Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.…Our Heavenly Father loves each one of us and understands that this process of climbing higher takes preparation, time, and commitment. He understands that we will make mistakes at times, that we will stumble, that we will become discouraged and perhaps even wish to give up and say to ourselves it is not worth the struggle.We know it is worth the effort, for the prize, which is eternal life, is “the greatest of all the gifts of God.” And to qualify, we must take one step after another and keep going to gain the spiritual heights we aspire to reach.…All too soon, our time is finished. While we can—while we have the time to complete our work—let us walk in the right direction, taking one step after another.That is easy enough. We don’t have to be perfect today. We don’t have to be better than someone else. All we have to do is to be the very best we can.Though you may feel weary, though you sometimes may not be able to see the way, know that your Father in Heaven will never forsake His righteous followers. He will not leave you comfortless. He will be at your side, yes, guiding you every step of the way.
Sometimes I haven't liked this "do the best you can" advice because it's so easy to ask yourself, "What IS the best I can?" and then realize, "hmm…I'm never doing that." But when you put the "one step at a time" advice with it, it makes more sense to me. Doing less than our best kind of IS our best at times…if that makes any sense, ha! I need to remember more often that "Heavenly Father understands this process" and is patient with me as I go through it.
Then Elder L. Whitney Clayton:
We simply go and do the things the Lord has commanded, even when we are weary, trusting that He will help us to do exactly as He asks. As we do so, the Lord helps our unbelief, and our faith becomes powerful, vibrant, and unshakable.…
No matter who we are or where we live, there is much about our daily lives that is routine and repetitive. As we go about this dailiness, we must be deliberate about doing the things that matter most…
Developing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is a step-by-step, line-upon-line, and precept-upon-precept process. We promote the process of strengthening our faith when we do what is right—increased faith always follows as a consequence.
And then this echo of the same ideas from Elder Walter F. Gonzalez:
Our task … everywhere continues to be seeking for the principles found in the scriptures and the teachings of the prophets and writing them “not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” Such establishing of gospel principles requires time. Time is required both to be exposed to the truths of the gospel and to apply them in our lives.
I've noticed so many times how true this is for me. There are so many principles that I understand on an intellectual level, and even believe in deeply on a spiritual level…but I just can't DO them yet! I can't make them automatic, make them PART of myself the way I want to. I get discouraged because I don't want to have to work so hard against my "natural man" to be patient, selfless, optimistic, forgiving. I want it to come easier because then I'll know my heart is really changing! But if I could widen my view, I'm sure I would see progress…and I want to remember that "time is required" no matter how willing I'm trying to be!
Other Posts in this Series:
Spiritual Development—by Rozy
I've figured out why spiritual development never gets easier--we master one level and are on to the next without resting very long at the level we've mastered, which means we're always doing the hard part again of mastering the next level. Our challenges change over time and we are still doing hard things. It just never ends until we die, and then we enter into the rest of the Lord, finally at peace because we're beyond Satan's efforts. I'm hoping that at that point it will seem easier. Looks like we both were impressed by the same things this week. It was such a great session!
ReplyDeleteOh I keep seeing this same theme so much lately!
ReplyDeleteI loved “though you sometimes may not be able to see the way, know that your Father in Heaven will never forsake His righteous followers”.
And I liked your tie of “doing your best” with this very thing … continuing to step forward. (Though I’d like more people to say it that way!)