Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Diligence and Patience
December 22, 2014


This week has been…super interesting! I've done..nothing. I hurt my back really bad and I was not able to work for a week and a half. I had to let myself heal, and there was no other way to do it.

At first I thought it was really frustrating because my goal for this month was diligence, and when I hurt my back, I thought, how in the WORLD is this teaching me diligence? I was expecting diligence in missionary work  but, Heavenly Father thought it was better to teach me diligence in another way. I have learned to trust in God's promises, and endure to the end. My faith has increased dramatically through this experience. There was one point where I thought that I might have to go home a few weeks early, and I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how much this devastated me. I seriously thought it was the end of the world, but then I started to change my outlook, and  remembered that I had received a priesthood blessing- that gave me the gift of healing and of understanding of God's will for me.

I started becoming more grateful for the things that I had, like a wonderful companion, and I really was healing, even if it was slow. I began to have even more fervent prayers with my Heavenly Father each night and morning, pleading with Him to help me understand my trials. After I began to do this, a new light came into my life. I understood more that I was learning patience, and diligence, and that I really needed to take care of myself. So I stayed with members throughout the week while my companion got to go out with some other sisters.

There was one night I was praying, and felt the deep impression to pray that I could be healed by Sunday.  I thought- at the rate I'm going, this might not be really possible…but I felt the need to put my faith in it anyway. When it got to Saturday night, my back was actually in one of the worst states it had been in in a couple of days. So all the sisters were saying...well, looks like you'll be down again tomorrow! and I just kept saying NO. TOMORROW IS THE DAY I'LL BE HEALED.

So I went to bed that night really hurting, but really asking my Heavenly Father for help. I knew that I wanted to serve Him and serve the full time of my mission. I wanted to heal and serve the people around me. Sunday came around, and I was really excited to take the Sacrament. I knew that there was a special power in that ordinance, because it had been blessed by the Priesthood. I knew that it could be as powerful as touching the clothes of Jesus Christ, just as the lady did in the story in the New Testament- and she was healed. As I took the Sacrament, I really felt my Savior's love and my Heavenly Father's love. After a few talks and songs, I stood up to give my talk. I felt so grateful for all of the blessings the Lord had given me. I loved Him so much in that moment that I stood up at the pulpit. The Spirit truly guided my talk that day, and when I sat down after I was finished, I sat there and thought to myself, "my back doesn't hurt anymore."

I know that it was by the healing power of our Savior Jesus Christ that I was able to be healed. but, what I really want to show by this story is the importance of keeping the Sabbath Day holy. I know how important it is to take the Sacrament every single week. We cannot miss it. We need it, and our Spirit needs it. Our Heavenly Father will bless us as we do so. I believe in Heavenly Father's timing, and although I cannot go out and run a marathon right now, I know that I was significantly blessed by the Sacrament and by His holy day yesterday. I am so thankful for this commandment and I hope we can all strive to keep it. I hope we can always continually look for more ways to consecrate ourselves on this day, because that is how we can come to know our Savior in a more significant way.  Please adopt this principle more fully in your life at this time. I know that our Redeemer lives, and  because of that, we can be instruments in His hands each day. We become closer to His spirit each time we take the Sacrament, and it can become an increasingly rewarding pattern in our lives as we strive to more wholly keep the Sabbath Day Holy. I know this to be true, and I know the Book of Mormon to be true, and I know this Gospel of Jesus Christ to be true. I know it without any doubts, because by the sacred power and help of the Holy Ghost, I feel of its truth every day of my life. I feel the power of His message. I pray that we'll all have a Merry Christmas, and feel the love of our Savior more fully! I love you all! and I love my Savior! AND MY MISSION!



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