Introduction
As life gets busier and the world gets crazier, it's important for me to take the time to study and ponder the Gospel. The older I get, the more I realize how important those "seminary/primary/Sunday school" answers really are. Scripture study, prayer, attending church, attending the temple...The same answers we have all heard over and over again.For me, it's simple as those answers. When I am living the Gospel by doing those things, I am happy and at peace. When I am not doing those things, I am anxious, self-doubting, and insecure. And while these are things that are important for me personally, I know they are equally important for my family. Ariel and I obviously haven't been perfect, but our relationship is what it is today because we have striven to attend church together weekly and study the scriptures and pray together daily.
When we do these things, we really can have His Spirit to be with us. While that is important for a variety of reasons, one huge reason this is important to me in today's world is this nugget from the Church Handbook:
In other words, in a world where there is so much information thrown at us, it is important that we have the Spirit's guidance. Another reason why it's important to live the Gospel by doing those seminary answers.
But I digress. The reason I am writing this post is that from here on out I'd like to share some of the things I've learned during the week from my Gospel study, attending Church, attending the temple, etc. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts for this last week. :)
What I Learned This Week
Scripture Study (Job)
This week I learned a lot about Job. I learned that his story is very unique because it's not entirely clear why it's included in the Bible when Job was not an Israelite. I learned that the book of Job is basically all poetry which may be why it was so hard for me to understand...Like most of the Old Testament. 😂
I learned that we all may experience Job-like sufferings in this life. When we do, it's our trust in God and our faith in Christ that carries us through these trials. For me personally, I am happier and more at peach when I am living the Gospel. I'm not perfect, and struggles will always come...But if I am faithful through my trials like Job, I will be better for it.
"Fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever."-D&C 122:9
Conference Talk ("Fear Not: Believe Only!"-Elder Holland, April 2022)
This week I listened to Elder Holland's talk "Fear Not: Believe Only!" while I was at work. The following quote is what jumped out to me the most: |
To me, Elder Holland is reminding us that remaining active in the Church is NOT easy. As members of the Church, we will all face our own doubts and challenges. Enduring to the end sounds so simple when we are baptized, but I don't think that's the case in reality. It is not easy to endure to the end...It is tough. But I think that's okay because it should be tough as that is what will help us grow the most. By striving to live the Gospel, God truly will "grant us the power to finish the course."
Lesson At Church
A small lesson I learned at Church today is that small acts of kindness can go a long way. I took Emmaline out to the foyer to help her finish her bottle. When we sat down and I removed the cap to the bottle, the cap went flying to the middle of the foyer. I was a little embarrassed because the other ward was in the middle of their sacrament meeting. I had just got Emmaline all comfortable and the last thing I wanted to do was get up to go retrieve the cap...But a nice lady from the other side of the foyer stopped what she was doing with her own kids to jump out of her seat and grab the cap for me. Even though it was the simplest act of kindness, it was a great reminder to me that we should always be ready to help others when the opportunity arises. We never know when these small acts will make someone's day!
I hope everyone has a great week. God is in charge!
-Ben
D&C 122:7-9
