I must confess that I have put off writing my blog for this assignment. We are to post what we have learned and share that with others. What I have learned this week is that my Heavenly Father loves me and that Jesus Christ died for me. I have always known this and have a strong testimony and a knowledge but this week I really needed to have reminder. 

As part of our Gathering our teacher had a student read from 3 Nephi when the Savior came to visit the righteous in the Americas after his resurrection. What made it amazing was that she had us close our eyes and picture us being a part of that visitation. Each one of us had tears in our eyes when Mike finished reading. I felt that I was there and touched the wounds in his hands and in his side. It renewed my spirit and brought home the fact that Jesus Christ is MY Savior. 

One of my favorite hymns is "I Stand All Amazed". The second verse always hits home to me. "I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine, to rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine." I always feel that is me, and I am so grateful that He made that sacrifice so that I can return to my heavenly home, if I make the right decisions. 

I am grateful for the Pathway program that is helping me to stay grounded in the gospel and also helping me to be able to study the scriptures and learn what I need to learn. 

What I have been thinking about the last couple of weeks is where do I stand as a daughter of God. I have been reading in Helaman in the Book of Mormon how in just a few years the people would go from being righteous to contentious. From praising God to saying there is no God. How do I not follow their example.
Growing up I never considered myself a spiritual person. I loved the Lord and I knew the Church was true, but I never had the burning desire to put a lot of effort into studying the scriptures or even spending a lot of time in prayer. So how did I remain faithful when other members of my family did not?
This is question I ask myself all the time. I still don't know all the answers but I do know that life has taught me hard lessons and not once did I turn from the Lord or His teachings. It is just not my nature.
I read about the those that turn from the Lord in the scriptures, especially in Helaman, and feel that they had been compelled to be humble and it just didn't change who they were at the core.  They acknowledged Christ, they did what they were asked to do and the Lord felt they were sincere enough to bless them. But it did not take long for them to become prideful and turn away once again. I wrote once before about Laman and Lemuel and how when faced with adversity they had not sunk their spiritual roots deep and when adversity came they were quick to contention and rebellion. I see the same things with the people of Helaman's time. There were some that did take the gospel to heart. That went through a change of heart and were a righteous people. They were the minority. The better part of the people had not sunk their roots deep and were quick to return to their previous lives.
So how deep are my roots? I am hopeful that they are very deep but I also know that I must do more to become closer to my Heavenly Father and His Son. As I study the scriptures I am gaining a better understanding of the gospel. As I read conference talks I gain a better understanding of what the Lord wants me to know today. As I pray more I gain the spirit to guide me through my day and help me to overcome the obstacles I face.
I am learning to work each day at becoming a better daughter of God.