The Lord is seeking men [and women] like Nehemiah—… who fulfill the oath and covenant of the priesthood. He seeks to enlist unfaltering souls who diligently go about the work of building the kingdom of God—those who, when faced with opposition and temptation, say in their hearts, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
When faced with trial and suffering, they respond, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
When faced with ridicule and reproach, they proclaim, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
Our Heavenly Father seeks those who refuse to allow the trivial to hinder them in their pursuit of the eternal. He seeks those who will not allow the attraction of ease or the traps of the adversary to distract them from the work He has given them to perform. He seeks those whose actions conform to their words—those who say with conviction, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
We Are Doing a Great Work and Cannot Come Down
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. exerpt taken from April 2009 General Conference address, “We Are Doing a Great Work and Cannot Come Down.”
Tag: progress
Strive for Progress
Original post Sept 17, 2018
Photo credit by Anna Tarazevich from Pexels
I’m currently studying Marriage and Family Studies through BYU-Idaho online. I completed Pathway Connect in April 2018. I was at the crossroads again of deciding what major or career to pursue in college. This process is similar to picking a restaurant for date night. We need to eat, and we’d be happy with many different cuisines, but what will fill us up and make us happy on a typical Friday night? Usually it’s pizza. But, sometimes I want something more healthy and that makes me feel good.
There are many flavors to life and multiple careers I would be happy with, but what will be most filling and most “healthy” for my life? Sometimes I just want God to say, “This career is your best option, so pick this one.” It doesn’t work like this (D&C 58:27-28). A question asked by a loving family member helped me to form my own ideas and opinions of what would be best for me. She asked, “What area of study will benefit your family the most?” I began asking myself other questions like, “What goals do I want to accomplish?” “What career will help me progress the most and become a better person and help others?” “What career will best suit my interest, my talents, my taste and create a satisfying and fulfilling life?”
I am going to write metaphorically about health and work to connect the dots. Most days I prefer to eat in a pattern that promotes energy, health and vitality to my mind, body and soul (D&C 89:18), and I prefer to do work that does the same (D&C 88:15; Abr. 5:7). So, how did I choose to move forward with my educational path? I made a list of what I enjoy doing, what I’m good at, what skills I’ve developed, what skills I’d like to develop, and my talents (D&C 60:2). I read The Family: A Proclamation to the World (read by President Gordon B. Hinckley, 1995, General Relief Society Meeting), I pondered and studied it out in my mind of what I wanted then I prayed about it (D&C 9:7-8). My tastes are ever changing, so what I did must satisfy a higher purpose.
I want to learn about the family, and how I can create healthy family relationships. *Yawn for some and, at one point, for me too, but as I have gotten older, my season of life has changed. I no longer have the ambition to move to Paris and model like I did when I was fifteen (I’m tall and wanted to escape my town). I no longer have the desire to pursue a career as a nurse anesthetist like I did when I was 25 (independence and living in comfort was my goal). As I pursued education and learned to follow promptings from the spirit, I was able to choose what would fit me best. As long as I didn’t get any “red lights,” “stop signs,” or “red flags” I continued going (see Elder Rasband’s talk, “Let the Holy Spirit Guide” APRIL 2017).
I know if I desire to be happy in my career choice, then I must choose to read my scriptures, pray, have faith, and participate in Sacrament meeting; I must choose to turn to God constantly through prayer to overcome hardships and trials for the rest of my life. Slowly but certainly, I will progress and become better and be happy through the atonement of Jesus Christ and by having the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
Behavior Affects Our Ability to Receive Spiritual Guidance
President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints explained how irreverent behavior affects our ability to receive spiritual guidance:
“This trend to more noise, more excitement, more contention, less restraint, less dignity, less formality is not coincidental nor innocent nor harmless.
“The first order issued by a commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of the channels of communication of those he intends to conquer.
“Irreverence suits the purposes of the adversary by obstructing the delicate channels of revelation in both mind and spirit” (Boyd K. Packer, “Reverence Invites Revelation,” Ensign, Nov. 1991, 22). See also Lesson 19: 1 Nephi 18
In the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, we see an example of this behavior in an Israelite family who fled Jerusalem before its destruction. Nephi, son of Lehi, an Israelite prophet, recorded the following account:
9 And after we had been driven forth before the wind for the space of many days, behold, my brethren and the sons of Ishmael and also their wives began to make themselves merry, insomuch that they began to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness, yea, even that they did forget by what power they had been brought thither; yea, they were lifted up unto exceeding rudeness.
