Growing Again

I have to hand it to the Devil, he's a pretty clever being.

Something I've learned recently and observed in my own life is that the Devil doesn't have to make a person sin to stop their spiritual growth. He just has to stop them from being righteous. I think this is one of the world's largest problems. Some people are just plain not bad people. They've got good hearts. But they're not really righteous people either. They know what they need to do, they just don't do it. Let me illustrate this principle with something from my own life.
My former bishop assigned me and a few other young men to each visit a few widows in the ward every week and see how they're doing. Even just keep them company for a while. They get so lonely. I've kept that calling pretty faithfully over the past few years, but lately I haven't. I've come home on Sundays after church and thought, "Oh, I have so many other callings. Between fast offerings and taking the sacrament to the shut-ins, and being a family history consultant, and home teaching, and being in the ward choir, and going to church, I don't think I have time to visit the widows. I need some room on Sundays for rest as well. That's what Sundays are for, right?" Well, I'm wrong. Sundays are for service, not for laziness and mindless internet browsing both of which I am very guilty of on Sunday afternoons. Sundays are not for watching television or reading the latest novel. They're for spiritual enlightenment. And if you do get spiritual enlightenment from watching television, or reading the latest novel, or laziness, or mindless internet surfing, or anything else like that - by all means, go ahead. But I don't. And I know it. See, this is where the Devil is so clever. He knows that if he can just get me to do something that isn't really sinful - maybe a little bit, but not really - or maybe something even good like watching a church related movie, he can keep me from doing what's better, and best. Things like visiting the widows and even spending quality time with my family.
So I'm going to change. I'm going to start visiting the widows again, even if it means sacrificing my afternoon nap or internet time.
I'm going to resume growing spiritually again.
I invite you to grow with me.
Love,
Dallin