Personal Journal- Week 2

        I really enjoyed the reading this week. It really rang true to me and helped me understand what was going on around me. A lot of the reading was revelation and warnings from the prophets. The scriptures practically have a list of what we should be doing in our lives to enrich ourselves and others as well as how to avoid falling away from the gospel. I definitely noticed things that people I know personally stopped doing in their life and now I know the source of the reasons why they left the gospel. To me it was very eye-opening and personally very sad for me. However, it was a good experience for me to have because now I know how to avoid these experiences and how to be happier. 

       Someone in my class also related the scriptures to self-help books. I really like her thoughts because she mentioned that in this world so many people are trying to find happiness. They buy self-help books, they search online for ways to be happier and they constantly are trying new things or changing themselves to be happier. Some even compromise their standards to make themselves happier. However, my classmate mentioned that the scriptures ARE self-help books. They clearly tell us what we need to do to find happiness, and I can honestly say from personal experience that she is right. Granted I still have my issues and I struggle from time to time and I' m definitely not perfect but I can honestly say that the happiest moments of my life were when I was living the gospel to my fullest extent. I want to emphasis "MY fullest extent" because no one is the same in their life and we should expect to be like others. 

       Another thing that someone mentioned this week was that Saul became Paul not because an angel came to him, but because he started helping people. Instead of finding the negative, he started to find the positive. He realized the truth and he changed and started to care for the saints and he obviously had a good heart. I realized from her comments that it is important that we help others and do kind deeds to those around us. Good works are so so so important. It also made me realize that no matter WHO someone is they can still have a good heart.