Jesus Christ’s way is not easy and may seem more difficult when bad habits resurface. Just because I might feel distance from Him having slipped ‘yet again’, doesn’t mean He withdraws his influence from me. My weaknesses, challenges, disappointments can create distance, yet He would not have it so. It’s more ‘spiritually healthy’ to choose Him, consistently. Such choosing increases power to overcome because he is there to facilitate that higher purpose. Thus I choose not to wallow in self pity or hard heartedness, but keep my ‘spiritual eye’ focused upon Him anyway… always!. Further, weaknesses and mishaps of life are a part my earthly probation, to learn and grow. He is a part of my overcoming, not to work against me by instilling feelings of discouragement and doubt (– that’s Satan’s deception). In this the weaknesses, problems, mishaps of life, unrelated to sin, carry potential character building essential to that destination God has in mind for me. The best way to keep Jesus Christ in ‘the equation’ would be to remember this and be patient with myself and others. I do this by increasing my faith in Him, by daily doing my ‘spiritual homework’; prayer, scripture study, loving my neighbor and more, continually striving to keep his counsel. And by following such counsel by Elder Eyring continued below from my last post ‘Do I have to?’ … kdm
President Henry B. Eyring from the General Women’s session of May 2016: “There are three memories and three commitments that I pray will stay with them over a lifetime and even beyond. The memories are of feelings. And the commitments are of things to do.
…The feeling of greatest importance is love. You have felt the love of the great… leaders who have spoken. And you have felt by the Spirit that they loved you without even knowing you because they felt Heavenly Father’s and the Savior’s love for you. That is why they want so much to serve you and to have you receive the blessings God wants for you.
You have felt love for others… —for friends, schoolmates, neighbors, and even someone who just came into your life, a stranger. That feeling of love is a gift from God. The scriptures call it “charity” and “the pure love of Christ” (Moroni 7:47). You have felt that love tonight, and you can receive it often if you seek it.
…A second feeling you have had… was the influence of the Holy Ghost. Sisters have promised you this day that the Holy Ghost will guide you to find the service the Lord would have you give to others for Him. You have felt by the Spirit that their promise was from the Lord and that it is true.
The Lord said, “And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit” (D&C 11:12).
…The third feeling you have had tonight is that you want to be closer to the Savior. Even the youngest girl here will have felt the reality of the invitation in the song: “‘Come, follow me,’ the Savior said. Then let us in his footsteps tread.”2
…So, with those feelings, the first thing you must commit to do is to go and serve, knowing that you do not go alone. When you go to comfort and serve anyone for the Savior, He prepares the way before you.
Time and again President Thomas S. Monson has said he knows the reality of the Lord’s promise: “And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (D&C 84:88).
One of the ways He goes before your face is to prepare the heart of a person He has asked you to serve. He will prepare your heart as well.
For complete talk please see, listen to… ‘Trust in That Spirit Which Leadeth to do Good‘ (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/trust-in-that-spirit-which-leadeth-to-do-good?lang=eng)
