The Quote Lady

I love a good quote.  I have a binder full of quotes,little stories, & such that make you think.  I am gonna try to share one a week that I have found to be helpful to me on this journey.  I was trying to thinking of something catchy to call it when I share one with no such luck.  So - I came up with The Quote Lady.  It is a forewarning that this post is mostly focused around a quote.  So with no further adeiu ... The Quote Lady.

I was looking through my copy of "The Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book" yesterday.  They have divided up the quotes by topic & I had started at the beginning and was just going through it.  So many great ones, but I stumbled across two in the subject of faith that just really jumped out and spoke to me.

Here is the first one ... "If we lack faith, it shows up in interesting way.  You and I see it expressed as a failure to pay a full tithing, failure to wear the holy temple garments, refusal to work more meekly at making a marriage more successful or a family happier, the resentment of personal trials, trying to serve the Lord without offending the devil (we have quite a few Church members who are trying to do just that!), failing to sustain the Brethren, neglecting prayer, neglecting the holy scriptures, neglecting neighbors, neglecting sacrament meetings, and neglecting temple attendance.

-Neal A. Maxwell  ("'Lord, Increase Our Faith.'")

It's crazy how we sometime forget that faith is shown in our actions - it's not just something we can express saying that we have faith.  For some reason yesterday when I read this - it was like a light bulb went on.  It hurt too - hearing these words.  It's like they say - truth hurts.  Well, I  have been guilty of all of these things except one along the way in this journey.  And here I was thinking I had faith.  I do have faith.  It's just very little apparently (as I still struggle with many of these things).  I am showing my faith as I work on practicing the 12 Steps.  I show faith as I continue to serve those around me.  But this is just S speaking of course.  My faith is lacking, but it is a work in progress and I have a desire for my faith to grow and for it to show in my actions.


The other quote ... "Faith in God includes faith in His purposes as well as in His timing.  We cannot fully accept Him while rejecting His schedule.  We cannot worship Him, but insist on our plans."

-Neal A. Maxwell (That Ye May Believe, 84)

Wow!  Ouch!  For me personally yesterday, this was a real wake-up call.  I have really struggled with this in the past, but currently, I do not know His schedule for me, His timing, or His plans for me.  And honestly, it's been driving me crazy.  So why not insist on my own plans was my logic.  Of course, learning I was expecting again, not in MY plan, was a little wake-up call, but still being stubborn, I have been trying to STILL do it my way.  Therein lies the problem, of course, and shows my lack of faith.  Sigh.  Oh well, at least I am trying to be more honest with myself for once.