So, a month or so ago, in teacher development class, we read this scripture in Alma. It is about how faith is like a seed that can begin to grow if we nourish it. On that day, the part of the scripture that I noticed as "...If ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that you will resist the Spirit of the Lord, it will begin to swell..."
I thought, "this is how my child is right now----Just resisting the Spirit of the Lord so they don't have to deal with promptings and whether they are doing things right or not."
They could be strengthened by the lessons they here and the things they see and have their testimony stronger and more sure. Instead, they resist the whisperings of the Spirit and try to push those thoughts away so they don't have to deal with all the effort it takes to live the gospel as we are told.
And I thought about pointing this out cause I felt like I had pegged it so accurately.
I don't remember what I was thinking about exactly when I was driving a few days later, but it was probably my struggles to read the scriptures consistently. Anyway, this scripture popped in my head again and I thought YOU are resisting also just because you don't want to deal with things. How many times have I been heading into bed and thought "I still need to read scriptures." And immediately, I try to chase that thought away with something else because I don't want to read scriptures. I want to lay in bed and read fluff. So, I studiously ignore that thought in my head and say something like "I do better reading in the morning, so I'll work on that tomorrow."
What seeds are you resisting? What whisperings come to your mind that you don't dwell on but quickly push away because the whisperings are telling you something that you need to work on, or take time for, and you just don't feel like it?
Each of us have different things that are struggles for us. Sometimes we work on it, but then we get tired or busy or lazy or whatever and stop the effort. Cause it is so much effort! And there are lots of other things calling for our attention so it is easy to push stuff away that we don't want to take the time to focus on.
The rest of verse 28 has a great promise though.....
...you will say within yourselves---It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. "
I know reading the scriptures daily helps me. I know it makes my life better and it makes me better. I've felt the swelling inside as I read things and study things and it becomes a part of me. I feel so much more through out the day! I feel closer to Heavenly Father. This lasts all day sometimes and it feels great!
However, it has never become delicious to me. My soul has been enlarged, my understanding has been enlightened, but it is not delicious. Delicious is curling up with a fun story that you are trying to devour as quickly as possible because you just can't wait to see what happens. Even when you aren't reading it, part of your mind is thinking about when you can get back to it. Delicious is something like high quality chocolate after a long day. You stop moving and stop thinking for a few moments and just feel the good, happy, feelings going through your body as you savor the flavor.
I have stopped my consistent effort before it became delicious. It's amazing to think scripture reading could be delicious to me. If it was delicious to me, it would be something I would look forward to instead of something I do because I am suppose to. If I keep trying and keep working on it, I have faith that Alma's promise will happen to me. Delicious. Surely, I will be a Spiritual Giant by then!
They could be strengthened by the lessons they here and the things they see and have their testimony stronger and more sure. Instead, they resist the whisperings of the Spirit and try to push those thoughts away so they don't have to deal with all the effort it takes to live the gospel as we are told.
And I thought about pointing this out cause I felt like I had pegged it so accurately.
I don't remember what I was thinking about exactly when I was driving a few days later, but it was probably my struggles to read the scriptures consistently. Anyway, this scripture popped in my head again and I thought YOU are resisting also just because you don't want to deal with things. How many times have I been heading into bed and thought "I still need to read scriptures." And immediately, I try to chase that thought away with something else because I don't want to read scriptures. I want to lay in bed and read fluff. So, I studiously ignore that thought in my head and say something like "I do better reading in the morning, so I'll work on that tomorrow."
What seeds are you resisting? What whisperings come to your mind that you don't dwell on but quickly push away because the whisperings are telling you something that you need to work on, or take time for, and you just don't feel like it?
Each of us have different things that are struggles for us. Sometimes we work on it, but then we get tired or busy or lazy or whatever and stop the effort. Cause it is so much effort! And there are lots of other things calling for our attention so it is easy to push stuff away that we don't want to take the time to focus on.
The rest of verse 28 has a great promise though.....
...you will say within yourselves---It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. "
I know reading the scriptures daily helps me. I know it makes my life better and it makes me better. I've felt the swelling inside as I read things and study things and it becomes a part of me. I feel so much more through out the day! I feel closer to Heavenly Father. This lasts all day sometimes and it feels great!
However, it has never become delicious to me. My soul has been enlarged, my understanding has been enlightened, but it is not delicious. Delicious is curling up with a fun story that you are trying to devour as quickly as possible because you just can't wait to see what happens. Even when you aren't reading it, part of your mind is thinking about when you can get back to it. Delicious is something like high quality chocolate after a long day. You stop moving and stop thinking for a few moments and just feel the good, happy, feelings going through your body as you savor the flavor.
I have stopped my consistent effort before it became delicious. It's amazing to think scripture reading could be delicious to me. If it was delicious to me, it would be something I would look forward to instead of something I do because I am suppose to. If I keep trying and keep working on it, I have faith that Alma's promise will happen to me. Delicious. Surely, I will be a Spiritual Giant by then!
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