A gentle whisper

 

 

 

Much Good

So I have this jar.

It’s totally empty right now.  It has been since the day I bought it.  I purchased it because the red heart hanging from the lid made me feel good.

Next to the jar is a stack of green paper and a pen.

You might wonder what my plans are for all those little pieces of paper…

It’s because this is the time of year that causes my heart to start to race.

So much to do.

Too much.

The calendar fills, and spills over …each day running into the next.

It is the time of year I love more than any other.  A time of counting blessings, and gathering together.  

A season of giving.

And yet, sometimes in the bustle of it all the magic gets lost.

I have spent this week considering good, better, best.  I know myself well enough to realize that I don’t like missing out on anything…my first response tends to be yes to everything.  I do not lack in spontaneity or enthusiasm for everything life has to offer.

But every now and then I feel a prompting.  Set aside time for what is best.  I feel it now.  A gentle whisper.

“Stop, and stand still until I command thee, and I will provide means whereby thou mayest accomplish the thing which I have commanded thee.” (D&C 5:34)

“If you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.”  (D&C 6:8)

“…and you shall be blessed.”  (D&C 6:9)

Of all of the choices life has to offer, the Lord can help us determine the things that are best.  There are moments when we must set aside our agenda to follow His.  In my life it feels like this is one of those moments.

One of those seasons.

A season for doing much good.  His good.

So I have turned my calendar, and my to do list, and my agenda over to Him.

I have decided to stop, and stand still, and wait for His prompting to come.  I will go where He wants me to go each day, knowing that He will provide the means whereby I may accomplish the thing He needs me to do.

I have come to realize that the true magic of the season comes when each day is filled with much good.

The moments when it is our heart that is filled, and spilling over…not our calendar.

He who is the High Priest of Good Things to Come knows every

detail about being the means of doing much good.

I want to learn from Him.

It is true, this is a season of counting blessings.

And I am constantly reminded that there are so many blessings we stand in need of.  My prayers are filled up every night with pleading.  But as I read today I decided I want to be blessed in a different way this month.

I want to be blessed with the opportunity to do much good.

Every day.

Those are the blessings I want to count this month.

So I have this jar…

 

“No other single influence has had so great an impact on this earth as the life of Jesus the Christ. We cannot conceive of our lives without his teachings. Without him we would be lost in a mirage of beliefs and worship, born in fear and darkness where the sensual and materialistic hold sway. We are far short of the goal he set for us, but we must never lose sight of it; nor must we forget that our great climb toward the light, toward perfection, would not be possible except for his teachings, his life, his death, and his resurrection.”

 

Ezra Taft Benson

“As we place our hands in the hand of God,

we will avoid the pitfalls of life and arrive safely at our heavenly home.”

Thomas S. Monson

“The greatest need of the human heart is encouragement. Let me whisper this secret in your ear every time you try to encourage someone else, your own soul will be flooded with a light and glow of peace and good cheer. Try it next time when the gloom is heavy and the load is barren.”

 

Susan Young Gates

“Still, small heavenly voices penetrate the heart with their gentle, convincing declarations… Most often, hope, encouragement, and direction come from a soft, piercing voice. 

Small voices are heard only by those who are willing to listen.”

Marvin J. Ashton