Thursday, November 25, 2010

Powerlifting and the Spirit?

 I've got two friends back home that are so dang strong. These guys... Hah I dunno, maybe they will post thier "numbers" as a response to this post, but it would blow you away. They've probably gotten a ton stronger since I left, Im actually a little afraid to go home and give them a hug, they'll probably just crush me! The crazy thing is these guys didnt start out as huge dudes... In fact, when they started on thier quest for ultimate gym prowess and dominance, they were relatively small, but that didnt deter them. With daily nourshment, consistant hard work and gym attendance, and a "never-give-up" attitute, they have transformed themselves from average Joes into titans of men. I've come to learn that the same principles of becoming strong and being able to lift a ton of weight can be applied to our own spirituality as well.

I guess what I mean is, sometimes its hard to build up spiritual muscle. I think most people expect these incredible spiritual feats or experiences to just happen, without giving onesself proper nourishment or adequite preperation. You cant just walk into a gym and deadlift 500 lbs on any given day without ever working up to that. Similarly, it nigh impossible to understand or comprehend all of what God has for us, and see all the miracles in our lives is we aren't working up to that point. In the Book of Mormon we learn that when we learn from the spirit we will be given a little bit at a time, that eventually builds up to a large amount. Nephi writes,

"For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have. " (2 Nephi 28:30)


To truly obtain all that God has for us, and to be able to accomplish all that we are capable of, we must constantly and consistantly work hard to nourish our spirits. Its pretty easy actually, it's all centered around improving our relationship with the Holy Ghost, who, among other things, reveals truth. There are a couple things that really help us improve that relationship. First, we have to be asking for it. We do that by not only praying and literally asking, but by showing God through our actions that we really want the Holy Ghost around. Some of those actions include serving others, reading the scriptures, playing uplifting music, wholesome recreation, going to church and spending quality time with your family. When you do those things, you will start to become more aware of the spirit, and realize what it is telling you. The more and more you are aware of the spirit, the more you will start to understand all the wonderful things God has for us and have those awesome spiritual experiences. You will find that the majority of those life changing, earth-shattering spiritual moments and revalations will come in those loving moments with your family, or those quite times to yourself as you are reading the scriptures. As you do those things, you will come to realize that the doctrine of God will "distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven." (DC 121:45)  Dew may happen over night, but it doesn't just fall on the blades of grass all at ones. It is built up over time as the grass collects water slowly from the atmosphere around it.

2 comments:

  1. Good post. I can testify that if we begin to exercise our faith our Spirits will grow closer and closer to our Heavenly Father. We will know with an absolute surety that God has a church on the Earth and that He loves all of us.

    In the Book of Mormon we read that if we humble ourselves before God and we have faith in Him He will "make weak things become strong" unto us.(Ether 12:27)

    I know that through the grace of God we can become strong. We can reach beyond our own abilities. We can recieve a gold medal in spiritual powerlifting. We just gotta trust in Him.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Never give up! What more is there really to say?

    What a wonderful post. It really helps put everything into an eternal perspective. Just never let down your faith, and blessings will come!

    ReplyDelete