I have been thinking lately about my approach to faith and hope. Three things come to mind: the faith of Nephi, mellowing out, and the movie, 'A Beautiful Mind'.
First, the faith of Nephi, shows that many times God does not come through for a person that is exercising faith until after the tribulation has occurred. Nephi also demonstrates his faith by his steadiness. He has a firm hope, trusting in his
God, that their is a promised land to inherit.
Second, I believe that staying calm and mellowing out is a demonstration of faith.
Third, in the movie, 'A Beautiful Mind', the main character has to first become aware of and then master his demons. His demons were mental apparitions of individuals that feed his various fears.
So, how do these things help me with my life? At times, the Lord reveals to me what I need to do in advance, counseling me to take a specific action. This might be considered an errand of the Lord. Other times (or during the errand), the Lord doesn't give any direction (counsel or deliverance)until after the crisis has occurred. This is what is meant by the scriptures stating that miracles don't occur until after the trial of our faith. I may want to be guided and inspired so smooth sailing will always occur but this is not scriptural. So, what demonstrates that I have faith? That I can remain steady, calm and believing up to and during the 'fire'. Of course, keeping the commandments is a given.
But, how does one stay calm when things aren't going well? How does one not go into despair (unbelief, hopelessness)? Everyone has their own 'demons' that immediately manifest themselves when the going gets rough. Like in the movie, these mental demons can overwhelm us. The man in the movie has to first become aware of their existence and then learn to keep them at bay. He mastered the ability to keep them at a distance rather than letting them control him and his life. In the same way, we too must become aware of our personal demons (weaknesses, emotional states, etc.) and learn to keep them at bay. As we practice (exercising faith and maintaining hope) we eventually become masters at it.
But my tribulation is truly despairing! There is no way out of it! What you are really saying is that God really doesn't exist and cannot help you is this particular case. Your case is special. God helps other but not me. But the truth is that you haven't been granted to gift of seeing your demons. You believe that your particular demons are just part of your personality. They came upon you so fast, when the affliction or trial occurred, that you didn't even recognize what just happened. You believed in the demon (depression, fear, foreboding, paranoia, injustness, shame, jealousy, envying, coveting, anxiety, hatred, rage, apathy, judging, mocking, pride, self-condemnation, etc.) and gave it room in your inn and let it take up its abode inside of you.
Keeping your demons (negative emotions) from overwhelming you takes practice. It may require you to stop what you are doing and immediately reaffirm your faith in God, that the feelings that you are having are neither permanent nor useful. They may seem very real but they serve no useful purpose. My goal is learn to be aware of them coming upon me, keep them at bay, and give them no heed. All they will do is hinder your progress. Nephi had to leave his brothers outside the walls because they were complaining that the errand couldn't be done. We need to put despair and unbelief aside also. When Nephi and his brother were returning home with Ishmael and his family, Nephi wasn't delivered until after he was tied up and left to die. The Lord was testing and growing Nephi's faith by bringing him to the brink. This happens over and over where Nephi keeps the faith, stays calm, trusts in the Lord and stays optimistice (hopes all things).
Where do we start on our journey? The first step is just to believe. Believe you are worthy. Believe that God is aware of your problem. Believe that He will help. Believe that He will at times take to all the way to the edge to see if you will be steadfast in your faith in Him. Believe that faith preceeds the miracle. Be aware that the miracle that was waiting for you will not appear unless your faith is strong enough and that you will probably never realize what the miracle was if you fall into despair and unbelief.
So, stay calm, be believing, trust in God and wait on the Lord!
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1 comment:
I agree with everything you have said. I have notice with my own personal demons how hard they are to over come. When you where talking about Nephi and his challenges I thought of something Lehi said about Nephi:
who hath kept the commandments from the time that we left Jerusalem; and who hath been an instrument in the hands of God, in bringing us forth into the land of promise;
Now im just assuming here but it says "kept the commandments from the time that we left Jerusalem." Maybe that means that Nephi had other Demons before leaving. Which we know that he had to go seek the Lord out when leaving to receive confirmation of the lord. So I think Nephi gave a excellent method of how to over come demons and doubts through seeking out the Lord. Now i believe that it is much easier said than done, but I hope that someday I will have as much faith as Nephi and be able to seek out the Lord for help and learn to rely on him with my whole heart and not faulter when my demons are coming out.
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