"More Holiness Give Me" and Relationships...

Today during our church service, an 85-year old man (who still has a spectacular voice) sang a hymn called "More Holiness Give Me." (You can listen to a beautiful rendition of it here.--although I wish you could have heard the 85-year old man sing it...) The words of the song struck me to my core because I have felt especially flat these last couple weeks. I want to feel that "more" that the song describes. I want to feel that urgency.

I have realized more and more this last year that I am not investing enough in my relationship with God-- and that my faith in and relationship with Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, is directly related to what I am willing to invest in the relationship. I don't know why this hasn't occurred to me before now. As is true in other relationships, we have to open ourselves up and talk to the other person, we have to be willing to be quiet and listen to the other person, we have to be willing to help, we have to prove ourselves trustworthy, we have to admit when we are wrong and say we are sorry and be willing to make amends for the relationship to be strong and rewarding and mutually beneficial. And then time and experiences with those people is what then links me to them even more.

Those are the kinds of things I try to do in my family and with my friends (and don't always do very successfully...) because it is obvious that the people that I care most about and who care most about me are people who have put time and effort and care into knowing me--and they are people who have been in my life, doing these things for an extended period of time.

Sometimes I forget that. I forget that these are the things that it takes to build a relationship. And for some reason, sometimes I think that I don't have to do those kinds of things to have a relationship with God. It is like I assume He will just take care of things for me and He loves me and understands me perfectly, and that is enough. I convince myself that I love and understand Him "enough" and don't put much work into my side of the relationship. But how does that make sense?

In what is referred to as the Intercessory prayer (John 17:3), the Savior, Jesus Christ, prays to the Father in our behalf--all of us. One of the things He says is:

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." 

He doesn't say that eternal life (which we believe is life with God- life after death where we get to be with our families and keep progressing and becoming more and more like Him) is God knowing and loving us (which He always does)--eternal life is us coming to know God and His Son, Jesus Christ. And coming to know anything or anyone requires effort, work, and time.

God has given us the tools to come to know Him. To develop a real relationship with Him. He has spoken throughout the ages and His words have been recorded by prophets in what we now refer to as scriptures. He has spoken truth and love to the hearts of men and women throughout the ages through the Spirit and their words are recorded in inspired literature, journals, and speeches. He speaks now to His prophet, President Monson, and He will speak now to us through the Spirit. He and the Savior have promised this over and over and over again.

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:"  Matthew 7:7, 3 Nephi 27:29

This is the promise--but I have to do my part by investing in the relationship. By asking and seeking and studying and trying to know Him more and more.

One last thought that I found applied specifically to me:

"True, the Lord has said, “Ask, and ye shall receive.” (D&C 4:7.) But He also declared, “Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.” (D&C 9:7.)

It is evident that He intends that we do our part. But what, specifically, are we to do? No one would expect to receive a result from physical law without obeying it. Spiritual law is the same. As much as we want help, we must expect to follow the spiritual law that controls that help. Spiritual law is not mysterious. It is something that we can understand. The scriptures define it in significant detail." Elder Richard G. Scott, "Obtaining Help From the Lord" 

This week, my challenge to myself is to put the amount of time and effort into coming to know my Heavenly Father and the Savior that will enable me to feel and understand their strength and help and love--that will enable me to be more holy. 

-Elin
Who is simultaneously still trying to work on being grateful in every circumstance.