This weekly reflection focuses on Ether 1:33-2:25; This section of scriptures covers The Jaredites’ journey to America from the view of the Brother of Jared.

Hello Everyone!

This week in my Book of Mormon class we talked about the Brother of Jared and his people’s journey to America. I can’t put my finger on what exactly touched me in that lesson but I felt the spirit strongly throughout the entire class period. God answers prayers, every single one of them! His answers may not come immediately or in a way that we would hope, but He does answer them. The important thing to remember is to be ready and willing to receive the answers He has for us.

The Brother of Jared is an excellent example of how one should act in order to hear the answers to our prayers. He was meek and humble, willing to accept whatever answer the Lord would give him. Because of his childlike faith, he was able to receive the answers he needed to eventually lead his people all the way to the Americas.

Something interesting that Brother Griffin pointed out in class is that God tends to answer prayers in three ways:

1 – He “speaks peace to your mind” – He tells you not to worry, He will take care of it all

2 – He gives you step-by-step instructions on what to do

3 – He allows you to use your agency. With these answers you use what you know and find your own way.

The Brother of Jared received each of these types of answers in Ether 2:18-25 and 3:1-6. Throughout our lives we will all receive answers like these, and with each answer given we will have to learn to accept them in faith (easier said than done!). Most of us probably won’t see the hand of Jesus in this lifetime, but as we learn to move forward in faith we can certainly all feel His hand in ours lives.

I have a strong testimony that Heavenly Father hears and answers all prayers. All we need to do is be willing and ready to listen for when those answers come. For this week and the next as finals drawer ever closer, I’m going to try my hardest to keep this in mind. I promise to try to keep my mind and heart open so I can be ready to receive the answers Heavenly Father may have for me.

Until next time,

See ya!

Hello Everyone!

In D&C 59:9-12 it reads:

 9 And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;

 10 For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;

 11 Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times;

 12 But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.

This past Sunday was a wake up call for me in terms of keeping the Sabbath! Sacrament meeting, Sunday School, and Relief Society were all focused on the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy.

During Sacrament Meeting, the Bishop’s wife gave an awesome talk about what it means to keep the Sabbath day holy, and how it’s different for everyone. The important thing to remember is that the way we choose to use our Sundays is sending a message to God about how important He is in our lives. Everyone has the right to keep the Sabbath in the way that they feel best, but shouldn’t judge others for not choosing to use it the same way.

Some people think you ought to stay in your Sunday best all day, others change as soon as they get home. Some people choose to keep the TV and computers off for the whole day, others don’t see a problem in it. The point is, keeping the Sabbath is about how you feel your reverence can be shown towards God. Personally, I try to stay away from anything that makes me feel angry and unable to feel the spirit; like homework or certain TV shows (even though I probably shouldn’t watch shows like that at any time…). However, I still go on Pinterest, I like to bake treats, and I don’t see a problem in having company over. Generally, none of these things keep me from feeling the spirit, so I don’t feel bad about doing them. Others might think it’s absolutely not okay to have guests on a Sunday, and that’s okay. It’s all about the message you want to send to Heavenly Father.

I know there are definitely things I can improve on in keeping the Sabbath, and I’ll certainly keep trying to do better. I’m grateful for the many great leaders there are in this Church to help guide me closer to Heavenly Father.

Until next time,

See ya!

Hi Everyone!

During Sacrament meeting this Sunday we had a bunch of talks on things such as tithing, fast offerings, and the Law of Consecration. Towards the end of the meeting our awesome Bishop spoke to us more about service, and the importance it has in the role of our eternal salvation. This sacrament meeting was really touching to me, and it made me want to try and make service a more central part of my life.

In Doctrine & Covenants 42:30-42 talks about the Law of Consecration in great detail. The Law of Consecration is a Celestial law, so we’ll never be able to apply it perfectly into our lives in this life, but we can always strive harder to better fulfill it. I would like to become the kind of person that centers her life on service, big and small. I want to be a kind and loving mother, a devoted teacher in church callings, and whenever possible, working on service projects. That’s not who I am right now, but if I keep working at it every day, I can eventually get to that point. To become the kind of person I would like to be, I need to start everyday with a willingness to serve. It’s the small steps that lead to big changes.

That’s all for now! Until next time,

See ya!

Matthew 18:2-4

 2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Hey Everyone!

This week while reading an article in The Ensign where this verse was referenced. The article was “Your Next Step” by Elder Randall K. Bennett. In it, Elder Bennett discussed ways in which we can improve and learn to be more like Heavenly Father so we can return to live with Him. The part that stuck out most to me, was that we need to humble ourselves and become “as little children”. It’s something that is taught a lot in church, but something I could personally apply better into my life.

What does it mean to be like a child? Children are humble and overall pretty sweet. They look at others without preconceived notions and without judgement (unless taught to do so). They soak up knowledge and are willing to be taught. Children are very mold-able. That is how we all need to be so that the Holy Ghost can guide and teach us.

