Brother P is a good man. He's really really
smart. (Note from Mom: We met Bro. P in our ward yesterday.)
Today there's quite a storm brewing outside. We've already
had a car accident today, so cars are parked. Meaning, we walked to the office
this morning. It took almost an hour, and it was cold, but it was also good.
After my slightly depressing couple of weeks, I've decided that I need to get
back into Cardio, make healthy meals a priority, and take lots of vitamin D. :D
So I woke up early this morning and did 15 minutes of Spartacus (a superset
workout that kills your legs and chest) which got me breathing hard, then did
Biceps and Triceps on the weights at the missionaries home next door. It was a
mess, but I feel really good right now. I know that fitness doesn't solve every
problem, but it helps a ton. It was really really nice.
Tomorrow we will begin our second round of Zone Conferences.
Last week was a huge success. We've really felt like the things that we're
teaching are actually helping the missionaries improve in their skill as
missionaries. We've been teaching about Doctrines and Principles. Then we've
been showing them how Doctrines and Principles apply to their work, and then we
let them practice. It just makes a lot of sense when it's explained this
way.
I wish I had understood the importance of these things
before my mission. It would have helped me to answer the temptations that came
my way. I feel that sometimes we believe we are asked to do things "just
because." It's nice to know that there is doctrine and reasoning behind
the Laws, commandments, covenants, and promises we make.
The commandments were all things that I could tell you
about, what they were, and even why they were there. But they were never
internalized until I actually taught them and lived them passionately, seeking
to really understand why they were there and how they applied to me. That's the
real secret of this Gospel, is when it comes to God, you never know until you
try Him. It's ironic to say, because you don't want people to use it as an
excuse to do bad things. We should always test the good long before the bad,
and we should give it a fair chance.
That is the magic of invitations. We invite people to do
good. To read the Book of Mormon daily, until you're all the way through. To
pray until you receive an answer, daily. You don't ever give up half way just
because it doesn't seem to suit your fancy. Naaman, from the Old Testament, was
told to wash 7 times in the river Jordan. Can you imagine what would have
happened if he had gotten sick of washing himself at 6? Just because it was
inconvenient, or just didn't seem to be working? Notice that God didn't heal
him from his leprosy until he had already done everything he was asked to
do.
Sometimes we stand wondering, "Why has God answered
them, but not me?" Or someone may say, "Yes, I read from the Book of
Mormon and I prayed about it, but I didn't get an answer." Why? One
reason, they didn't try hard enough. We have to want things, we have to
actually want them enough to give them our all. Naaman almost didn't do what he
was told. He would have died! But he was reminded of his desire, his servant
came to him and whispered, "My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some
great thing, wouldst thou not have done it?"
What are we willing to give to know God? Some say, "I
would die for my God." Well, that isn't the real test, as Naaman
demonstrates. President Monson has taught, "Courage becomes a worthwhile
virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully but as
a determination to live decently." The true test of mortality is the test
of our willingness to live as Christ would have us live, to do the small and
simple things that change our lives every day.
So, seek Him out like you mean it. You will understand the
doctrine as you live it. Understanding comes by the Spirit. Ask, seek, knock.
Let Him open the doors to you.
I just went off there, but it's true.
So what are the Doctrines of the Gospel?
