Wednesday and... Love?

So it's Wednesday, which I feel deserves a post. Jk. I just really like writing and I have lots of happy things swirling around in my head. 

Family. Family is so good. I know a lot of people have deep struggles within their families and may feel that it is more of a trial than a blessing. Sometimes our trials are our blessings. Most of the time our trials are our blessings. Luke chapter 6 in the KJV of the Bible really helps me know how to love people better, especially those people who sometimes seem hard to love. I love Jesus Christ's example and how He always gives us the higher way to live and to treat people. This is going to  look really long, but I want to include the passage just so you can see exactly what I'm talking about. My favorite verse is 38. I was having a hard time once when someone I cared a lot about had acted in a way that had hurt a little bit. The promise the Lord gives is that if you give love, you will receive love. But you won't just receive some love back, you'll receive it back in "good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over."   How awesome is that? We might not feel like we get that when we try to share kindness with people who aren't that kind to us, but I believe that this is true. This is what God will give to us if we are kind, if we love, if we will give. I love it. I love it so much. 

27 ¶But I say unto you which hear, ^aLove your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

 28 Bless them that curse you, and ^apray for them which despitefully use you.

 29 ^aAnd unto him that ^bsmiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that ^ctaketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

 30 ^aGive to every man that ^basketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.

 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.

 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

 35 But ^alove ye your enemies, and do good, and ^blend, hoping for nothing again; and your ^creward shall be great, and ye shall be the^dchildren of the Highest: for he is kind unto the ^eunthankful andto the evil.

 36 Be ye therefore ^amerciful, as your Father also is ^bmerciful.

 37 ^aJudge not, and ye shall not be judged: ^bcondemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be ^cforgiven:

 38 ^aGive, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same ^bmeasure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

 41 And why beholdest thou the ^amote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.

Education. I love school. That may sound like I'm weird, but THIS TALK might help explain why I love my opportunities to get an education. I feel so blessed to live in this country where I am free to pursue my convictions and ambitions in all aspects of life. I want to do so much in my life. I'm grateful for a wonderful university to be able to study at with talented and skilled professors who have taught me so much. I truly feel so blessed. I'm grateful to be studying business and marketing in an area of the world where people have a high value on integrity and family. I have had the opportunity to hear individuals speak who are successful in their careers and yet they are just normal people - they love God and they love their families and they are trying to do good in the world. That is such a rare thing in today's world, especially in business and I feel that I have had a prime opportunity, thanks to my professors, to see living examples of professional success from people who truly have the right priorities. I've been inspired by what these people do with their lives and with their businesses to further good in the world! 

Music. I cannot even tell you what playing an instrument has done for me in my life. I don't think there's a greater gift that anyone could have in life than to be able to play a musical instrument (other than the Gospel of course). Stay tuned for a post with some of my favorite music ever in it. :) 

What talents and gifts has God given you that you're grateful for? What blessings and enjoyments has He blessed you with that have allowed you to share His love with other people? Everyone has so many gifts. I love getting to see the unique packages of gifts that each person comes with. 

Lastly, remember how special you are. Remember how special everyone around you is. Everyone in this world is so incredibly loved and valued. We don't earn our value. We don't earn God's love. It's just there. Our value in God's eyes isn't determined by our choices. It is the challenge of a lifetime to learn to love other people in this same way, but I think doing so is the true essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

As far as romantic love goes, if you are feeling a little down about the upcoming holiday, look outward. And look inward. Look inward at where your true value comes from. Is it from other people? Or is it from God? Does God's love fill you? Is your relationship with Him enough to fill you up, regardless of whether you have someone else? I know that is the kind of relationship we can have with Him. And then if we do have that relationship with Him, we'll have so much more to give to someone else when that time comes. Sometimes, for God to give us a really good package filled with lots of love, we have to let go of something that's holding us back. I decided a couple months ago that I was ready to let go of something that I had really loved. I had held onto it and held onto it and held onto it and it had made me miserable.  I finally decided I would trust Heavenly Father and really let it go. I began to see so much love around me and all the goodness that I hadn't been able to see before because I had been so focused on what I didn't have. Things just sort of fell into place after that. I was finally open to receiving whatever good things Heavenly Father wanted to give me and they came. I'm so grateful for the blessing of dating my best friend. he is so great. He told me a couple weeks ago that he doesn't like Valentine's Day. When I asked him why he told me it seems unnecessary to him. I said it is a day to celebrate love. You know what he said? He said, "I don't feel like you should have to have a special day to celebrate it." Amen. You shouldn't. (What a guy, eh? I know, I'm super lucky. ;))

As President Uchtdorf said, "Love should be our walk and our talk." 

Just Because Life is Good

I'm dating my best friend. Do you know how great that feels? If you don't yet, you will someday. It's the best.

I had a boyfriend the first time we met. Luckily for me, Heavenly Father took care of that for me within a few days and we started becoming friends.

Sometimes you don't figure out what you're supposed to be doing in life until you start going the wrong way. Such was the case with our relationship. I'm grateful that Heavenly Father is merciful and patient and that He led me back to him. I'm also grateful that my boyfriend is a forgiving and kind person. He's pretty amazing. I'm a big fan. He also looks super good when he snowboards. Jk. I actually haven't seen him snowboard but one night before we started dating, we were hanging out and he said he liked snowboarding. I pictured it in my mind and I'm telling ya, it was a good picture. I was tired and for some reason said out loud "I bet you look reeeaally good when you snowboard." I was embarrassed for quite a while about  that one. It's now a running joke between us...and everyone else who was there.

I'm grateful for a relationship that makes me feel like I want to do my best and be my best... Not because I have to be good enough for him but just because it's the right thing to do. I'm grateful for a relationship that makes me feel like I want to be closer to my Heavenly Father. I'm grateful for a relationship that feels clean and pure. I'm grateful for someone who loves the Gospel and who is a happy and calm person. I love that he can tell me directly but extremely calmly when something is wrong and I don't feel like he's mad at me. We talk about it and then it's over. I love that. He's humble but confident and kind and welcoming to everyone.

I mostly love that he is my best friend. There were a couple rough weeks when we weren't speaking much or really seeing each other and I remember feeling every day like there was no point in a social life if I couldn't spend time with him. Everyone else seemed irrelevant. So I'm feeling pretty great about the fact that I get to spend as much time with him as I want now. :)

Feeling lucky and oh so blessed. :)