I'm trying to do better and study my scriptures more. I should say every day, but we all know that's a long shot, so I'll stick with more and hope for every day. I recently received some disheartening information and thought about it a lot as I read my scriptures tonight. I was reading in Helaman where the Nephites are being wicked again and Nephi, the son of Helaman, was frustrated because some of the people wouldn't repent. He was having one of those "now what" moments, almost like he wanted to give up but knew he shouldn't. Anyway, I have an institute manual I use to study with and one of the questions it asked was "why didn't the Lamanites who were truely converted to the gospel become wicked again like many of the Nephites?" Here is my answer and I share this with you because I truely believe it. I think this is why I get so frustrated with people who are strugling in the gospel right now. Once you truely become converted to the gospel, this only happened for me over the last year, you become happier than you ever thought possible. Life isn't perfect, you still have stuggles, but you are able to deal with them without the feeling of hopelessness. The Lamanites who were truely converted had at one time been extremely wicked. They probably thought they were happy being wicked as many do. For whatever reason and how ever it happened when they became truely converted to the gospel they really experienced true happieness. Happiness in their families, jobs, and in themselves. Once you've felt that love and peace the gospel brings you, you don't want to go back to the life you had before. You may occasionally slip-up and make a mistake - no one is perfect. But, you will constantly try to move forward and become closer to Heavenly Father.
I guess my point to all this is. I truely feel that love and peace the gospel has to offer now and I want all of my family and all of my friends to feel it as well. I sometimes try too hard to push it on people when I see them struggling and I get that "what now" feeling that Nephi had. Don't think I'm comparing myself to Nephi because I'm not. I just want those that I love to be happy.
All right, I'm done. Thanks for reading.
1 comment:
couldn't agree more. i can honestly say i've ALWAYS known the gospel to be true, always, but just this past year was i truly converted and i will NEVER depart from it. NEVER. i totally agree with you and feel the same desire to shove it down people's throats and get so confused when they don't do what they are supposed to do when it's right in front of their face. then i remember my life before this past year and how sometimes you just can't see the forest from the trees. no explanation for it... it's just how it is.
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