10 And I, Nephi, began to fear exceedingly lest the Lord should be angry with us, and smite us because of our iniquity, that we should be swallowed up in the depths of the sea; wherefore, I, Nephi, began to speak to them with much soberness; but behold they were angry with me, saying: We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us.
11 And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel did take me and bind me with cords, and they did treat me with much harshness; nevertheless, the Lord did suffer it that he might show forth his power, unto the fulfilling of his word which he had spoken concerning the wicked.
12 And it came to pass that after they had bound me insomuch that I could not move, the compass, which had been prepared of the Lord, did cease to work.
See 1 Nephi 18:9–12 “They began to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness”
As I’ve struggled to overcome multiple addictions, my media selection in particular has impeded my ability to receive revelation and hear the voice of The Lord. My media decisions always preceed later decisions to succumb to temptations. However, when I’m cautious with my media, and choose to focus on uplifting media that doesn’t contain immorality, drug and alcohol use, and violence, I have a better ability to overcome the temptations to return to old habits I want out of my life!
Just keep going. I can’t tell you what to do, but I can testify of the power of spiritual guidance that came as I was first honest and truthful with myself, sought uplifting media and entertainment, and strived to have personal scripture study and prayer more often. This lead to personal revelation which directed me on what I needed to change, and these daily choices continue to allow the spirit to influence mine and my family’s life!
Some examples of change I felt I needed to do, through the spirit, included the elimination and deletion of social media accounts entirely for a time, including my personal email. I was also directed to restrict some relationships or eliminate contact with certain people, whom I loved and enjoyed hanging out with, that later I realized caused temptation to enter my thoughts.
It’s hard to live in a world of instant access and remove ourselves from relationships that impede our progression, but we are to live in the world and not be of it (see John 17:15–17). I testify that as we strive to love the Lord and keep His commandments, he will bless us with the ability to hear His voice. #Hearhim
Do Miracles Still Exist?
Growing up, my mom would often say, “There’s no such thing as luck, There’s no such thing as coincidence,” and my dad would remind us that, “This life is a test.” I didn’t believe it was true, but sometimes I wondered. The image that first comes to mind my mind is a memory from when I was age 24. It was dark and very late, as I rode the bus home that night, exhausted from a long day of work and school. The fluorescent lights glared down, as I leaned against the window and stared at my reflection through the darkened glass. I was filled with a feeling of complete emptiness and loneliness, but for some reason, I began wondering about those phrases I thought were ridiculous. “Are there coincidences or not?” “Is this life really was a test?” “Is there really a God?”
I grew up in a home that taught the true doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and my mom sang songs to me when I was 4 years old about being a “Child of God,” and “Yes, I know Heav’nly Father Loves me” (Children’s songbook p. 2; 228). In this memory, I’m in my second home, it’s dark, and I can’t see anything. My mom is holding me and singing these two primary songs. In my second home as a child, I lived there until I was about age four. I remember after moving, my mom through me a party for my 5th birthday and invited all the neighbor kids I didn’t know, but that’s how my mom was. Even when I turned 16 she somehow got a hold of all my friends and neighbor friends and they all came to surprise me. That is part of the gospel of the Savior. I was living how I shouldn’t, and my mom did everything she could to show she loved me.
I hadn’t lived the true gospel of Jesus Christ since childhood. When I was younger, I would sneak into my mom’s room to make her bed or spend 2 hours doing dishes and hide when she came home. I’m not bragging to say “what a wonderful child was”, I’m only painting a picture of what the gospel did for me, even as a child. I wanted to show my mom love the best way I knew how, and my mom showed me that when you love someone, you serve them. As I grew older something changed.
Through my adolescent years, I wasn’t kind, and I didn’t love anyone but myself; In short, I broke nearly every commandment before middle school, and only continued that lifestyle through the majority of high school and college. Most of my friends didn’t go to church, and if they did, it was for their parents. So, I refused to go to church because it contradicted who I was (which, if you study the doctrine on this, we’re all children of God, and “refusing to go to church” because I felt like I didn’t belong is either the natural man at work or one of the adversary’s tools). If I was going to party then I most certainly wasn’t going to church on Sunday unlike many people I knew from school. Eventually I graduated high school, and I noticed the majority of my friends no longer went to church.
