Seeking to Become - August 2015

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• Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.         Isaiah 49:16 

• It's been a long time since I did the monthly challenge. It has been the entire summer actually. There's really no excuse for falling off the spiritual wagon, and I could kick myself for doing so now that I look back and realize that I let it go during such a sad period of time. Things could have had a better focus if I hadn't let it slip. But we can't get time back, so I am moving forward with the understanding that when I'm sad, I might want to remember how this focus helps me on a daily basis.
  
  Getting right to the heart of things, I ran across this scripture in Isaiah, and it reminded me of a basic truth: Christ knows me. My overwhelming sadness these past several months displays my lack of faith. I profess to have a strong testimony of God, our Heavenly Father, and his son, Jesus Christ, but when I got thrown for a loop, I forgot to turn my heart to the Lord. I didn't stop saying my prayers or going to the temple or anything, but I didn't let all of those things generalize into understanding and being comforted while life sorts itself out. Recognizing this failing, I am humbled and ready to open my heart to what is in store. I desire to find joy in life and no longer dwell on the difficulties that will continue to arise.
  
  The focus for this month is to remember that Christ knows us; he knows our hearts; he knows what we need; and he knows how to comfort us in our trials. The next step will be to watch for how that knowledge works for our good. Remembering is the first step though, and I don't want to lose sight of that basic truth.  I hope you will join me.