Am I good enough?

Am I accepted of the Lord?

It’s a question I’ve certainly asked myself.

It basically is another form of the question:

“Am I good enough??”

How am I supposed to know?

I’ve had friends who deal with perfectionism who have wondered about this.

I’ve had friends who deal with great anxiety and depression who have wondered about this.

I think we’ve all been here at some point.

Here’s a comforting answer I’ve encountered again and again, both in personal prayers, through messages in General Conference, and in the scriptures:

Where is my heart?

Because THAT is a question that I actually know the answer to.

One place the Lord reiterates this idea is in D&C 97:8:

“All among them who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me.”

I know the state of my heart.

Do I actually yearn to learn and study from the scriptures? Or am I only waiting to see if my spouse is going to see me studying or not?

Do I actually want to serve others more? Or do I feel like “things are great” and that other people are an inconvenience?

Do I work on becoming more Christlike every single day? Or do I think I’ve got other more pressing issues on my to-do list?

Is my heart sincere?

Is my heart honest?

Is my heart broken and turned to the Lord?

Is my heart yearning to keep my covenants?

And when my heart isn’t… do I quickly try to repent and get back to a soft, moldable, loving heart again?

…and then repent again and again and again every time I fall off the track?

Then I am accepted of the Lord so far.

This doesn’t make me complacent.

In fact, it makes me feel quite the opposite.

But I think it’s important for each of us to take inventory from time to time:

Where is my heart?

And as we do this under the influence of the Spirit, I believe we can get an accurate picture of our standing before the Lord.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black