How many times have you tried to lose weight? Three? Ten? Twenty? I can't tell you how many attempts I have made, but I can tell you this: I now know that with the Lord on my side, I can do it this time if I continue with diligence, faith, and humility.
In 1 Nephi Chapter 1, we read of Nephi's attempts to obtain the brass plates from Laban. Even with great faith, it still took him and his brothers three attempts to finally achieve their goal. We must always remember that even if it takes us several attempts, we can still find that faith in God to perservere.
". . . I will go and do the things which the Lord commanded, for I KNOW that the Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men, save he shall PREPARE a WAY for them that they may ACCOMPLISH the thing which he commandeth them."
In the next chapter, after losing his property and having his life threatened, Nephi's persistence finally pays off, but not until after just one more test of faith:
"And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. . . Nevertheless I went forth. . . "
So this time, as I try once again to lose weight, I choose to close my self-help books, to turn off the TV, and to throw away the magazine articles. Instead, I will place my life in the Lord's hands, not knowing at this exact moment what His exact plan is for me, but absolutely knowing that He does have one. I am placing my hand in His, ready to travel the path He has set. I know that as I make this simple choice, I am choosing the ability to succeed; maybe not today, or tomorrow, but after the trial of my faith.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT
Posted by K Walton at 7:22 AM
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2 comments:
Another great post. I really like the way that you focused on the fact that we have to keep trying things and that they don't always work out the first time, but that if we trust in God they will eventually work out.
One thing I've always liked about the story of getting the plates is that I feel like it's a story about options. Here, Nephi was commanded to get the plates, but he wasn't told exactly how to do this when the command was given. Yet, he stepped up and tried things. When option one didn't work, he tried option two and then option three. The point is that he never considered himself out of options. Even when he didn't have a plan ahead of time, he just went not knowing beforehand what he should do. Then, God created the option. The interesting thing to me is that God doesn't always tell us how precisely to carry out his commands. He allows us to try things, to use our ingenuity, and to reason through things that we may learn from experience. But, if our own attempts fail, as they often do, he enlightens our minds when we remain prayerful and faithful. Then, we are eventually led to a solution. I am confident that this model can be applied to most challenges in our life. It really stood out to me when I was battling PPD. I tried a lot of things and just had to hang in there and not give up. Then, eventually, things worked out.
OOOOoooh! Very deep! Thanks for that insight! It just goes to show that Heavenly Father has a lot of confidence in our potential. Thanks for the post! Keep the comments coming! I love them!
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