Lately, one of my favorite things to do is to separate the various doctrines and principles of the gospel and sort them by subject. From there, I'll pick one particular principle or doctrine and ponder back to the time when I first gained my testimony of that thing. 

On my mission I did this several times and kept noticing that the experiences I had with each subject kept increasing and I was creating a repertoire within parts of my testimony. Not only did it help me to continue and grow this week, but it is something that will continually help me. 

The more I study the scriptures, serve, and continually try to progress, I know that the Lord will bless me with chances to grow spiritually. Though we are far away from our Heavenly Father's presence, we can never be that far away. 

After this self-reflection, I knelt down on my knees and asked God to confirm the points of my testimony that I considered well-developed. I also asked Him to help me to realize any points that I could improve in my testimony. It was such a great opportunity to openly communicate with my Heavenly Father and speak to him like He was sitting right next to me.

This week in particular I have been pondering the Atonement and what it means to me. I thought back to how I was growing up, not really knowing for sure if the Atonement was real, but still bearing testimony of it. For me to truly gain a testimony of the Atonement I had to hit closer to rock bottom. I had to be able to truly experience the pain, just a small fraction, of what Christ felt in Gethsemane. 

The Atonement has changed my life. I know that as we continue to repent daily and fear God more than man, we can lead happy lives full of progression, development, and joy.

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to attend a mission farewell of my friend's little sister who will soon be departing to the Thailand Bangkok mission next week. At her farewell, a beautiful combination of "If You Could Hie to Kolob" and "Come Thou Fount" was sung in a special musical number. The words stood out specifically to me especially from "If You Could Hie to Kolob" as that song was sung at our good family friend's funeral last month. I began to ponder the lyrics found in the last verse.
"There is no end to glory;
There is no end to glory;
There is no end to love;
There is no end to being;
There is no death above.
There is no end to glory;
There is no end to love;
There is no end to being;
There is no death above."

These lyrics touched me as I thought back to the great and divine Creator and the many blessings in our lives. Though it is so easy to get hung up on one thing that seems so big, it is better to see life through the eyes of our grand Creator. Life is just a small moment in the scheme of eternity.
I love how the lyrics in the song emphasize the fact that there really is no end. There is no end to glory, no end to being, and no death above. We all have the potential to return to live in our Heavenly Father's presence. We are all granted resurrection but we have to work a little harder for eternal life. With great opportunity comes great responsibility.
As we strive to live the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can grow and gain a better understanding of the plan that God has for each and every one of us. As I attend the temple each week, I am made more and more aware of how intricate and divine God's plan is and how it has been worked out from the very beginning. Heavenly Father created these wonderful blueprints for the creation. Christ performed the actual labor to make the Earth. We are the lucky ones that dwell on this beautiful planet and we have great responsibility to fulfill our purposes here and continue onward.

This week I was reading in the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 19 and stumbled upon a scripture that I loved and connected with my freshman year of high school. The scripture reads, "And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning" (1 Nephi 19:23). 

In various points of my life I have received Priesthood blessings that have emphasized the importance of reading the scriptures and applying the principles into my life. Recently, I have tried to put added emphasis on the application of my scripture studies. It is one thing to read the scriptures, it's another thing to truly study them, and it's another thing to apply the principles learned into our lives. 

Life gets busy and we all get caught up in the day to day bustle of school, friends, activities etc that can distract us from other important things in our life. It is so key to have a balance in all things - including spiritual matters and habits. When we apply gospel principles and doctrines into our life, we can make our life more rich and meaningful. In doing so, we will find greater ability to balance life's challenges and face them with the courage the gospel brings.

This past week I had the opportunity to attend our weekly campus devotional. This week, Elder Cook came and talked about choices we make. Though the whole devotional was very uplifting, there was one line that caught be completely by surprise. He said something along the lines of (the text isn't out yet) how marriage is more important than education right now in our lives. 

I was taken back completely. While marriage is in my plans that I have for myself, I always put education first. It was almost as if Elder Cook was slapping me with a cold fish as a wake-up call. 

I pondered this thought throughout the rest of the day and I really struggled to agree completely with his point. I thought it was a tough thing to ask of us at such a young age and so inexperienced. Perhaps it's because my parents both graduated before they got married. Marriage was NOT a priority in my life. 

