Spiritual Health

Ever since winter hit last November I’ve done my daily exercising on the tread mill in my home. But today I walked outside in the sunshine. Green trees, blossoms, and flowers waved at me like old friends and the crisp cool air filled me with its freshness. What a way to start a day.

We’ve had record amounts of snow and rain in Utah this year which means that the last few days of sunshine are melting the mountain snow and sending it down the rivers. The Provo River I walk along overflowed its banks and ran swifter than I’ve ever seen it. The music of the rushing river, the sound of birds in the trees, the whisper of my shoes on the sidewalk made me want to sing.

But the best thing was the stop on the bridge to meditate for a moment. I didn’t realize how much I missed that. Taking a moment to consciously let go of the bad energy and drink in the good energy is health for the soul. That healing is vital and while the treadmill replaced the exercising adequately, I didn’t do anything to replace the healing time. I’m resolved now to figure out a way to replace my “bridge” time when I exercise on the treadmill.

It is surprising, but just that two or three minutes a day makes a big difference in how the day goes. I feel like a new me! Happy sunshine to you all!

We're Growing!

One of the great themes of the Book of Mormon is that spiritual growth is a process. No one expects a three day old baby to run, but for some reason we often expect ourselves and others to run spiritually when we are spiritual infants. But God understands that spiritual growth is as real as physical growth—that’s why He provided a Savior for us. He knew we would need help.

One of the many places this is taught is in 3^rd Nephi 18. In that chapter the Savior teaches the people that they should never keep anyone away from the Church. He says in verse twenty-two, “Suffer them that they may come unto you and forbid them not.”

Then He speaks to the people and explains that they know what they should do and so they should do it. “Ye see that I have commanded that none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me” (18:25). So those who have progressed to the point that they know the commandments know what they should do.

But then in verse twenty-seven the Savior speaks of himself and says, “I say unto you, I give unto you another commandment, and then I must go unto my Father.”

Here we see the process. We begin by knowing we may come to Christ. Then as we turn to Him we learn what we should do, but as we grow we come to the point that our hearts are changed so that we must do what we are commanded to do not because anyone is forcing us because it is what we want to do.

Spiritual growth is a process and if we are persistent and patient we will grow. So don't fret over the fact you aren't a giant oak yet. Fretting takes away some of the energy needed to become a giant oak.

Attention!

Have you ever come home, walked in the door, put down your keys and the next time you needed them you had no idea where they were? Afterward, you blame the loss on memory, but the real problem is you didn’t pay enough attention to what you were doing to remember it.

We’ve all done similar things. Without thinking about the fact that we are putting down our keys, we put them down. There is nothing to remember because we were never aware enough of what we were doing to make it a memory. But when our minds are alert in the present—when we pay attention to what we are doing—our memories are surprisingly functional and reliable.

This principle is important in other areas of our lives also. I read an interesting definition of spiritual and non-spiritual this morning. The author wrote that spiritual beings are those who have an awareness of physical existence and non-physical existence while non-spiritual beings only have an awareness of physical existence. As scientists have discovered, we hear what we are listening for, and when we are listening for something our hearing is actually more acute.

Just like the principle of making our memories more useful, and listening for a particular sound, if we are watching, waiting, expecting spiritual things we will be aware of them; we will notice when they occur in our lives. But if our minds get so busy with only the physical part of our existence, we often miss the spiritual things of life. The answer to both the memory problem and the spiritual problem is the same—awareness. God has instructed us to “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Being still isn’t always possible, but paying attention to the present and being aware of what is going on around us does the same thing—it helps us recognize God working in our lives.

Serve Others And Put On A Few Pounds

We all know that the more we eat, the fatter we get. It is a discouraging thought. After all, if you are like me, you like to eat. I’ve spent half my life eating and the other half trying to take off the pounds I’ve put on by eating! But there is comfort in the thought that while it is healthier to keep our bodies slim and trim, the spirit is healthiest when nice and fat. We can indulge all we want in the things that make our spirits grow!

I have a favorite quote by Spencer W. Kimball that explains this joyful principle. “The more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls. We become more significant individuals as we serve others—indeed, it is easier to ‘find’ ourselves because there is so much more of us to find!” (Ensign, Dec. 1974, p. 2).

So, serve, rejoice, and be merry! Serve, and let the spiritual pounds pile on. Serve, and let the spirit’s girth expand. Serve, and never feel a moment of guilt or regret. Just drink in the joy!

picture: http://media.photobucket.com/image/serving%20others/drolling/kirkreinertspringxe6.jpg

Positive Power

Shortly before Lehi dies he teaches his son Jacob a beautiful lesson on justice and agency. (see 2 Nephi 2) One of the important things Lehi tells Jacob is that "It must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass" (2 Nephi 2:11). We often hear the first part about opposition in everything being necessary and focus on the fact that this world contains many negative elements. But the next phrase is important and we don't often hear it or stop to contemplate its meaning—that if there were no opposition there could be no righteousness.

There are several things implied here, but one is the fact that it is through opposites that we have the power to dispel evil. And what do I mean by that? Well, too often in life when trying to overcome a bad habit or repent of a sin we focus on what we don't want to happen. For example, when trying to lose weight we say to ourselves, "Don't eat." But that only puts the mental picture of eating in our heads. The mind can't imagine don't. The mind can only imagine do. A friend once told me never to say to a new teenage driver as she backs out of the driveway, "Don't hit the mailbox" because as soon as you say it, the picture of hitting the mailbox is in her head and the next thing you know a dented car hovers over a fallen mailbox while you try to console the hysterical child.

These opposities, the negatives and the positives of life, are powerful. But the most important thing to realize is that the positives have power over the negatives. When we learn to think in positives, act in positives, and deal with others in positives we bring about righteousness and avoid much pain and suffering in life. "Drive straight out the driveway!" is a positive that avoids the mental picture of hitting the mailbox. "I eat healthy," helps a dieter stay on track. Affirmative thinking is powerful.

But there is more. The only way to overcome negatives is to replace them with positives. The only way to make darkness go away is to replace it with light. It does no good to fight the dark or even say, "Go away dark." Instead you simply let in the light. Opposition can bring about righteousness if instead of fighting against the negatives of life, we ignore them, identify their opposite, and fill our lives with the positives.

The statement that there is opposition in all things means that for every bad thing there is something good. Look for it! Dwell on it! Enjoy!