#SparkleHope Challenge - Week 1

Welcome to #SparkleHope Challenge week 1.

So happy you are here!

Last year was hard, harder than I have the words for. 

But I was BLESSED, oh so very blessed by so many. 

On those dark days where I didn't think light would ever come again, 

a little sparkle came from so many of you that kept me going. I knew God was aware of me because of the sparkle that came into my life through letters, invitations, phone calls, inspiration, chocolate, quotes, text messages, emails, and visits from the incredible people in my life.

I have never understood the worth of a soul so much as I did through this experience. 

Those simple acts of service meant EVERYTHING to me.

And now I want others understand just how precious one soul is to God.

That's why this challenge is happening. 

I think the best way I can show my gratitude to those that were an answer to my

 prayer and brought a little hope into my life is by passing it on,

adding a little sparkle to the lives of others.

So without further ado... 

WEEK 1 CHALLENGE:

Thank someone who has added sparkle to your life this past year.

Make a list of some people who really blessed your life this year in small or large ways. Anything from a letter that touched your heart to a friend that changed your life. 

Let them know.

Here are some ideas:

Write a thank you letter.

Bring them some flowers.

Send a test about the impact it had on you.

Make them a cupcake.

Find a way to get creative in your ways of thanking those who influenced your life or added sparkle on your journey in 2015.

Post a picture or message on any social media outlet about how you completed the weekly challenge using the hashtag #SparkleHope so we can all be inspired. I think I even want to feature a few on my blog before next weeks challenge begins.

So go out there and let the world see you SPARKLE!

Christ Will be Your Remedy

I have the most amazing hair stylist ever. I could talk to her all day long every single day. Seriously though, she rocks! 

Yesterday we started talking about some incredible stories of faith, life, and trials. Stories that gave me goosebumps and testified of Christ. Then somehow we started talking about Adele and what a hero she is. She is the signature of #GirlPower and embracing who she is perfection and flaws. She is the definition of being true to herself. As we were talking about Adele, Sunnie, my hairstylist told me I had to go home and listen to the song 'Remedy' by Adele, picturing Christ singing the lyrics to me. 

It was so POWERFUL! Now I want you to try it.

Imagine every single lyric of this song is coming from Christ.

Christ loves you SO much! Christ is the ONLY way. 
He is the only way to truth. 
He is the only way to happiness.
He is the only way to confidence.
He is the only way to hope.
He is the only way to peace.
He is the only way to home.

Christ will be your remedy, ALWAYS! 

Let Him in.

2016 is my Year to SPARKLE

2015 was a really hard year for me. Mental illness attacked me in a way I had never experienced before. I honestly felt betrayed by God for many months. It was hard, it hurt, and I wouldn't have made it without Christ. God gives us things we can't handle so we are forced to lean on Christ and that's exactly what happened. 

Even though this past year has been so hard on me, I have been blessed by so many beautiful experiences and tender mercies. My heart is so appreciative to those who brought a little sparkle into my life this year. 

This year I experienced loneliness in a deep piercing way I had never known before. And even though I wasn't alone, it doesn't change the way I felt or that that was my very own gethsemane up to this point in my life. Some days I would pray constantly because it was absolutely the only thing I could bring myself to do, other days I honestly didn't feel like praying at all. I started to feel like God couldn't hear my prayers or if He did, He was pouring blessings on everyone but me. But my message to you today isn't about misery, it's about hope. 

HOPE; that's what so many people brought into my life this year. That's the message I learned most this year, is that hope is ALWAYS there. It took missing hope, to find it and believe in it like never before.

On days when I felt so useless and like a grain of sand that was to soon be swept up by the tides of the ocean, a dear friend would bring me a plate of goodies when I least expected them, or a ward member would show up with some chocolate, or a servant of Christ would come to my home to listen to me open my heart, or a letter would show up in my mail box reminding me of the good qualities I have to offer, or an email would be found in my inbox of some of my spiritual qualities that I couldn't see, and even receiving phone calls and texts out of nowhere from those I hadn't heard from for a while. 

Each of these very tender and thoughtful acts of service and hope reminded me of just how much God is looking out for me, just how many of my burdens Christ was carrying for me, and how much one simple act of service can bring hope.

