Friday, December 16, 2011

"Strengthened for the Challenges of the Day"

This week has been an absolute blessing to me! I've been striving to put God first in my life; I noticed on Sunday that I wasn't doing so before. God was in my life, but not first in my life. In one of my posts earlier, I had talked about how I needed to sell a housing contract I accidentally signed up for; I got two hits! Well, they also had talked to other people and I lost those two hits. I was starting to stress out. This week, I prayed fervently that somebody would buy my contract. Every time I prayed, I felt peace; everything was going to be okay.

Tuesday came around, and there were still no hits for me. But, Tuesday I got to go listen to my brother's band concert (as random as that sounds, it helped me a lot). I was amazed and comforted by the talent of these young people! They were playing excerpts from "The Nutcracker" and things that I wouldn't have been able to play at that age (anywhere between 11-13). As I sat in the concert, that peace washed over me again; everything was going to be okay. I needed to have faith.

Wednesday, I went to the Provo temple for the last time this year (it's closing for it's annual cleaning). It was a bitter-sweet moment for me; but I felt that same peace about my contract. I then went to Institute later that night; it was the last class for the rest of the year. Again, it was bitter-sweet; I loved listening to Sister McNaughten's testimony and her enthusiasm for the gospel. I truly believe that, because of her, I have a greater love for, and testimony of, the Prophet Joseph Smith. He is a prophet of God, no matter what other people say! That night, I prayed again for somebody to be guided to my contract. That same peace fell over me. I'd like to point out, I was never told "So-and-so is going to buy your contract soon." It was always just this feeling that everything was going to be okay.

On Thursdays, my prayers are always a little different. You see, while I was in Student Support, we would say prayers together. Thursdays, however, were called "Thankful Thursdays"; in these prayers, we try to say nothing but "thank you" and "I'm grateful for". It has helped me realize God's hand in my life since I've done this. That being said, I didn't pray that somebody would buy my contract; rather, I thanked Him for the peace He continually sent me about my contract. I knew everything was going to be okay. After I said my prayer, I studied the scriptures; that peace stayed with me through out the rest of the day. When I got home, I had the feeling that I needed to check my e-mail. I went in and did so, and there was an e-mail from a young girl in Korea . . . she wanted to buy my contract!!!! I quickly e-mailed her back and told her that it was hers! I received a second confirmation e-mail today!

God is truly watching out for me, and everybody in the world. That is one of the things I've learned in my Institute class this past fall; God is in the details. I learned to rely on Him more, trust in Him more, pray to Him more, and love Him more. I know that He is there, holding my hand and comforting me when I'm struggling. He loves me; I am a daughter of God and He loves me! To those of you who read this, YOU are His child, He loves YOU! I cannot say it enough! That thought alone, knowing that I am a child of God, has molded who I am striving to be and who I am striving to become. God is there for you; "ask and ye shall receive". I am so grateful for this past week and the experiences I've had to rely on God and to gain a better testimony of His love for me and all of His children!

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