it is finished.

I am so full of love and happiness today because I have been reflecting on all that I have learned this semester. One of the things that stand out is how much my Heavenly Father and my Savior love me. My Savior has gone through so much so that I can live with my Heavenly Father again after this life. As I have been reflecting I have thought about how I am surrounded by so many wonderful people here on this campus. I am so lucky to be around so many people that share my beliefs.

This week I learned about the seven last statements Jesus said before he died on the cross. One that stands out is "It is finished" (John 19:30). I have never thought of it this way, but he means that the price has been paid. He went through so much pain and died on a cross so that our sins could be paid for.

I also loved that symbolism that is found in the John 19; verses 28-30 represent the sacrament and how we come to our Savior with a bitter cup; we come as sinners. From there, we are given the bread and water which represent the body of Jesus Christ. This takes the bitterness from us and turns the taste to sweetness. We can change from sinners to saints because of the sacrament and the atonement. I am so thankful for this semester and all that I have learned.

thank you.

This past class we talked about how Jesus had to deal with the most unbearable pain while on the cross and while many people were watching him. I did not know this before this class period and don't know how to express how grateful I am and how much I love Him. My savior went through so much so I could live with my Heavenly Father again and have a body. People mocked Jesus; "when they platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews" (Matt. 27:29). Because of all the terrible things He went through for us, I am inspired to live my life to the fullest and in the best way that I can.

Another interesting this from this week is how we are compared to Barabbas. We are sinners and deserve punishment much more than Jesus does, but He still went through so much pain and the wrath of God for us. He was cut off from the presence of God despite how good He was for us and for our trials. We have been released of this pain as Jesus was taken to die for us.

These past couple of weeks in class has made me so thankful for all my blessings, especially the atonement. I know that I have been so blessed to come to Earth at this time and to be a part of this church.

thou hope and deliverer

Lately whenever I leave my New Testament class I always end up listening to Lamb of God by Rob Gardner. When I was in high school, I sang in a production that did Lamb of God and my love for this music and my Savior increased so much. I am so thankful for all that Jesus has done for me and this world. I never truly appreciated it until I was able to study the music of Lamb of God. These past couple of classes I have been reminded of this music so much.

Jesus loved us so much that he put away His will for God's will; he went through so much pain, was cut off from God, and experienced so much temptation so that I can live with my Heavenly Father once more. He did this all so I could have a body and be like my God. I am so thankful for the love that I can feel from Jesus. I love the verse that ends with "nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark 14:36). I can learn from Jesus and put the will of my Heavenly Father before my own. For example, sometimes I pray for specific things or help with certain things, but it may not be my time. I know that my Heavenly Father has the best intentions for me and that I must be faithful, just like Jesus was in Gethsemane.

One last thing that I loved about this week is when Brother Griffin pointed out that Jesus is the Savior of worlds, not just ours. My Savior had to go through the pain and sorrow of multiple worlds, and He did that because of the love he and my Heavenly Father have for us. I can't express how thankful I am for this. Because of Him I am able to be resurrected and stay with my family for all of eternity. (I'll include some pictures of my cute family/extended family because I love them and I get to spend forever with them).

too blessed to be stressed (about the destruction of the second coming)

I have honestly never studied the second coming in depth and spending time on the parables this past week have been amazing, I have learned so much. I know that the second coming can be really scary because of all the destruction and I know that Jesus will come at 'midnight', which is the darkest hour, but I know that I will be okay. My Heavenly Father has a plan for us and I trust that things will work out how they need to. In the parable of the talents the lord says to the two that have ten and four talents, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matt. 25:21, 23). This parable teaches that all of us aren't expected to come up with the same amount of goodness and righteousness. We have been given what we can work with best. This gives me so much comfort; I have exactly what I need to lead the life that I should be leading.

Another verse that I have always loved is Matt. 25:40 which says, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me". No act of kindness is too small. The fact that I can be there to bless people who need it makes me so happy. People have been in my life to help me and bless me also. I have had some of the most wonderful friends and family bless me in this life and I am so thankful. This church and the people in it give me so much hope.

lead me, guide me

This week in my New Testament class we talked about a lot of interesting things. First off, in Matthew 22:28-30 there is mention of eternal marriage. The Sadducees asked Jesus "Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her" (Matthew 22:28). They were talking about how brothers marry their deceased brother's wives when necessary. Jesus answered that the marriage is not sanctioned by God so they won't actually be married in the next life. I had no idea that eternal marriage was talked about by Jesus and these three versus open up a lot of questions about what Jesus taught and what is not mentioned in the scriptures.

