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One final down, and three to go...Let me tell you, this is a busy week! There are finals, a sales meeting at work, a Elders' Quorum Presidency meeting, a leadership broadcast on Saturday -- and I finally caught up with a friend who I have heard from in months (no, not that friend). That, and I'm trying my best to get to the temple some time this week to seek out additional guidance and comfort.
Let me talk about that for a moment. Do you ever feel like anything to do with Church is the Lord's, but anything having to do with school and work is up to you? I know I've brought that up a lot (quite the recurring theme, actually), but it seems to happen to me a lot. It's not intentional; I mean, I think that the Lord is completely in charge, but I find oftentimes that I seem to forget to just let go and trust Him to work things out.
Take my English paper, just turned in a few moments ago. On Saturday I nothing to do but that paper, so I was sure I would finish. I wrote one page. Added to the 2 ½ I already had, I was still about 6 or 7 pages short. Yesterday I spent time in prayer and seeking humility (realizing I've been a little short on that lately), and suddenly the thought occurred to me that I hadn't been relying on the Lord for my paper.
Today I had about three hours to work on the paper. I re-wrote Saturday's page, and finished. Along the way, I found and used three additional sources for quotes and information. His ways are higher than my ways.
I guess the basic idea for me is to learn to listen for the Spirit's guidance in everything I do, every day, and not just in those things that are of obvious eternal importance. Basically, Proverbs 3:5-6 (which I realize you already counseled me with, Deb, but sometimes I'm a slow learner): "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. in all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."
It seemed so simple in the mission field, and I miss that. But there are plenty of good challenges and lessons to be learned whilst floundering about as I am. Sooner or later, principles like I've described will really sink into my soul, and I'll be all the better for it.
You know, that seems to be the way it works for me. I'll have knowledge of a principle of the Gospel suddenly enter my mind, and I'll even teach it to others or write it on this page, and only within a few weeks (sometimes only days), I'm the one who has to learn the lesson I've taught. Sometimes it seems as though the Lord inspires me to record what I myself will need to learn, so that it is readily available when I need it.
Well, I've got to run to work now. Hope to hear from each of you this week.
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