30 Day Challenge: Day 25

Question: What should I teach about in my lesson for singing time this week?

Answer: Alma 37:36-41

My Interpretation:
Verse 36-37: Interestingly talks about "let(ting) all thy doing be unto the Lord" and "counsel(ing) with the Lord in all they doings, and He will direct thee for good." (It was like a confirmation from Heavenly Father, that it was good for me to be seeking His will in this, as I strive to do each week for my lesson).
Verse 38: Speaks of the Liahona, or compass, that God prepared for Lehi and His family.
Verse 39: Says that the Liahona was "prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness."  At first I was like "Liahona?" Then I thought "What is OUR Liahona today?" And I realized it was the scriptures. Like with the Liahona, the scriptures have been prepared by Heavenly Father as a guide for us, so that we will be able to travel the path of life safely back home to Heavenly Father. As I pondered, the words of the song "The Iron Rod" came to my mind "the iron rod is the word of God (scriptures), will safely guide us thru."
Verse 40: Speaks of how the Liahona worked according to Lehi's family's faith in God. If they had faith that it would point them in the right direction (to the promised land), and diligently heeded it, they were guided aright.
This made me think about our reading in Book of Mormon Stories yesterday from Alma 32, which teaches that if we have the desire to believe the scriptures, and plant even just a seed of faith in our hearts, then experiment on the scriptures teachings, we will come to know that they are true, for they will lead to good works, feelings of joy and peace, and bring us closer to God.
It also made me think about the story we read from The Friend yesterday that talked about how we gain a testimony (or help that seed of faith grow into a tree).
After reading the scriptures, I turned to read the sharing time lesson for this week, and these words stood out to me: "tell the children that we can find Heavenly Father's plan for us in the scriptures."
So, I felt like I should make that my theme: that we can find Heavenly Father's plan for us in the scriptures. That to go with that, I should read the story from the friend, and talk about how the scriptures are our modern day Liahona, and discuss the things that the scriptures teach us about Heavenly Father's plan (those things we must do while on our mortal path).

Question #2: The other question that had been on my mind last night and this morning was "How can I forgive myself for my mistakes?" (as inspired by Tia's thoughts from her Daily Question #20 and the inspiration I was reminded of yesterday for how I can overcome my depression and be happy: (1) forgive myself (and not look back at past mistakes), (2) recognize my blessings, (3) trust in Christ and His Atoning power and grace, (4) remember that I am loved perfectly and have inherent divine worth).
Answer: This morning, as I was reading Book of Mormon stories to the kids, I read about how "Alma had suffered because of his guilt. Then he remembered his father's teachings about Jesus and he knew his sins could be forgiven. Alma prayed for forgiveness, and joy replaced the pain of his soul. He was forgiven because he had faith in Jesus Christ and had repented. Since then Alma has taught others the gospel so they could feel the same joy he had felt. God had blessed Alma because of his trust in God."
Then I read to the kids from the Friend about how Enos had prayed about what was worrying him (including for forgiveness, etc.).
As I read these stories, I realized that I haven't been fully trusting in God's ability and desire to forgive me. And that I need to have faith that he truly has forgiven me as I have repented of my mistakes, to trust in His unconditional love (that I am loved no matter what I do), and to allow His cleansing peace to wash away my guilt.