With the challenge of COVID 19 in the world has come some feelings of fear and anxiety among many. For me, though, it wasn't so much a fear of the present; it caused me to wonder about the future and to fear the future.  

​We know that emotions have an effect on our physical, emotional, and mental well-being, so changing our negative emotions to positive emotions is key to having joy, healing, and peace.

​Have you ever got through something and then looked back and thought, "I don't know how I did that!"
We could think of all sorts of situations where this is the case:
-making it through an illness
-making it through a divorce or death
-making it through college
- raising kids
-remodeling a house,
-enduring in a job or a long term task

I came across this scripture the other day:
"Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God."
-Helaman 3:35

After studying the life of Jesus Christ more fully this past year, I pondered the question:
"How has Jesus changed my life?"
Where could I begin?  He is everything to me!  My life would be so empty, so dark, and so hard without Jesus Christ.  I began writing down my thoughts, and a Christmas poem transpired:

Back in 2008, Julio Diaz of New York City did something I cannot recommend, but I love how it turned out.  As he stepped off the subway, he was quickly approached by a teenager with a knife.  The youth demanded Diaz's wallet, which Julio quickly handed over.  This is where Diaz decided to do something out of the ordinary.  

We came to Earth as spiritual beings coming into a physical world.  The challenge in this world has been and always will be to live in a temporal world, constantly bombarded by temporal concerns and ideas, and yet be able to stay connected to the spiritual aspect of ourselves, our God, and  connected to the eternal perspective of this life.

In the movie Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration, there is a scene where a women asks Joseph Smith, "How do you know God even cares?" 

Joseph looks at her with conviction, and says,
"He does care.
And you can know it.
But you have to trust Him."

It reminded me of a story that happened recently in our family.