this week's thoughts...

becoming in tune - 

Hi Family! So something that has been on my mind this week is the concept of becoming "in tune," and becoming "an instrument" in God's hands. So, here are some random thoughts that have come to me this week :)

One: A poem I found in the Ensign, based on Mosiah 3:19

The natural man comes easily - 

so much effort to do and be otherwise.

The yielding stretches me beyond myself - 

and is painful.

Drawing out the saint within requires submission

to a greater power.

The enticings are subtle; and though I fall,

His Grace puts off the enemy - 

and I become His child.

Two: I use the Ukulele fairly often, and sometimes I'll leave it in the car, and on hot days it will go out of tune pretty quickly. Something about how the heat changes the tuning made me think about how when there are hard times, our natural reaction is often to freak out a little bit and, in turn, turn more to our instinctive reactions and less "in tune" with God's plan or to the promptings of the Spirit. So then it's His job to correct or "tune" us. And it DOES stretch us, and can require time to get us perfectly in tune. It's a process of constantly checking to see if we're in tune, and being willing to accept His desires for us.

Three: A quote by someone. Probably Neal A Maxwell..

Having our wills swallowed up by the will of the Father actually means an enhanced individuality, stretched and more capable of receiving "all that the Father hath." Besides, how could we be entrusted with His "all" until our wills are much more like His? Nor could his "All" be fully appreciated by the partially committed. Frankly, it is our prospective selves we betray by holding back whatever the "part." No need to ask then, "Lord, is it I?" Rather, let us inquire about our individual stumbling blocks, "Lord, is it this?" We may have known the answer for a long time, and may need resolve more than His response. The greatest happiness in God's generous plan is finally reserved for those who are willing to stretch and pay the cost of journeying to His regal realm. Brothers and Sisters, "come, let us renew, our journey pursue."

The end. 

I love you all.

--

Hermana Reynolds