My church activity somewhat changed after a trip to a local correctional facility for underage drinking. I remember sitting in the cell singing, “Heavenly Father are you really there?” (Children’s Songbook p.12). I felt pathetic. Despite the warm summer night, the cell I was in was freezing, and I had goosebumps up and down my arms. It was a long night. I remember for breakfast they brought me boiled eggs, and possibly pancakes with syrup. All I ate were the eggs because I believed pancakes and syrup would make me fat (I had also been battling multiple eating disorders for several years). I was released sometime around 10am that morning. I spent less than 12 hours in the cell, and I never wanted to go back there again. All I remember, was my dad and uncle walking down a long hallway toward me as I walked toward them, and my dad embracing me.
I had to pay a hefty fine and was court-ordered to go through some kind of program. I went through the Addiction Recovery Program (ARP) at the age of 18, began seeing a psychologist, and tried going back to church. I remember wanting to change and going to church because I wanted to, not because someone was making me. But I remember the singles ward being a very uncomfortable experience. I felt surrounded by creeps. My first Sunday there, around winter 2009, I was wearing boots and some bald guy sat in front of me and began petting the boots I was wearing, commenting how soft they were while staring at me. Thankfully I was with my cousin, and we laugh about it to this day, but as an 18 year old, I was terrified. Regardless of my countless interesting experiences, I continued going to the singles ward.
After reconnecting with a another girl from high school at the singles ward, we began talking about moving out together, it was spring 2010. By the end of summer we moved out. We were going to church, and I was still trying to learn who I was. As I tried to return to church, it seemed more and more of my friends were leaving the church. Some described their first intimate moments with their boyfriends, their first time smoking weed, or the roommate drama they were experiencing. I had three wonderful roommates, but what I didn’t realize is one of them had a drank often and tried to hide it. We all went to church together, but I began seeing that same pattern in my student ward where the same people who were partying on the weekend were the ones going to church on Sunday. “Sunday Mormons” is what they were called or “Jack Mormons” at the time (I strongly dislike the latter term).
I think I lasted about 9 months without drinking. I didn’t realize I was still vulnerable to it, but I was mad… about something. I can’t even remember what it was. Perhaps it was the incident of me kneeling in the living room of my apartment, vocally praying for God’s help to make me a size “0,” but then a response along the lines of, “What if that’s not what I want for you,” came to my mind. I remember being enraged. I wanted desperately to model and be beautiful, so I thought, “Fine.”I’ll show you. If you’re not going to help me, I’ll do it on my own.” So I did. I was 20 years old. I was sick with an eating disorder. I had been suffering for over 7 years at that point. Sometimes I’d stay up until 3am binging and purging, or I’d wake up at 3am to go exercise in our gym. I remember protesting to the managers to keep the gym open 24 hrs (you could only get in if you had a FOB key between certain hours). Eventually, there must have been enough requests, because by the time I was experiencing a full fledged eating disorder, I was there every morning, religiously working out before I had work at 4:30am. I did the HCG diet and was consuming 500 calories or less per day. I was taking diet pills and doing everything I thought was right to be thin. I began listening to the same EDM again whenever I worked out. I began remembering old habits and soon was desiring old habits but I didn’t recognize what was happening. This mental battle that has existed for as long as I can remember.
_______
I went out with someone from work, who I wasn’t even interested in. The only thing I liked was that his family did family history work. I knew he smoked weed, and I thought I knew where I was going, but without sleep, and without food, I was in no place to make decisions about dating.
My roommate and I met someone older who would buy us liquor, and once I started drinking again, I went to church less and less. I began seeing the person I went out with from work, the one I didn’t like because of his lifestyle. We dated off and on for over 5 years, and at one point we were living together. That may seem to have escalated quickly, but I can tell you, I didn’t become Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah (before their conversion) overnight (see Mosiah 27: 8-10). I didn’t suddenly try to convince members of the Church, to reject their doctrines and beliefs, including members of my own family. It was gradual, and it started when I young, perhaps elementary school. My complete 180 may have started in 2nd grade, and ended when I was 21.
What happened in 2nd grade? What didn’t happen in 2nd grade? That was the year other students would tell me awful stories about my teacher like putting glue in a kids eyeball. Aside from teacher horror stories, everyone played kissing tag, and didn’t everyone get married? Everyone except me. Maybe the kissing and “getting married” didn’t bother me as much, but I’d have thoughts like, “Why does Jake want to marry Stacia and not me?” I remember sometimes having this lonely feeling, that was similar to sadness, but different. Looking back, I wonder if these feelings may have been a result of consistently comparing myself to others.
