversaries come and go, but it's really hard to believe how fast five years has gone. Also, when I got my haircut today, the stylist asked why and so I started to tell her about Gweg and I. She mentioned how she loved that we got married so fast and my response was 'well, when you someone you want to spend forever with you want it to start right way.' I knew then I what I would write about.

The last five years has been the hardest and best of my life. Gweg is my other half and I feel like I become a better person each day because of his influence. Sure, there are days where I could hit him over the head with a 'sensitivity stick.'

So, to go along with my lovely-dovey mood, I wanted to share five thoughts on love from Gordon B. Hinckley's Stand A Little Taller. I read this for a year when I first got it and just looking through it for these thoughts, made me want to read it again--- if you have it take the chance to do it again!

Onto the thoughts {I add the bold to emphasize why I picked each quote. Take what you want out of this post. I do not ask for anyone to give us the perfect marriage award; I just want all of us to think about why we married our husbands and what makes that relationship so special. The quotes just add things to think about}:

"God has brought us together as families to bring to pass His eternal purposes. We are part of this plan in this marriage relationship. Let us love and respect and honor one another. We can do it, and we will be better for it."

"Love is the only force that can erase the differences between people---that can can bridge chasms of bitterness."

"True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the well-being of one's companion."

"Our Father in Heaven, who loves His children, desires for them that which will bring them happiness now and in the eternities to come, and there is no greater happiness than is found in the most meaningful of all human relationships---the companionships of husband and wife and parents and children."

"There is a bond of affection that exists between husbands and wives which makes us know that there is nothing more precious that that companionship which becomes possible only in the house of the Lord. What a wonderful thing it is to be married for time and all eternity. What a precious and marvelous and wonderful thing that is."

I'm grateful to have my Gweg for eternity---I wouldn't have it any other way.