I inquired of the Lord and read the scripture 1 Nephi 14:3 which encouraged me further to continue asking God for understanding.

I read my scriptures that night and learned about how Laman and Lemuel complained and claimed that God asked hard things of them. I was started to feel guilty and then was finally called out entirely for my faults in a verse I read. It says, "If we were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it, that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur because of the truth, and say: Thou speakest hard things against us"(1 Nephi 16:3)

What a true and everlasting principle that is. Being righteous enough to give heed unto direction once you hear it. Though it is important to ask God for clarification or further confirmation, it is important that we do not murmur against the Lord's servants. 

After this experience, I have come to know that if I have any questions or doubts, I need to take it to the Lord. Sooner than later, the Lord will reveal unto me the things that I need to know at that certain point in my life. This is something that we can all apply into our lives as we continue to seek to align our will with God's.

In my scripture study this week, I read in 1 Nephi and was able to relate to many of the chapters and verses. A passage that I really enjoyed is found in 1 Nephi 10:18-19.

"For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is perpared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him. For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round" (1 Nephi 10:18-19)

Now that the semester is starting to speed up and classes are starting to get more and more stressful, it is so important to keep an eternal perspective on things. For me I have be able to realize that everything happens for a reason and that the sooner I align my will with the will of God the better. I especially like how this verse refers to how the course of the Lord is one eternal round. It shows that God is the same forever, and that he is never-changing. His doctrine is going to be the same today, tomorrow, and forever. 

The 9th Article of Faith states, "We believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God". 

God is forever the same. He understands and comprehends all the things that we can't understand in this point of our eternal progression. This is something that I can apply to my life everyday. As I remember the importance of the daily things, and execute them, I can draw closer to the Lord and understand His higher purposes. I can more easily recognize His hand in my life and I can grow in my testimony of the Plan of Salvation and the work in these latter-days.

"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the thing which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them" (1 Nephi 3:7)

I had the opportunity to restart the Book of Mormon this week. And what a wonderful opportunity that truly is. As I read the verses that told of the story of Nephi retrieving the brass plates, I read several verses that could be applied to my life. This one in particular relates to all of the trials that we have in our lives. No matter how difficult the demands of life are, God doesn't give us any trials that we cannot handle. It's comforting to know that truth when hard times hit and it feels like we cannot overcome our hardships. God will not give us anything we cannot overcome with His help. That is just simply not part of His plan. He sent us here to have the agency to chose, yet at the same time is willing, able, and ready to assist us in our times of need.

I have noticed the Lord's hand in my life as I strive for excellence in all that I do. I know that the Lord is always looking out for me and is guiding my steps to help me return home. The best way to receive the strength to carry on is through daily scripture study and prayer. When we pray to God, we thank him for our many blessings and ask Him for things that we need. In return we receive answers through the scriptures. The motto I live by is "Pray like everything depends on God and work like everything depends on you".

This week I have been studying the doctrine of the Plan of Salvation, which was perfect for our discussion on Jesus Christ and the Creation yesterday in class. About a week and a half ago, one of my close family friends passed away from a 3 year battle with cancer. Following his passing, I found myself studying the Plan of Salvation and life after death as to better be able to help his children cope with the loss. I turned to 2 Nephi 9, a passage of scripture that I focused on a lot on my mission. I also referred back to a scripture that came to mind. 

This scripture is found in the Doctrine and Covenants chapter 42 verses 45-46. It reads " Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection. And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them" (D&C42:45-46).

These verses opened up the horizon for me pertaining to doctrine of death. Though we all pass on, we are able to be resurrected. That is a gift that is given to all mankind thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. A "glorious resurrection" as described in the verse above is something we all yearn for. This type of resurrection is for those who have lived the commandments faithfully to the end. They have fought the fight and their work has finished here on earth. It is a simple part of God's plan for us to pass through this life and into the next. Progression is the fundamental principle that governs the universe.

Though we get caught up in the various distractions found in everyday life, it is extremely important to keep an eternal perspective as we move forward in life. The sooner we realize that our life here on earth is limited yet important for our eternal progression the better. This week I will make a special effort to strive to keep an eternal perspective when the harder trials of life hit.