What I'm Learning

I was reading Alma chapter 36 today and got stuck on verse 11. Interesting!

Alma the Younger is sharing his story of rebellion. He says that he didn't hear everything that the angel said, but that he caught the words, "...If thou wilt be destroyed of thyself...," and he passed out.

I got to thinking of the significance of those words.

I've also been watching the show, "Hoarders," on Netflix. It's fascinating to me. It's like the ultimate in being overwhelmed. This may sound terrible, but there are two things that show does for me. I take away from it the message that, no, I may be overwhelmed, but I haven't hit rock bottom yet because my house is still fairly orderly and organized, and it makes me want to keep it that way.

I walk away from the show and start cleaning. It gets me motivated.

For Alma, his "house" was in disorder spiritually. The angel came to put him back on the right path and motivate him.

All he had to hear were those words, "If thou wilt be destroyed of thyself." That was all he needed to motivate him.

Isn't it wonderful that God knows us so well as to send us individualized messages?

As I read this verse, I feel strongly that it is of ourselves that we are destroyed. No one else can destroy us because true destruction is destruction of the soul. It's inside us; our true make up. We do it to ourselves.

I'm looking at life a bit differently today. I'm going to start to look at those things that will build my soul because if I am the one to destroy my soul, I am also the one to build it up.

One of the other things I feel when I watch "Hoarders" is that it all starts with one step in the right direction. Unfortunately the people on the show have hit rock bottom, but whether you allow yourself to get to that point, or you're just on your way down, any step in the right direction, no matter how large, is still a step in the right direction. It's never too late.

 

 In my case, yes, my house has me a bit overwhelmed (huge pile of clean laundry to fold in the corner of my bedroom), but I would love to have things so orderly mentally, educationally, financially, spiritually, and physically that the overwhelmed feeling doesn't exist.  I take this feeling as my warning from God that I need to get it together.  So, what will my "steps in the right direction" be?  That is the challenge of the day.  That is every day's challenge.