Prayers Answered

As missionaries, we go around and we will knock on peoples' doors. This is what we call "tracting." It's not my favorite thing to do due to a natural fear of talking to people that I don't know personally and we get the occasional nasty responses from people. It's all part of tracting, we just go past the ones who aren't ready to hear the Gospel and try to find the ones who are ready to listen.

We were tracting one day and came across one lady in particular that was very rude to us. We tried inviting her to the Hill Cumorah pagent but she wasn't too happy that we were there. She went on to tell us that we didn't need the Book of Mormon, that we were being led by foolish people, and that we were confused and so on and so forth. I was bothered by this encounter. The Spirit had left and the spirit of contention had found his way in. I kept asking myself why so many people were against us. Why was it so hard? I thought about those things the rest of the day and into the night. I found myself praying for some relief.

The following morning brought the same questions again. Satan had stuck me with a sliver that kept festering as time kept going. I prayed a long time that morning for relief. After I was done praying, I picked up the scriptures and started to read. I was in 2 Nephi 28 and I received the answers that i was looking for. The prophets prophesied that there would be widespread apostacy throughout the world. What is happening in the world today should be no surprise to us because Nephi Prophesied about it 2,600 years ago!
I went on to read in 2 Nephi 29 and received even more comfort than before.
How to we receive answers and revelation to our prayers? Well, we pray for guidance and direction and then we have to act. Nephi, in the Book of Mormon, didn't pray and then wait for an answer. He prayed and then did his best effort. He says, "...I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do." He relied on the fact that God would answer his prayers and he followed the Spirit.
I love what Elder Bednar said in the latest General Conference about receiving Revelation.
I know that God does answer our prayers. All we have to do is ask for His help.

The Picture

I was looking through a lot of different pictures that I have with me all the time and I came across one that was of myself. No, I didn't look and think, "Wow, I miss my old life!" It was quite the opposite. I looked at that picture for a few minutes looking into the eyes of who I once was.

"What's different? What's changed?" I asked myself, not sure how I could answer that question.

This question has been on my mind since that time that I had an encounter with myself. I have often looked at that picture over and over. I don't know why, but it's like I was trying to tell myself something.

I figured it out this morning! I looked again at that picture and saw a young man staring at me just smiling. I happened to turn around to see the reflection of a missionary in the mirror...It was me. I had changed. I was the person that the young man in the photo had dreamed of becoming.

How did we become the people that we are today? There are many different experiences that we go through in our life. How we react to those experiences will shape who we are and will determine our character. We are essentially refined.

I like the way that Jesus Christ uses the word "refine" as He speaks to those in the scriptures. 3Nephi24:3

Just as a silversmith heats silver until he can see his image in the silver itself, so does God allow us to be in trials and adversity until He can see His image in us. We all have our "Refining moments." But, we can be assured that God will help us to become what He wants us to be.

3 Nephi 22: 7-8, 10

God is real. He is there to help us up when we fall down. He wants us to reach our full potential. I know that is true.