That is why my one word for 2016 is SPARKLE - I want to serve many this year. I want to deliver hope because of the sparkle that was brought into my life when I needed it most. 

Spencer W. Kimball once said in a BYU speech "But of course we ought to be happy here. We ought to sparkle and shine and radiate with brilliance. We have everything! When a prominent Eastern man who was visiting our offices asked me, “Why are you, the Mormon people such happy folks?” My answer was: “It is because we have everything—the gospel of Jesus Christ, the light, the priesthood, the power, the promises, the covenants, the temples, our families, the truth.” Latter-day Saints, especially Latter-day Saint youth, surely should have a brilliance of their own. You should have that sparkle here today."

Spencer W. Kimball wants us to sparkle, so that is my goal for the year, to sparkle. I want to be happy, and to radiate happiness. While everything that happens to us isn't always in our control, our response to it is always in our control. Happiness isn't an easy choice to make, but it is a choice we have power over, even if limited by our own chemicals and illnesses. Despite everything that stops me from being happy, I want to try harder to do better. I want to laugh more, smile more, compliment more, and people build more.

To help me on this path of making 2016 a year for me to sparkle, I will be featuring a weekly challenge with the #SparkleHope. Challenges will consist of either something that allows you to bring sparkle to others by serving someone, or by inviting more happiness into your own life. These challenges will be every single Monday, because as much as Monday's can be a really hard day, we are going to change that and start the week with SPARKLE and HOPE! 

You will have the entire week to complete the simple challenge and you can then take a picture of you doing your challenge and share it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or SnapChat with the #SparkleHope. It is my deepest desire to build a community of sparkle and hope, as we add sparkle to this new year and inspire one another.

Eternal Happiness is Impossible Without Christ

I love the Book of Mormon and I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know without a doubt the church is true in my heart, but I have a confession. 

Some moments I am weak and I realize how incapable I am to do everything on my own. I instantly recognize the need for a Savior in my life and I open heartedly welcome Him in. In those moments, when I am broken and feeling as if I have no control over my life, I allow the Savior to take over. I invite Him into my heart and my life to clean up the mess and mend my heart. I'm grateful for the broken moments because of the humility that comes pouring into my life.

But then some moments I feel strong, I feel courageous, I feel happy, and in control. In these moments I have a really hard time remembering it was God that brought me to this point and I didn't get here on my own. In these moments I have to be extremely careful in my thinking or pride will start to take over and it feels as if I am strong because of what I did, not what He did.

This seems to be a constant roller coaster in my life. A roller coaster of emotions of needing Christ in my life and recognizing every good thing is because of Him while still enjoying the happy and beautiful moments in life.

I'm not quite sure when I'll get it right, when I will let Him in without any hesitation even when everything is going perfectly. I do know that Christ forgives me instantly when I recognize and repent of the pride that starts to fill my heart. Sometimes I am so happy that I don't want anything to change and I start to live in fear that if I submit my will to God, everything will fall apart once again. That is a lie of the devil. 

Moroni 7:12
 "Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God..."

These next few days as the celebration of Christmas and of Jesus Christ draws near, I want to be found yearning for Christ and recognizing the need I have for Him even if I don't feel broken or helpless. I want to trust in the gifts He gifts me more than any other gift I could give or receive. I want to be found yearning for Christ in every season of my life whether that be joy or sorrow. I know Christ's love is perfect, and I know every drop of strength I do have comes from Him. I know that because I have felt helpless before, and I will feel helpless again. 

Once we know what it feels like to be helpless, it is His gift to us that we gain a deeper understanding of the need we have for a Savior. #ASaviorIsBorn for a reason. We NEED Him. It would be absolutely impossible to gain eternal happiness without Him no matter how happy we may think we are right now. Christ is the greatest gift we will find or receive this Christmas. 

If you struggle to remember just how deep of a reliance we have on the Savior at all times like I do, change something to invite more peace into your heart. Perhaps like me, you don't recognize it's missing until you let it in.

