First, pride. I watched a video this week that highlighted and reminded me that pride is the "universal sin" in the words of President Ezra Taft Benson. Yep. I can testify the truthfulness of that statement. I struggle with pride all the time. From comparing myself to others, to not celebrating the success of others, to not being grateful. Its all there. So, what can I do? Well, I pray a lot. I have heard it said that the first step to recovery is recognition that there is a problem. When it comes to pride, I seem to constantly be made aware of my pride. I call on my Heavenly Father for help and He hears me and assists me in the challenges I face. I also try to be more grateful. I find this to be a great antidote for pride. Being grateful lifts me and it lifts the person I thank. In the spirit of gratitude, thank you for reading this!
Second, the power of the scriptures. President Russell M. Nelson has said, ""In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, and comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost." I believe that to be true. These are hard times we live in. Between the pandemic, racial injustices, riots, individual spiritual, physical, or emotional concerns and a host of other trials, life is hard. But, when I study in the scriptures, I feel the Holy Ghost's presence. One of the names and roles of the Holy Ghost is "comforter." I feel comforted when I read the word of God in the scriptures. There have been many times when what I read correlates with what is going on in my life. For instance, those thoughts about pride came as I was reading about a prophet named Jacob who was teaching his people about pride.
Last thought. Prayer. I pray every day. But the nature of my prayers is not always as sincere as I would like for it to be. Especially when I am tired, I find that my prayers are lacking the conviction and communication that I would like them to be. Heavenly Father loves us all and I know He hears every prayer I utter. But I wonder about myself listening to Him. I often speak a prayer and talk at or to God, but what about listening? What about what He wants to share with me? I get to say my piece, but what about His piece? Or should I say His peace? I am going to share a video that struck me this week regarding prayer and provides a good contrast between two very differing prayers. The part of the video that stands out to me the most is when the man in the video points out that too often today, people are trying to be loud so that others can hear them, rather than seeking to have their prayers heard by God. What a difference it would make to pray more to God.
The wonderful thing for this week is that in spite of my pride and imperfect prayers, I can rest assured that the Lord is there. He loves me and whenever I turn to Him, He listens to me.
Here's the video I referenced earlier. Have a wonderful week!!
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