DH and I met with the bishop last Sunday. The bishop is a very, what I consider, humble and down-to-earth man.
We revealed to him that my paycheck is being garnished. After listening to us and going over our finances, he told us that the Church would help us with food. He was ready to arrange for the RS president to come to our home to see what our needs are. We told him that for this month (and possibly next month) we have enough food to last until I find out if the garnishment is going to be reduced. He did tell us that he would like to see us out at Church.
Today DH and I went to Sacrament Meeting. Maybe this sounds corny, but I came away feeling "spiritually nourished." I came away with good feelings about the Church. Then I made the mistake of reading some of the comments here.
Now I'm beginning to question if I'm only fooling myself that I will have positive experiences at Church. Am I just "pink clouding?" In others words, am I in "a state of temporary artificial euphoria?"
I am so confused.
3 comments:
The Elder's Quorum President told my husband today, "I don't have the answers to everything, no one does." I think the truth is that we do our best with what we have, and a lot of times that is relying on the spirit to help us as well as our own gut reactions.
It's good that you felt spiritually nourished after leaving church today. That means that you were filled with the Savior's love for you, gratitude for the Bishop's help, and your own love for the Savior. Anytime you leave feeling uplifted, I'd say that's a good thing. I'd say the same if you attended a Catholic, Unitarian, or Lutheran service as well.
Of course these feelings fade, just as blissful happiness comes and goes, utter darkness comes and goes, and just feeling bland comes and goes. The key is to work on becoming closer to our Heavenly Father, and usually that comes by trying to invite those feelings in again and again, by having quiet contemplation, attending church, serving others, etc.
Good luck on your journey!
Thank you so much, ACW, for your kind words of encouragement. The bishop asked me what brings me peace. I told him that each night before I go to sleep, I read a passage from an affirmation book. I also told him that when I am troubled about a particular feeling (e.g., discouragement), I go to lds.org and do a search in the Gospel Library.
At the conclusion of sacrament meeting this past Sunday, the bishop told the members that if you are troubled about something, ask yourself "How would Jesus handle it?"
I also keep in mind this counsel my DH received when he was in his teens: "Fear not what man may do, but give glory to God for that which He will provide."
Again, ACW, thank you so much for your kindness.
Hi,
I found your blog through the 'Write Stuff' blog...I was curious to see who you were after the comments that were made about your comment regarding how we treat other people.
I've read through your blog up to this point.
It sounds as though you've had a lot of good and bad experiences with the church.
If there is one thing I've learned as a member of the church, it's that if we look for the good, we'll find it, and if we look for the bad we'll find that too.
The church members are imperfect people...some more so than others...and we'll find a little bit of everything. In my own times of doubt or frustration, the one thing I hold true to is the belief I have in my heart.
The belief that I know that God is in His heaven, that he is aware of me, that He answers my prayers, and that I've been given the surety that the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in the church is true doctrine.
If you can somehow weed out everything else, and search for what you truly feel in your heart, I think you'll find the answers you are looking for.
I admire your honesty and candor.
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