"As I think about your schedules and the pressures you face at this time in your lives, I can understand why scripture study can so easily be neglected. You have many demands pulling at you. In some cases, just maintaining your social life is a full-time occupation. But I plead with you to make time for immersing yourselves in the scriptures. Couple scripture study with your prayers. Half an hour ...each morning privately studying, pondering, and communicating with your Heavenly Father can make an amazing difference in your lives. It will give increased success in your daily activities. It will bring increased alertness to your minds. It will give you comfort and rock-steady assurance when the storms of life descend upon you." -Elder Ballard
I needed to see this today! I have been dragging lately and realized after reading this I have neglected reading the scriptures. I was immediately overcome with a calmness as I grabbed my scriptures and opened it up to whatever page it was on and it was a perfect message for me today. One verse stuck out to me and after reading it and thinking about what it meant, I felt that it sometimes applies to my life. D&C 70:14- It reads: Nevertheless, in your temporal things you shall be equal, and this not grudgingly, otherwise the abundance of the manifestations of the Spirit shall be withheld.
My take on this verse is that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us and even though we sometimes envy those who have more or what we want, we have to understand that we have been given what we can handle and when the time comes to receive more it will be because we have not held grudges on those who have what we want, for if we are to have envy and greed for more earthy things we will lose the holy ghost to help guide us. I had an issue with a family member this week and I hate that they are feeling the envy and greed of what others have been given. I truly hope that they realize that with patience good things will come, just like they have for me!! I openly admit that when family and friends were blessed with a family, I was dealing with the heartache of infertility and then ultimately a failed marriage, but if there are any words of wisdom from being there, I can say it was so worth the pain and heartache I went through to where I am today. I could not imagine where I would be without Mike in my life. I have been given so much to be thankful for and even though I am guilty of still feeling envy for what others have I also have realized that there are things that I have that others do not and I need to be happy and content with what I do have and that is the love of my husband and three wonderful, adorable and healthy kids!! I hate that I have made bad choices in my life and have had to suffer the consequences of them and I just hope that now that I have been through those things that it makes me a better person both inside and out.
3 Replies:
Wow! I so needed to read this today. Thanks for sharing. Something I am definetly quilty of.
I hear you on this one! I was in the same boat. My husband and I tried for 18 months before we finally got pregnant. At first I was okay because I thought that the fact that I had been on birth control for so long played a major part in it. Then after a year of trying to conceive, I started to become a little bitter. It was really hard for me to see my friends and sisters have children and not struggle to get them. Once I even said "Why can some 16 year old girl who doesn't want a baby get pregnant but I can't? I have a good home, a great husband, and I am going to be a great mom but yet Heavenly Father won't bless us with a baby?!" I was really upset and it began to take a toll on my relationship with my Heavenly Father and with my husband. Once I decided that it is what it is and if I am meant to have kids I will, I was so much happier. I began to relax, enjoy my time with my hubby, and then BOOM! we got pregnant.
I have learned that in my life I learn things the hard way. Unfortunately it takes learning it the hard way but it works every time! Heavenly Father knows us better than we know ourselves and he knows what highs and lows will make us stronger. The good news is no matter what path we take to get to the end result we have been given the gift of repentance and can ask for forgiveness when we have made wrong choices or when we have become bitter and not trusted the Lord like we should. We just have to stop being so prideful and actually USE the gift we have been given.
Thanks for sharing that quote with me. It is a good reminder!
so very true! and love reading your thoughts on things. it always good to hear other peoples views and things that inspire them and realize alot of times we are all going through similar things. we are not all perfect and we all need to keep that relationship with our heavenly father to help keeps us on the right track. whether or not our prayers are answered right away, he always hears us and never gives up on us.
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