We also talked about the qualities of a leader in class. Qualities include not being a hypocrite, being a servant, being humble, and not considering yourself better than those that you are a leader over. Brother Griffen also taught that leadership does not need to boisterous and noticed by everyone. Leadership can be behind the scenes and given through service and kindness. We can lead people by serving and sharing with them.

because of my savior.

Brother Griffin started off class this Thursday talking about how loved we all are. He went on to say that sometimes when we are going through a hard time and our hearts are soft it is because we needed to be molded and changed. It is a lot easier to change when we are soft and malleable. This was exactly what I needed to hear this week. This semester has been difficult for me and I am so thankful for this class and Brother Griffen. I am always reminded of all the good in my life and how blessed I am when I am in my New Testament class. I am reminded that my Savior, Jesus Christ is always there to love and protect me when I need it. I loved that in John 12:7 Jesus told people taunting Mary to "Let her alone". He will stand up for us and give us all the love and support we need. Mary was serving Jesus through expensive oils and because of this she was blessed. I want to give my Savior all that I can because of all the goodness I have in my life because of him. 

Later on in the class we studied another miracle that often goes overlooked. In Matthew 21 Jesus rides a donkey through the city and that donkey should not have made it, but it did. Because of Jesus we can find ourselves in situations that we didn't think we could handle or reach. I want to let Jesus lead me to new wonderful things in my life. Just two years ago I didn't think I would still be in college, especially at a BYU, because I was having such a hard time. I am here and I am loving it because of Jesus Christ. 

mourn with those who mourn, comfort those in need of comfort

This week one of our lessons was on how Jesus loves us and treats us the way we need to be treated. He will mourn with those in need of it, comfort others, and be there for us in whatever way we need in order to get past our trials. We can get through difficult times through our Lord and Savior. One of my favorite versus is from these chapters. I love that Jesus said, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). This verse reminds me of Easter and the Lamb of God music program which I was able to participate in during high school.

Another thing we talked about this week was Thomas not being 'doubting Thomas' but 'let us go, that we may die with him Thomas'. We quite often look at mistakes people make rather than the wonderful things that they have done. We learn from the scriptures that we shouldn't look at the bad things people have done and not to judge people on the lowest moments of their lives. We should look at the good in their hearts and the goodness that they have done.

from trials comes strength

Honestly this week has not been easy for me. I've been struggling with different things for some time and sometimes it seems like I won't catch a break from trials. Although I feel like this sometimes, I do know that my Heavenly Father is looking out for me. Every time I go to my New Testament class I come out feeling so much better. I can so clearly see how blessed I am as we are being taught of Jesus Christ's ministry. I have been praying a lot this year looking for answers and for help and getting the answer of silence has been hard. A lesson on Jesus giving a woman answers of silence, no, then yes helped me a lot. We aren't always going to get the answer we want, but we're getting the answer we need. When we get the answer of silence it is showing that God trusts us and our judgement. I have never thought of it this way and I am so thankful I was able to sit in that classroom and hear this lesson.
This week we also learned about forgiveness and that we need to forgive "until seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:22). It can be hard to forgive someone who has hurt us a lot, especially when they show no remorse or continued to lie about what they have done, but it is so important. Forgiveness, in a way, helps us more than it helps those we are forgiving. Along with it helping us in this life, it will help us in the next when we are brought before our Lord and Heavenly Father for judgement. The more we forgive, the more we are forgiven of. For me personally, I feel so good knowing that I can move past difficult times by forgiveness. I would not be able to do with without Christ, but as He is there with me I can do hard things.

lost & found

There are different kinds of lost - you can be lost in the gospel, away from the gospel, or in another way entirely. Things that can cause this would be fear, regret, rebellion, or others' mistakes. In Luke 15 there are parables about being lost and then being found. The parables are about sheep,a coin, and a sun. Each have different meanings and each can help us now in modern day life.
I've seen friends and acquaintances become lost in some way, and I've seen many of them be found. It is incredibly to watch processes that people go through for repentance and finding themselves. It is a huge testimony builder; watching these instances throughout high school helped me a lot later in life. There have been some difficult times in my life that I felt a little lost and I was able to look to my Heavenly Father for help. I was helped and blessed by both people on this Earth and my Heavenly Father.
There are some wonderful people so ready to help those in need and I am so thankful for their presence in my life. They keep me in line and following the straight and narrow path. Focusing on Jesus Christ (such as Peter did in Matthew 14) brings us closer to the gospel and our God. Focus on Jesus Christ and "be of good cheer; it is I, be not afraid" (Matthew 14:27). This scripture is so comforting to me; there is no need to be afraid, we have the love and power of our Lord in our lives.

