10 Ways to Add More Christ to Your Christmas

I didn't blog yesterday because I was too busy finishing my FINALS!!!!

WOOHOO!! Totally done!!!





I got onto LDS.org and found this really cool post about 10 things we can do to bring Christ into our Christmas this year, and every year for that matter!



 

“Finding the real joy of Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done, nor is it found in the purchasing of gifts. We find real joy when we make the Savior the focus of the season,” taught President Thomas S. Monson (“Christmas Is Love,” 2012 First Presidency Christmas Devotional).

The Church provides many online resources to inspire and focus members' attention on the Savior. Here are just a few free and easy things you can do to make Christmas this year less about what you purchase, give, or receive and more about the Savior Jesus Christ.

 1. Watch the First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional with seasonal music and inspiring messages.

2. Watch the “He Is the Gift” video and share it on social media with a personal message (#ShareTheGift, #ShareGoodness).
3. Watch the Bible Video “The Nativity.”
4. Scroll through the Church History Museum’s online gallery to see inspiring paintings relating to the Birth of Christ.
5. Listen to commercial-free Christmas music online on the Mormon Channel.
6. Listen to the 24/7 stream of Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas music and be sure to download five free Christmas songs.
7. Do the “Seek the Star” activity in the December 2014 New Era for a Christmas family home evening. Find more ideas for teaching children about Christmas from the Friend.
8. Browse the LDS.org Media Library for Christmas images and Christmas videos you can download, use, and share to bring the Spirit of Christ into your life and home.
9. Read how you can follow the Savior  through service.
10. Read 5 Gift Ideas That Bring Christ into Christmas for more ideas on giving Christ-centered gifts.




MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

gift of obedience

day 16







“Because our Savior was obedient, He atoned for our sins, making possible our resurrection and preparing the way for us to return to our Heavenly Father, who knew we would make mistakes as we learned obedience in mortality. When we obey, we accept His sacrifice, for we believe that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws, ordinances, and commandments given in the gospel.”
Robert D Hales


I love the idea that the more we obey the commandments that are so generously given to us, we can feel the love that the Savior has for us more readily.

The commandments were given to us to help us grow and learn while we are in this mortal life. They are the foundational principles for happiness and a continuing relationship with our Savior. When we obey, we are blessed.
It's literally that simple.

I remember while serving in Nauvoo, one of my main focuses as a missionary trying to improve herself, I kept the idea of obedience with exactness a main part of my experience.
When I would make my study time more about obedience and how I could obey the mission rules/commandments, I would find the blessings in my life more abundantly. I was kept healthy the entire time, I was given to strength to overcome certain obstacles and then I was able to help others follow that same pattern of exact obedience.

 

I am thankful for a Father in Heaven who has blessed me with commandments that are designed to help me stay on the path of happiness. I am also thankful that He has blessed us with the gift of agency so that we can make decisions on our own.

When we walk down a path and find a fork in the road, we can choose which one we want to go down. There will always be one that will benefit us the most, but we are not forced to take a certain one.

As hard as it may be at times, I am so grateful for this blessing.



#sharethegift #heisthegift

Gift of Life

day 15

 

 

 

 

 

I woke up yesterday to this:

and then this picture came through and I died a little of happiness.

 

 

What a gift to the Jex family. This beautiful baby boy has answered so many prayers and is a representation of PURE LOVE!

 

 

I can only imagine the Savior, laying in a manger on that night, surrounded by people and animals who loved Him dearly, knowing that He would save them all. His gift to us is His life, His example, and His Atonement. It's hard to think that this child would one day take all the sins of the world upon Him and then die for all mankind.

 

Luke 2:15-21

 

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

 21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

 

 

He loves us so completely and unconditionally- this little baby who grew up to be about His Father's business.

 

 

The gift of the season and our reason for living.

 



Jackson Steiner Jex
12-14-14
8:17am
9lbs 8oz
22 1/2 in





#sharethegift  #sharegoodness

gift of healing

day 14










today in church we talked a lot about the temple and our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

I was really moved by some of the scriptures we read in Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 47:11-12

11 But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.

 12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

We discussed the dead sea and why it is considered "dead". Then we talked about what it is going to be like when it is healed. The thing that I thought about the most was the fact that the dead sea had no connections with any outer water source that could help it. When it is healed, there will be channels of other water sources running in and out of the sea.

It made me think about when we are going through hard times.
Do we cut ourselves off from the very source of our healing?
Do we put barriers that prevent any help from getting to us?


The Atonement literally makes it possible for us to be able to connect with the Savior and be healed again. Every wound we may feel and emotion we experience is there for the Atonement to take hold of.

