Detoxing Our Lives

My companion and I have had a recent run in with some unfortunate guests. A little under a week ago, I woke up with bug bites all up and down my right arm. Well, I didn't really notice them until a day or two later when they began to itch. We spoke to our mission housing coordinator and he gave us the instruction to bag up ALL of our clothing and bedding and wash it in hot water. Let me clarify for a moment that it is two sister missionaries in their early twenties living in this apartment. That is a lot of clothes!!! But we got started anyway. About half way through bagging up all of our clothes, we called the mission president and his wife and we had a nice little talk( more like a freak out) about what was happening and how we were feeling. My companion and I both were ready to walk away from the whole thing. Burn the clothes, send the apartment up in smoke and get us the heck out because we were ready to be done!  But obviously that wasn't something that we could do.

After reassessing the situation(i.e. type of bugs, who was bitten and where,) we had established that not as many detox measures were necessary. But we still washed all of my belongings, flipped my bed and box spring on their sides and thoroughly doused them in insecticide, as well as the carpet and floor boards near and around my bed.  By the time that we went to bed last night we were both exhausted and feeling slightly at ease, assuming that the problem had been taken care of.

Lesson number 100 from this experience, never assume. My companion awoke this morning with new bug bites of her own. More washing and cleaning took place all day today and now we are even more sure that we are officially de-bugged.

But the point of this blog post is not to complain about our problems. Thankfully, through this whole experience we were both able to see the very clear gospel parallel. Bedbugs = Sin.

No one really knows what invited the bugs to come live in my bedroom. It could have been a window or a door left open too long. It could have been a crumb or two dropped when eating in that room. It could be any number of things, but we know that it was a lack of concentration on our part. We missed something along the way, and one thing lead to another and a bug got in. That bug got comfy, and invited some friends. The same principle applies to sin. We lose focus, or get lazy, or get careless even for the shortest time. Thinking "I can eat on my bed, its not gonna hurt anything" or "I can allow this small little mistake to slip by." and before we know it our lives are filled with unwanted filthy sinful habits that take a lot of time and resources and effort to remove from our lives. Who knew that something so simple could eventually lead to something so problematic.

That is a mindset that we get sucked into all of the time. We allow ourselves to get comfortable with sin.

I know that our loving Heavenly Father blesses us with guideposts to keep us safe, healthy and most importantly, Happy!  The commandments are those guideposts to a full and happy life. God is the creator of the universe. He created the earth and all things thereon, wouldn't it make sense that He would know what rules and guidelines to put in place to protect his children from the things on the earth??!!

I have a strong testimony that God is our Father and He loves us more than we can ever comprehend. I know that He blesses His children. I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I know that it has truly been a blessing in my life. I invite all who read this to ponder what the bedbugs are in your life and to take care of them now! :)

Thanks so much for readin!
Love, Sister Petersen

For I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ

Hello!

This week I have been thinking a lot about following Jesus Christ and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. My missionary companion pulled out this poem and I immediately fell in love with it.

I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed.

The dye has been cast! 

I have stepped over the line. 

The decision has been made; 

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. 

I won’t look back, let up, slow down, or be still.

 My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. 

I’m finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tainted visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits or popularity. 

I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, and my goal is Heaven.

My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear!

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided or delayed. 

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, or let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up, for the cause of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till I know, and work till He stops me. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ," (Romans 1:16)

In Philippians 4:13 Paul states, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.', and also in the Doctrine & Covenants 24:7 it says, 'For thou shalt devote all thy service in Zion, and in this thou shalt have strength.' It seems like such a blessed cycle. We have to do our best to represent the Savior and to do what we know to be true, but all the while He is still blessing us with the strength that we need to be His witnesses. 

Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, The Young Women General President, swapped a scripture that I really loved. Many of us have heard the scripture, 'Of whom much is given, much is required.' Sister Oscarson swapped it and said, 'Of whom much is required, much is given.' The blessings that come from being a disciple of Christ are innumerable! May we always remember to serve the Savior with every fiber of our beings and He blesses us with the extra strength to continue! 

Thanks for readin! 

Love, Sister Petersen

Gratitude Is A Way of Life

Hello, Its me again. And I've been thinking, (I know, I know, people warn me about thinking all the time but I still do it.) I've been thinking a lot about life, specifically our lives and how we can live them. People are always looking for the cure to unhappiness or looking for the ultimate "How to live a good life" book. Well, I think that those things don't exist. There is no cure. There is no magical book. There is no secret to life. But there is a secret to being happy in our circumstances. Gratitude.

In his April 2014 Conference address, President Dieter F. Utchdorf stated,
"We can choose to be grateful, no matter what. This type of gratitude transcends whatever is happening around us. It surpasses disappointment, discouragement, and despair. It blooms just as beautifully in the icy landscape of winter as it does in the pleasant warmth of summer. When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace."

That sounds like a pretty comforting promise to me. "In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven's embrace." I love that! Our Father in Heaven loves us and is always raining His blessings upon us, but it is when we allow our gratitude to open our eyes that we are more aware of those blessings. When I think of the times that I am the happiest in my life, its been when I recognize the countless ways that God has blessed me. One of my favorite things to think about is the fact that our blessings literally multiply when we count them. 

I am so very grateful for my Heavenly Father and the love that He has for me. I know that He sent His son to the earth to atone for the sins of the world, I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. I am so very grateful to my Father in Heaven for the family that He has blessed me with, and I am even more grateful that my parents made the decision to be married for time and all eternity in the temple!

Love, Sister Petersen

P.S. I am also super grateful to those out there that take the time to read what I have to say. :)