Decided to chop it all off! 10 inches later and I'm loving it!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Chastened Even In Righteousness
Why do good things happen to bad people? Why would God let this happen? Where are you God? Uhhh... Hello?
Heavenly Father has always given us a choice. Since before this life He has always let us choose what we want and it's because He loves us. This is called free agency and even Satan has the power to choose. Satan chooses to tempt us to sin or make hurtful decisions. We choose if we want to give into temptation or follow God's commandments. With free agency God knew that all of us would sooner or later make mistakes that would make life miserable for the rest of His children. Can you relate? When one child is in a bad mood it seems as though he can't leave his brothers and sisters alone! Taking that into consideration Heavenly Father asked "Whom shall I send?" Our loving eldest brother Jesus Christ said "I will Father! Send me." Heavenly Father already knew the impact of our decisions and that some of those would hurt our brothers and sisters. It was the consequence to having free agency. In order to uphold His promise of free agency He can not take away someone else's agency to stop bad things from happening. That would diminish the purpose of this life. So He sent His son, to not only Atone for the sins of the world, but create a person wherein men can lay their burdens and feel the peace of the pure love of Christ. Our Savior is the only person who knows exactly what each person is going through. The hurt, the guilt, the pain, the loneliness. He has suffered, bled and died so that He can take you in His arms and say "I understand and I am with you every step of the way." In order for ALL men to come unto Christ we ALL have to go through trials and learn from them. Even when we are righteous we tend to drift away from the Savior and through trials, no matter by other's free agency or by Heavenly Father's will, we rely on our Savior. What about the little boy with cancer? He didn't choose it for himself and neither did anyone else. Our teacher in Sunday school told us a lesson about an inactive family. The littlest boy out of the children was diagnosed with Leukemia. When that happened all the children that left came home, the older brother stopped smoking, the older sister left the boyfriend who had influenced her in very negative ways and they all started coming to church again. They were all sitting around the bed when the little boy passed away. A year later they were all sealed in the temple along with their little boy and brother. Sometimes terrible things happen to the righteous so that many other souls can be brought to salvation. Now the older brother is preparing to serve a mission and the family is still actively going to church. Just because bad things happen, doesn't mean that our Heavenly Father doesn't love us. In fact He chastens those He loves. Although we may want to be loved a little less sometimes(haha), He does it because he wants us to be the best we can be, return to Him and know true happiness.
Learning this aspect of the gospel has strengthened my testimony in so many ways. I was actually going to change this post to my testimony of the Savior. It seems as though everything I write circles back to Jesus Christ. It is just another testament to me that Jesus lives and He loves each and every single one of us! This is His true and everlasting gospel! Our Father in Heaven loves and knows each and every one of us and because of that love He created the Plan of Salvation! I love my Heavenly Father and eldest brother Jesus Christ. I say these things in His name. Amen.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Molly Mormon
Today in church, as we were waiting for the lesson to start, a mother shared stories about her daughter that really touched my heart! Her daughter loves the gospel and lives the principles that she is taught. As a result other kids her age call her "Molly Mormon" and she is put down because she has strong morals and sticks to them. She also mentioned that these peers teasing her include some members of the church and attend seminary with her. This article goes out to the Molly Mormons!
I want to start by thanking you. You are the diamond in the rough, the light in the darkness and the example of the believers. Although it may seem like nobody appreciates your courage and strength right now, I guarantee that someday someone will! One day you will be going about your daily life and you'll get a text or call thanking you for your example. When I fell away from the church I was one of those who teased the "Molly Mormons" and I lost my best friend because of it. Once I returned to the church, I thanked her and continue to thank her for the example that she set for me, even when I was a terrible friend. Because of women like you I made it back to the gospel. More importantly your Heavenly Father and Savior appreciate your efforts to be the best that you can be. I cannot put into words how proud they are of you!
Keep it up! Before I fell away, I was always teased and bullied for being a stuck up Mormon. I must admit at times I was! But even when I wasn't I was still seen as judgmental and it always hurt my feelings. It was one of the contributing factors for making the terrible decisions I made because I wanted to prove that I could be a "cool Mormon". THERE IS NO SUCH THING! You cannot be of the world and still expect your testimony to remain strong. It's impossible. Elaine S. Dalton once said "No amount of peer pressure, no acceptance, no popularity is worth a compromise." Do not fear man more than you fear God. Satan will do anything in his power to try and keep you from being the woman your Heavenly Father wants and NEEDS you to be. You are doing great! If you have made a mistake that's okay! Nobody is perfect. My bishop once told me "Only the righteous repent." Do whatever you need to do to be that "Molly Mormon" again! You Heavenly Father needs you and your courage!
To that amazing young woman I heard about in church today and to all the righteous young women out there, thank you! You cannot begin to comprehend the lives you have changed already due to your exemplary character, bravery and strength! I am so proud of you and most importantly your Heavenly Father and eldest brother Jesus Christ is! I love you with all my heart and soul!
