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.