Jesus Fed the Hungry and So Can You

I'm afraid I didn't do much in this challenge either, partially because I had a full day of errands and wedding stuff, not to mention work.

So, I feel the least I can do is send a positive message to my dozens of friends who are still in school and are hungry for success and relief:

The end is near, my friends! I wish you well in your final exams of the semester. I give you permission to sing your favorite Christmas (or holiday) song in triumph after each completed exam. Above all, I hope you each can find a reason to be grateful for each class you've taken this semester. :)

I try to share my resources to worthy causes and circumstances when I can.

Jesus Read the Scriptures and So Can You

I try to "feast upon the word of God" each day. I am very grateful for the light and truth in the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

This is one of my favorite verses:

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."--John 16:33

...coupled with this verse...

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."--Philippians 4:13

Jesus Healed the Sick and So Can You

Did I help heal the sick today? Did I somehow aid someone in their journey to recovery? Did I follow Christ's example today?

To be honest, I can't think of anything. I can't think of anything I did today that helped heal the sick. What I did do today, apart from go to work, was attend a Christmas party, volunteer for some silly Christmas charades and sing-alongs, filled a few empty minutes on stage with some beat-boxing and echo-voice, lost my ring, and have it found again.

Oh, I can think of something. I had all these letters to send out, and my fiancee had been quite anxious and stressed that I hadn't gotten it done this past week (which is strange, because all of hers were sent a couple weeks ago, not sure why she was stressed about my half). Anyway, I was finally able to stamp and mail the letters today. I informed her of my victory, and she replied with appreciation. I suppose that can be a bit of healing: reducing someone's anxiety.

It has been a nice day, anyhow. I am grateful for today, for the things I accomplished, and for the things I lost, found, and gave freely.

Jesus Worshiped His Father and So Can You

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has released a neat initiative for this Christmas season. You can find it here. There is a new challenge every day to follow the example of Jesus Christ in our interactions with others and in our personal spiritual lives. I didn't discover it until today, so I'm missing the first few days. Nevertheless, I'm going to participate in this initiative, and that will inform my posts of gratitude from now until Christmas.

So, today focused on worshiping God. An example of this is offering a prayer every day. I do have a habit of praying daily, so today I focused on being more focused during church. It helped that I was fasting for a special, personal purpose. As I ignored my usual distractions, I felt more light. I felt more enlightened with thoughts and ideas on small things I can improve on today. I was better at worshiping God today than I was last week! I am grateful for the personal blessings and inspirations I received when I focused more on Christ this Sabbath Day.

Fun with a New Game

I made up a game today, a small, simple game that uses chess pieces. Well, I tried it with a few friends today, and it turned out to be a harder, more interesting game than I originally planned. Maybe it was just the right circumstances. Anyway, I am grateful that my friends and I had a great time together with a new game.

Warm Pajamas

As much as I have been enjoying my current apartment, my one complaint is that the windows aren't very well insulated, and there's a large window right by my bed. This requires me to bundle up a bit as I go to sleep. That is why I am grateful to be able to wear pajamas that can keep me sufficiently warm.

Reflecting the "Niceness" of the Year While Writing to Santa

I haven't written a letter to Santa since I was...oh...about 7 or 8, give or take a few years. Yet today, I wrote one, and I'm glad I did. Granted, it was meant to be a message to a "Secret Santa," in which case I was just informing whoever would be assigned to me my likes and dislikes regarding small, inexpensive gifts.

Still, I decided to approach my letter as an actual letter to Santa. This led me to reflect on how I have been in 2016, a year some may consider an awful one, a long one.

For me, personally, it has been the best of my life. This year alone, I did the following:

Graduated college
Played several epic D&D adventures (and made great friends in the process)
Fell in love (and grew in love)
Found a full-time job
Got engaged

And the best days of the year (Christmas season) have barely begun! In my opinion, the best is yet to come!

Of course, I understand that all of these great things are personal to me. Not everyone's year has been so fortunate. Even so, we all have something to be grateful for, every single day.

Santa Claus is known to check his naughty/nice list. How have you changed this past year? Surely you have improved in some way because you now have another year's worth of life lessons and experiences. :)