Sunday Sentiments

I'm a bit spiritually defunct right now, but I'm trying to push through and continue studying the gospel regularly (I can't say "daily," but I can at least say most days). 

This week the Come Follow Me lesson prompts us to think about "gathering manna." What are the things we do every day to find spiritual nourishment?

Remember the Del Parson painting with Christ at the door?

There is no knob, so all Christ can do is knock, and it is up to the person on the other side of the door to open it.

For me, even when I feel spiritually "down" (as I am now), I know that if I keep doing the daily practices that leave the door open, eventually Christ will come in. Sometimes I feel like I’m faking it, and I don’t like that, but so far my success rate of making it through is 100%.

About ten years ago, there was a lot of buzz among members of my faith around the book, Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light. The book is a collection of letters that Mother Teresa wrote in which she expressed her own feelings of spiritual darkness.

For Mother Teresa, as soon as she began doing the work that she felt Christ called her to do, she stopped feeling Him near. She longed, more than anything, to have a relationship with God, but for over fifty years, she struggled to feel Him near (read a little more about Mother Teresa's story here).

Isn't it interesting how these things happen during crucial points of our lives? 

The lesson this week links to a talk by President Uchtdorf called "Daily Restoration."  In President Uchtorf's talk, he reminds us of the importance of small and simple acts of realignment. He says it is an ongoing process. It is normal to veer off course from time to time and need to redirect ourselves. I personally feel like I’ve had the best learning experiences while trying to come out of my spiritual droughts. One result of such experiences is that I no longer beat myself up for them. I used to be so hard on myself if I wasn’t feeling regular doses of the Spirit, but now I’ve learned to give myself grace and a little bit of time. President Uchtdorf taught that striving for “daily restoration… is how we become true disciples of our Savior, Jesus Christ.” 

I’ve found that pushing through times of spiritual struggle has helped me understand people better and overcome some of my own u healthy ways of thinking. Hopefully, as President Uchtdorf stated, it truly does help me become a better follower of Christ.