In case my blog does not express my love for the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints enough, this post will solidify that stance.
I LOVE being LDS. Everything about it is incredible. The day to day blessings
that stem directly from gospel living exceed that of anything else that I am
involved in or do. If you are reading for the first time or are not familiar
with the LDS church I would invite you to visit Mormon.org. You can access my
Mormon.org account here.
Each year I attend what’s called "Education Week"
at a Brigham Young University campus. It’s a week of spiritual instruction and
enlightenment pertaining to the church and all sorts of life topics. Last year
I went to a lecture by Scott Anderson. Scott was my father's seminary teacher
throughout his youth. During the lecture Scott talked about the principle of
"Spiritual exercise". He said that he would do small things in his
life to show that his spirit was in control and he was not giving in to his
natural man. He would take a cold shower, or not eat a bowl of ice cream he'd
just scooped himself, all to show that his spirit was stronger than carnal
desires. I loved hearing about this concept and it reminded me a lot of my
father. My dad is amazing! He is one of the most spiritual men that I know. He
puts the Lord first in all that he does. He will do whatever it takes to please
the Lord and to put His word first.
I've thought about this concept for some time and wondered
how to apply it more readily into my life. This week, I received my answer. I
have a friend who I respect and love with all my heart. He is a true hero and
spiritual exerciser! As he and I talked he made several comments that truly
manifest to me his priorities. He put the Lord FIRST. Before anything and
anyone else. He had so much trust in the Lord that if a tragedy were to occur
he would know it was the Lord's will for that to happen. I was so inspired by
this concept. "Why can't I be that strong?" I kept thinking. I knew
that if I were to give up these silly temporal desires that I would not only be
blessed by the Lord, but I would also enable myself to experience true freedom.
I would not be tied or bound by anything, because with God all things are possible.
I attempted to test my spiritual strength tonight in a very
small and miniscule test. While watching a movie with a group of friends I was
GLUED to my phone. I made a decision; I will not check my phone till the movie
is done. Simple, right? I kept feeling obligated to look at the phone or pull up facebook, but I
stopped and thought about it. My spirit was stronger than my curiosity of what
might be on my phone or who called. I've decided to each day do one thing that will
strengthen my spirit and show the Lord that I am stronger than my natural man.
I will give up a date, or not eat any sugar, or turn off my phone all day. Just
1 thing every day to show that I am in control and can subject my will to the
Lord's. I am excited to see how this can change my life. I hope to one day be
as steadfast as my friend who has more trust in God than all else.
Spiritually exercise with me! Just try it out and let me
know if you see a change in your life. It doesn't have to be big and grandiose,
it can be small and minute. Something as silly as not checking your phone for the duration of a movie is a good start... and I already feel more empowered!
