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I am so glad you have stumbled upon my little blog :) My name is Sister Jessica Mae Turley, and I am a Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, serving in Washington D.C., Preaching in American Sign Language! I Love the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it applies to my life every single day in many different ways. Hopefully you gain something from my adventures :) Please feel free to share this blog anywhere you'd like :)

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

There is Sunshine In My Soul Today!

Well it has been quite some time since I have updated this at all. But I have been prompted to start posting again so here goes nothing :)

Life is hard.... surprised? Well you shouldn't be. If you stop and look around you for just one second you could find 15 people and see their challenges written straight across their forehead. And then if you look a little closer you would see some broken hearts and lost souls... but look again, for just a few more seconds.... and notice the spirit inside of that person. Recognize their eternal worth. See the spirit son or daughter they are and see what God sees in them. 



Often times I am dumbfounded at how much God truly loves His children. I just can't fathom it. Especially when I get so irritated or annoyed with people! How on earth does He put up with all of them?? Because He loves them, unconditionally. Then on the other hand, I can see His love for others perfectly yet I can't imagine how He could possibly love me, someone so imperfect and strewn with flaws and mistakes. But in my heart I know, He loves me. No matter what. His love is ALWAYS there.

Think about the sun, (yes yes I know, cheesy analogy, you have heard it already... just keep reading:)
Does the sun choose to shine only on people with blonde hair, or does it shine on the gingers too?
Does the sun hide itself when we make stupid choices or does it just keep spreading it's beautiful rays?
What about when WE run away from the sun? When we hide ourselves inside our room with no windows?
God's love is exactly like the sun. It is always there, no matter what we do, say, think, believe. God loves all of His children, equally, whether or not we deserve it. It is there.



 “Your Heavenly Father loves you—each of you. That love never changes... It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there” (“We Never Walk Alone,” September 2013 general Relief Society meeting). 


So when we begin to feel like God couldn't possibly love us we MUST remember that is an ABSOLUTE LIE!!!! There is nothing that one of His children could ever do to be outside of His loving reach, so long as we are willing to repent and apply the atonement into our lives.

I know that our Heavenly Father loves us more than we can possibly comprehend. He loves us so much that He was willing to let His only begotten son suffer all manner of afflictions, so that we might return and live with Him again. He wants EVERY SINGLE CHILD back in His arms.




 I cannot even imagine my own father not wanting all of my brothers and sisters back. He would never say "I don't care if Jessie doesn't come home, so long as Eric and Jacob make it back ok!" NO! HE WOULD NEVER SAY THAT! (Because we all know I am my father's favorite child, haha :) But really, my dad wouldn't say that and neither would our Heavenly Father.


So, my challenge to you all, whoever you are;

 If you are struggling to feel God's precious love for you, get out of your windowless room and go enjoy the sunshine. Take a walk down the street and literally smell some flowers (or a cactus) on the side of the road. Count all of the amazing blessings He has given you. Sit outside and time yourself, for just 10 minutes, write down every single blessing you can think of. If you are still not feeling His love by that point, then get on your knees and pray. Ask Him to make His love known to you.



If you are struggling (like I often do) to see God's love for OTHER people, then I have a different challenge for you :) Smile more. Smile at every person you see. Pray every day for an opportunity to serve. If it is your spouse, your child, your neighbor, your companion, your co-worker, your sibling, the man that cut you off on your way to work or the person who threw a hamburger at you while you were tracting... take a minute and list their good qualities, think of their eternal potential. Write it down. Really let God show you His love for His children. And then anytime you begin to have negative feelings towards that person, pull out your list, or write a new one.

He loves you. Don't forget it. And He loves that annoying coworker, and the wreckless driver.

So open up your arms and soak in some Celestial D!! (sunshine)




Love,
Sister Turley






1 comment:

  1. Sister, I am Sister Edmunds Nana. She directed me to your blog on fb. You make some very good points and are a good writer. Really enjoyed your blog. I will return to it later. god Bless You . Work hard! Sister Chambers

    ReplyDelete