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It really depends on what you are praying for. Praying for keys is an immediate thing, usually. Praying for world peace is not so much. In my own life the most profound answers to my prayer have come over a period of years. They have to do with family members, my husband and my mother. It is a long story to explain how challenging it has been but simply put my husband has a bad temper and my mother is difficult to live with (she lives with us and my mother and husband have not lived peacefully for years which adds to the drama).
I have been caught between them for years. The worst of it lasted 10 years and we are coming out of that right now. I have been praying for help, strength, to know what to do and most of all for peace. In the middle of it all I’ve tried to keep 5 children learning and growing as they need to – having to do clean up,emotionally and spiritually, almost constantly. I am not perfect either and have had some lessons to learn myself. It has been a great big refining fire.
The pivotal point came in this way – five years ago I came to feel that my husband was going to pass away soon – received this impression in the temple – went back on a weekly basis in communion with Heavenly Father over this issue. I received counsel and comfort and resisted telling my husband for awhile until the stress in my body was so great that my neck hurt and I couldn’t move my head. I finally told him what I believed. He was angry at first. But it also drove him to his knees. He didn’t change right away. He is still learning. This past summer he was laid off. The time spent at home has been good for him. I still feel he will leave us sooner than not. But I don’t really know when. I have finally stopped thinking about it everyday, just in the past few months. It seemed to have the necessary effect on my husband. This and other similar experiences with my mom has helped her soften up as well.
I am not going to say that my prayers were answered without me doing anything but getting on my knees. It took a lot of work, years of persevering, and holding on for dear life. I won’t say we are out of the woods but I can say as I look back through the years that my prayers have been answered, little by little, day by day and by the sweat of my own brow.
Our purpose in life is to prepare to be with God. This has been my purist desire, to be back with Heavenly Father. The challenges of life, with God’s help, have prepared me and continue to prepare me to return to His presence.
Hi, I haven’t read all the responses. I just have this thought to share. I was barely 19 when I went to the temple for the first time. I had only been a member for one year. I don’t think I knew if I was worthy in every way to enter the temple. I had kept the commandments and could answer all the other questions but the last one is so subjective. I have found out this. As I have attended the temple through the years it has helped me grow and learn. We become changed as we attend the temple just like the rest of the gospel.
Another thought is that we need to have compassion for ourselves just as we need to for others. Sometimes seeing yourself with understanding and patience can soften your own heart towards yourself. We can think of how forgiving the Savior was in the stories of the New Testament, such as the adulteress and tax collector. If He showed such compassion for them certainly He would do the same for us and likewise can we for one another and ourselves. I hope this helps and wish you the best. It’s wonderful that your wife wants to attend the temple with you, let her love lift you up.
Peace
This is a great discussion of a topic of significance to me. I am a trained actress but I don’t work in Hollywood. I couldn’t leave the family to go to auditions and do the whole scene. I’ve done community theater and some LDS projects (as an extra). I am currently part of an improv troupe because it has only one day of rehearsal! In my limited experience as an LDS actress I believe the only way to make it is to dive in head first into the life. It is demanding just to be an auditioning actor. You have to give your life to it and little is left for anything else. Everyone makes a good point for all the other reasons. I do not think LDS as less capable of great art, however, I just don’t think they get the opportunity to be part of those projects as often. Certainly the things we don’t do affects our work as well but we can do plenty of significant work without smoking, drinking or being in overly intimate scenes. Think of our favorite actors – Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, etc. etc. – their best work don’t involve scenes we wouldn’t do but we love them anyway. I believe LDS actors are equally able to play such roles if only we had the chance. The whole Hollywood scene is just not compatible with an LDS life which is full of commitment already. I have made my choice. I have five children and they are all doing well. I made the sacrifice to stay close to them instead of throwing myself into the actor’s lifestyle. The alternative would have been much less bearable. So I have to be content. I hope to be able to continue to be creative/artistic my whole life.
I have to say though, even now in the improv troupe I am in it is a challenge. But I believe I can do some good with my presence there – it is a family friendly improv troupe which means the shows are rated PG. That doesn’t stop the joking around during rehearsals and the partying after. But fortunately I am not the only one who doesn’t use bad language or party. We are a minority just like almost anywhere else in the world. We just have to persevere, just like everywhere else in the world.
🙂 Just for fun here is something funny:
I play the piano in primary. In senior primary we were listening to sharing time. The primary chorister’s little white curly haired boy was brought to the door by his nursery teacher and he blurted out excitedly, “I went poopie!” The giggles from the senior primary kids was contained and polite……had to be there. Precious.
