Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Good Times!

I love the story of Enos. Whether you are familiar with the story or not, there is one principle that I want to illustrate that came to me this morning that has never before dawned on me. To quickly summerize, Enos was the son of the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob, who, while out hunting one day, had an epiphany. Enos had heard his dad talk about the goodness of the gospel of Jesus Christ his entire life, but had failed to really grasp it and apply it into his life, so he decided to pray. In his own words (verses 2, 3 and 4 of his own book) he says,

Enos in "mighty prayer"
"And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins. Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart. And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens."

First, I want to point out that Enos describes this experience as a wrestle with God, and cried out to Him in mighty prayer... Everytime I read that, I think back to times that I truely wanted something and pleaded my guts out with the Lord through prayer that he might help me out. I dont think when Enos uses the word wrestle he is talking about the kind of wrestling I used to do with my brothers and beating the Lord into submission, forcing him to give us what we want. No, I'm pretty sure he is referring to the inward struggle when we truely confess and humble ourselves before the Lord. Those prayers are hard to say sometimes, because to make them count they really have to be from the heart. I believe the wrestle he is talking about is not so much with God, but more with himself, beating his own heart into submission so that he can recieve the will of the Lord. I've always felt that way about that scripture though..

The new insight I gained today is that he was out alone, probably doing what he loves most... Hunting! That really struck me. Possibly the most important realization of Enos's existance came when he was spending time getting to know himself doing what he loved in this beautiful world God gave to us. The real message I want to leave today is that we all need to take time to get to know ourselves.

Too often in today's world, people are on the go all the time. With TV, Radio, Cell Phones, Music, Sports, Movies, Games, and really everything else, it sometimes becomes difficult for us to really step back and listen. I know from experiences that when we do turn off the music or TV, we can hear whats really going on inside our heads, and hear what messages God has left for us. I think President Uchtdorf in a talk from last General Conference said it best,


"May I suggest that you reduce the rush and take a little extra time to get to know yourself better. Walk in nature, watch a sunrise, enjoy God’s creations, ponder the truths of the restored gospel, and find out what they mean for you personally. Learn to see yourself as Heavenly Father sees you—as His precious daughter or son with divine potential."



Ahh good times!

 My challange to each of you would be to take a little time to yourselves this week. For me that used to be a cruise down the canyon on my longboard. For you it could be a walk in the park or on the beach, maybe some time spent in your yard working, or at the gym exersizing. It could be as simple as a long drive without music playing. Be creative! Remember to be open to the thoughts and feelings that come...Because they will come. In my life, the most earth shattering thoughts that have changed who I am today have seldom come at times of excitement. Rather, they have come while I was enjoying my own company and doing something I love to do. Who knows, you could even end up having an experience like Enos that will change not only your life, but history as we know it!

I know that God is aware of all of us, and knows us personally. I know that he has a plan for us that will make us happier then any of us we could ever imagine. Trouble is, most of the time we are too busy to actually listen. We are literally His children, and each of us has a very special role to play in this wonderful world of ours. I know that as we take time to ponder to ourselves, He will let us know what we can do to become most happy through promptings of the Holy Ghost that come as a still and a small voice.

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