Obviously kids aren’t always the way described above. I’ve got a few nieces and nephews that can sometimes be downright ornery. But they all have moments of sweetness that I could use to model my life after, as could we all.

For this next week I plan to try and become more humble and willing to be molded into what He would have me be.

Until next time,

See ya!

I love my Heavenly Father.

He has been so good to me in my life in more ways than I can ever number. Just thinking about the many blessings I have been given reminds me of His love! He’s been there for me during both the sweetest moments and the most bitter trials in my life. Though I don’t always feel His presence in the midst of my trials, I always recognize His hand in helping me through by the end of them!

I watched 17 Miracles with my sister yesterday morning and it made me feel incredibly grateful for the goodness of God. He may not make our trials go away, but He can help us bear them, if we let Him. I know he helped the pioneers in the Willie & Martin Handcart Company throughout their trials by giving them support physically and spirtually. I felt the spirit testify to me throughout the movie that the stories told were true.

In my Book of Mormon class a while ago we talked about King Limhi and his people in Mosiah 21. Brother Griffin showed us the difference between King Limhi’s enslavement and Alma’s group’s enslavement. Alma and his group humbled themselves before God from the very beginning of their trials. Because of this, God helped ease their burdens and their enslavement was significantly shorter than that of Limhi’s people. Limhi’s people on the other hand, went to war three times against the Lamanites and lost many of their men in the battles. Each time they fought, the worse their situations became. It took Limhi’s people 24 years of suffering to finally humble themselves before God. Only then did He begin to help them.

I can apply this into my own life by remembering that I need to humble myself and be willing to accept the Lord’s help and will. I know that as I do so He will lead me down the path that is best for me.

Until next time,

See ya!

Hello Everyone!

There are many times in life where we feel we have been wronged. Whether those wrongs are real or perceived, it is important to learn to let it go. Holding onto past offenses does nothing to improve our situations, but it can lead us down very bad paths that we never thought we would take. If I’m being perfectly honest with myself, I do get pretty easily offended, and I have a very hard time letting those offenses go. There’s something that feels weirdly satisfying about staying angry, but it never really improves my situation and honestly it just continues to make me miserable. When I let go however, life is happier.

In my Book of Mormon class this week we went over Mosiah 10. In this chapter it talks about the Lamanites’ hatred towards the Nephites. We then talked about Laman and Lemuel and how they felt they had been wronged throughout their lives. They taught their children that Lehi and Nephi’s sins were the cause of the family being “driven out” of Israel. In turn, Laman and Lemuel’s children told these false stories to their children. Generation after generation told fake tales of how Nephi constantly wronged poor, innocent Laman and Lemuel, and how he dared “steal” the brass plates (that they weren’t even using, but that’s conveniently left out of the stories’ retelling). Whats truly sad about this, is that in Laman and Lemuel’s twisted minds, they probably do feel like they’re the ones that were wronged. Thanks to their inability to move on, they caused generations upon generations of vicious hatred towards the Nephites, keeping their posterity from being able to learn the gospel.

I don’t want to end up like Laman and Lemuel, where I let my anger and hurt feelings get so out of control that I ruin my own life. So, I’m making a goal this week to try not to let myself get so easily offended. Wish me luck (or pray for me, that might be better!)

Until next time,

See ya!

Hi everyone!

What a week! Midterms have just started for me and they won’t be over til the end of this week. I’ve been praying daily that I will have a quick and sharp mind so that I might do well on the tests I’ve had so far. Thankfully, I don’t feel too bad about them! What I’ve been thinking about a lot this past week is how much Heavenly Father has helped keep me afloat, in more ways than one! For starters, I had been having a really hard time on my calculus review, and I couldn’t see what I wasn’t getting. So naturally, I prayed (begged) that Heavenly Father would help me find the answers I need. The next morning I decided to go to my professor’s office hours. I could only stay for 30 minutes and there’s usually about 10 other kids that come so I wasn’t expecting to get much help there. Amazingly, I was the only one there! Because of that I was able to get all of my questions answered in the 30 minutes I was able to stay! I honestly feel that it was an answer to my prayers and I feel very blessed for it. I’m so grateful to have a Heavenly Father that is willing to help me in my times of need.

I’ve been trying these past few weeks to recognize God’s answers to my prayers. I always try to remind myself that Heavenly Father answers every prayer, even if it’s not the answer I wanted. This thought reminds me of 2 Nephi 5:1-8, where Nephi prays to Heavenly Father about his brothers’ anger and is advised to take whoever will follow him and flee into the wilderness. I seriously doubt that was the answer Nephi wanted, nevertheless he obeyed and was ultimately blessed for it. As I receive answers in my life that aren’t exactly what I want, I would like to keep this scripture in mind.

Well that’s all I have for now!

Until next time,

See ya!

Hey everyone!

In my American Heritage class this past week we talked about the founding of America, specifically we talked about the revolution and the Founding Fathers. As I learned more about our Founding Fathers, especially George Washington, I felt the spirit testify to me that these men were sent by God to prepare the way for the Gospel to come in America.

