A Poem I Wrote

I feel like every Mormon writes religious poems.  Is this a thing in other religions too?  I have no idea.  So, not to be outdone by my peers, I apparently wrote a religious poem too.  I say apparently because I had forgotten all about it.  I was going through some old notes from school and I found it.  Want to read it?  Well, if you keep reading you’re going to have to.

I had a voice inside of me, its timbre still and small.

It brought me peace and brought me joy and answered to my call.

One day I brought in other voices: doubt, fear, stress, and selfish choices.

My still small voice had place no more and it slowly left my mind.

Though my head was full of noise and my neurons ran unceasing

I could feel a gaping void with hollowness outreaching.

I missed my peaceful, still, small voice guiding each and every choice.

I kicked myself for bringing others and letting that one go.

I tried pushing out the other voices dwelling in my head;

I told them they did not belong, but still, not one voice fled.

I struggled, whined, called life unfair, and cried ‘til I was spent.

Then I realized my folly – a call was never sent.

I closed my eyes and bowed my head, opened my mouth and softly said,

“I need thee; please return.”

I felt the doubt and fear seep out and my soul filled with a voice

that loved me and smiled as it said, “you just needed to make the choice.”

Some of the stanzas are a bit awkward; maybe one day I’ll fix them but I’m too lazy right now.

So when I created the “schedule” for my blog postings, I told myself that Sunday would be for spiritual thoughts, and then I avoided writing on Sunday.  I don’t know what my hold-up is; if you’re not interested in spiritual thoughts you just won’t read them.  So…here I go.

In case it isn’t obvious, I wrote that poem about the spirit of Christ.  In the LDS religion we believe that every person is born with “the light of Christ” – the ability to feel His spirit from time to time, guiding us in our decisions and testifying to us when something is true.  When we are living according to the commandments of God, that voice is readily available to give us peace, guidance, comfort, and more.  If we let ourselves put other things before God, that voice will slowly leave us.

One of the incredible things about God is this though – He is always willing to give us another chance.  Regardless of the choices we’ve made, regardless of the unworthiness we feel, if we are truly desirous to follow Him again, we are welcomed with loving arms.  As a tangent, this does not mean it is fine to sin - repentance is still a requirement for any past sins – but it does mean that God loves us at all times and is always willing to take us back when we’re ready. 

It’s so easy to get caught up in everyday life and to ignore the Lord.  It’s easy to focus on work, school, kids, working out, relaxation, and all the business that comes with life, because that’s what’s right in front of us.  That’s what’s tangible; that’s what feels real.

I’d like to bear my testimony that God is also real.  If we make time to remember Him in our day-to-day lives I know that we can have fuller lives because of it.  Like many people, I struggle with depression, anxiety, and scores of other things – when I have asked for help, God has always been there for me.  Every single time.  There are two important things to remember though:

            You have to ask and believe that He can give you the comfort you need.

            You have to remember that His answers are not always physical blessings.  At times you’ll just have an idea come into your mind.  At times you’ll just feel His love for a moment.  Sometimes the help is even something we’re not super excited about (ever prayed for patience?  Haha…).  He will help if you ask for it though.

I know that God is real.  I know He has been the best support for me in times of need.  I know that we need to make a conscious choice to bring God into our lives, and that we will be blessed for that choice.  I encourage you to invite God into your life today.  Act in a manner which He would be proud of and record any blessings that come to you while you’re living for Him; I bet you’ll be surprised at how often God’s hand is shown in your life.