I know with every part of my soul that the Atonement can heal and make us alive again. We may feel that our souls are "dead" but they can be made perfect again.



#sharethegift #sharegoodness

Gift of Love

day 13








this is like barely making it for the 13th, but I will type super fast!!!!

(literally, so beautiful)

I was in the temple this evening and as I sat waiting to do my assignment, I saw a picture on the wall of the temple. It was of the Savior with all the little children surrounding him. (3 Nephi)

I looked at His face and saw the most all encompassing love. It was genuine and beautiful to witness as a representation of His love.

I read the scriptures and thought often of the commandment He has given all of us- to be like the little children.  

Meek, Humble, Prayerful, etc.

I pray continually EVERY day that I may feel of His love. I know it is there waiting for me to seek it out. Buckets and buckets of LOVE!

This Christmas season, always remember the reason we celebrate it. Remember that He set the example and path for us to follow. It will lead us right back to Him. 

#sharethegift  #sharegoodness

gift of happiness



day 12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn't amazing how we can go from feeling so overwhelmed and stressed to feeling light and loved?

 

 

I LOVE that feeling.

 

 

It is one of the most beautiful feelings I have experienced. I seek that feeling knowing exactly where it is coming from.

 

You know how people say when you have weaknesses or trials, you need to humble yourself and give them to the Lord. I always say that and I literally have to imagine giving the Lord my load of burdens in order for me to do it. Then it is like magic.

 

LITERAL MAGIC!

 

 

"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

 

 

 

I can promise you that if you give it over to Him, you will have the most wonderful feeling EVER! It is different for everyone, but for me, I always feel so freaking HAPPY and light.



#sharethegift #sharegoodness

Press towards the gift

day 7

Philippians 3:13-14 

"This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

I found an old talk of mine in my journal and as I was reading it, I came upon this scripture which really took hold on my heart again. 

To forget things that are in the past, reaching forward to the things that are before me. Personally, I have been struggling with doing this. It is hard to let go of all that is behind us and focus on the future and all the potential it holds. 

There is a quote from Elder Holland that says, "Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ is the 'high priest of good things to come". 

To be able to trust in God that he understands our circumstances and the things we struggle with in the past, the result will be a more complete understanding of the Lord's will and the Lord's time. 

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who sees from the beginning to the end, knew very well the road He would travel to Gethsemane and Golgotha. 

The road may be rocky and unsteady at times, but it is the sure path that will lead us back to our Savior again. 

He suffered in the Garden and died on the cross so this could be possible for us to be with Him again. As we press towards the Savior, we will be met with adversities and obstacles that will challenge our mind and body. But if we take advantage of the Atonement in our lives, we can overcome ANYTHING that is placed in our path. 

He is the high priest of good things to come. He is the light at the end of the tunnel, but He is also the light that can light our path RIGHT NOW. He is the mediator of all conflict, the Prince of Peace and the one who can calm any storm. 

I know that when we seek after and press towards the Savior, He will be everything we need to succeed in our lives. 

#sharethegift 

Celebrate the Gift

day 6



 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

"That is the spirit of Christmas, which puts in our hearts a desire to give joy to other people. We feel a spirit of giving and gratitude for what we have been given. The celebration of Christmas helps us keep our promise to always remember Him and His gifts to us. And that remembrance creates a desire in us to give gifts to Him.

He has told us what we could give Him to bring Him joy. First, we can, out of faith in Him, give a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We can repent and make sacred covenants with Him. Within the sound of my voice are some who have felt His invitation to the peace His gospel brings but have not yet accepted it. You would give Him joy if you would act now to come unto Him while you can."
- Henry B Eyring

Let us make each and every day an opportunity to celebrate the beautiful gift the Savior is to us.

Let us show our gratitude by helping others see and feel of the love that the Savior has for us.

I know that when we do these things, we will feel of his love more intensely and unconditionally.

#sharethegift #celebratethegift

Open the Gift

day 5



When someone gives you a gift, you see the beautiful wrapping (or maybe not so beautiful) with the colorful bows and ribbons, and your first instinct it to rip it to shreds.

Right?

Well, that is just an assumption on my part because I would say I am that way. My dad is always one of those people who carefully pulls the tape off of the paper (in order to save it) and slides whatever is inside, out. But that is off topic.

Anyway, I wanted to talk more about what we can take from having the greatest gift of all in our lives.

What does He give to us?

