I feel like I have been living at high speed. Racing around and around life’s race course trying to stay in my lane and ger to the finish line. Except, that the ‘finish line’ keeps changing, moving farther away and I seem to end the daily rush focused on all the things I have to do, didn’t do and wasted my time doing.
I am feeling challenged..very challenged. I am wondering if I am changing in the way that helps me be a better disciple of Jesus Christ or am just challenged and not changed?
I started this post on August 14. Today is August 29. I went back to work on Monday after 6 days of vacation. Work is stressful, no way around that but, how I manage my time outside of work is where I am feeling the most challenge/stress.
I don’t feel like I am keeping up with any of my responsibilities, my hobbies, my Gospel study, my family relationships. I feel like I am doing what absolutely has to be done 75% of the time and 25% of the time, I am not doing what I could/should be doing or I am doing it so poorly that I might as well not be doing it.
I think a big part of my problem has been that I am getting up just in time to go to the gym, on a walk or hustle to water the garden before rushing to work. I haven’t been getting up and having 30 minutes of prayer, meditation, journaling or scripture study. I am realizing that I need that time to feel recharged, grateful and focused.
The Lord has been telling me in multiple ways for years that in addition to that time spent in worship and reverence, I need to be doing 30 minutes of Family History work. “His promises are sure,” just as the song says.
Today, I did get up and went to the 5 o’clock endowment session at the Jordan River Temple. It was wonderful to be there and helped my day get off to a great start.
I listened to Elders Renlund and Cook’s April 2023 conference talks this morning. Elder Renlund said: At that time, I learned that Belém is the gateway to the region that includes the most powerful river in the world, the Amazon River. Despite the river’s strength, twice a year something seemingly unnatural happens. When the sun, moon, and earth are aligned just so, a powerful tidal wave flows up the river, against the natural flow of the water. Waves up to 6 meters high traveling as far as 50 kilometers upstream have been documented. This phenomenon, known generally as a tidal bore, is referred to locally as pororoca, or “great roar,” because of the loud noise it makes. We can correctly conclude that even the mighty Amazon must yield to heavenly powers. Like the Amazon, we have a natural flow to our lives; we tend to do what comes naturally. Like the Amazon, with heavenly help we can do seemingly unnatural things. After all, it is not natural for us to be humble, meek, or willing to submit our wills to God. Yet only by doing so can we be transformed, return to live in the presence of God, and achieve our eternal destiny. Unlike the Amazon, we can choose whether we yield to heavenly powers or “go with the flow.” Going against the flow may be difficult. But when we yield “to the enticings of the Holy Spirit” and put off the selfish tendencies of the natural man or woman, we can receive the Savior’s transforming power in our lives, the power to do difficult things. President Russell M. Nelson taught us how to do this. He promised, “Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ … [to lift] us above the pull of this fallen world.” In other words, we can access the power of God, but only when we connect with Him through sacred covenants.
Elder Cook reminded me that I helped with the gathering of Israel today by attending the temple for Margaret McCullough born 1885 in Philadelphia.
Temple
I have much to be grateful for especially my challenges.