I had every intention of sitting at the computer first thing this morning and writing down the thoughts that have been swirling in my head since yesterday. But there were dishes to be done and floors to scrub and fittings to do. So here I am, finally, with a few minutes during "nap time" to empty my head onto this page.
I say "nap time" because Elliot is very likely sitting on the stairs right now instead of laying in his bed. We've reached that point, I think, where naps just aren't going to happen much anymore. I suppose I can't blame him. He has given me nearly four good years of daily naps. It had to come to an end eventually. But oh man, I will miss them!
And now, some deep thoughts. I've been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be truly converted. It is one thing to be raised in a religion, and to believe in it because you were taught to believe in it. It is quite another thing to come to know truth for yourself, and then even more - to have a change of heart based on your knowledge of that truth. That is true conversion.
To me, being truly converted means serving others, not because I am supposed to, but because I genuinely want to. It means studying my scriptures, not because I know it is good for me, but because I know that through my studies I can come to know my Savior better. It means leaving worldly things behind and not missing them.
True conversion comes by obedience. Years of obedience to things we know are true leads to that all-important change of heart. And then our desires elevate and our focus becomes more clear and we find ourselves full of joy.
It's a road we all have to travel in this life, at our own pace and in our own time. I am just grateful to be somewhere on the road.
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I am thinking these same thoughts. I've been working for more than a year and at Easter Vigil I will be Baptized, Confirmed and then have my first Eucharist as I'm becoming a Catholic. It's truly meaningful to be active in my Faith Journey and want to live in Jesus' love and teachings...and teach them to my children. I have been searching for my purpose and how I can use the gift God has given me to help others. I just keep praying about it and know it will happen when it is supposed to. My eyes and ears are peeled! Anyway, the idea that I will be "dying" and renewed at my Baptism is so overwhelming in a good way. I'm looking forward to leaving my past behind as I look forward to all the great things in store.
ReplyDeleteI also meant to comment that our faith journey is a lifetime process with no real end...
ReplyDeleteI was thinking thoughts like this in YW on Sunday. I get frustrated with myself and my inability to communicate when teaching the YW because so much of what I love about the gospel and have learned about it, I have learned through years of experience, trials of faith, and blessings of the spirit. They will have those same experiences, but until they seek them and yearn for them, I feel like they are just taking my (and other adults') word for it. I guess we all start somewhere, and my faith is by no means super evolved, it is just difficult to "teach" when you aren't sure hearts are open. I guess also that is why I need to rely on and pray for the Spirit to do the teaching. Ok I am answering my own questions now, but thanks for getting me to type it out! :) Love you, Steph.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post, Stephanie. And I enjoyed reading your "Story" over on memoriesoncloverlane today! I have been thinking about this process of conversion, and Leslie is SO right when she says that it takes years of experiences, trials and study to bring us to where we can see we are firmly on the right path. Some of my family members are wandering, and I cannot change their paths. Their lives are made of their choices, as ours, and we just have to keep hoping, praying and working for the Light.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of this exact thing yesterday as I was visiting teaching. The more we serve, the more we become like our Savior, the more we are converted which makes us want to serve even more. It's a wonderfully, beautiful cycle.
ReplyDeleteOn the naps: When my kids hit that age where they kind of decided they were done, we made a rule, so that I could still have a little bit of time to get some things done without one of my little sidekicks "helping." First, we stopped calling it nap time, and started calling it "quiet time," for big kids. And the rule was that they had to play quietly in their room by themselves for a specific time, ours was often 1- 1.5 hours, and lots of times, the kids fell asleep either way. It really worked through three kids!
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