XOXO, Madison
I want to start by thanking you. You are the diamond in the rough, the light in the darkness and the example of the believers. Although it may seem like nobody appreciates your courage and strength right now, I guarantee that someday someone will! One day you will be going about your daily life and you'll get a text or call thanking you for your example. When I fell away from the church I was one of those who teased the "Molly Mormons" and I lost my best friend because of it. Once I returned to the church, I thanked her and continue to thank her for the example that she set for me, even when I was a terrible friend. Because of women like you I made it back to the gospel. More importantly your Heavenly Father and Savior appreciate your efforts to be the best that you can be. I cannot put into words how proud they are of you!
Keep it up! Before I fell away, I was always teased and bullied for being a stuck up Mormon. I must admit at times I was! But even when I wasn't I was still seen as judgmental and it always hurt my feelings. It was one of the contributing factors for making the terrible decisions I made because I wanted to prove that I could be a "cool Mormon". THERE IS NO SUCH THING! You cannot be of the world and still expect your testimony to remain strong. It's impossible. Elaine S. Dalton once said "No amount of peer pressure, no acceptance, no popularity is worth a compromise." Do not fear man more than you fear God. Satan will do anything in his power to try and keep you from being the woman your Heavenly Father wants and NEEDS you to be. You are doing great! If you have made a mistake that's okay! Nobody is perfect. My bishop once told me "Only the righteous repent." Do whatever you need to do to be that "Molly Mormon" again! You Heavenly Father needs you and your courage!
To that amazing young woman I heard about in church today and to all the righteous young women out there, thank you! You cannot begin to comprehend the lives you have changed already due to your exemplary character, bravery and strength! I am so proud of you and most importantly your Heavenly Father and eldest brother Jesus Christ is! I love you with all my heart and soul!
XOXO, Madison
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Meet Olivia.
Since I talk about Olivia a lot I thought I would post some pics of us! We are DORKS!
I used to call her black Dora when she had this hair cut! Hahaha! (ABOVE)
I used to call her black Dora when she had this hair cut! Hahaha! (ABOVE)
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Forgiveness
I had a hard time starting this post. The reason being is that I have yet to learn true forgiveness. If you have not read my post "My Life Story" then you should read it first before reading this post. When Olivia passed away the man who hit her died on the scene as well and I never got to meet him. How do you forgive someone who has taken so much and is not even here to see the damage that he caused? How do you forgive someone who is here on this Earth, knows the pain they have inflicted and does not give care in the world? How do you forgive someone who you once loved but they hurt you instead of returning that love? How do you forgive someone who continues to hurt you over and over again? Here are some things I learned about forgiveness..
- Let the person know how you are feeling and do not let it fester! Sometimes people do things that hurt you without really realizing it and their intentions were never to cause pain. I've done that to plenty of people. Once they know how you feel take a deep breath and move on from there. This has saved me many times.
- Forgiveness is not about hearing a sorry. For the longest time I wanted to hear "I'm sorry". The person who hurt you is on a different level then you. Maybe they are ahead or maybe they are behind in the forgiveness process. You never know what is going through their head and they're probably not ready to apologize for what they did. Forgiveness is a choice and only yours to make.
- The ability to forgive has everything to do with what is happening on the inside. The way you talk, think and act towards them. Whenever I was around somebody that hurt me my goal was to try and not think anything negative about them. Of course I was never ever at anytime perfect at this but when you learn to control your thoughts your actions always follow.
- Remember that NO ONE is perfect. It's impossible. We all make bad choices and they never affect just ourselves. Think of a time when you hurt somebody and instead of holding it against you they welcomed you with love and support. Wouldn't you want to be that person? Whenever I get hurt and want to be angry I think of my dad. I mess up so many times and it always has an affect on him. No matter what he always forgives without boundaries and loves without condition.
- Do not rush it. As much as we want to rush things and get it over with we can't with forgiveness. Forgiveness takes time and it takes constant trial and error. It is not perfect. One day you will feel like you are completely over it and the next day it's like it happened 2 seconds ago. It is a process.
- I watch this video every so often when I feel like I can never forgive. It's about 8 minutes long but those 8 minutes will change your life. I was shown this video following Olivia's death and it helped a lot! He is such a phenomenal example of forgiveness.(http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2010?lang=eng&start=13&end=24#2010-07-14-forgiveness-my-burden-was-made-light)
- Look at them through the Savior's eyes. Jesus Christ loves each and everyone of us, knows us by name and died because of that love so that we can return to our Heavenly Father. He is the PERFECT example of forgiveness and we should all follow. Christ looks at us for who we are and for what we have potential to become. Every person is a puzzle and we do not have all the puzzle pieces nor do we need them to forgive. Our loving eldest Brother and Savior made up for all of our mistakes. All he asks in return is that we try our best and keep in mind that everyone else is doing the same thing.
- Lay your burdens at your Savior's feet. He is the only who knows the whole story and exactly how you feel about it. The Atonement did not confiscate for just sin but any hurt that was also cause by that. The guilt, the pain, the loneliness and the anger. All of it. Pray to your Savior and Heavenly Father. They are there to help no matter what!
- Let the person know how you are feeling and do not let it fester! Sometimes people do things that hurt you without really realizing it and their intentions were never to cause pain. I've done that to plenty of people. Once they know how you feel take a deep breath and move on from there. This has saved me many times.
