The fruit of the spirit

Sometimes, it seems so hard to feel the spirit in my life.  I struggle, I pray, I read scriptures and I cry.   I wait and I try listening, but sometimes it seems as if my Heavenly Father just isn't there for me.  I know that we have all felt that way at one time or another in our lives.  Today, I was listening to a talk CD in the car on the way to Show Low, and the speaker recited a scripture in the New Testament.  It was one that I am sure I have read before, but it was not marked. This scripture was an answer to my prayers for the spirit to be with me.   

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance:  against such there is no law.

So, have you been happy today?  Have you been kind to someone else?  Have you treated your husband (or wife) with love and respect?  Have you felt peace and calm?  If you have felt any one of those things, than you have felt the spirit with you today.   Remember that the spirit does not speak with a loud voice although sometimes, I think that I would like it to.   Sometimes, I would just like to KNOW that He is listening!  So this scripture was exactly what I needed to hear and in a way that I needed to hear it.  It was the still, small voice, spoken in such a way that even I could understand.  I could recognize the voice through the understanding of the scriptures.
So who do you think you are?  The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves.”  Knowing who you are—who you really are—is closely tied to knowing God, for you are His children. Think for a minute what this quote means.  We have part of the divine nature of our Heavenly Father inside us.  If we honor that nature and come to know it and appreciate it, we can also come to a closer understanding of our Heavenly Father and a greater understanding of ourselves and what we need to accomplish here on the earth. 

Elder Richard G Scott said:  "With all my capacity I encourage you to discover who you really are. I invite you to look beyond the daily routine of life. I urge you to discern through the Spirit your divinely given capacities. I exhort you to prayerfully make worthy choices that will lead you to realize your full potential".

So part of understanding and discovering who we are happens as we make worthy choices that lead us ever closer to our Heavenly Father.  Part of discovering who we are, also involves looking past the normal cares and worries of the world and seeking the gifts that He has given each one of us.  We are supposed to be in the world, but not of the world.  I think that the world works a lot like background noise in our lives.  If you let it, the background noise (or cares of the world) can overwhelm everything else.  We can get so involved with the daily aspects of living, that we don't think of anything else.  We don't try to find and hear the whispers of the Spirit that is trying to guide us. 

President Gordon B Hinckley:  "Never forget that you came to earth as a child of the divine Father, with something of divinity in your very makeup. The Lord did not send you here to fail. He did not give you life to waste it. He bestowed upon you the gift of mortality that you might gain experience—positive, wonderful, purposeful experience—that will lead to life eternal.".

We are daughters of our Heavenly Father who loves us, and we love Him!  Think about what those words mean.  He does not want you to fail!  He sends help for you all along the way.  He knew that we would each make mistakes, but the amazing part is that those mistakes were already atoned for!  Now we just need to take His name upon our selves and live His laws and His teachings. Of course, there will be some problems along the way. We all have difficulties to overcome. But they will not last forever. He will not forsake us on our journey.  One of my favorite hymns can be found in the LDS Hymn book.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. …

So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged; God is over all.
Count your many blessings; angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
(“Count Your Blessings,” Hymns, no. 241)

He is watching over each of us.  He hears your prayers and will answer them.  He loves each one of us and shows us that love through the constant blessings that He gives to us.  Let the Holy Spirit guide you in all that you do and be aware of it always in your life.  Remember that you will recognize the Holy Spirit in your life through the fruit that it brings to you.  You can always become someone different than you are today.  If the road you have traveled is not the road you want to be on, than turn around and change.  You can do it. You will have friends and loved ones to help. And God will bless you as you pursue your course home to Him.