My thoughts and prayers used to center around what I was doing wrong that I needed to change.
The music that I needed to clean up, the prayers that I was forgetting to say, the ministering assignment I wasn’t doing…
And slowly, this phrase started being added to more and more of my prayers:
“Please let me know what I can let drop out of my life that will help me to feel the Spirit more.”
That’s why I love President Nelson’s message so much.
“Pray to identify the debris you should remove from your life so you can become more worthy.” – Russell M. Nelson
This idea that we all have the junky debris that is keeping us from our full potential.
It’s not straight up sin or filled with evil.
But it’s keeping the Spirit from being as present as possible in my life.
It’s keeping me zoned out and enjoying a dramatic storyline, instead of having that thought to text a friend.
It’s keeping me scrolling through a feed looking at pictures I don’t really care about, instead of spending a few more minutes in the scriptures being taught a lesson I need to hear.
It’s keeping me with frustratingly impossible standards for my family members, instead of learning how to love unconditionally.
The debris blocks out a lot if I let it pile up.
The Lord also gave this advice to Joseph Smith’s own family in D&C 93:48:
“Your family must needs repent and forsake some things”.
Repent = change; Forsake = forget
Your family needs to forget some things they are doing, and make some changes.
Don’t we all need to hear that message?!
I want to build so many great things in my life. I want to build places of beauty, of love, of safety.
I want to build sacred places in my life.
But even with the best intentions and the perfect building plans…
I have to start by clearing the debris.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
