March 8, 2011

for the love of seminary.

i think i have the best seminary class ever. i hardly have any friends in it but everyone is really nice & my teacher is SO GOOD. brother christiansen, have you had him? cause i love him! he gives the best lessons & makes every day interesting. he makes me want to learn more & more, i think i could sit in seminary all day long. especially today. we had such a good lesson! today was part 1 & friday is part 2. i won't be there on friday (st. geeze, HOLLA) so i'm said i'll miss out.

part 1: the reasons we have trials
part 2: how to find comfort and guidence during times of need.
my journal is FILLED with notes! although i've had a particularly rough year, i've tried my best to find the good in things & go to the Lord when i need His help. i try & read my scriptures every day & by having a good attitude, it makes me happier and closer to my heavenly father. {this is a long post, so bare with me!} i just feel like i need to share what i learned today.

d&c 101:7-8 - we begin to treat God as a plumber or a repair man, only looking towards him when we need help or when we're broken. he gives us trials to test us & see if we really, really trust him.
why we have trials:
reason #1: "king david"
negative consequences from your own actions.

God gives us free agency so we can chose for ourselves. this isn't a democracy & we all need to think about our actions before we act on them. sometimes we don't think the little things matter.. but they do. little things like not reading your scriptures everyday or not praying everyday or even not going to church are the first doses of poison. as the days add up your growing further & further from the spirit & start making bad decisions. you can not blame anyone else for your actions. you can't blame your family, you can't blame your friends. you can't blame your home life for anything. you're the only one in control of yourself & when you make bad decisions there are consequences. BUT, there is always repentence & God will always forgive you if you have the right attitude & are truly willing to change.

reason #2: "the joseph of egypt"
negative consequences associated with others' disobedience & sin.

you can't decide what others do & it's so hard when you see people making bad decisions. you just want the best for everyone & wish everyone could humble themselves & turn to God. the only thing you can control is your attitude. ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING! "a bad attitude will sour the soul but a good attitude will make it sweet." things will turn around if you have a good attitude. sometimes you can't control what is going on at your house, but you can control your decisions & the way you look at things. just say "what does God want me to learn from this?" maybe he's teaching you what not to do. just have a good attitude & things will fall into place. don't forget to forgive. everyone deserves a second chance & if you don't forgive someone, how can you expect God to forgive you? forgiveness is a commandment & by not forgiving someone you're breaking the commandments & that's considered a sin. turn to God if you need help, but your sorrows and burdens can be lifted if you forgive your trespasses. relief & happiness can come from forgiveness.

reason #3: "the abraham"
God is testing you to see if you're faithful.

d&c 98: 12-15 ; d&c 101: 3-5 - this life is a test. God will "prove" us to see if we will remain faithful through difficult times. if we pass these tests, we become stronger & more spiritually refined. in verse 3 when it says "tet I will own them, and they shall be mine in that day when I shall come to make up my jewels.the most precious jewel is the diamond: clean, pure, & beautiful. the diamond doctrine: you make diamonds by heat, pressure & time. HEAT, PRESSURE & TIME!!! the most beautiful jewels are made from things that potentially break. endure to the end! the story of job- a faithful man. satan thinks if job is given a trial that he will fall & crumble & is faith will be shaken. god disagrees because he knows Job & the intentions of his heart. job 19:25-26 ; job 23:10. job still remains true even when everything is taken away from him & he is left with {physically} nothing.

there is opposition is all things!
god is always there!
have a good attitude!
stay true & have faith.
everything will be ok.

-taryn

2 comments:

put your word in.