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I like to unwind and relax sometimes by reading brain candy – books that don’t require I think much but rather give me a chance to enjoy a simple story. As a teenager, I enjoyed Louis L’Amour – mostly because his stock westerns include some real gems here and there throughout the pages. I was reading one of his books this morning and came across a quote that immediately made me think of this group and what we share here: Quote:Time eliminates so many problems. It is a good thing, I think, to save newspapers and then read them months later. One discovers then what is important and what is not. Many a crisis that seems about to shake the earth and bring down governments turns out to be no more substantial than those dust devils which one sees in the deserts or plains.
They spin furiously for a few minutes, then fall apart, not leaving even a ghost of themselves. Be patient in your trials. There are things that might be spinning furiously right now in your lives, but if you “endure to the end” I’m sure many of them will fall apart over time – not leaving even a ghost of themselves. The worst thing one can do in many situations is to over-react, but that is the natural tendency for many people. Go slowly; let things sit a bit before you act; see what falls apart and what comes into focus. Sometimes there’s nothing we can do to tame the storms that blow around us – but nature has a way of taming those storms all on its own.
I heartily agree! Gotta love Louis L’Amour I grew up reading L’Amour also…good memories. I can speak from experience what you said, Ray, is absolutely true. I also think I made things WORSE by over-reacting to what seemed like immediate crisis where my world was falling a part. Things pass and sometimes the fear of the crisis ends up being much worse than the crisis itself, which makes me think that more focus on the NOW and living in the present is safer than fearing the future possibilities of what your mind dreams up might happen.
Discovering some new information on church doctrine or on God can sometimes seem scary…but with time, can be digested.
This makes sense.. Thanks.
Quote:Things pass and sometimes the fear of the crisis ends up being much worse than the crisis itself.
Exactly – with an additional note:
Quote:Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Sometimes we make a real crisis out of what would not have become a crisis if we simply let it run its natural course. There are enough true crises we will face in this life naturally to not add others of our own creation.
I was on the verge of walking away from the Mormon Church just over a month ago. January was not a pleasant month for me at all. But on January 31st, I finally lost the horrible feeling in my gut that I’d had for so long. I still don’t agree with may church principles and some doctrines, but at least now I don’t feel like I am at war with them. Time does have a way of healing wounds and burning out fires. I especially like the quote “sufficient to the day is the evil thereof”. That has been one of my favorites for a very long time. I grow tired of hearing Mormons preach that we have to be doing everything perfect right now or else Jesus won’t suffer for our sins. I got news for those people: He already DID! Its an infinite and eternal atonement, and His grace is sufficient for all men who humble themselves and come unto Him. “Let us not therefore judge one another anymore, but judge this rather: that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” Romans 14-one of my favorite chapters. Read the whole thing. I just love Louis L’Amour books – I spent many hours reading dozens of them while milking cows in a cold dairy barn in Idaho. I love that quote you shared, and have really come to realize that the passing of time definitely does help to make things seem less critical or awful. The old adage, “time heals all wounds” is quite true as I have learned over the past year or so. Thanks for posting.
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