Having this blog as an outlet has made me realize how much there really is to ponder on and learn each day. How there are so many lessons, every day, in life to look on. There are a lot of opportunities to draw spiritual nourishment from, and places where we can find inspiration and insight.
A very obvious place for me, has been the Daily Gems that I get in my email from the LDS website. Yesterday's quote really hit me on why its important to do daily reflection and growth:
Living Beneath Our Privileges
"The path to eternal life is not on a plateau. Rather, it is an incline, ever onward and upward. Hence, ever increasing spiritual understanding and energy are required to reach our destination. Because the pernicious opposition by Satan continues, the continuous enlightened guidance of the Holy Ghost is absolutely essential. We dare not hinder, disregard, or quench the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Yet when it comes to drawing upon the promptings and the blessings which flow from the Holy Ghost, we often 'live far beneath our privileges' (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John S. Widtsoe [1954], 32)."
Keith K. Hilbig, "Quench Not the Spirit Which Quickens the Inner Man," Ensign, Nov. 2007, 38
I love that saying, "living far beneath our privileges". I was just thinking about this yesterday. I was thinking about how many problems I have tried to deal with on my own, to no avail, because I just never thought to go to the Lord with it. I've thought about callings or tasks I've attempted without seeking the guidance and direction from the Lord to help give me strength. It made me realize how much more is out there for us to learn, and how there is an infinite amount of support for us from the Lord if we ask for it.
It also reiterates for me why I started this blog. Because I am SO imperfect. So beyond imperfect, that, I NEED THIS! I need every day to think about the Gospel, to remind myself of Gospel principles, and work on something. Because as it was stated above..."the path to eternal life is not on a plateau. Rather, it is an incline, ever onward and upward." That means, we are never there. In this life, at least. Now, we can either take that as a disappointing reality to discourage us from even trying, or as motivation to know that, no matter what, even if we spend our whole life trudging up hill, that we did it. That we kept learning, kept progressing, kept trying.
Sometimes you do just want to sit idly. It seems so much easier at the time. But I can speak from some experience, that I've done it. And ultimately I look back and realize that I have missed out on lessons learned. I realized that my stop has pushed me that much further down the hill of my progression. And although I know I can regain that, and keep on climbing, its not worth the "break" I took. Because my stop gave Satan a way in, and he is waiting every second to push you down that hill. That risk is far too great.
Who would ever want to limit themselves? Who would ever WANT to live beneath our privileges. We have the whole world, every opportunity given to us to draw things from and progress to an eternal life. This is something I need to remember every day. I need to realize just how privileged I truly am. More so than I would even like to believe sometimes. I have been given every blessing and opportunity that I need to make it back to be with my Father in Heaven.
Even if that means that for the rest of our lives, we are fighting an uphill battle...we're still fighting.
4 comments:
I know I say this on every post but..I love you! haha. This was really great! It makes me think of the saying "If we're not moving forward, we're moving backward". I think thats true. I think we all go through those spiritual highs and lows. But it is so important for us to keep fighting to have those spiritual "highs" where we feel closer to the Lord than before. This life is about progressing and learning and if we arent doing those things then what are we doing? I have really learned recently to truly be grateful for my trials. (Maybe that is the wisdom from getting older or maybe having a grater understanding of my trials makes then easier to take, I dont know.) But, they are often hard and seem hard to bare but they are the things that keep me fighting that uphill battle and learning the things the Lord would have me learn to become the girl He knows I can be.
Wow, that really hits home, and I totally feel it when I "stop" and I fall much farther down then I would have liked. It really puts into perspective what we are doing everyday. Sometimes our climbs are easier some days and harder the next but as long as we keep climbing Heavenly Father is pleased.
Sara,
I love that saying! Thanks for bringing that up...I have to teach Relief Society this week, and seriously that will be PERFECT for my lesson. You're awesome. And you are right, this life is a series of spiritual highs and lows. And we need to experience both so that, like you said we can become who our Father in Heaven wants us to be.
Courtney,
It is a climb...good word! A climbing takes effort. Stopping and even falling takes little to no effort. Heavenly Father jut wants to see that we are making efforts...even if we are inching our way up, we are trying.
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