I'm reading a book we got from our wedding called Living a Covenant Marriage:Practical Advice from Thirteen Experts Who've Walked in Your Shoes which is a compilation of articles by prominent LDS authors with their soundest marriage advice. In it, there was a quote from Boyd K. Packer that says:
"We seem to be developing an epidemic of 'counselitis' which drains spiritual strength from the Church...That, some may assume, is not serious. It is very serious!... We have become very anxious over the amount of couseling that we seem to need in the Church. Our members are becoming dependent...If we are not careful we can lose the power of individual revelation...."I know we've all either had the friend or have been the friend who has had the hard question in their life and asks everyone's advice about it. I have a friend right now that is struggling to pick a direction for her life. She wants everyone to tell her what school and what program she should enter, she keeps asking what she should do about a boy that she keeps dating and not dating and then dating again, and she wants to know where she should move to and when. I understand how difficult this part of her life must be. But I also know that she already has a lot of the answers she is looking for and I feel so sad that she doesn't trust herself just to follow through with them.
"It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal.
Teach our members that if they have a good, miserable day once in a while, or several in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out.
There is a great purpose in our struggle in life."
As always, there is sometimes a need for professional and/or medical help. But I learned a long time ago, hard times always come before the good times, and good times will always be followed by bad. But the joy of overcoming makes the journey exciting and intriguing. Enjoy the ride.
I think that most everyone has to go through the decision making process at some point in their life where they decide they are now the creator of their own life and destiny (not just a victim of fate or consequence). For me it was hard going through this, not that I'm completely through with it. It was hard for me to accept that I was getting married and that I could get married. It was hard to decide what to do with my college and career goals.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the decisions in our lives are simply between us and God, and a lot of times God expects us to man up and make our own decisions so that we can learn from them. He isn't going to tell us every step to take everyday of our lives. He wants us to be here and live our lives.