What will you LEARN? What would YOU be willing to sacrifice?

So, I started writing this post a month and a half ago, but then I never finished... it's like lots of things in my life... I start, but then I have to come back to them and finish when I have time - which is NEVER. So, back to a month and a half ago...Back in August, Paige and I went to our very first "Education Week" down on BYU campus. We saw a taping of a few talks from Education Week via the BYU channel at the gym in June, and decided to go to the Monday classes (since we had to go back to school that week). It was really AWESOME! Some of the ideas they shared were very thought provoking! I'll share a few of my favorites...

One of the speakers talked about the "trial" Abraham went through (being asked to sacrifice his son) and talked about how the reason Abraham was asked to do this is because (as Truman Madson puts it) "Abraham needed to learn something about Abraham." This made me think about how (in my opinion) this life is really about LEARNING! I need to learn about myself! I'm here to have experiences that help me to know how committed I REALLY am to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, (and to have joy, but that's another post entirely!). So, I think sometimes the Lord puts experiences in my life not because he wants to know if I'll be committed to Him, but so I know that I am committed to him... In my own words :) I think "Tricia needs to learn something about Tricia..." I'm hear to prove TO MYSELF, that I am worthy to live with the Lord forever - He didn't need me to come here to prove that to Him, He already knows me. I am here so that for eternity I'll KNOW what my real commitment level is. I LOVE that idea and it makes me want to do better... makes me want to "prove to myself" that I can DO IT!

Okay, another big thing that has been running through my mind comes from a "session" with a Brother Bartholomew. His class was INTENSE and AMAZING! He talked about revelation and prayer... One of my favorite ideas from his session was that if you don't have time for scripture study in your life, you need to "carve one out". He also talked about creating your OWN sacred grove in you home. He said his is in a room in the basement and his "daily devotional time" is at 5:30 every morning. He stressed a need to have a set TIME in your day where you can communicate with the Lord and study the scriptures so that you can receive personal revelation in your life! He talked about a process of having a 2-way communication with the Lord that has really CHANGED the way that I pray and CHANGED the way that I read my scriptures! It's amazing how the Lord has been communicating to me via the scriptures and how he's answered questions I didn't even KNOW I should be asking! I've started to pray about what I should pray about... it sounds complicated, but it's really NOT and it's amazing what happens when we stop telling the Lord about our wants and "needs" and start asking him what we should be wanting and needing... think about that one...

The last big idea I'll share was this idea that we receive blessings every time we sacrifice. Let me explain a little about what that means to me personally... We all have "things" (aka "sins/bad habits/etc") in our lives that we could do without, or "things" (aka righteous habits) that we COULD use in our lives. Most of these "things" require us to do without, or to create time for them in our already hectic lives. It takes "sacrifice" on our part to add or take away these "things", but the results are eternally important. These sacrifices are all VERY personal, but the Lord can help you see what they are... Perhaps it's to give an extra $10 in fast offering instead of going out to lunch. Perhaps it's to spend 30 min with your "grandma" who is lonely instead of watching your favorite TV program... let it "stretch you" a bit, if it was easy it wouldn't be a sacrifice! I don't know what YOUR sacrifice needs to be, but we all have something we can sacrifice! The greatest part about "sacrificing" is that when we sacrifice something we LOVE for something that the Lord asks us to do, HE will BLESS US for our efforts! Now realize I'm not saying we should sacrifice everything in our lives that's not perfect, but realize that this is a process that if repeated in our lives (via small and simple steps), eventually we will be able to give "all our sins to know Him!" When we give of ourselves, we come to know who we truly ARE... we see our eternal being, not just this "natural man" we are here on earth... chipping away little pieces of "natural man" to see the "eternal possibilities"!

So, sorry to be so "serious" but these things have really been at the front of my thoughts since that day and have changed my perspective on life and I wanted to share because they make my life better! I think they've helped me to focus on what I really want in my life. What do you think? Please share your thoughts! I'd love to hear them!

A House and Hard things...

A House:
Okay, so it's been a while since I've posted, but I promised my sis (these are for YOU Jamie) some pictures of my house. They painted the inside this week and I think I like it... I'm hoping that it's not too DARK! I got extra lights to try and keep it "light" but then the paint is a little darker than I "wanted" but then I didn't want it much lighter... so I guess I'm going to be living with it, so I should just "love it!"

My room... It's AMAZINGLY HUGE!


The view to the front door...


What will be the kitchen...


The front of the house (and the neighbors :)


The living room...


Hard things:
The past two weeks of my life have been FULL of not bad things, but hard things. I have had lots of things going on lately that require a lot of time, a lot of energy, and are just plain stretching me in so many ways. When I found out about some car problems on Saturday (the 2nd car problem for the week... another $200 down the tubes...) I just thought, "really. REALLY! Does it have to come ALL at once?" And then I decided that it is all about attitude, so I should just be okay with things and the Lord will help me through whatever He sends my way. That didn't mean I wasn't still kinda bummed by the bumps in the road, but that I need to not let them hold me back. I decided the next morning to make the best of things and woke up ready to enjoy an awesome Sunday. After 3 hours of awesome meetings I felt rejuvenated and decided to set new goals to help me have a "fresh start" on life! It's always nice to "start fresh" mentally.
Then, yesterday at the gym, I was thinking about some experiences that have been particularly frustrating to me and this thought came to me... At the time I was on the elliptical (at the gym) and the resistance seemed to be more difficult to push against than normal. The thought came to me, I should put it back down since it "feels" so hard to go at this level. Then, I thought, but if it's harder, then it will help me build stronger muscles. Then the light came on... the Lord sometimes gives us things that "feel" so hard! but if we will just take them on, they will help us build stronger spiritual muscles... I know this is kinda a "dumb" metaphor, but to me it just made sense and helped me want to push through these not so fun experiences. Nothings bad or terribly hard, its just a lot at one time! I know I'll be fine and the extra "resistance" will only help me be spiritually fit! No matter how "hard" it is, it will only build strength and benefit me later on! I can be strong... I can do ANYTHING with the help of the Lord, so "bring it on, baby!!!"