The library is my home (but not for long).

This semester has been hard. Like really really hard. It has taught me that success should be based upon improvement and trying your hardest, not getting A's and B's on every test. It has taught me how to study and to work harder than ever. It has taught me that the cure-all for a bad day is coming home to roommates who love you and make you laugh and a bowl of ice cream.

The past few weeks, I have entered the library in the daylight and left in the darkness. And I will continue to do so for the next few days, because finals start in FOUR DAYS. I have been doing all I can, and I have faith that Heavenly Father will help me get to where I need to be.

I believe that God blesses us to have success, but only after we have put in as much effort as we can. Our God is a merciful God, but expects us to do our part. This includes putting in time and effort and asking for help. All we need to do is ask with real intent, and it will be given unto us (Matthew 7:7-8). He is omnipotent and already knows the desires of our heart, but He wants to hear it from us. He loves us all so much and wants to hear from us. Prayer is a powerful thing. Not only does it provide comfort and blessings, but it helps form a solid relationship with our Father in Heaven.

As for now, I'll spend the next few evenings in the library and then take finals. But soon, I will be HOME :)

It is simply always there.

The weather here is so unpredictable. They say things are usually covered in snow until April, and even then it will still snow randomly. My roommate says it even snowed in June once. 

These past seven days have brought with them the most wonderful weather. High forties, low fifties. Sun shining. Birds chirping. Limited clouds (which is a miracle considering the air is usually inverted and no blue is visible). 

It's still February. 

Life and people are a lot like the weather. Unpredictable. But that's okay. 

God's love remains the same. 

It is simply always there.

The Myth of Inadequacy (and the Power of God)

I had a great idea for this post, but couldn't seem to get my thoughts to flow. After talking to a good friend about it, I decided to take a completely different path. I am grateful for insightful friends.

Inadequacy is a common feeling, but it isn't even a real thing. It is easy to feel as though we "aren't good enough." The truth of the matter is that God provides a way for His children to do anything so long as it is for a righteous cause. 

The great prophet Moses, at the beginning of his ministry, felt as though he wasn't fit for the job. He even told the Lord upon his calling, "I am not eloquent . . . but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue." The Lord responds, "Who had made man's mouth? . . . Now therefore go, and I will be thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say" (Exodus 4:10-12). The Lord reminds Moses that He created us and is omnipotent. We may feel inadequate, but with the Lord's aid we are not. 

A similar thing happened right after Moses passed and Joshua was called on by the Lord. He told Joshua three times to "be strong and of a good courage" because "the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest" (Joshua 1:5-9). Doing what is required of us can be scary at times, but it shouldn't be because God is always with us. 

We can do anything, so long as we trust in God. Our "inadequacies" are made up for by the Lord's loving mercy. Robert D. Hales said ". . . we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior has promised that He will make us equal to His work" (Being a More Christian Christian, October 2012). The Lord does not require anything of us that we can not accomplish with His help. He provides a way.

An excerpt from my most recent religion class paper.

To me, the Atonement is a sacred and a wonderful succession of acts that were performed in order to allow each of us to obtain eternal happiness through exaltation. How wonderful it is that we have this opportunity! How grateful I am that the Lord Jesus Christ allowed us a path to repent of our sins and to be comforted in our sorrows. Russel M. Nelson in a talk titled “Decisions forEternity” in October 2013 stated that “True change—permanent change—can come only through the healing, cleansing, and enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” This means that the only way to get rid of sin and to become a changed and a better person is to apply the Atonement to our lives and to repent and seek forgiveness through it. Christ has already performed the Atonement, why should we not use it? Wouldn’t it be a mockery to not repent, and to not ask for help? Doing so would signify that we think that our sins or our pains are above what the Lord has already handled for us, which is certainly not true. He says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). How grateful I am that all of my sins, doubts, insecurities, heartbreaks, frustrations, disappointments, and so on that create a hole can be taken away from me and can be replaced. I can be filled with the love of the Savior. Let us not forget that the Lord Jesus Christ carried the pains of the world in the garden, gave up his life on the hill, and was risen again at the third day, and it was all for us.

Carpe diem.

That phrase used to bother me. A lot. For some reason, I have always thought it was a phrase used by hippies to justify whatever stupid thing they were doing.

But lately I've been contemplating more what it means to "seize the day."

It means making the most of things. It means doing something in spite of your fears. It means being brave. It means taking control of your life.

Carpe diem, y'all.

new

new room

new bed

new desk

new dishes

new couches

new friends

new hopes

new goals

new dreams

The light at the end of the tunnel.

Finals are next week, and with that comes studying, stress, a lack of sleep, and unfixed hair. 

But next week means so much more than just finals.

Next week means moving to my new apartment-style dorm.

and

Next week means going HOME. 

I should probably get back to writing this anthropology paper, as this short blog post was merely another form of procrastination.