Last week was emotional, exhilarating, exhausting, energizing, and overwhelming. I arrived to Sunday night feeling burned out and spent. I often get to a point where I am worn very thin, and then take it out on my family members by being short tempered and impatient. I think part that is life with four young kids.
Well, I handed over the bedtime reigns to Jake and took to our room to have a few minutes to pray and communicate with Heavenly Father. That is what I really needed. I am so rarely alone, which is a blessing, but it makes one on one personal communication with heaven hard. I know that we can pray in any situation or in any place, but there are times where personal private prayer is so necessary and hard to come by when you're with little people at all hours of the day.
As I poured out my thoughts Heavenly Father I felt that He was really there and listening. It was so comforting to feel of His love and reassurance and to know that He knew my heart. After I prayed I read some articles from the December Ensign and appreciated the perspective they gave me.
Then I prayed again. This time expressing the new thoughts I was having and more gratitude for the opportunity to communicate with Him. Then I read a few more articles in the Ensign and landed on this one from Elder Christofferson about how to Be at Peace.
I loved his thought of taking time. Time to stop. Time to listen. Time to ponder. Time to sit quietly with that baby in a manger.
Then I prayed again, saying only that I was ready to listen. And then the quiet thought came to my mind that to have better peace, better perspective, better direction from Him I needed to take time to be with him each day. To let Him warm me like a fire in winter.
I felt the truth of this thought and spent a few minutes thinking about how to adjust my routine to make it happen. I then emerged from the room and talked to Jake and the kids about the prompting I felt. And they agreed to help me have that time.
One hour each evening to be alone, to have quiet, to sit with the Lord. I don't know exactly what it will look like each night, but I want to make the effort. Tonight I prayed, wrote in my journal, read a few chapters of scripture and then came to record some of our story, our history, on here.
And I really feel a lot better. More focused. More peaceful. More in tune with the Spirit of the Lord.
I know that Heavenly Father can give us each tailored instruction. Help. Direction. Specific to our needs and desires. I am grateful for His direction to me and for the peaceful voice of the Spirit that I can hear when I tune in to Him.
5 comments:
Grandpa Vern was good at stopping, listening, pondering and sitting quietly. It is a skill and it is necessary. Love you sister!
I love this this, thanks Jord! I love that you set a plan of how to make it happen...and that to "reset" and have strength, it means strength in the lord, in the quiet. When I get overwhelmed I tend to feel like I need to get out (which certainly has its place) but I need to remember to turn more to the true source of peace and to cultivate my relationship with Him. You are such a strong person...because your faith is so strong and you allow Him to carry you and add His strength upon you. How comforting and wonderful a savior was born! Merry Christmas friend.
Thanks for sharing the link to Elder Christopher's talk. I don't know how I missed this in the Ensign. I especially liked your added insights, Jordan. What a beautiful way to celebrate Christmas in a private, quiet way.
Beautifully stated and so true! I'm glad you found a plan that will allow you that time.
Thanks for the post, Jord. It is difficult, in this busy world, to get and to take the time to sit with the Lord. Many of us are not very good at it. I appreciate your description of the process and of the comfort the Lord gives to those who do it.
vfr
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