By fourth grade I remember the sadness being somewhat tangible, heavy, and overbearing (though I wouldn’t have had the words to describe it as such). I just remember feeling like my entire body was filled with sadness, like I was in physical pain. I cried and I remember praying one night, begging Heavenly Father to take me away. What was so awful in fourth grade? What changed? I had many friends and we were all “popular” together, but then fourth grade hit. A new girl moved in, and the boy I liked, liked the new girl. I guess I had to find a new “muse” which seems so odd at such a young age, but my best friend and I decided we were going to like these two brothers, and she was going to like one and I was going to like the other. Fourth grade was when Sam moved in. He was different, so everyone talked about him. I remember walking in from recess, and Sam was holding a chair up to his throat, threatening to kill himself. I don’t know if I understood suicide, but I wanted to be his friend.
5th grade came, and Sam moved away. More new kids moved in and things got worse. Students would tell me the teacher gossiped about me when I was gone. The one boy I liked, liked another girl, and my friends started leaving me out. I remember feeling like there was something wrong with me because it seemed that all of the boys liked all the other girls. Was I that ugly? I would get picked last in soccer often, and I just felt like an outcast. Sometimes I wonder if my insecurities stemmed from my exposure to pornography around 2nd grade and my inability to communicate what was going on inside my mind.
I didn’t tell anyone about it until many years later. To this day the images are still etched in my mind, and I remember the experience well. I was with my friends little sister, Jenna (name changed), and we came across a stack of magazines in their old shed. It was likely left there from the previous owners. We began flipping through it, out of curiosity. She was the one who stopped, but I wanted to keep looking. Eventually I went home and Jenna may have told her mom, and her mom may have told my mom, but all I remember was my mom walking in my bedroom, saying she talked to Jenna’s mom, and my mom may have asked if I wanted to talk about it, but we didn’t talk. I just remember silently sitting in the corner of my room, playing with my toy ponies. But afterward, I became obsessed with intimacy. I remember feeling different, like I had a big ugly secret I couldn’t talk about. I remember my friendships deteriorating, and I was being left out more and more at recess. I felt like I was alone.
________
I would watch movies like Princess Diaries, Miss congeniality, She’s All That, and soon, I became enthralled with how beautiful these girls looked after they had a makeover. There was an episode of Boy Meets World where Topanga gets a makeover, and the transformation was stunning. I had this idea in my head that if I looked beautiful, I would be happy because these girls seemed to be missing something, but everything came together once they were “updated.” I watched The Swan and Dr. 90210 because the women all looked happier and more beautiful after their transformations. In 6th grade I started connecting what you ate to your level of popularity. If you bought ice cream from the student store or candy or chips from the vending machine, you were cool. By 8th grade, I learned that the popular girls ate celery at lunch, or didn’t eat lunch at all. If they ate anything it was from the student store or the vending machine, not the cafeteria. After purchasing your food, you’d hang out in the “commons.” All the cool kids would sit and stare at everyone that walk past and laugh, joke, or sometimes make fun of others. They all looked happy and I just wanted to be happy. I thought that being popular and accepted by my peers would undoubtedly bring me happiness.
________
I did my first makeover during 6th grade (new clothes, new wardrobe, new hair (my best friend gave me highlights). I felt happy, but it was short-lived elation. As time progressed, I was exposed to anorexia, and something inside of me wanted apart of it. About 8th grade I saw this movie about girls who were getting all this attention from the guys. They snuck out, did drugs and drank alcohol. They obtained an array of piercings over their face, ears, and body, and they looked happy. I remember watching the thirteen year old girl do self-harm, but somehow all of the happiness outweighed those little moments of agony; I still wanted that lifestyle.
I started my first diet in 7th grade with a friend. I don’t recall eating breakfast or lunch. I’d come home and have a few Totino’s pizza rolls for a snack and maybe a Chimichanga for dinner. I remember at one point bragging that all I had eaten for the day was an orange when I was a sophmore in high school. I showed my best friend Ally (name changed) and her sister Kirsten (name changed) how flat my stomach looked, and they both reacted with astonishment and praise.
