This month's Visiting Teaching message is all about patience - one trait upon which I have much improvement yet to make!
I remember being told in a talk once to be careful when praying for patience, because you may not get what you expect. Rather than giving you an instant gift of patience, the Lord is more likely to send you trials that test your patience, thereby increasing your patience through experience.
I have been told in many blessings lately (as I have struggled with the injury to my right shoulder) to have patience and remember the the Lord works in his own time. I have felt many times that this patience I have had to endure was passive - literally sitting around waiting for my arm to heal so that I could get 'back to normal'. However, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, tells us “Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something … even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!”
“Patience means accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with courage, grace, and faith. It means being ‘willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father’ [Mosiah 3:19]. Ultimately, patience means being ‘firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord’ [1 Nephi 2:10] every hour of every day, even when it is hard to do so.”
So I thought about how this applied to my current situation, and realised that it is in my attitude to my circumstances that I can 'endure well', rather than sitting around feeling sorry for myself and 'failing to act', I can still find ways to play an active roles in my family, community and church, even if they are different from those I am used to.
Click here to download the pdf of this month's Thought for the Month.
If you would like to make fridge magnet pegs to display your Thought for the Month, click here for the printable and tutorial.
Click links below for previous month's Thought for the Month
Thank you! I just love that you are doing this. I know I've enjoyed having it on my fridge to ponder upon throughout the month and I hope that the sisters that I visit do as well. Again thank you!
ReplyDeleteCathy ♥
Thank you so much Kathy, I am so glad that you have enjoyed them xx
DeletePacience is something not easy to get but if we truly believe in something, we will get it.
ReplyDeleteVery true. If we really want it, and work at it, we will get there in the end x
DeleteLove your handouts and insights. Bless you!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Mari xx
Deletethanks you for posting in spanish aswell
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome Erika xx
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