"Jesus the Christ, who knew perfectly how to give, set for us the pattern for giving. To those whose hearts are heavy with loneliness and sorrow, He brings compassion and comfort. To those whose bodies and minds are afflicted with illness and suffering, He brings love and healing. To those whose souls are burdened with sin, He offers hope, forgiveness, and redemption.

If the Savior were among us today, we would find Him where He always was—ministering to the meek, the downcast, the humble, the distressed, and the poor in spirit. During this Christmas season and always, may we give to Him by loving as He loves. May we remember the humble dignity of His birth, gifts, and life. And may we, through simple acts of kindness, charity, and compassion, fill the world with the light of His love and healing power."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

 

I challenge each and every one of you to think of the different gifts the Savior has given to you. Think about how those gifts have impacted your lives and how you have drawn closer to the Savior.

 

 

I guess my best advice that I can give today is to Open the Gift that the Savior has given us. Don't let it sit underneath the Christmas tree to look pretty. What He has offered to us is more than we could ever dream of and I know that if we take the time to open the gift that He has given us, our lives will be filled with more happiness and gratitude for all we have been given.

 

 

The Savior has given me all that I have:

• my family
• my friends
• ability to learn
• provided me with knowledge so I can increase my temporal and spiritual knowledge
• the gospel
• Atonement
• experiences to learn and grow closer to Him
• reassurance that everything will be okay
• comfort
• healing
• repentance/forgiveness
• ability to appreciate every good thing in life

 

#sharethegift #openthegift

 



Discover the Gift

day 3

On Monday night, I had the pleasure of planning and conducting my Family Home Evening.

I had originally planned to do some sort of graham cracker building activity, but I didn't have the money to buy all the supplies so I was racking my brain for what else I could do.  I thought about the goal I have to find scriptures or thoughts about the Savior every day in the month of December in order to #sharethegift. Then the thought came to me to talk about "The Living Christ".

 

In the lesson, we watched this video:

 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2010-03-07-he-lives-testimonies-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng



Then we read The Living Christ all together. Listening to all of their voices read the testimony with softness and respect, I will filled with the Spirit. I was so overwhelmed that I just wanted to sit there with everyone and not say anything. I wanted to feel the Spirit and see everyone else feel Him too. We then went around in a circle and everyone had come with their favorite scripture of the Savior. They shared their favorite name of the Savior and then their scripture and why. Hearing their testimony of the Savior only increased mine further and I was so amazed at the power of the Spirit. I don't know if everyone felt the same as I, but I cannot deny that the Spirit was absolutely present that night.

As I read and studied this wonderful testimony, I discovered my own testimony of the Savior and the GIFT that He is to us.

Jesus Christ lives. He loves us. He suffered for us to carve the way back to Him easier and simpler. I cannot go a single day without thinking of Him and the wonderful example He is to me of what I need to become.

It can be difficult to stay focused on the Savior when the world tells us that He is not the important thing.

BUT HE IS!

He is our ADVOCATE, BROTHER, SAVIOR, REDEEMER, WONDERFUL FRIEND, IMMANUEL, and everything we need at any time.

If we give place and importance for Him in our lives, I know that the way will become clearer and we will be strengthened to accomplish all that is asked of us.

SHARE THE GIFT

#sharethegift

http://www.mormon.org/christmas?cid=HPFR112814529

Day 1

Every day until Christmas, I plan to #sharethegift in my own personal way.
I find that some of the greatest revelation I can receive, comes from sharing what I have learned and discovered with others.

Today I have been thinking a lot about the scripture in Ether, chapter 12, verse 27.

It reads: "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

I can literally imagine, in my mind, giving the Lord my weaknesses, physically putting them in a bag and giving them to Him. Then saying, "I don't want these anymore. I don't want to feel weak and powerless against the adversary. Please take them away."
Then I see Him take the bag, hug me, look me in the eyes and say, "You have me, you are NEVER weak. I will make you strong."

That is a GIFT, to be able to have Him on our side, strengthening us continually.
He is on our side. He is our Defender and Advocate, someone who fights for us.

I know the Savior is there to lift us and help us at ALL times. He cares and His love is pure power. I know that if we can come unto Him with a humble heart, He will make us strong and whole again.

"Repeat the Sounding Joy"

Repeat:
the laughter
the cries of surprise
the smiles that last forever
the longing gazes into the fireplace
the warmth received from the piles and piles of blankets
the marathon of movies
the endless knitting
the beautiful decorations that never want to be taken down
the times when i can look and see my mom and dad beside me with smiles on their faces
the hope
the everlasting joy that comes from the knowledge that there is a Savior who did it all for us, and we can celebrate His birth because He means so much to all of us.

I believe in Christmas because I believe in Christ.