“Our capacity to feel controls our behavior in many ways, and by
inaction when our feelings prompt us to do good, we deaden that
capacity to feel…A sex saturated society cannot feel the needs of
its suffering members because instead of developing the love
that looks outward, it turns man selfishly inward…we have ears,
but cannot hear, not only the promptings of God but also the
pleas of men…We shut out people, nature, and God.”
~ Elder Neal A. Maxwell
How do you respond to promptings or feelings that you should
do something?
I was able to access the blog for a short time while I'm out of town, and although the post for today - April 9 - has not yet been put up, I want to say that I FINISHED THE BOOK this morning! It feels great to have accomplished my goal to stick with the schedule and finish a reading in 100 days!!
ReplyDeleteI gained a great deal from this challenge, and want to thank you, Elin, for setting up the blog and the program.
Every time I read Moroni's - and Mormon's - last words and testimony, my heart is filled with compassion and wonder for all the unique challenges they faced in fulfilling their mission. I also feel gratitude for the parting counsel they chose to give. Moroni 10: 32-33 are among the most compelling words in all of scripture (to me). This brings me to your question - how to respond to promptings to DO something. Feeling the power of love and desire that prompted the prophets to write counsel is one of the things that brings the spirit to testify of their words, and urges me to act. This means allowing time to use imagination while reading the scriptures, to picture the circumstances and allow oneself to empathize and in some ways experience similar emotion and desire.
I love these prophets and great men and women of The Book of Mormon. It is very presumptuous perhaps, but I hope to be able to glimpse a real look someday into what it would be like to be in their presence.
Thanks for this great challenge - I loved reading The Book of Mormon along with the Old Testament this year. Very eye-opening!!!