Testing the Plan

Day fifteen

I had put my plan into action on Friday and it turned out well.  I was more aware of what I was feeling and made an effort to control my reactions with others.  Okay, it helped that I planned all my errands when I knew that there wouldn't be lots of people or lines, but I still counted it as a success!  The only time I really found it hard to control my patience was with a copy machine! (Anyone whose been there totally understands.) 

As for the Fear Not part, I didn't really experience any instances where I felt afraid to do what was right.  I was very blessed to interact with positive people who seemed to be comfortable letting me be my self.

I felt like I needed to keep working on these two areas so I decided to focus on them for the whole weekend.  This would be a better test of my plan since I knew I would be very busy this weekend.  Saturday I would be at a Seminary in-service meeting from 9am - 3pm and Sunday I would have church services and my big seminary activity night.  There would be no escaping people and situations!

My prayers reflected my desire to work on these areas and to look to the Lord for guidance.  I specifically asked that I would be mindful of the promptings of the Spirit in my interactions and that I would have the courage to act upon them.

My scripture study took me to Sections 102 and 103.  I felt like Section 103 was a another witness to the principles I had found in previous sections regarding overcoming persecution.  It included such lessons as:

v 7 "...hearkening to observe all the words which I, the Lord their God, shall speak to them..."

v 8 "...keep my commandments"

v 10 was very interesting to me: "And inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men, they are as salt that hast lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men."  Do you know how salt looses it's savor?  By becoming contaminated and impure.  I think this is true for men too.  It matters what we let in to our minds and bodies.

v 31 "...ask and ye shall receive"

v 35 "...pray earnestly..."

v 36 (my personal favorite of this section) - "All victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith." 

Was I being diligent?  I would like to say yes, but I don't think that one good day could be called diligent.  Time will tell.

Was I showing my faithfulness?  I think so.  I showed faith in seeking His advice and guidance, and now I would show faith by adhering to the plan.

Was I praying in faith?  I haven't always prayed in faith, that requires praying with the belief that you will receive an answer, I have doubted before.  But lately, I have been blessed to see the Lord answering my prayers in a bold way.  Recognizing His hand in finding my answers has allowed my to pray with confidence that he will continue to answer my prayers.

With this knowledge in hand, I set off to conquer my weaknesses.  I actually thought it would be easier today than it was yesterday.  I was wrong.  I found myself surrounded by other church members and I was more impatient with them than I would have been with non-members.  I think it's because I expected a certain behavior from them and when they fell short I was disappointed.  I'm not sure that is fair to them. I imagine this is how the Lord feels when I don't behave the way I know I should: disappointed.  Don't get me wrong, most of the people I interacted with were wonderful and I really enjoyed being with them.  I think because I was focusing on being more patient I was more aware of my feelings than I normally would have been.  It was a good learning experience for me and very humbling.

The good news is I was able to conquer a few "fear" moments today.  I didn't listen to the voice that told me what I had to say wasn't important or that I might look stupid for saying something.  I spoke up anyways.  Score one for me!

It's obvious that I need to be diligent in working on these weaknesses.  It's a good thing I still have tomorrow and I still have a plan!