Parables in the Snow

It sure is a winter wonderland outside lately. It is beautiful. As I was driving to work on Monday, with the freshly laid snow, I couldn't help but notice the Salt Lake Temple all dressed in white. When I think of the temple, I think of purity. When I think of white, I once again think of purity  "...though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18)

Picture Source

The temple had never seemed to glow as much as it did right then. Purity covered in purity, what a beautiful concept. Seasons sure have their time and purpose in this beautiful world. God created the nature, the animals, the moon and stars, and even the seasons with their perfect timing just for us. I always said I was going to move far away from the snow when I got the chance. I get cold way too easily, driving in the snow is a disaster, and I've never been a huge fan of the shoveling and maintenance the snow entails.

I started pondering on winter and how it always takes place at the end/beginning of the year, never in the middle. Snow comes to clean and purify our world, and isn't that what we need to have happen in our hearts? The sacrament happens at the end/beginning of the week; the gift where we have the opportunity to change our hearts, renew our covenants, and be purified from every whit. The sacrament bread we use is usually white, which also ties in perfectly to purity. 

Picture Source

The snow has a greater purpose than I ever realized, it is there to remind us of new beginnings and renewed hope. It is there to remind us of repentance and the atonement of Christ. It is there to remind us that though we have sins as scarlet, through Christ and because He was born, they can become as white as snow.

If you've ever made mistakes you thought you would never recover from, if you have ever hardened your heart to the point it felt there was no return, if you have ever felt that red stain was never, ever going away, know that that is Satan trying to stop you from progressing and becoming who Heavenly Father longs for you to be. Repentance is real. Hope is beautiful. Every single mistake you have ever made can be washed away and purified and it doesn't have to hold you back ever again. Look at the snow, look how pure and gorgeous it makes the world look, let that be a resemblance and an anchor for you to know that hope is real and repentance has all the power to wash your sins away.

God planned His seasons perfectly, are we missing the beauty and His love when we are always wishing for the things we don't have?

#ASaviorIsBorn - Day 12 - The Light of Christ

3 Ne. 18:16 "...Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you." 

We live in such a dark and dreary world, darkness constantly surrounds us, we don't have to look far to find it. But have you ever seen a light, no matter how bright it is, shining from a dark room? It's not hard to miss, is it? A light is easy to follow amongst the darkest of all nights. So why then does it sometimes appear so hard to follow Christ, for isn't He the greatest light of all? 

Often times we think the room got darker, making the light harder to find. Darkness doesn't keep us from finding the light. Obstacles in front of us, keeping our eyes from seeing what is really standing in our way of light.

What is blindfolding your eyes today; keeping you from following the example of the brightest light of all? What distractions are in your way?

Pray about it, Heavenly Father will answer you!

No matter how dark the night becomes, Christ's like shines bright enough for all to see, as long as you are looking!

Make that be one of the gifts you give Christ this Christmas season, a true evaluation of everything that is covering your eyes from seeing the light of Christ. Once you know what's standing in your way, repent about it, then take action so your eyes may be open to the greatest source of light we as Spiritual children will ever know. 

#ASaviorIsBorn - Day 11 - A Few Simple Thoughts on Charity

I'm in the mood for short and sweet because this day has been long and trying. But I just want to testify on the power of praying for others. It's okay to ask for prayers when you're in need of them. It's okay to pray for others, just because. It's beautiful when we can take a moment to think of who may need some words of love and encouragement in their life. Taking the time to think of others, and just a little less of ourselves allows the Spirit to flood over you and for your heart to become a little more selfless, inviting the greatest Christ-like attribute into your heart that there is - Charity, the pure love of Christ.

Today I studied Alma 33. If you're wondering who Christ is, or how to get to know Him on a better level, this chapter is perfect for that! For God is merciful, and as it says in verse 11, all of that mercy is because of Christ. Then it asks the question in verse 14, "I would ask if ye have read the scriptures? If ye have, how can ye disbelieve on the Son of God?" What a powerful question! If we haven't read the scriptures, either for a day or ever...how can we really know Christ and choose to believe in Him if we have nothing left to go off of? 

I know the days I struggle the most are the days I'm not putting any bit of effort into scripture study, and I'm not thinking of who to pray for and how to make someone's life easier. I have the choice to dwell on my problems and make myself miserable, or allow Christ to enter my heart and help me sort them out, while I go serve someone else in the meantime. God is good! Christ is perfect! They both love us, and together that love is infinite!