Awesome but hard week

We are on the home stretch fellow Pathway Students

This week in our Religion class we talked about our impressions from the scripture study for the week, we read Enos through Mosiah 3. The lead student talked about taking time for self-reflection as Enos did when he went to hunt alone, he was away from all the distractions to think and commune with the spirit and listen to impressions from the Holy Ghost, and he wrestled with his own personal failings. My online instructor invited us to take note and contemplate the difference between wresting “with” God versus wrestling “before” God, as stated here in Enos 2: “And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.”

This is the challenge for us especially as women, we are often depressed and discouraged. We too often compare ourselves to another more amazing, more capable, gluten-free, low-fat, exercising, super awesome sister. The Lord doesn’t keep a tally on who appears to have it all together, thank goodness. We need to tune in to the fruits of the spirit, which are love, joy, happiness and peace. When we reflect on daily changes we should make, the spirit will guide us to make positive changes that bring us peace and not to dwell on our personal failings or by making comparisons to others. This is what truly matters to the Lord: D &C 137: 9 “For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts”

Remember: Our trials and challenges have a purpose, we all need time away from distractions, this is the time when we can often get answers and understand that we all have the need of the atonement in our lives. We need the struggles to help us grow and be who we want to become. I loved the general conf. talk "What Lack I Yet" by Larry R. Lawrence. He advises us to humbly pray for the spirit to let us know where we can find improvement. We can only receive the messages he has for us personally when we ask Him and then take the time to reflect. It’s so important to get our daily prayer and scripture study in. We can only receive His written messages if we are reading and studying them. There is so much we can glean from these scriptures and apply to our lives, it's also another way in addition to prayer to invite the spirit into our minds for the day. Once invited in, the spirit will stay and guide our day, and peace and joy are the results. Those days are always the best ones.

               

Looking forward to Thanksgiving with our families, and a break from attending the Gathering, even though I will miss seeing your faces this week for sure.