"Don't judge yourself by what you understand of your potential. Trust in the Lord and what He can do with your dedicated heart and willing mind (see D&C 64:34). Order your life more effectively and eliminate trivia, meaningless detail, and activity. They waste the perishable, fixed, and limited resource of time. Choose to emphasize those matters that have an eternal consequence."Permanent, worthwhile growth is attainable, but not without great effort and the honest application of truth. Worthy accomplishment is founded in integrity. Righteousness is fundamental to happiness and desirable attainment. Righteousness is rooted in a pure heart. And indeed it protects one from contamination and the filth of the world. Righteous love is the supreme motivation for constructive change. The examples of our Father in Heaven and the Savior and Their teachings are the perfect source of motivation and direction for life."
-Richard G. Scott
I find that every time I have to prepare a lesson-it ends up being something I desperately need to learn in my own life. And because I'm pretty open about my flaws and faults-why not admit them again...
In the last few weeks, I have struggled with the concept of progression. I've tried to explain it and I never get it quite right-but I've decided to try again. As a single, latter-day saint I have made all the covenants that I can possibly make alone. And I recognize that every day is a new day for improvement and progression. But since I started my new institute class (dating and courtship), I feel as though in the grand scheme of things my ability to progress is now not dependent on just me. Which is very hard to accept as the stubborn, independent side of me peaks its head up.
So this is where my 'wrestle before the Lord' has had me over the last few weeks. I'm at another critical phase-another crossroad of life. Its time for me to start looking for faculty positions-to decide where I want to go with my career and ultimately my life. And I'm trying to figure out where to go-and how to best emphasize the matters that have an eternal consequence-but there are certain things that I have NO control over that would make my decisions a little bit easier to make. So as I have 'beat my head against the wall' created by myself and my crossroads, my perspective has become narrow and I have lacked the faith necessary to see the bigger picture.
And then, as I prepared two very different lessons, I found myself studying about potential. In those moments of study and reflection, I realized that there's a requirement to reach maximum potential: FAITH (or trust in God's plan and a willing heart/mind).
"Thus it is that our faith and trust in our Heavenly Father, so far as this mortal experience is concerned, consists not simply of faith and gladness that He exists, but is also a faith and trust that, if we are humble, He will tutor us, aiding our acquisition of needed attributes and experiences while we are in mortality. We trust not only the Designer but also His design of life itself, including our portion thereof!"
-Neal A. Maxwell
Love the moments where we are humbled through our own seeking-where the Lord sits back and says, 'I'm going to let Amber figure this one out on her own.' Its definitely a huge leap of faith to trust in the Lord's plan and timing-but I know its worth it (it always has been and it always will be). Sometimes though, I get in my own way-I put my face right up to the mountain and don't step back to see the way up. In those moments I need to remember to step back, evaluate the entire picture, and then choose to 'pick up a shovel' or 'get out of the way'!
"If you have faith enough to move a mountain; grab a shovel. If you have faith enough that the Lord can move a mountain; get out of the way!"
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