- This topic is empty.
-
Posts
-
kotm wrote:
Yes I know I have a major chip on my shoulder. And it would be better served if I got rid of it. But I just can’t for some reason. I’ve always felt I got the short end of the stick with life and it just hasn’t been fair to me.
Try this — four or five times a day, say a prayer where you give thanks and then pray for other people. If that’s too much, then just give thanks in prayer and skip praying for others and their needs. Even if you have to give thanks for things we take for granted like electricity. Find four or five things to give thanks for, and then do that often. Make it a habit. It will change your perspective on life if you stick with it. You will know that it’s changing you when spontaneously, you start giving thanks even in normally frustrating situations. The other day I got stuck in traffic and automatically started giving thanks for many things in prayer while I waited for traffic to clear — the habit eased the pain.
I would also, once a day or so, pray that you will establish meaningful relationships in the church. Look forward with hope that this request will come to pass. Be hopeful that it will happen and be open to the goodwill of others.
I hope this kind of advice helps. I am only sharing what I have experienced as I’ve made a concerted effort to be thankful for the many things I have that are good. We all have many of them; they are often hidden or eclipsed by our thinking or lack of focus on the good things we enjoy. You have many of them — expose them regularly to yourself through prayer and I think you will feel better about life.
I’m not trying to cast a shadow on your newfound (refound?) testimony of prayer SD (although I admittedly do not share it in the least degree based on my own very different experiences), but this advice is very much like what those in faith crisis get from their leaders. You’ve heard it, and written about it – pray more, read the Book of Mormon more, go to the temple more, etc. Those things don’t work for most of us (and most of us had already tried those things).
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.