I love standing in holy places. But the difficult part is…
Not being moved.
Elder Holland so eloquently taught:
“It is inevitable that after heavenly moments in our lives, we, of necessity, return to earth, so to speak, where sometimes less-than-ideal circumstances again face us.”
Holy moments are precious.
Sometimes they are big and notable.
But more and more often lately, they’ve been really small and mighty.
A quick prayer offered in a time of need met with immediate assistance.
Glancing at my kids’ faces during a particularly difficult moment and seeing their divine potential.
Pondering that leads to life-changing realizations.
Writing my gratitudes down and seeing how obvious the Hand of God is in my life.
I do all that I can to stand in holy places throughout the day. To create holy moments.
And then… a kid starts crying.
And I get a headache.
And someone asks me if I’ve finished that project yet.
And the dishes need to be done for the millionth time.
And I have an awkward moment with someone I meet.
And all of a sudden, I’m down, off the mount.
Back to real life and all the weird, lame, uncomfortable, frustrating moments.
To stay in a holy place all the time seems impossible.
But I at least have the desire to experience holy moments all of the time.
And… God actually tells us that He will bless us for our desires, as we strive to do so.
So even when the world is in chaos around me after I come down off the mount of my holy moment, my desire to keep holiness with me can be strong enough to carry that feeling in my heart.
Because even though I am moving from the holy place…
My desires are not moving.
My intentions are not moving.
My Savior is not moving.
That is what can stay constant. My desire to be good. Even if I’m on a roller coaster of what my actions look like, my desires of my heart keep me tethered to Christ.
I can stand in holy places as often as I can, and my thoughts and righteous desires can never be moved.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
10 Responses
Brilliant
Thanks! ????
Love the way you described the thoughts in my head: “Back to real life and all the weird, lame, uncomfortable, frustrating moments.” That’s when I feel like I’ve failed and I’m the only one. Thanks for making me feel like I’m NOT the only one.
It happens to all of us all the time. We gotta keep standing firm!
This is amazing! Thank you for sharing a perspective I’ve never considered????
You’re so welcome. ♥️
Just wanted to take a moment and tell you how much I appreciate your insights! As a matter of fact; today’s post has inspired me to begin a journal of those special times so I can easily glance back and hopefully refresh my feelings and express my gratitude to our Heavenly Father for all he has blessed me with.
That’s such a great idea. You’ll be so grateful to have that journal to look back on.
I love your perception of this scripture. It made me think of Moses and how he came down from the mount after receiving the 10 commandments into chaos. I can understand his anger. We all have these moments, but your right, if we just keep trying and desiring for more of those moments they will come. I guess that is why it is so important to always attend church, the temple, have family prayers, family home evenings, personal prayer and scripture study. Giving us those spiritual highs more frequently, especially in our chaotic times.
It always comes back to those basics, doesn’t it? But they work! They keep us grounded and standing firm.