I cycled through anorexia and bulimia throughout junior high and high school. I’d have a slim fast shake for lunch and a salad when I got home. I had no idea what I was doing to my body. I just thought if I stopped eating, I’d be thin. I didn’t know my metabolism would slow down, I didn’t know my beautiful hair would turn to toddler wisps, I didn’t think I’d grow cilia all over my body and turn into a wilder-beast. I didn’t anticipate long nights of no sleep, or the mental havoc I would experience later, I had no idea how this was affecting my body, mind, and spirit. For over 13 years I filled my mind with thoughts of how disgusting my body was, and that I must be skinny an pretty.
I chose to surround myself with people who constantly bad talked their body. Whether media, friends or family. Some of my loved ones would make remarks about women in the family who needed to lose weight. One family member made the comment, “nobody wants a fat wife” as we were about to go on a hike. I was about 13 years old. Another family member would say, “she’s as big a a house” if we saw someone who was obese. I vaguely have a memory of seeing a construction worker, pointing to him, laughing and saying, “look at that fatso!” My mom snapped back a quick scolding and taught me that we never point and we never talk about anyone in that way. I was about 5 years old.
——-
Do you know what anorexia does to your brain? Did you know Depression and anorexia are correlated? I was starving, cutting, drinking, and spinning out of control. Did I just need food and sleep, or was there something else going on? After 13 years, it wasn’t just food, it was many things. It was relationships, it was hobbies, it was sleep, but it was especially my relationship with Jesus Christ.
I can assure you, that from my experience, the 180 flip doesn’t happen overnight. These kinds of changes may be rooted in childhood or adolescent trauma. It may have been abuse, mistreatment, a broken home, the culture, the environment and choices made. I never once asked for, “help.” I never once asked an adult, “why?” I always turned inward. I always turned toward my peers, never my family, and I rarely turned to my Heavenly Father. I still struggle immensely, but I have learned that we are not meant to suffer alone. We are here to bear one another’s burdens, experience pain, trial, and affliction, so we can learn to turn to Christ and help others along the way. I know miracles still exist today, and I know the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. If these doctrines weren’t true, I wouldn’t be here today. There are no coincidences. If it wasn’t for the love of the Savior, the gift of the Holy Ghost, my family, and true friends, I wouldn’t have remembered who I was. I know I am a child of God. I have an Eternal Father who loves me. I know family is central to to the great plan of happiness. I know this life is test, to see if we will do all things God commands us, and I know that if we follow Jesus Christ, we will have everlasting happiness.
Sing-a-long for primary video: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/video/2018-03-0050-the-miracle?lang=eng
Test Moroni’s Promise.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
I add my testimony to the truth of this principle. I promise if you pray, with a sincere heart, asking in faith, Heavenly Father will bless you in the most beautiful unimaginable way. Write down what comes to your heart, this is the spirit. It will be hard to make changes, I know you may lose friends and relationships, but you will progress and experience complete joy, peace and happiness. I know of no fuller joy or peace than from the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
See Also
“James 1:5-6,” Liahona, January 2017. Retrieved from https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2017/01/youth/james-1-5-6?lang=eng
“Moroni’s Promise,” Ensign, Apr. 1994, 12. Retrieved from https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1994/04/moronis-promise?lang=eng
To request a physical copy of the Book of Mormon visit https://www.comeuntochrist.org/beliefs/book-of-mormon-request
or download the Gospel Library app to your device https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/pages/mobileapps/gospellibrary?lang=eng
I have work enough to do
Last week. I had a tune replaying in my mind throughout the day, afternoon, and night. I woke up, it was there. I studied, it was there. I ate, it was there. I went to bed, it was there. I remember asking Dean what the song was and hummed it to him one morning. I sang bits of fragmented pieces, and he was able to help me figure out it was “I have work enough to do” (Hymn 224). It wasn’t until two days ago (Wednesday) that I finally looked up the lyrics. I had been studying intently for my first exam in Research methods, and towards the end of my study session, the song replayed in my mind. Finally, I looked up the Lyrics, something I had been meaning to do since we identified the song. Verse 3 struck my mind.
Lines 5 and 6 pierced my mind. My heart felt sick. I confided in my husband and discussed my thoughts and concerns and showed him the lyrics. I realized I was receiving direction from the Lord, and I can act on it in faith. Another hymn that has frequented my mind this week is “Did you think to pray?” (Hymn 140). Well, I didn’t think to pray, but I have now.
