I am reminded that it is not for me to build a stronger relationship with God. In Neal A. Maxwell's All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, Elder Maxwell teaches that our relationship is established to God through our lineage. We can do nothing alter this reality. Instead, we can possibly draw closer to God, worship, adore and obey but our relationship is established in the premortal life and will remain into the eternities.
I have gone through my battles, maybe even foolishly sought out a battle of wills with my Heavenly Father. I have sought out complexity rather than simplicity. I thought that by proving to God that I in fact have my own agency--a fact I needed not prove to the source who granted it to me--I could find joy independent of His help or blessings. Elder Maxwell captures my foolishness...
"...do we childishly want to play-act just a little longer-risking righteousness and true happiness merely in order to be reassured about our independence?"
I have definitely been guilty of this in my past. I am beginning to learn, by the sweat of enduring the trials He has allowed to enter my life, that true freedom comes from living the commandments, surrounding myself with friends who fear and love God, and ceding my will to His.
It is also about doing more than avoiding the bad. It is about actively pursuing the good. Elder Maxwell teaches "even if we avoid wickedness, our journey will end in the suburbs, somewhere short of the City of God."
I desperately want to make it to the City on the Hill. But there are days I feel weak. Elder Maxwell teaches about a key source of inner strength...
"When weary legs falter and detours and roadside allurements entice, the fundamental doctrines will summon from deep within us fresh determination. Extraordinary truths can move us to extraordinary accomplishments."
I know that focusing on the fundamental doctrines of the gospel and committing to living the pure religion of Jesus Christ will, and has in large measure, offer me the fresh determination that the trying times of the present require.
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Each day, as I study the scriptures and pray I come to learn more about my own spirituality and purpose. I am deeply grateful for these little morsels of enrichment and the blessing of personal revelation as I continue my adventure here on Earth.
Where do we obtain the guidance we need? We turn to Him who knows us best—our Creator. He allowed us to come to earth with freedom to choose our own course. In His great love, He did not leave us alone. He provided a guide—a spiritual road map—to help us achieve success in our journey. We call that guide the standard works, so named because they—the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price—constitute the standard by which we should live. They serve as a standard of reference, as are standards of time, weights, and measures that are kept in national bureaus of standards.
To reach our objective of eternal life, we need to follow teachings in the standard works and other revelations received from prophets of God. Our loving Lord foresaw our need for guidance: “For strait is the gate,” He said, “and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it. -Russell M. Nelson
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