on Sunday's we go to church

Today my cousin reported on his mission and shared experiences he had. It was truly an amazing talk and the spirit was so strong and touched so many people. There was not a dry eye in the whole congregation that was filled to capacity and than some.

A talk called "Small Acts of Service" by Spencer W. Kimball was quoted and related to his own experience. 

“If we are not careful, we can be injured by the frostbite of frustration; we can be frozen in place by the chill of unmet expectations. To avoid this we must—just as we would with arctic coldness—keep moving, keep serving, and keep reaching out, so that our own immobility does not become our chief danger.”

He read this and I couldn't help but think that this has described me at different key points in my life. When I feel like my life doesn't have the direction I feel it should or when I'm waiting for certain things to change. I become frustrated. Destructive thoughts soon take over. If I keep praying this obviously won't change because I have already been praying about it and nothing has changed. You can become numb or immobile as President Kimball described. We must keep moving to avoid this. (Movement creates warmth and warmth is happiness- I love this analogy) Continue with the mundane tasks and keep the commandments. It's simple and we know it's simple but sometimes it may not seem like it's working. 

"Sometimes the solution is not to change our circumstance, but to change our attitude about that circumstance; difficulties are often opportunities for service. Someone has said that hell “is frozen in self-pity.”

ding ding ding! maybe i'm praying for the wrong thing? Maybe I'm still praying for what I want not what the Lord wants for me?  It hit me when I read this that it isn't so much a matter of my circumstances but more of the attitude i'm carrying with me. These things ARE important even if it seems like nothing is changing. If our circumstances aren't changing we are changing as we are serving others and reaching outside of ourselves. And Isn't the change in yourself more important than anything else?

"So often, however, what we need by way of encouragement to keep the commandments and to serve others is to simply be stirred in our memory by the Spirit concerning the things we already know, rather than receiving new inspiration and revelation. It has been said that “memory is the stomach of the soul,” in that it receives, digests, and nourishes us. (Donne’s Prebend Sermons, Harvard University Press, 1971.) The Holy Ghost stirs our memory as well as our understanding. We must then do what we already know is right—the simple things, the straightforward things, and the specific things. This is one of the reasons why we, as Latter-day Saints, must live in a worthy manner so that we can have the influence of the Holy Ghost and have his constant companionship to guide us, to direct us. His guidance is far more important than the learning of techniques, although these can be helpful."

"God does nothing by chance, but always by design as a loving father. You know his purpose. We have purpose also in our lives. Surely such a loving Father in heaven, who gave commandments to prevent human misery, will not forget the needs of each of his children."

I'm beyond grateful for the inspired talk that was given today. I do know that Heavenly Father loves me and He loves each of us. His love for us is perfect. His love is infinite. When I change my attitude it helps me notice that He has actually been their all along answering my prayers and blessing me not the other way around.

An oldie but a goodie! also it's Jane's b-day so a close-up is mandatory! (#RealLaughing #NotStaged)