It has been such a long time I forgot how to log into this space! But I have been thinking of some things and feel I really need to keep a note of some of these thoughts I am having so I can come back and refer to them if needed later. Facebook is great for quick things, but you can't search for specific things very easily, even in your own posting. So I might just have to remember to write things here for my own reasons.
A few weeks ago my nephew forwarded a letter he received from his missionary. I enjoy reading about Bo's missionary experiences and I appreciate receiving these updates from DeVon. On this particular day Bo wrote something that really touched me and made me think. It really wasn't very profound, and when I went back and re-read it I wondered why that touched me so much the first time I read it. I guess I just really needed it that day.
Bo was talking about a person they were teaching. The investigator asked the equestion why his life seemed to get harder when he was doing everything right? When he accepted the invitation to come unto Christ, it seemed to get harder. It made Bo think of Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me, for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
We need to humble ourselves enough to become more like Christ so he can make our weaknesses strong points and, in the end, make us all stronger. He helps us turn our weaknesses into our strong points, but first we must come unto Christ and humble ourselves. He wrote, "So if you are wondering why many things seem to go wrong when you are doing the right things, just remember that it is so that we can become stronger and become more like Christ!"
All those 'church answers' like praying, paying tithing, going to the temple, those things might be hard for us to follow. But I think the weaknesses that are more challenging are even bigger things, things that maybe are more personal things, like kindness, understanding, service, caring, humility itself, When we are struggling with hard things in our life, whatever it might be, we need to turn to Christ and allow Him to show us our weakness, then ask Him to show us ways we can overcome that weakness.
I have been trying so hard to do better at doing what I should, but it seems like I am constantly hit with certain problems that never go away. I just can't get a certain part of my life in harmony with gospel teachings. I feel at a loss of what to do.
I feel the Lord is showing me things I need to do to overcome this problem. I 'think' I am humbling myself, asking and waiting for answers, and following the inspiration or thoughts I am receiving, but things still upset me. It isn't so much that things go wrong, but that it is hard to do what is right when I am dwelling on my upset feelings and what has caused me to feel that way. That is one of my weaknesses. I allow my mind to dwell on things in the past that I cannot change and then that taints my view of the present. I need to remember that God's grace is sufficient for all men, especially those I feel have wronged me. He is giving me plenty of opportunities to work on this weakness. Hopefully I will be able to overcome this weakness and learn to be kinder and more understanding. I just wish it didn't take so long!