- Forgiveness is not about hearing a sorry. For the longest time I wanted to hear "I'm sorry". The person who hurt you is on a different level then you. Maybe they are ahead or maybe they are behind in the forgiveness process. You never know what is going through their head and they're probably not ready to apologize for what they did. Forgiveness is a choice and only yours to make.
- The ability to forgive has everything to do with what is happening on the inside. The way you talk, think and act towards them. Whenever I was around somebody that hurt me my goal was to try and not think anything negative about them. Of course I was never ever at anytime perfect at this but when you learn to control your thoughts your actions always follow.
- Remember that NO ONE is perfect. It's impossible. We all make bad choices and they never affect just ourselves. Think of a time when you hurt somebody and instead of holding it against you they welcomed you with love and support. Wouldn't you want to be that person? Whenever I get hurt and want to be angry I think of my dad. I mess up so many times and it always has an affect on him. No matter what he always forgives without boundaries and loves without condition.
- Do not rush it. As much as we want to rush things and get it over with we can't with forgiveness. Forgiveness takes time and it takes constant trial and error. It is not perfect. One day you will feel like you are completely over it and the next day it's like it happened 2 seconds ago. It is a process.
- I watch this video every so often when I feel like I can never forgive. It's about 8 minutes long but those 8 minutes will change your life. I was shown this video following Olivia's death and it helped a lot! He is such a phenomenal example of forgiveness.(http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2010?lang=eng&start=13&end=24#2010-07-14-forgiveness-my-burden-was-made-light)
- Look at them through the Savior's eyes. Jesus Christ loves each and everyone of us, knows us by name and died because of that love so that we can return to our Heavenly Father. He is the PERFECT example of forgiveness and we should all follow. Christ looks at us for who we are and for what we have potential to become. Every person is a puzzle and we do not have all the puzzle pieces nor do we need them to forgive. Our loving eldest Brother and Savior made up for all of our mistakes. All he asks in return is that we try our best and keep in mind that everyone else is doing the same thing.
- Lay your burdens at your Savior's feet. He is the only who knows the whole story and exactly how you feel about it. The Atonement did not confiscate for just sin but any hurt that was also cause by that. The guilt, the pain, the loneliness and the anger. All of it. Pray to your Savior and Heavenly Father. They are there to help no matter what!
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Women and Rubies
"Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies." Proverbs 31:10
Rubies are the rarest gems on Earth and so are you!
1. Be proud that you are a woman! In order to recognize how truly awesome that is you must first learn what it means to be a woman. You are a Daughter of a King with divine heritage because you are a child of God. Through the Atonement and Jesus Christ you can become like your Father in Heaven. Remember that you have divine qualities and have limitless potential! Understand how God feels about you. He loves you, knows you personally and wants you home with Him! No one else has what you have to offer and you can change the world because the world needs someone like you! Your intellect, style, life story and who you are is unique! No one else compares! "You are, as James E. Talmage once phrased it, “a sanctified investiture which none shall dare profane.” Take a moment to say out loud or write what it is and feels like to be you. Get to know yourself! I strongly suggest listening to a talk by Jeffrey R. Holland addressed to women. (http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/to-young-women?lang=eng)
2. Stop nitpicking! There are times where I just sit there and pick and pick, whether it's pimples, hair and the little bit of fat I have on my body. Those days are usually the days where I have a bad day. Now don't take this as never look in the mirror because that is not what I am trying to say. Instead look at yourself through the Savior's eyes. It's okay to look in the mirror and say "I've gained some weight I need to work out and loose it" but don't sit there and say "Ugh, I'm so fat and that makes me ugly". That does no good. When I get ready I say 5 things about myself that I like about myself that day. It is okay to get frustrated and it is okay to love yourself. Love yourself for your flaws and work towards being a better you.
3. Stop comparing. You are your only competition when it comes to self. You are the only one who has exactly gone through what you have and it is unfair to compare yourself to other women. Each body is different inside and out. Also I always hear women in my life talking about and comparing themselves to how they looked in high school. Knock it off! That little high school body didn't have kids and gone through life the way your body has now. Your body is even more beautiful now than it ever was! Work out, take care of your body and feel great! Be the best you!
"19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
-1 Corinthians 6:19-20
4. Be modest. Boy do I struggle with this one! I wear bikinis and have terrible language and in the long run it has damaging effects. Modesty is always in fashion. If you look at timeless beauties like Audrey Hepburn you see that they didn't need to show off a lot of skin to be viewed as beautiful. Choose your clothes like you would choose your friends. Would you choose someone who will embarrass you and degrade you as your best friend? No and you should choose your clothes the same way. The only time I was ever embarrassed was when I was immodest. When Princeton male students participated in a study comparing reactions to modesty and immodesty they concludes that when males view women who are immodest, they view them as if they were object rather than people. Modesty isn't just about appearance. It is also the way we talk. Watch this video on modesty and it will completely change your point of view! Promise!
Every single woman is beautiful and has something to offer that the world is in desperate need of! I hope this post helped you whatever you stood in need of. Let me know what topic you would like me to post about next!
XOXO Madi
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