Ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, . . .And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost” (D&C 50:40–42).
Sometimes we become impatient or discouraged that recovery is an ongoing process. These verses show the Savior’s and our Heavenly Father’s patience with us as “little children.” Apply these verses to yourself by writing them out addressed to you personally.
Nate, you are a little child and you cannot bear all things now; you must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. Fear no, little child, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world,…And none of you that my Father hath given me shall be lost…
This is comforting because I’ve thought about a lot about this with Step 6. How will I ever really “complete” this step? Grace by grace and with a consistent study of the word will help me gain knowledge and understanding about what I need to do to continue to develop a true change of heart.
I don’t think I’m there yet. I still have thoughts from time to time. I looked at a couple friends profile pictures the other day on Facebook – luckily I didn’t keep looking but just the fact that I went down that path tells me that there is more I can do.
What’s nice to know and feel is that, to me, THAT is a small mistake. In the past, I wouldn’t have thought twice about that.
I’m grateful for the steps I’ve taken this week so far – knowing that in the past I would have probably given in to temptation and acted on resentments I felt.
How can the promises in this scripture strengthen you when you get discouraged?
This is a very helpful reminder. It makes me excited about continuing to work the steps of the program over and over again throughout my life. Not only do I need a review of all these topics, but there is no way I can do this on my own.
Discouragement has been part of my “Resentment” in the past (and even now) so it’s good to be aware of this promise in the scriptures.
I’m excited about the future and what’s happening now.
Things I’m Thankful For
- That I didn’t browse a friends Facebook page today
- That I was able to be with the kids while Becky was at aerobics and YW
- That I’m answering questions from the steps
- That my attitude was better today at work, although it can still be better
- That things seem to be better now with Becky and I
- That I was nice and mostly patient with the kids today
- That I talked with John about my Forex stuff
- That I got to talk with both the guys I’m sponsoring and that things seem to be going good for them
Hasta luego!
Nate
This is a review of my answer to the Patience with the Process question in Step 6.
It’s really interesting to read this right now, especially since I have “little children” and one of my character weaknesses is not being as patient with them as I’d like to be.
I’m glad Heavenly Father and the Savior are patient with me and never give up on my efforts to overcome my addictions.
It’s been a great experience to talk with Becky about the influence resentment has on everyone involved. To me, resentment is an indicator of addictive tendencies: it’s putting my own will against other people’s will or comparing my way to other alternatives. It’s saying “I’m better than you…”, which is a blatant manifestation of pride. Becky and I have had the chance to talk about this as she deals with difficulties with leaders in her YW presidency. Talking about it with her has been really helpful – she seems to understand more and more about the core issues I’ve been dealing with nearly my whole life.
Again, I’m grateful to be writing out these feelings and thoughts. I know that only through the Atonement of the Savior can I truly have a change of heart.
How can the promise in this scripture strengthen you when you get discouraged?
I know that God and His Son will never give up on me. I know they love me and want me to succeed. I feel the same way about my children. They make similar mistakes over and over again. My patience faults and I get mad at them. But I don’t feel God handles things that way at all. He continues to wait patiently for me to submit my will to Him and trust in His will to help me overcome “the natural man”.
I made a goal today with Caleb that I would not yell at him the WHOLE DAY. I asked him if he could help me and he said, “Yeah, I can help by being obedient and calm.” I love my little boy so much and am learning a lot about myself through him. He’s so determined, so energetic, so smart and so talented. I really need to make sure I’m ALWAYS building that relationship and not tearing it down by losing my temper or expecting too much of him.
I’m excited to meet my goal today and be the best dad I can be.
Hasta luego!
Nate