Throughout my years in middle school and high school, many of my teachers taught about these men with a hint of sarcasm and even a little bit of disdain. They’d point out the many flaws these men undoubtedly had and did their best to remind us that they  were no more perfect than you or me. I know it’s true; they obviously weren’t perfect. They may have been racist, they may have been more wealthy than most of the “common folk” of America, they may even have had ambitions that were less than golden. These men definitely had their flaws, but they stood out among the rest of the people of this time period. They performed acts of valor and goodness unheard of in those times. George Washington was an amazing leader, and his actions throughout his life in service of his country were nothing short of heroic. The same goes for our other Founding Fathers as well. They set up a government that paved the way for men to be free. I am so grateful to God for sending these patriots.Without them, the freedoms many people throughout the world have today would not be available.

One of the scriptures I read this week was 2 Nephi 10:9-14, seen below:

 9 Yea, the kings of the Gentiles shall be nursing fathers unto them, and their queens shall become nursing mothers; wherefore, the promises of the Lord are great unto the Gentiles, for he hath spoken it, and who can dispute?

 10 But behold, this land, said God, shall be a land of thine inheritance, and the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land.

 11 And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles.

 12 And I will fortify this land against all other nations.

 13 And he that fighteth against Zion shall perish, saith God.

 14 For he that raiseth up a king against me shall perish, for I, the Lord, the king of heaven, will be their king, and I will be a light unto them forever, that hear my words.

These verses only increase my gratitude for the men that paved the way to the world we live in today.

Until next time,

See ya!

Hello everyone!

This week was C R A Z Y! I’m suddenly feeling swamped with homework, unfortunately that’s really my own fault. Procrastination is an ugly thing folks; don’t do it!

Despite the stresses I’ve gotten myself into this week, there were plenty of bright points throughout! This General Women’s Conference was especially uplifting! I truly adored the messages shared by our leaders, but I especially loved the talks given by Rosemary Wixom and President Uchtdorf.

What stood out to me in Sister Wixom’s talk was the message that God is always there for us. He loves us and can see our true potential, even when we don’t see it ourselves. It sounds cliche but I know it’s the truth! I know Heavenly Father loves us and knows us individually. I really loved the message at the end that Sister Wixom shared with us; once we begin to see the divinity within ourselves, we can begin to see it in others. I know this is the truth, as we begin to feel more comfortable of our own selves we are more willing to love and serve others, just as Jesus did.

President Uchtdorf is the bomb! That’s fact! I always find something in his talks inspiring and this talk was no different! You see all these exclamation parts I’m using? That’s how you know I mean it! The story of Ava and her great aunt Rose was touching, and resonated with me in many ways. The message I got out of this talk was that life on Earth is meant to be happy. Just like it says in 2 Nephi 2:27; “…men are, that they might have joy.” This life is full of trials and hardships, and it’s okay to feel sad about these things, but we can still find things in life to be happy about. God can help us to see the good in life if we ask Him to help us see it.

After watching Women’s Conference tonight I decided to make a commitment this week that I would pray for the ability to see the good in my life, and that I might be able to take that good and use it to serve others around me. And with that, I’ll bring this post to a close.

Until next week,

See ya!

Photo by Jaren Wilkey/BYU

Hello there! My name is Lexie Wilsted, owner of this whimsical little blog, Life À La Lexie! I’ve been considering starting this blog for months, but never really got around to it. Now, just three weeks into my first semester at BYU, I’ve finally done it!

In truth, I created this blog in my first week of school, but I just couldn’t get myself to write this first post until now. Why not? Because this is the first post, the post that the rest of my blog will have to build on! That’s pretty scary! So, in my usual Lexie-style, I spent hours thinking about how to make the perfect first post that would help me create the perfect blog. I read all sorts of blog posts on writing tips, I asked my family for advice, and of course, I prayed that a magical wave of inspiration would hit me and I would be able to write the most kick-butt first post ever. A post that would put the rest of those big bloggers’ first posts to shame! I did everything I could, except actually starting this dang post! So finally, after 2 weeks of nothing, I’ve decided to just say to heck with it and get this blog started. Perfect or not, this post needed to happen. Who needs perfect anyways? Well, we all do eventually I guess, but right now, perfection is impossible!

My plans for this blog are up in the air at the moment. I’ve always wanted to start a cooking blog where I post delicious recipes and then adoring readers admire pictures of my awesome food and vow to try the recipes themselves but never actually do it. (Kind of like what I’ve always done.) However, living in a dorm doesn’t really allow for a blog filled with fancy recipes, and I’m not in a financial state where I can afford to make complicated recipes every week right now. So my cooking blog dreams will have to wait. Instead, I’ll be using this blog as a place for weekly reflections from my Book of Mormon class. I’m also considering occasionally posting college student friendly recipes, but that will depend on whether or not  I can stand to use the tiny kitchen in the dorm basement. Time will tell if that really ever happens or not.

Well there we have it, my first blog post! It’s far from perfect but it’s finally complete, done, finito! Now that this terrifying post is over, I can start worrying about what I’m going write for my next blog post.

Until then,

See ya!