“How do you deal with a bad habit that you keep falling back to, and God won’t take it away no matter how hard you pray?”
This was a question asked during a Q&A held during our 5th Sunday lesson I attended recently.
There was a fantastic discussion that followed this question, including the ideas that we have to be acting and using all our resources to get rid of the bad habit, reaching out to others for help, and learning the doctrine behind the change we want to make.
But ultimately, someone shared:
“God could absolutely take away your weakness right now.
“It is entirely up to whether or not that is His will.
“So have you prayed to ask what God’s will is with your bad habit?”
What a tough thing, right?
Doesn’t God want my trials to disappear? My bad habits to slide out of sight? My weaknesses to become strengths?
Because that’s what most of MY prayers are focused on.
“Help me fix this.”
But I can think of scriptural examples of prophets and other good people who did not get everything “fixed”.
Who endured a “thorn in their flesh” their entire lifetime.
Whose weaknesses stayed as weaknesses.
Now of course, sometimes He does help to take these trials and bad habits away.
He could do absolutely anything.
So… have I followed up my pleas of “Please help me overcome this!”
With, “But, what is THY will for this weakness”?
It’s a small but powerful shift.
And I think I’m ready to be led to the answer.
“What is the will of the Lord…?” (D&C 125:1)
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
