Skip to main content

A Semester of Growth

I've titled this post "A Semester of Growth," because that really is what this semester has been for me. This growth has come through trials. These trials weren't necessarily huge in the grand scheme of things, but they were trials nonetheless and they were hard. Tonight after I finished writing in my journal, I flipped back to the beginning and was reading some of my past entries. I started writing in this particular journal in January. I was having a really hard time. A few of the entries are SLIGHTLY dramatic, and while I do admit I had a good laugh over them now nearly 4 months later, at the time what I was going through was really hard. As I lay reading in my bed, I thought about what had changed that got me from that point to now, when I really and truly am so happy. Not that I was unhappy before, I just was really struggling. I realized that there were so many things that got me through this particular trial. Phone calls to my mom where she just let me talk and she listened. Amazing best friends who were always there when I needed someone to talk to. Dear past young women leaders from my home ward who sent me messages asking how I was doing. Kneeling in prayer to my Heavenly Father, and letting him know through tears what I was going through and asking for strength. Ultimately, I never would be able to have gotten through this trial, and any others that I will face throughout the rest of my life throughout the Atonement. It dawned on me that I was literally healed through the power of the Atonement. Sure there was some sadness along the way, but the Atonement fixed me. Because of what Christ did for me in the Garden of Gethsemane, he knew what I was feeling and he knew how to fix it. I have grown to appreciate the Atonement more than ever before. I know that I can rely on this incredible sacrifice no matter what. Because the Savior did his Father's will and suffered more than we will ever be able to comprehend, we can be not only forgiven of our sins, but strengthened in times of trial. I remember this trial kind of came out of the blue. One of the first things I thought was, "I want to get through this trial in a way that will make my Heavenly Father proud of me." I hope that I did and that I have proven that in times of trial, I will always turn to Him. I am so thankful for my faith. I know this Gospel is true and that the Atonement is real!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My Journey to Self-Confidence

This is a picture of me almost exactly three years ago: And this is a picture of me now: Now, you might be thinking this is one of those stories that you see in Weight Watchers ads on T.V. endorsing a diet. I promise it's not. This journey was about so much more than a number on a scale. It was about working towards being able to recognize my divine nature as a daughter of God. I'll start at the beginning. When I started my freshman year at BYU, my self-confidence was at an all time low. I would try on about five outfits every morning, look in the mirror, and then immediately change. My low self-esteem was reflected in the way I talked to people, the way I dressed, and just the overall way that I carried myself. I compared myself to everyone else around me and was constantly tearing myself down. My lack of self-esteem seemed so obvious, yet it seemed like no one truly understood how I felt. I knew I needed to make some changes, but I just didn't know how. Af...

A Slight Transformation

So I'm sitting here procrastinating homework, the usual, I really need a spring break, but anyhow, I was looking through some pictures and I found this. This is a picture of my sisters and I last Christmas break (Dec 2011) And this is a picture of me and my sisters from this past Christmas break one year later (Dec 2012): A lot is the same between these two pictures. We're the same four sisters. Other than Abby and I swapping places we're standing in the exact same order. Both were taken at my grandparents' house in Virginia while I was on break from BYU. And these three girls are still my three dearest friends in the world. At the same time, a lot has changed. We've grown a little bit, both as people and in height (well except for me). Amy got accepted to BYU (YES!), Abby started middle school, Jenn's become a little singing star! I decided what to do with my life and began pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. The biggest change between these pict...

London Living

I've learned a few things in the two days since I left the U.S. First of all, flying internationally is AWESOME. Going through customs, not so awesome but I'll get there. You're greeted at your seat by a pillow and blanket, you get served Indian food for dinner, and there's tons of T.V. shows and movies to watch. I didn't sleep much, and thus was a bit disoriented when we landed at 7 am London time, while my body was on Virginia time where it was the middle of the night. I completely forgot that my dad had told me that before you go through passport control, there's a landing form you have to fill out. When my half asleep half awake self handed the border patrol officer my passport I was met with a very dirty glare as he angrily asked where my landing form was. He handed me one after I explained that I had forgotten to grab one, but not without a bit of eye rolling. I frantically filled it out and made it through customs in one piece after being questioned about...