What is God's Plan for Me?

I've been in deep thought this week. I haven't been able to really focus on my school work because of these things weighing on my mind. What is God's plan for me?


I began to reminiscence on my past and all the things that I have done wrong, the people that I have wronged. I thought about people that were close at one time and why they are now out of my life. I thought about the new friends in my life, how I met my husband, how far we've come. Some of these things I haven't thought about in  years, and it was like an overwhelming flashback. Sometimes I feel like I am just a stepping stone for others to excel and achieve great things God has in store for them.

I went through my "memory box" last night while I was supposed to be studying for my math test. My Mother gave me this box when I was 12 years old. She told me to put special things for only me to look at in this box and to cherish them. At the top of the box was a few notes Kyle has written me here and there, my patriarchal blessing, a birthday card etc. I dug in a little deeper, (more so than I have in a few years) and came across wedding letters from my Father, friends, and family. I pulled out letters from Kyle when we were dating, and of course those made me smile. I then found letters from old friends that I haven't read in at least 4 years, an old make-shift yearbook I made my freshman year of high school, essays I've written, church notes from leaders, friends. I found marching band drill from my first show, a flower my first crush gave me, just so many memories.

I still haven't figured out God's plan for me. I don't know where He wants me to go, and what he wants me to do, but I want to be ready. I know every day is a mission. It's hard to see it that way sometimes, but every day counts for something. Each step forward is a piece of the big puzzle that will eventually come together. I don't how significant I am to peoples lives, or what purpose I serve, but I will continue on with faith and diligence.


~Katie B.

My First Article

Hello loyal followers! Today I am going to re-post my first article in the upcoming magazine LDSgirls.org. I hope you enjoy!

Every girl has a story; a story of triumph, defeat, struggles, and blessings. Each story aims for the happily ever after. The gospel of Jesus Christ provides that storybook ending with the sealing of families here on earth. Love truly is a fairy tale, especially within the temple. The temple marriage would be nothing without love as a foundation. God made a plan for all of us to fall in love. He had a plan when he created the woman. He had this idea for two strangers to fall deeply in love, and care for each other so much they would take part of themselves and create another human being. How amazing is that? On top of all those blessings, He has paved a way for them to be together forever.

 In today’s society, the world portrays marriage as a burden and a weak decision to make in life, especially for women. Society makes marriage appear like a death sentence towards our independence. Little do they know, it is the opposite. It strengthens women and gives us power to overcome all obstacles. I was married at the age of 18. I had no idea that was how things were going to play out in my life. I trusted God's plan. I am now 20 years old, and a sophomore in college, sealed to the man of my dreams; my eternal soul mate. God’s path for us is not always easy. 

I grew up in what the church calls a “part member family”. As a child, my father was not a member of the church but taught me in ways of high moral standards and how a woman should be treated. At the age of 5, my father’s interest in the church grew and he soon developed a testimony of the restored Gospel. It took many years for him to fully convert, body and soul, to the church. Because he believed in the power of the Priesthood, he had the strong desire to be an eternal family and set that goal for all of us to work towards. Through his experience and his example, I feel I am blessed with the ability to see the light of Christ in others. This amazing blessing paved the path to my own love story. 

Although my husband, Kyle, was not a member of the church at the time of our courtship, I saw the light of Christ in his eyes and knew he was the one. I was seventeen years old when I introduced the Gospel to Kyle. I was scared that it would have a negative impact on our relationship, but I continued to hold onto the light I saw in him and trusted God’s plan. To my surprise, Kyle accepted the Gospel and all its fullness and was baptized four months later. The Gospel is the foundation of our relationship. I knew if we held on to the Gospel and the blessings promised by our faithfulness, our goal of being sealed for time and all eternity would be obtained. He proposed, shortly after his acceptance of the Gospel, at the Dallas, TX Temple. We were both excited for our new journey. 

We desired to be married in the temple, but I felt prompted by the Holy Ghost to be married as quickly as possible. Due to the one –year rule for converts, we could not get married in the temple immediately. I was scared about the consequences of this decision, but I trusted God’s plan for me. We made the temple our number one priority after getting married, and here we are now, sealed for time and all eternity. In our journey towards our sealing, we matured spiritually in the Gospel. The promises the Gospel teaches us, the blessings I held when I gave Kyle his first Book of Mormon, the blessings of marriage, and the blessings my father shared, have blossomed and continue to bless our lives. I have been blessed with my own love story. It is different from others but the result is still the same. We will all have a fairy tale if we remain faithful to our covenants and trust God’s plan. God has a happily ever after story for each of His daughters. His only requirement is to endure to the end with faithfulness. 

