Of Prayer

I love the peace I feel as I pray. Especially when it's for something extremely important. I know Heavenly Father speaks to us, if we'll just listen. Many times I've mistaken it for my own thoughts and later realized I should have listened. I'm getting better at listening. It's great to have a few moments after a prayer to just sit still and listen/think/feel. I have a notebook on my nightstand now for any random thoughts or feelings I have. Things have definitely gone more smoothly when I've followed those inclinations.

Thanks, Laurie!

First of all, thanks for starting this great blog and secondly, for inviting me to contribute.

This is going to sound really bad, but the last time I actually bore my testimony was about 10 years ago. It was at Girls Camp the last time I went as a 4th year. But what I knew then, I still know now.

I know that my Savior lives. I know that he loves us and only wants us to be eternally happy and follow him. I know that we have a Heavenly Father who blesses us every day, even in ways that we cannot see. I believe Pres. Monson to be a prophet of God and know that he is led by a divine hand. I love this gospel and am striving to be better at it every day.

Thank you again for inviting me, Laurie. I know that there are things I need to work on spiritually and I hope that this blog will be a wonderful touchstone for me.

Our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson said:

"Mortality is a period of testing, a time to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In order to be tested, we must sometimes face challenges and difficulties. At times there appears to be no light at the tunnel’s end—no dawn to break the night’s darkness. We feel surrounded by the pain of broken hearts, the disappointment of shattered dreams, and the despair of vanished hopes. We join in uttering the biblical plea “Is there no balm in Gilead?”
We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We feel abandoned, heartbroken, alone. If you find yourself in such a situation, I plead with you to turn to our Heavenly Father in faith. He will lift you and guide you. He will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you with love through whatever storm you face.
With all my heart and the fervency of my soul, I lift my voice in testimony today as a special witness and declare that God does live. Jesus is His Son, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He is our Redeemer; He is our Mediator with the Father. He loves us with a love we cannot fully comprehend, and because He loves us, He gave His life for us. My gratitude to Him is beyond expression."

My friend posted this quote on her blog the other day and it touched me then. Now with my 10 month old in the hospital and having gone through what we have with her since she was born...this quote means more to me then I think would have had she been born PERFECT. Even with all of the hard things that our family has gone through the last year or so, and all of the things that I have had to watch my baby go through the last 10 months...I KNOW that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me. He knows me. He knows what I need as a mom, and a wife, and a friend. Jesus Christ is my Savior and I have always known that He died for me so that I could repent and live eternally with my family. More recently I have gained a testimony that He died for me, so that my burdens and sorrows can be lifted from me. I have felt His loving arms around me many times in my life. The night after Ashlee was born and I had to endure a whole night away from her, in a different hospital, knowing that she wasn't doing well and wondering if I would ever see her again; I prayed more than I have ever prayed before in my life and while that was the lowest I have ever felt in my life, I felt moments of comfort that I have never before felt in my life too. Our aching hearts can be healed by our faith in Christ and our belief in the Atonement and God's plan for us.

Of a Good Example

I think everything is easier when you have a good example in someone who has "been in your shoes." I've seen this in my life a lot lately - with homeschooling, with parenting girls, with parenting in general, with communicating...

I also believe things are easier when you have the support of the people around you. One somewhat trivial example in my life is how my friends respond to me trying to eat healthier. I have some who say, "Oh, it's a girls' night! Eat what you want!" and I have others who say, "I was thinking about making brownies, but I know you're trying to eat healthier, so what would you like to do?" There's a big difference in how I respond in each situation!

Things are definitely easier when you have a good example to follow and when you have the support you need from people closest to you!

Of Jesus Christ

I have a testimony of Jesus Christ. I know that He is the Son of God. I know that He came into this world and He atoned for my sins and those of all others. I know He was resurrected and that I, too, will be resurrected because of Him. I know He is my Savior.

Welcome!

This blog was created so that followers of Christ have a place to share their testimonies with others. If you would like to be included as an author, please email me at blhvamos [at] gmail [dot] com. (The symbols are missing for privacy/spam reasons.) I want to see as many people as possible sharing their testimonies of Christ, of prayer, of scripture study, of anything uplifting!! So please join me in sharing your testimony!