Study

Sometimes the best way to study a topic is to have others study it with you.

I came to know this on my mission, and once again was reminded of it recently. There have been a few topics of doctrines and principles that I have been meaning to study more and more about, and at times I have studied them more in depth. But there are times when I feel like I can't get any more revelation on the topic. There are questions that I just don't have answered.

When this would happen on my mission I would often ask my companion for their opinion. If she didn't have answers I would go to my leaders and my mission president. I would have already looked up these topics online on LDS.org but wasn't satisfied. More often then not, my companion or leaders would get back to me on the topic and would answer it in an inspired way.

I understand that this isn't always the case. There are times when the answers do not come even after much pondering, fasting, praying, and going to the temple. I understand that there are times when our leaders give us answers that don't satisfy the questions that we have posed. I understand that you may feel like you have exhausted all your resources to get an answer and will still be just as confused, if not more, than you were before.

This is when we wait with patience for the Lord to reveal to us the mysteries later.

D&C 25:4- Murmur not because of the things which thou hast not seen, for they are withheld from thee and from the world, which is wisdom in me in a time to come.

There are my two cents for this week. It's a little weak, but there you go.

here's a link to a talk that isn't really related, but can be in some ways...

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1989/10/murmur-not?lang=eng

Goal setting

Goals were always before me on my mission. We would set daily goals, weekly goals, transfer goals, etc.

http://firecider.com/blogs/news/16395573-setting-s-m-a-r-t-goals

So one would expect a returned missionary to be good at setting and accomplishing goals right? Well, unfortunately, many of us don't keep up on that skill. Yet, there are some that do. 

Recently I have been trying harder to keep up on my goals. And truly the way to keep up on them is to be accountable for them. It's also good to set goals that actually mean something to you so that you stay motivated. 

Preach My Gospel has a great section on goal setting and using time wisely as well as accountability. Check it out! Here's a little bit from it:

"Goals reflect the desires of our hearts and our vision of what we can accomplish. Through goals and plans, our hopes are transformed into action. Goal setting and planning are acts of faith." -PMG

"I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.”

–Elder M. Russell Ballard

I love that we are not expected to always meet our goals, we can tweak them to fit us better. Sometimes we set our expectations too high, not only for ourselves but for others too. It's rough when we don't reach our goals, but instead of beating ourselves up about not reaching the goal, we can take a step back and figure out what we can do with a little bit of stretching. 

Someone who isn't very flexible is not going to be able to touch their toes in one day, they will have to stretch just a little bit every day until they can touch their toes. 

God doesn't expect us to become like Him in one day. Becoming like God is a process, it takes time to get to that point. It takes time to stretch and grow and become like Him. We are spiritually so so young! And we only have been in a body for a few short mortal years! We have so much to learn and grow that we don't really have time to beat up on ourselves. 

God sees so much more of our potential than what we see ourselves, we must learn to trust in Him and His plan. He will help us reach our potential more fully than anyone else can. As we prayerfully set goals, we can reach the stars! 

Three temptations

One of my favorite zone meetings was about fulfilling our purpose. The way that the leaders decided to present the topic was to present the three temptations that prevent us from fulfilling our purpose.

Now, before I write those down, I want to make clear that these things prevent any of us from fulfilling any of our purposes. Whatever may be on your to do list, completing a project at work, etc.

Some of us may wonder "what is my purpose?" There are many answers I could give to that question, the most basic being to become like God and return home to Him. For more specific ways on how to do that, I encourage you to turn to the Lord through study and prayer and He will help you find specific goals of how to fulfill your purpose right now.

...

First off is TIME... here's an example from Elder Oaks
"None of us should be like the fisherman who thinks he has been fishing all day when in reality he has spent most of his time getting to and from the water, eating lunch, and fussing with his equipment. Fishing success is related to how long you have your line in the water, not to how long you are away from the apartment. Some fishermen are away from home for twelve hours and have their line in the water for ten hours. Other fishermen are away from home for twelve hours and have their line in the water for only two hours. This last type may wonder why they do not have the same success as others."

As we go out to fulfill our purpose, how much time are we really focused on fulfilling our purpose and how much time are we sitting around eating lunch or fussing with our equipment? Yes, there does need to be time for those things, but how much time are you wasting as you strive to fulfill your purpose? Two minutes every day does build up. What ways can you spend your time more wisely? How can planning help that?