Katie's 5 Ways of Improving Happiness!

I have just been in the worst moods the last few days! It caused me to have a migraine from you know where! It has also effected my school work and energy to fulfill my obligations as a student! I really sat down last night and discussed it with my husband and we both reached the same conclusion. It is all in my head.

I read an article from KSL, a news station based in Salt Lake City, UT about 5 things we can do to be a happy person. http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=23962051&nid=1010&title=5-things-you-can-do-right-now-to-be-happier

I want to ask my readers what they think about this. Are there little things we can do to make our lives easier and more enjoyable? I came up with 5 little things of my own that I can personally work on and I think we all could do as well!

1. Time Management.
This is a HUGE problem for me. People say that they don't have enough time in the day, and that is true for some, but for me it is not! I put things off till last minute or do them at night when I am tired and my attention span lasts as long as a blink of an eye! What can I do to fix that? Well, instead of a weekly planner, maybe an hour by hour planner. Plan what assignments to do in a specific time frame. Plan what time to start dinner, and how long it'll take. And while the dinner is cooking, plan what part of the house you'll clean. I love doing things like this to music, especially to Katy Perry, something spunky, upbeat and fun to listen to while your getting things done! Plan when you'll work out and how long. It's all about time frame! I think this alone will help reduce my stress tenfold!

2. Write In a Journal

This has helped me tremendously. It gives you time to really reflect on your day and the decisions you've made. I like to do it before I go to bed. It relaxes me. It's also a great therapeutic tool. Your journal never judges what you have to say, your inner thoughts, ideas, opinions, struggles and so on. It can come to be your best friend if you let it. I highly encourage my readers to take the time to do this. It doesn't have to be a novel. This goes back to time management, make the time in your day to reflect and how the next day can be better.

3. Take A Walk

Provo Canyon

Sometimes we need a break from everything, especially technology. We all don't realize how much it really dictates our lives on a daily basis. My husband and I used to do this all the time, and I want to start back up again. Especially with us living in the mountain west, the scenery is beautiful and the air is so refreshing. Like the journal, it is a way to reflect on the day, enjoy God's creations, and relieve stress. Go with your friends, spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, or by yourself. Take your phone only for emergency reasons and keep it in your pocket/purse. I love seeing the mountains with snow on them with a purple/pink dusk sky behind them.

4. Be Attentive to Others

There are many people out there struggling with various problems. Illness, depression, family problems, finances, and much more. I don't know about you but a smile for me goes a long way. Go out of your way to help others. If someone drops their backpack, their papers, items of any kind, even if you are in a hurry, go help them. Talk to strangers when you are waiting in the elevator. Talk to someone in class or at work that you have never bothered to talk to because you don't know them. Stand up for those that need it, even if it isn't popular to do so. Little things like this really make me happy. I enjoy helping others. When you do help someone, do not expect it in return. When you go through life  wanting to give and not recieve life just falls into place. It doesn't mean we won't have problems of our own, but those problems that we do have just work themselves out naturally.

5. Language 
 Last but not least, language. This has more than one meaning. I was told the reason why people use swear words is because the way they sound activate a feeling in our brain that sends a thrill. It's thrilling to use language like that! But in reality a thrill does not last. Swear words are commonly used in describing a frustration and can bring us down, or provoke irritation. I struggle with this. When we use clean language it automatically sets us apart from society and provides a better atmosphere for us to be around. I need to be more attentive of my choice of words and provide myself a better environment on a daily basis. The second definition I am referring to is how we speak. Instead of pointing out the negatives in our lives, speak of happy things that uplift us. I'm not saying be happy 24/7. That can be overkill! But focus on HOW we say things. Focus on the positives in our lives.

http://www.number27.org/wb-language.html

These are the things that I can work on in my life, and I hope it has helped anyone else who struggles with promoting happiness in their lives. Thank you for taking the time to read and have a great weekend!

~Katie B.