Ether 6

This post is a bit delayed. And it's long. I apologize. It's good though. At least I think it is. Plus, I'm working in some of my friends blog posts again. :) Also, don't forget to check out the guest blog I just posted. I don't want anyone to miss that just because I couldn't wait anymore to post this monster of writing.

Also, this is a very LDS post. If you have questions, ask. If you're not interested, don't worry about it. I'm not here to push anything on you. You can just read my next post.

So at church, everything focused on challenges and trials, even speakers in Sacrament Meeting. First they talked about the Holy Ghost and how he can help you make choices in your life and know how to deal with challenges, and how He can help you recognize patterns in yourself, the good ones that help you deal with challenges and the bad ones that cause even more challenges that you have to manage.

Now for my first blog reference: turn to Andee once again. She says, "It seems I always have to experience something horrible in order for me to understand anything. I can't ever just learn from others' experiences...it has to personally happen to me," (Andee Leigh, 2009, "The Ugly Truth," http://anabananandee.blogspot.com/).

How many of us agree with her? I do.

Church people also talked about pride, and how we receive trials to pull us back to the gospel sometimes, so it's for our own good. This is something I had a hard time understanding, but it all comes down to the same thing: we lean on God more when we really need him. When life is going swell and dandy, we tend to forget. It's natural. Not ideal, but it's natural. So God says, "Hey, get back here," and sometimes it's with a sharp tongue. But He's got to get through to you somehow. And He will get to you.

Story: I was riding the Aggie Shuttle last fall, and I was wrapped up in my own thoughts and wondering how the heck I was going to manage everything in my life. Usually when I'm introspective, it's hard to snap me out of it, but something caught my attention while I was on the bus. I looked up at a small window close to the ceiling. It was open a little, and I noticed there wasn't a screen. Just as I realized that, a small orange leaf fluttered into the window and landed on the seat directly across from me. Naturally, I stared at it, and then I laughed.

Why did I laugh? I'm not exactly sure. I've thought about this leaf for months, this stupid leaf that really doesn't matter, but I've learned so much from this stinking leaf that it drives me nuts and I wish I'd picked it up and pressed it in a book somewhere.

I'm not sure if this will make any sense, but I'm gonna try my best to explain the lesson of the leaf that I want to share with you. I was in a bus, a man-made moving box. It's meant to keep you safe from the weather and nature while you speedily make your way to your destination with the least amount of effort. I went into the bus to avoid walking and the weather. I avoided walking, but the leaf made it inside the bus, even though the bus was moving and the window wasn't open that much. Here's how I see the situation: I go places and make choices that makes it harder for the Gospel and God to reach me sometimes, even if it's just a choice about my attitude or what music I listen to. But even when I make those choices, if I give God even a little bit of wiggle room to influence me, He'll work with whatever room I give him. He'll come through my door if I open it for Him, but He'll also go through the window if He has to, even if all He can do is whisper through it.

Okay, two more things. Keep on reading! You can do it!

Another of my friends, Chelsey Cutler, wrote a post that covered nearly everything else we talked about at church, and I really recommend it to anyone who cares about themselves. That should be everyone reading this sentence. So visit her blog at http://chelseycutler.blogspot.com/ and read her post titled "Trials, Challenges, Changes, and Difficulties." It's worth it. And allows me to tell you this last thing:

I was very surprised that NO ONE in church mentioned Ether 6:2-18. This is one of my favorite things to read. I've read this chapter so much in the past month that I can't help but mention it. You can read it online here: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/ether/6

Ether 6 in the Book of Mormon can help you understand Why God gives us challenges and can help you accept and deal with whatever comes your way. I want to challenge you (a good challenge!) to study this chapter by playing a game of pretend. Here are the rules:

1. You are the Jaredites. Take everything in this chapter personally.
2. The vessels are your life.
3. The stones are gifts from the Lord to you. Find out what these gifts are.
4. Your preparations are your preparations. You're all smart enough to know what I mean.
5. The wind and the waters and the creatures of the sea are your trials and challenges and changes and difficulties.
6. The promised land is your perfect self, your celestial self, your life in glory.

That's all my thoughts. I hope someone gets something out of it. It helped me.