by Terri Wagner
I'm going to go a bit off range here and just discuss something whirling around my head. Apply to writing and let me know about it, seriously.
I joined a small group of sisters online to discuss different spiritual qualities in order to help us all grow in the gospel. The first two weeks were on faith. Many emails burned through the group but almost as one we all bemoaned the fact that we felt we didn't have much faith.
I have had this non-serious health issue for about 10 years. I've had at least two blessings and many fastings and prayers. I keep being told you can be healed if you have faith. In truth, I kinda spiritually shrugged and thought ok I have faith, just do it in your time Father, and I'll live with it until then.
When this opportunity came to share gospel principles, I felt a burning desire to finally reach a point to have faith to be healed (yes I am assuming this came from the Spirit). Today our final day, the group leader sent out a link to a talk by President Hinckley "We Walk by Faith" in the Liahona July 2002. She asked us to comment on what our experiences had been these past two weeks learning about faith.
Here was my answer: What I have learned is what I do not yet know. While this may sound counterproductive, it is not. The beginning of wisdom is knowing what you do not know. The Spirit gently advised me to seek not only out of the best books (talks) or scripture but to kneel and listen to my Heavenly Father. It is a gift of the Spirit and mine to have if I will do this.
I am reminded once again of how much I am loved as a child of God, of how incredibly silly I"ve been to miss this, and how grateful I am I can still learn.
Is this an open group? I'd love to be a part of something like that.
ReplyDeleteI think what people often forget is that faith is such a quiet thing. It took an amout of faith for you to get together. It takes faith to get yourself to church. We so often just do things and because we're used to having the spririt around us, or used to having that faith push us in good directtion we don't recognize it for what it is.
ReplyDeleteThink about how great the missionaires feel and they're always bewlidered when we bring it up, because they live with that spirit all the time.
Faith is quiet, almost all the time.
Learning is fun, isn't Terri! What a great experience you are having in the process. I love that!
ReplyDeleteElder Bednar spoke to our stake and his talk included having faith not to be healed. Sometimes it is not the Lord's plan to heal us, but we must still go on in faith. Even though I have had blessings and fasted and prayed--lots, his talk gave me the strength to accept my own health issue and go on with faith.
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