It is amazing to think how much my life has changed since I last wrote! In the past few months many things have happened, so I will just make a list...
- My brother received the Melchizedek Priesthood
- My brother received his Patriarchal blessing
- My Mom was sealed for Time and all Eternity to her Eternal Companion :)
- I finished my Bachelor's degree (YAY!)
- I have begun earnest mission prep
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| Pondering is something I had never really thought necessary before... |
Tonight my post is about the importance of pondering. In life, it is all too easy to feel that we have too much to do to read scriptures, to pray, to do all the things that it is necessary for us to do. Especially so to spend time sitting quietly and pondering the lessons we have learned, the scriptures we have read, and the hymns or talks we have heard. But as I have studied the scriptures and talks by the leaders of the church, I have realized that there is only so much you can learn in one study session. In order to truly learn everything we must learn, we have to dedicate quiet time in order to allow our thoughts to be led by the spirit. I have often succumbed to the guilty feeling that I was 'wasting time' by doing this, especially when the list of things to do is seemingly so long.
On another subject, I have also struggled with putting the Lord first in my life. Sure I read my scriptures, and I pray, and try to do all the things I need to do each day. But all too often these things are not done in the morning when I have the most energy, but are put off until I am both physically and emotionally exhausted and ready for sleep. Then I tend to justify not doing certain things that day because I was so tired. Justification is another purpose for me writing. When I find myself attempting to justify something that I know, or perhaps even just feel, that I shouldn't do or partake of, I find it helpful to ask myself this question:
"If I had to choose between this or going to the Celestial Kingdom, which would I choose?"
Almost always the answer is 'Of course I would choose the Celestial Kingdom!' Then almost immediately comes the thought, 'But of course it would never come down to that, it's not that simple.' But it really IS that simple. If I had to choose between reading my scriptures every morning for 20 minutes and going to the Celestial Kingdom, you best bet every last dime you had that I would be setting every alarm I have to make sure I was up to read my scriptures! So why is it so hard to do that? Why is it so hard to string together more than a couple days of doing things right? I know what I need to do, and it really IS that simple, so why is it so complicated and difficult to do it? For those questions I don't have a ready answer. I'll have to ponder it some more. Until then, here is my closing thought:
Never forget who you are. Satan will try to make you forget your Divine potential, he'll try to make you forget the mission you have been called to in this life, and he'll try to make you forget the power that God has given you. DO NOT LET HIM. Tell him to take a long walk off of a short pier. You are amazing, You are worth more than anything he could offer, Your mission is too important to leave unfinished. The Lord loves you and I love you. Until next time,
Sister Amanda Baum
