Week 32: Patience is a Godly Virtue

I learned an important lesson this week. I'm not sure how much I should share here tho...

So Monday, I got to call my parents, and we had a good talk, but I was feeling pretty sad. Shed a few tears. I felt like I was really doing all I know how to do, but that God was ignoring me. Then Tuesday night, my Companion and I were having a talk, and I shared some things that were on my mind. We were talking about witnesses, and he started to share an experience, and I got very interested, and then he said he felt like he shouldn't tell me. He said he felt like the spirit told him not to tell me any more. And that really frustrated me. I couldn't be mad at my companion, because his experience is his, and he has the right to share it with who he wants. But I was frustrated and upset and I felt more justified in the idea that God is just ignoring me. That he won't speak to me. I went to bed in a sour mood. 

When I woke up I was already feeling better. Sleep is magical and healing. I decided to focus my personal study that day on Patience. I learned a lot, and I'll shared a bit of that here.

1. The first was about a greater witness and lesser witnesses. The day will come when all mankind will stand before Christ and see him as he is. Every knee with bow, and every mouth confess he is the Christ. I'd say that's a pretty great witness. But if there is a greater witness, that implies there are lesser witnesses. So until the day comes when your greater witness comes, what are you supposed to? Well, just think about the many little witnesses you've recieved. One thing that helped me was thinking about all these beautiful things that I've got because of the Book of Mormon, and because of the church. Those are all little trstifiers that it is good and true. So while I haven't had a greater witness yet, I've had many, many small witnesses.

2. Second is what is IMpatience. Sometimes it makes it easier to know what something is by studying what it isn't. Impatience is when you want something, and you want it when you want it, and you want it what way because that's the way that is best (according to you). So in a very literal sense, when you are impatient, it's because you think you know better than God. Patience is when you know that God knows best, and so you surrender to his will.

3. Third is a thought I got this morning while listening to a talk. "Let Patience Have Her Perfect Work, and Count It All Joy!" By Elder Jaggi. The scripture he brought up was James 1:2-4. It says 

2. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

3. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience .

4. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

So I've taken that new tactic. Instead of focusing on what I don't have, I'm going to focus more on what I've already been blessed with. Instead of focusing on what I want to know, focus on what I do know, and share that with others. Anyways, patience is important. You don't know better than God does, and he's got blessings in store for you. You just got to wait for the appointed day.

- Elder Wride

Sorry I don't got any pictures. Except I gave myself a trim. And someone sent me this funny video.