"be not afraid, only believe"

This past week in my New Testament class we talked about miracles and parables. My favorite thing that we talked about is that Jesus focused on the sinners, outcasts, and those that have been discriminated against. Jesus Christ didn't judge anyone while he was on this Earth so we should follow after His example. I'd like to be the kind of person that those who are outcasts and those that have sinned are able to come and talk to. It is so sad to me that people are out there who feel like they aren't able to talk to anyone about their struggles. These past days and the scriptures we've studied have given me comfort because I know that Christ is always there for us, even when we feel unworthy or on the outs with others. Good things can happen in time. Our God is a God of timing and I believe with all of my heart that I will receive blessings when I am meant to receive them. I am so thankful that I am able to pray and ask for help. I know that I will get all of the help that I need.

I also really liked that Jesus bore witness of Himself and that we talked about how God also bore witness of Him. Later that day we talked about parables; we talked about the concreteness and the abstract qualities of parables. There are many many applications of parables, while there is only one interpretation. Each reader of the parable can apply it to their own lives in a different way. I know that there have been ways that parables have been taught that have helped me a lot in the past. The parable on the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32), which is about the restoration of the gospel, has been applied to my own life in a different way.

turn your bitterness to sweetness

To be honest, sometimes I can be a bit of a downer. I know it and I'm working on it. Although I sometimes see the glass as half empty, I also think of my self as an optimist. It's weird; there are small moments when things seem like they'll never get better but then things are bright and happy again. I may be exaggerating a little bit, but you get it. The point is that through Christ I can turn my bitterness into sweetness. Jesus was sent to help the world; John 3: 17 says, "God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved". This week in class we talked about how Jesus becomes a part of us every Sunday because of the sacrament. As long as we keep Him with us we can be blessed and see the light in our lives. If we continue doing what we're supposed to and follow the commandments, good things will come to pass whether the blessings come now or later in life or in the afterlife.

One of my favorite things that Brother Griffin said this week was that  "Jesus is good at letting us be ourselves". Hearing this made me so happy; we are all so different and yet we are all so loved by our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. No matter the mistakes we make we can come back to the church and we'll never lose the love. People all over the Earth are all different - they have different opinions, points of views, experiences, mistakes, etc., and Heavenly Father is there for every single one of them. I am so thankful to be a part of this gospel, I have been so blessed because of it.

find your answers through jesus

This week has been so wonderful, I'm loving my classes and this opportunity to be learning at Brigham Young University. It's my second week here and I have already learned so much. One thing that stands out is how awesome Greek is when reading the scriptures. Going through Luke 1 with the help of greek translators made things easier to understand. We found that Luke 1:1 talks about Jesus and how He is also a God, rather than all three Heavenly Beings being the same. It is so important to get all the details and try to understand things before making judgements - whether it's with scriptures or other situations.
Another thing that we talked about this week was how Joseph and Mary couldn't find Jesus for days, but finally found Him in the temple. The symbolism in these chapters is absolutely incredible; for one specifically says that we can always find our Savior and our Heavenly Father in the temple and other wholesome places. I know that for me personally I can feel them with me while I'm on campus, learning all of these wonderful things.
The last thing that I'd like to talk about is the importance of women in Luke's chapters. Women have been so important in the past and I love hearing about the wonderful things they've accomplished. It inspires me to be better and to seek out opportunities to help others and share the gospel.

a child of god

Honestly I've never had to do anything like this; I've never had a blog or kept a journal because I've always had a hard time putting my strong feelings into words. With that being said, I am so excited to give this blog a try. For my New Testament class I'll post once a week with things that I learn and questions I have answered.

This semester is my first semester at BYU after being an online college student for over a year; the transition was a little difficult for me. There were many things that were said during class that gave me comfort, but one scripture verse stood out. Moses 1:4 starts out by saying, "And behold, thou art my son...". Brother Griffin related us to Moses and said that we also have all the potential he did. I am a daughter of God and through Him I can do difficult things. Through Him I can get through this change in my life and become better because of it. We are all sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father and that gives me so much hope. I can make mistakes and no matter what my Father in Heaven will still love me and want me to do my best. Knowing this helps me push through the difficult times in my life. 

Overall, I am so excited for this class and to learn all about the life of my Savior. I've never been very good at studying scripture stories outside of the Book of Mormon so this will be really good for me. My Savior has done so much for me and it's time for me to show how much I care through the opportunities this class will give me. I know that this will positively affect me and my life, and I'm so excited to share it with others.