Personal Assessment

As I was reading and doing the annual seminary personal assessment, I realized that a lot of what I am doing is "almost always", rather than "always". I need to commit more to God, and His ways. Though I try to follow His will, I don't always. As everyone does, I heed the natural man, because I'm not perfect. But that is something I can change. Through Christ's Atonement, I can repent and strive to become perfect daily. Commitment is an important thing in life to learn, to stand strong and be diligent in daily doings. As we strive to become like Christ, and ultimately like God, we will become better individuals, for we will be more faithful, more diligent, more strong, and more pure. We will be powerful individuals, and achieve the impossible through God! 

Ever smiling,
JS

Be Faithful And Trust In Him

Prayer and faith are very important parts of life. If we are feeling down on ourselves, or don't feel worthy of the role that we have been blessed with (such as parenthood), we need to seek the Lord for His divine guidance. He will guide us in the direction we need to go, even if it means accepting the hardest trial and saying that the Lord's will be done. It is hard, but through faith and earnest prayer, we can know for ourselves that what we are chosen to do is hand-selected by God. He knows our strengths and our weaknesses, and He will help us through the tough times. He will guide us through it and help us to understand why, for He loves us and wants what is best for us!

Keep smiling,
JS

Anxiously Engaged In A Good Cause

"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness." Doctrine and Covenants 58:27

I love this verse. It doesn't just say that we should try to do good in our lives, it says that we should be anxiously engaged in a good cause. God wants us to learn to act for ourselves, and to exercise our agency wisely. This scripture perfectly illustrates it for us--We need to be continuously striving to live good lives, and be enthusiastic about our services. As we exercise our agency by doing things with righteousness, we will be filled with the Spirit and we will ultimately become as gods, knowing good from evil, knowing the results of our actions, and knowing that we can act for ourselves!

Ever smiling,
JS :)