Thought of the Sunday 11

I have had an overwhelming week full of unpacking, organizing, and stress.  It has not been fun.  I am only now starting to feel like myself instead of some crazy, irritated, unkind person.  One thing I have tried (and succeeded in doing) this week is to continue to read my scriptures and pray everyday.  Here are some thoughts from lds.org about prayer:

"Our Heavenly Father is always ready to hear and answer our prayers."

"Always give thanks to Heavenly Father... As we take time to remember our blessings, we will recognize how much our Heavenly Father has done for us."

"Seek Heavenly Father's guidance and strength in all [you] do."

"When we make a request through prayer, we must do all we can to assist in its being granted. Heavenly Father expects us to do more than merely ask Him for blessings...If we have a difficult task before us, Heavenly Father is pleased when we get on our knees and ask for help and then get on our feet and go to work. He will help us in all our righteous pursuits, but He seldom will do something for us that we can do ourselves."

"Heavenly Father hears our prayers. He may not always answer as we expect, but He does answer—in His own time and according to His will. Because He knows what is best for us, He may sometimes answer no, even when our petitions are sincere."

These thoughts on prayer help me remember why I love to pray.  When I was a teenager and in college, prayer wasn't so important to me.  I learned the importance of prayer and the habit of prayer while I served my mission for the Church.  Prayer is the way I show my reliance and trust in the Lord.  I feel Him near when I pray and I know that He knows what I am feeling and experiencing.  I feel God's love through the Holy Ghost and I can be comforted even when life is crazy.  I love to pray and I love that our Heavenly Father has given us this direct mode of communication to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.  All things work together for our good; we just have to be obedient and recognize the source of the goodness in our lives for the blessing to flow forth.

 

ps.  I hope to start blogging my new adventures sometime this week.  Stay tuned.