On a Spiritual Note...

We had a wonderful stake conference this past Sunday.  I feel renewed in my commitment to live the gospel more fully.  I love it when I walk away from church feeling humbled, but stronger.  One of the things I committed to mysel to do better at is regular, daily study of the gospel.  This morning after reading from the Book of Mormon, I picked up a book that my in-laws have called "Answers" by Joseph Fielding McConkie.  I've really, really been enjoying it. 

There is one thought in particular that I wanted to share.  He writes,

"It is beyond mortal ability to determine what consitutes a blessing, for we have no way of knowing what will bring us nearest to God."

I love it!  So frequently I think of blessings and the nice things I receive in my life, not usually my trials.  But what great blessings they are when I use them to bring me closer to God.  I remember my mom teaching us to look for the silver lining in things, particularly after the death of my sister Cheyenne.  In that instance, one such silver lining was that we could go to Disneyland sooner as a family (the "rule" was that everyone had to be tall enough to ride all the rides).  It was silly and small, but it was a silver lining.  While the death of my sister Sierra was certainly a trial for my parents, it provided them with a wonderful opportunity to teach myself and my brother Daniel about the promise of the resurrection because of Jesus Christ and the gift of eternal families because of covenants my parents made in the temple.  And that for me has been one of the greatest blessings in my life.  From a very tender age (I was almost 3), I remember knowing that because of Christ's sacrifice and resurrection that death was not the end of my existance nor my beloved family. 

I hope I can always view every aspect of my life as a gift from God, a blessing that will allow me to draw closer to Him, to become more like Him, and eventually return to live with Him.