Tuesday, July 16, 2013

How do I find the truth about me? Part One: Prayer



Hey friends! How is your Truth About Me challenge going? 
Mine has been fantastic!
It's been a good daily reminder that I'm pretty amazing!
Here are the truths about me for this week:
I am strong!
I am graceful!
I am beautiful!
I am healthy!
I am an amazing aunt!
I am adventurous!
I am perfect in my own perfect growth process!

Over the next few weeks
I'd like to share some ways
 that I've found to help me 
discover the truth about myself again.

The biggest tool and one I use the most often is
PRAYER!
 Here are some important things I've learned about prayer:

  1. Be still! I have found that in order for my prayers to be effective for me, I get to be still in mind and body. For me being still in body is much easier.  I find a place where I can be without distractions around me.  I find a quiet place. I turn off my phone.  I kneel. Stilling my mind has always been more difficult for me.  My mind is always going a mile a minute.  I'm always thinking about work and how to help each of the 25-30 (next year it's about 56) children in my class.  I worry about my family and my callings.  I worry about my friends and what I can do to help them.  I think about all the little things I need to get finished before the end of the day.  It's like a hurricane inside of my head. The best way I have found to quiet my mind is to begin my prayers expressing gratitude for the blessings in my life. Then when my mind and body are still I am ready to continue my prayer.
  2. Pray with a sincere heart.  Make it meaningful.  In Moroni 7:9 we read that if anyone "shall pray and not with real intent of heart..it profiteth him nothing, for God recieveth none such." We should pray "with all the energy of heart" (Moroni 7:48).  If we are repetitious when we pray, we are not going to receive the answers we are searching for.  In True to the Faith we are told to "Give serious thought to your attitude and to the words you use" (p. 119). I know that as we go to our Father in Heaven in an attitude of humility and are sincere in our prayers that he will give us the answers we seek.
  3. Remember He is your father. "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part" (Bible Dictionary, Prayer). He is our father and He desires for us to tell Him all about what we desire to know and why we desire to know it.  Tell Him your whys. Talk to Him as the loving parent who wants the best for you because He is and He does!
  4. Listen! When you close your prayer, take time to listen.  So many times we rush off to get busy with something instead of listening.  We might miss out on an answer that would come if we just stopped to listen.
  5. Be patient! Look at Enos.  He said, "...all day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens" (Enos 1:4). Enos eventually heard the voice of God answering his prayer, but it took time. Sometimes our prayers take time.  Maybe we have something more to learn first or there is something different we need in our lives. In the case of asking what the truth about ourselves is, maybe we aren't really ready to receive the answer.
  6. Act! Sometimes not getting and answer means that we get to study it further. We get to study the scriptures, prophets, and other gospel resources. When we do receive answers, we get to act on those answers so we can receive further revelation. We get to act in our truth as we were created to be, so we may help ourselves and others to find the path the Savior intended for us to be on.
I know that as we ask Heavenly Father to show
us the truth about ourselves
that we will find it!
Dieter F. Uchtdorf once said, "Our Heavenly Father sees our real potential.  He knows things about us that we do not know ourselves.  He prompts us during our lifetime to fulfill the measure of our creation, to live a good life, and to return to His presence."

Remember to share what you are learning with us!

Luvz, 
Meg :0)

P.S. I'm still posting my truths about me
on my blog:

1 comment:

motoguy_00 said...

So true! And step 4, 5 and 6 are extremely important. It's not enough to utter a prayer and everything is hunky dory. It would be similar to going to a friend, family member, professional, etc. for help, and after explaining your situation and asking for help, you turn and walk off without waiting for a reply. I'm way too guilty of this (with my prayers). It's something I have been working on for awhile. Give yourself time to effectively complete all the steps listed.