At one point a question was asked, "How can we avoid watching TV shows that have inappropriate content?" I shared with everyone, a commitment I made last year to not watch TV, except for shows that I know have good values. I said, "The shows nowadays are becoming more and more offensive to me and I have no desire to watch them. Instead, I use my time studying the scriptures and doing activities that inspire and uplift."
At the end of the meeting, someone asked me "How he could get to my level of spirituality?" Funny, I never thought of myself as having a certain level of spirituality. I certainly don't want anyone feeling like they have to measure up to me.
My quick response to him was something like, "Well I am not perfect! I have many weaknesses, but for me it's been the many trials in my life that has brought me to the level of spirituality that I am at now. It hasn't been easy! I have really had to look back into my past and right some wrongs. I am not confessing to anything bad, but you know, I struggle with weaknesses just as much as anyone else. I've had to rely wholly on the Savior' s atonement in order to rise above those many weaknesses and challenges in my life."
After I got home, I started to reflect on the discussion and the question that was asked.
If I had been given time to prepare a more in depth response when asked, "How I got to my level of spirituality?"
I would say, "I had to look fear in the face over and over; be completely honest with myself and God; take leaps of faith when I had nothing else left in me; let go of pride again and again, even swallow it at times; forgive myself and others 70 times 7; rediscover my worth and identity; recognize Satan's lies and learn how to debunk them; accept lost dreams and goals as a reality and forge new ones with hope; and feel pain of loss so intense I thought death was waiting for me around the corner.”
That's the extreme version and if I had said it to the man asking, I am sure his chin would've dropped.
I've never pictured my life to be as challenging and yet I've never dreamed it would be so heavenly either. With each new test on the battleground of my faith, I've gained understanding of the purpose of my trials. Each one, a way for me to overcome weaknesses and commit to God more fully. In essence my spirituality really was born from my trials.
Am I now perfect? No, of course not! I have so much more to surrender to God. Which I hate to admit is the most difficult thing for me to do. It's sounds so easy, but it really isn't! Surrendering my own plans and desires without seeing the end from the beginning is scary. I fight against it and still catch myself on many occasions saying phrases such as "I trust you, but....'I think my way is better'...'It's too hard to change'...'I still want control.' Maybe these phrases sound familiar to you.
If so stay tuned for more on another day...
I've never pictured my life to be as challenging and yet I've never dreamed it would be so heavenly either. With each new test on the battleground of my faith, I've gained understanding of the purpose of my trials. Each one, a way for me to overcome weaknesses and commit to God more fully. In essence my spirituality really was born from my trials.
Am I now perfect? No, of course not! I have so much more to surrender to God. Which I hate to admit is the most difficult thing for me to do. It's sounds so easy, but it really isn't! Surrendering my own plans and desires without seeing the end from the beginning is scary. I fight against it and still catch myself on many occasions saying phrases such as "I trust you, but....'I think my way is better'...'It's too hard to change'...'I still want control.' Maybe these phrases sound familiar to you.
If so stay tuned for more on another day...
