The first was Doctrine and Covenants 10:4-"Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided to enable you to translate; but be diligent unto the end." Sometimes I think I have to be the "perfect" Mormon girl. But that thought process is destined for failure. Yes, I think that everyone's ultimate goal should be to be perfect, but if we expect not to make mistakes daily, the same one sometimes over and over and over again, we will get frustrated with ourselves pretty darn easily. I know I have. But if it there's one thing I have learned--it's not to give up. Now, I know how hokey that sounds, everyone says it. But that's really what life is about isn't it? Not to be perfect now but to work towards it. And if you give up, you have no chance of ever improving or being the person Heavenly Father wants you to be. I know I get discouraged sometimes after I continuously make the same mistake or I have a bad week where I'm super lazy or whatever but I keep trying. I know I don't have to work harder than I have strength--Heavenly Father doesn't want me to kill myself by keeping myself busy all day, every day with good things. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. He just wants me to be diligent and do the things I know I should do. I have a testimony that if you pray to Heavenly Father, He will help you make time for those important things, just as long as you do your part and put the effort in.
The next scripture is Doctrine and Covenants 127:4. "And again, verily thus saith the Lord: Let the work of my temple, and all the works which I have appointed unto you, be continued on and not cease; and let your diligence, and your perseverance, and patience, and your works be redoubled, and you shall in nowise lose your reward, saith the Lord of Hosts. And if they persecute you, so persecuted they the prophets and righteous men that were before you. For all this there is a reward in heaven." I was pretty ecstatic when I found this scripture because it specifically mentions the temple. Now, I haven't been as diligent as I should these past couple weeks. I was on a "spiritual high" you could say in preparation to get my mission call but after I got it, for whatever reason, I've been regressing a little. I'm working on it though and I'm improving every day. BUT the one thing I've been diligent at doing this year has been going to the temple every week. I either go by myself, with my roommate Brie, or on ward temple trips. No matter who I go with though, I blessed every time with time away from school and other stresses in my life, to read the scriptures and feel the Spirit. I'm so grateful that I have multiple temples so close to me, one that I can walk to in twenty minutes! It's so incredible! It's not a mistake I'm here in Provo. People talk about how plain and not really special the Provo temple is, but lemme tell ya, it's one of my favorites and will always have a special place in my heart. I have received so much spiritual strength and revelation there. I feel God's love there and I'm know that I wouldn't receive this blessings if I wasn't so diligent in this part of my life. It makes me wonder how many blessings I'm missing out on by not being so diligent in my prayers or my scripture reading, etc. It definitely makes me want to try harder!
Okay, I lied. The last point is not really a scripture, its a quote I found in my Preach My Gospel. "Diligence in missionary work is an expression of your love for the Lord and His work." This isn't only true for missionary work, diligence in your every day life applies too. For some reason, this quote really stood out to me. As I read it again, it seems kind of obvious now but I don't think I've ever thought of it that way. I only thought of diligence as something you do to improve yourself and receive blessings. But it's also a portrayal of how grateful you are for Heavenly Father's guiding hand in your life. It shows your gratitude and love for the Savior and His atonement. As a missionary, I want to be as diligent as I possibly can. I want to be so in tune with the Spirit that I can bring as many people to the gospel of Jesus Christ as I possibly can. My biggest fear is getting too tired of the work and not doing my best every day. I know that being a missionary is hard, I do. But I want to work hard every day and not be able to look back and regret not fulfilling my potential. That is why I am working now to be diligent. I plan on being the best missionary I can possibly be.
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