I know that I am guilty of being the lax fisherman who doesn't have his line in the water very long at all. Yet, I am beginning to see that and I'm figuring out new ways of how I can plan more effective and productive activities for my day to help me fulfill my purpose and progress. All of which have been found through study and prayer as I have carefully and thoughtfully planned out my days. The Lord answers (Matthew 7:7).

Next is INDECISION...
What makes us indecisive? Fear, lack of revelation, lack of plans? There are many reasons of why we may be indecisive.

One scripture that was shared with us was 2 Timothy 1:7- "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Sometimes we are so caught up in the "I have to pray about this" that we forget that the Lord has also given us a sound mind and that at times we must make our own decisions. As long as we are anxiously engaged in a good cause, and we have also made the decision to follow God as He guides us, then we are fine.

One of my favorite quotes "you can not steer a parked car." Many times we must go forward with faith and trust that all will be well.

Another thing that will help us all with indecision is having back up plans. When you are trying to fulfill your purpose and all your plans to do so don't work out, go try fishing in a different spot. Don't just go home and call it a day, but say, "hey, maybe the water is better over here. I'll drop my line here instead."

Last is "My will vs. Thy will"
John 6:38  "For I came down from heaven, not do to mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."
Sometimes we are so gung ho and think we are doing everything that God wants us to do, but in reality, we are not. We forget to pray and find out His will. We think we know better. We think that because of our experience, we can figure this problem out on our own.

http://pixshark.com/kneeling-in-prayer.htm

Well, why not ask God, the being that knows all things past, present, and future? His experience and His knowledge is much more vast than yours. Hmm....

Humility is key my friends, take time to kneel and ask the Father what He would have you do. I promise you that as you do so, your mind will be clearer of which path you ought to take to fulfill your purpose.

I just want to wrap this up by saying that I know that our Father in Heaven answers our prayers. He is anxious to help us, all we need to do is ask. He is so pleased when we come to Him with a broken heart and contrite spirit ready to learn from Him. He loves seeing us grow up spiritually. He loves to see us take accountability for our actions and our growth. He is happy when we decide to be agents unto our selves and take our purpose seriously. I am grateful that the atonement is real and that is makes it possible for me to change and grow, for without it, I would be nothing. I am grateful for the enabling power of the atonement, grace, which gives me the strength to fulfill my purpose.

God speaks through...Poetry

Something I learned before and on my mission is that God speaks to all of us differently.

Many times the most powerful answers I received took form of a poem. I would have a question or two and God would grab my pen and let the words flow through my head, heart, and hand onto the blank page in my journal.

I have posted poems before, and here is a new one in it's first draft:

Father, I don't understand what is eating me.
What is making me feel incomplete?
I do not need others' approval to know I am fine,
Just yours and apparently mine.
So why do I wallow in despair,
When I know You've always been there?
How come I writhe in pain,
As if I've been hit by a train?
The adversary throws his darts,
But I do not need let them enter my heart.
I am strong and bold,
He doth not have power to afflict my soul!
For Christ is my strength and my song,
And with Him, nothing will go wrong.
He is my Savior and my King!
To Him, my praises I'll sing.
I shall not ever fear,
For I know that He is always near.
He is my rock and my salvation,
No matter what storms I'm facin'.
To Him I will cling
For I understand the peace He can bring.

https://toleavealegacy.wordpress.com/

He makes me complete,
And one day I'll kneel at His feet.
I'll wash His feet with my tears,
And these are the words I'll hear-
"I'm so proud of you and what you've done,
Look at all the battles that together we've won.
Well done my good and faithful servant,
Look around and welcome home- you have done it."
He'll pick me up and give me love,
My Friend I've trusted from above.
He's done everything and pulled me through,
It seems not enough to only say "thank you."
I know to Him I'm worth it,
Therefore I can not wallow in my pit.
For if I mean so much to Him,
This is where my story must begin.
He saves me again and again,
So that I'll be beautiful in the end.
His light is inside, I can feel it grow,
It's time to open up and let it show.
For He is who I am deep down inside,
It's now time to let Him control the ride.
Give Him my all, my life, my best,
And then sit back and forget the rest.
I thank Thee Father for this day,
And for this great opportunity to reflect and to pray.

I'm grateful for the love God shows to me each day and for the opportunity to see His hand in my life. He lifts me up and carries me through. Also see 2 Nephi 4: 15+