Good gravy- I did not plan it this way, but guess where my studies led me today? You guessed it- Lehi's vision. I chose a conference talk to listen to today by Elder Holland called "Safety for the Soul" and man oh man, it must be the spirit up in here.
Elder Holland focuses on the importance of God's word as our source of guidance and truth. In the last days, he quotes from the new testament "even the very elect shall be deceived" and "men's hearts shall fail them." There will be all sorts of distractions surrounding us in this world, but as we continue to turn to God's words, we will know which direction to walk, as well as the peace and reassurance we need to continue moving forward. Rachel mentioned in one of her comments the other day that there are countless distractions that take us away from the gospel (and we were talking about it recently as well), and if we let those distractions cloud our minds enough, it will be easy to forget and doubt the truths we have previously learned.
Thinking about all of my fears as of right now- what's in store for the future, school, making the "right life decisions", as well as many many other deeply rooted issues from the past, I realized that like the travelers in Lehi's vision, I was surrounded by mists of darkness in my own life, preventing me from steadily and consistently moving forward (I think Rachel and I talked about this recently as well). Satan will use our own fears against us, our own personal dementors, if you will- the mists of Satan! What a doofus. I had to take the time to write out each fear, each worry, and each doubt during my study- I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't focus. But once I did write down what I was afraid of, I felt a small sense of peace- and of hope. I was finding my very own patronous to combat the dementors Satan is sending my way! One of my favorite scriptures came to mind (which actually ended up being in this talk, whaaaaat):
"Thou hast been faithful...and because thou hast seen thy weakness (and/or fears) thou shalt be made strong..." (Ether 12:37)
Instantly, every single worry, everything that has been weighing down my soul for quite some time just lifted. I was filled with warmth, light, and truth. I knew these words were directly from Heavenly Father. And as I continued to listen to Elder Holland's talk, he spoke of Joseph and Hyrum Smith- of how right before they were martyred, Hyrum read that same passage of scripture to Joseph. Instead of spending their last few moments of life consumed by doubt as to whether they did the right thing, instead of wallowing in self pity and anger at their situation, they turned to the word of God, the Book of Mormon for the peace only God could provide at that time.
I cannot adequately put into words just how much I love the scriptures- especially the Book of Mormon-my life has changed dramatically because of the truths contained in these books. I have found the most profound peace and comfort from these words as I continue to pass through challenges and trials. I have found stories about real, flawed, imperfect people, simply trying to draw closer to God. I have felt the pains of those who have made mistakes and wish to change, as well as the incredible light and peace received after turning it all over to God.
These accounts actually happened. I know that each of these stories contain real people. These words were recorded because our Father in Heaven loves us so so much. These words tell us how to return to Him, provide us comfort when we need it and can penetrate even the darkest of circumstances.
I love Heavenly Father and my savior so much! I am so grateful for all they do for me and for all the tools they have given to each of us to feel their love and their guidance around us every day!
I know as you continue (or start) to turn to the scriptures, you will find hope, healing, peace, and clarity more abundantly in your life. The beautiful thing about the gospel is you can start where you are. It doesn't matter where you have been. All that matters is the desire to act now.
I love you so so much!
Emily
You must be so FULL, because that was a real FEAST. My goodness. I can smell the creamy mashed potatoes all the way over here. It is funny because I read yours after I had finished my study, and I noticed that they overlapped in a lot of ways. What do we do to keep ourselves falling like the people of Nephi did after such spiritual experiences? We hold onto that word of God! That is what the people of Nephi WERE NOT listening too. We have exactly what we need to get to the tree of life. It is already there. Thanks for the Harry Potter shout out. I wish I had the time turner right now because I have a giant pile of homework sitting on my bed...it is just glaring at me. But I started with the scriptures because just like you said, they give you a peace in whatever storm you are in, even if that storm is homework. Love you!
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