There has been a concept rolling around my mind for a few weeks.
It hit me that a lot of times my attitude about doing some things is because I should, or it's just what I do. These habits and activities are sometimes rote, because I have been doing them for so long. The concept that has been rolling around because of this thought was:
How much more would it mean to me if I looked forward to/was excited about doing these things?
I have been thinking of this mostly in the context of spiritual habits, but I am sure it can extend beyond that. How much more would church meetings mean to me if I were more excited about participating in some ordinances, like the sacrament? How much more would I get out of it if I truly looked forward to these experiences? I have been doing them for longer than I can remember, so how do I get more involved and personally invested? How do I look forward to my morning and evening prayers? How can I make it so I jump out of bed (or roll out, some days) and the first thing I want to do is talk with my Heavenly Father through prayer?
There are a number of things I am trying to truly be excited about doing the 'little things'.
Having these thoughts in my mind has definitely helped. I am more conscious, more 'there' when it comes to the daily, weekly, regularly occurring habits. It comes to making a decision to be there and be able to take time to prepare myself.
I know I am not very good at just being. I don't take time to think, meditate, to prepare myself spiritually. My mind wanders all sorts of directions and I don't feel skilled in guided mindfulness. I know that is something I want to work on, a skill to develop to help with this excitement of my own spirituality, That is what it really comes down to-there is a huge difference between religiosity and spirituality.
Sometimes doing things we know are right because it is what we do, and a mindless habit is the way we keep plugging along. BUT as we become more mindful of what it all means, WHY we do it, and the blessings we have seen in our lives by truly developing a personal relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, we can genuinely feel the strength of those habits, and truly feel excited about the person we are becoming through these experiences.
In other words, it really is about finding joy in the journey, and sometimes letting the journey BE the journey.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Personal Scriptural Connections
In Relief Society last Sunday, our teacher asked us a question about the personal connection we have felt and the blessings we have seen in our lives through scripture study.
My thoughts went to the miracles and epic events that I have read and learned about, and then my thoughts narrowed down the stories to the individuals in the scriptures. In my reading of the Book of Mormon right now, I have been looking for experiences of the people when they were blessed with strength beyond their own, or when the Savior blessed them with an increase of knowledge, help, assurance, peace. There were examples of dramatic occurrences, to be sure. However, what has stuck out to me more is how individual and personal many of these boosts of whatever was needed at the time have been. It may not have changed the outcome of battles or changed the history of the world, but it changed that person for the better.
Because of that question in class, I have remembered that as much as Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are involved in the major events (from parting the Red Sea, to feeding thousands on minimal amounts of food, to 2,000 young warriors being protected in battle), they are also involved in the seemingly insignificant moments and personal battles.
While our loving Heavenly Father doesn't micromanage our lives, he is aware of us, and wants to be a part of our lives. As much as we invite him into our lives, our decisions, our woes, he will be there and will bless us. He is as mindful of the one as he is of the billions.
Basically, I know that Heavenly Father is as interested in us as individuals, on a one-on-one basis as he is in the larger scale population. I am so grateful to know that as his daughter, he loves me, he wants me to include him in the processes, problems, and particulars of my life.
My thoughts went to the miracles and epic events that I have read and learned about, and then my thoughts narrowed down the stories to the individuals in the scriptures. In my reading of the Book of Mormon right now, I have been looking for experiences of the people when they were blessed with strength beyond their own, or when the Savior blessed them with an increase of knowledge, help, assurance, peace. There were examples of dramatic occurrences, to be sure. However, what has stuck out to me more is how individual and personal many of these boosts of whatever was needed at the time have been. It may not have changed the outcome of battles or changed the history of the world, but it changed that person for the better.
Because of that question in class, I have remembered that as much as Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are involved in the major events (from parting the Red Sea, to feeding thousands on minimal amounts of food, to 2,000 young warriors being protected in battle), they are also involved in the seemingly insignificant moments and personal battles.
While our loving Heavenly Father doesn't micromanage our lives, he is aware of us, and wants to be a part of our lives. As much as we invite him into our lives, our decisions, our woes, he will be there and will bless us. He is as mindful of the one as he is of the billions.
Basically, I know that Heavenly Father is as interested in us as individuals, on a one-on-one basis as he is in the larger scale population. I am so grateful to know that as his daughter, he loves me, he wants me to include him in the processes, problems, and particulars of my life.
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