Last week I was also listening to Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s talk, “When Thou Art Converted.” I listened to it nearly every day, I couldn’t stop. He asked soul-searching questions and described the benefits of answering these questions. He asks,
Is there something in you or in your life that is impure or unworthy? When you get rid of it, that is a gift to the Savior. Is there a good habit or quality that is lacking in your life? When you adopt it and make it part of your character, you are giving a gift to the Lord.13 Sometimes this is hard to do, but would your gifts of repentance and obedience be worthy gifts if they cost you nothing?14 Don’t be afraid of the effort required. And remember, you don’t have to do it alone. Jesus Christ will help you make of yourself a worthy gift. His grace will make you clean, even holy. Eventually, you will become like Him, “perfect in Christ.”15
My mom also sent me a link to the talk, “What Lack I yet?” a talk by Elder Larry R. Lawrence (2015) that has come to my mind a few times since last week too. It is clear I have much to work on, but the Lord doesn’t ask us to do all things at once. (Mosiah 4:27). The Lord is well aware of our desires to improve, we just need to ask him for help and not be afraid of the answer He gives. Then we can act on promptings we receive.
References
D. Todd Christofferson. “When Thou Art Converted.” General Conference Address. April 2004. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/04/when-thou-art-converted?lang=eng
References from Elder Chistofferson’s talk
13. Along with the scriptures, the pamphlet For the Strength of Youth (2001) can guide you.
14. Once when King David prepared to offer a sacrifice to the Lord, a loyal subject said he would give the king the place, the animals, and the firewood to make the sacrifice. But David declined, saying, “I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing” (2 Sam. 24:24).
15. See Moro. 10:32–33.
Strive for Progress
I’m currently studying Marriage and Family Studies through BYU-Idaho online after completing Pathway Connect in April 2018. I was at the crossroads again of deciding what major or career to pursue in college. This process is similar to picking a restaurant for date night. We need to eat, and we’d be happy with many different cuisines, but what will fill us up and make us happy on a typical Friday night? Usually it’s pizza. But, sometimes I want something more healthy and that makes me feel good.
There are many flavors to life and multiple careers I would be happy with, but what will be most filling and most “healthy” for my life? Sometimes I just want God to say, “This career is your best option, so pick this one.” It doesn’t work like this (D&C 58:27-28). A question asked by a loving family member helped me to form my own ideas and opinions of what would be best for me. She asked, “What area of study will benefit your family the most?” I began asking myself other questions like, “What goals do I want to accomplish?” “What career will help me progress the most and become a better person and help others?” “What career will best suit my interest, my talents, my taste and create a satisfying and fulfilling life?”
I am going to write metaphorically about health and work to connect the dots. Most days I prefer to eat in a pattern that promotes energy, health and vitality to my mind, body and soul (D&C 89:18), and I prefer to do work that does the same (D&C 88:15; Abr. 5:7). So, how did I choose to move forward with my educational path? I made a list of what I enjoy doing, what I’m good at, what skills I’ve developed, what skills I’d like to develop, and my talents (D&C 60:2). I read The Family: A Proclamation to the World (read by President Gordon B. Hinckley, 1995, General Relief Society Meeting), I pondered and studied it out in my mind of what I wanted then I prayed about it (D&C 9:7-8). I know my taste is ever changing, so I wanted to make sure that what I did satisfied a higher purpose.
Right now I want to learn about the family and how I can create healthy family relationships. *Yawn for some and, at one point, for me too. But as I have gotten older, my season of life has changed. I no longer have the ambition to move to Paris and model like I did when I was fifteen (I was tall and wanted to escape my town). I no longer have the desire to pursue a career as a nurse anesthetist like I did when I was 25 (independence and living in comfort was my goal). As I pursued education and learned to follow promptings from the spirit, I was able to choose what would fit me best. As long as I didn’t get any “red lights,” “stop signs,” or “red flags” I continued going (see Elder Rasband’s talk, “Let the Holy Spirit Guide” APRIL 2017).
I know if I desire to be happy in my career choice then I must choose to read my scriptures, pray, have faith, and participate in Sacrament meeting; I must choose to turn to God constantly through prayer to overcome hardships and trials for the rest of my life. Slowly but certainly, I will progress and become better and be happy through the atonement of Jesus Christ and by having the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
References
Photo. Web Accessed. Oct 21. 2018. https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/category/pictures-of-the-scriptures?lang=eng
Press Forward 