Becoming

Sept 5, 2013

So much of my life has been focused on DOING...

For those of you that know me well, you could confirm that I am known for my 'to do lists' and multitasking abilities. It is not uncommon for people to comment to me, 

"I don't know how you get so much done in a day." 

"You make me tired just watching you." 

I used to take great pride in those comments, thinking to myself, 

"Well, you just need to work harder." (Yikes!  Yes, that was very judgmental of me, and I have repented for those thoughts. For this reason I am glad that the death of my husband has been a humbling, introspective experience.)

While doing and accomplishing much in this life is good...

I have discovered something better and far more important.... 

BECOMING. 

Everything we DO in this life avails us nothing if it does not lead us to BECOME someone better. The purpose of the DOING is to aid the BECOMING. 

What's the difference? 

It's our focus. 

As we are DOING, we need to ask ourselves, 

"Is this helping me to BECOME someone better?" 

If the answer is 'No,' then we ether need to change our perspective and attitude or we need to choose to DO different things. 

The Lord is more concerned with constant, steady, and quality 'BECOMING'

than He is with mass quantity 'DOING.' 

In fact the mass quantity DOING sometimes takes up so much of our time and energy that we don't take the time for the quiet introspection that is needed to make those daily course corrections. We can be so focused on plowing through that we forget to look up and see how far we have strayed off the road that we intended to follow. 

I see in my mind a man pushing an overloaded cart at fast and with all the strength he can muster, head down, blindly driving his feet forward. All the while never looking up to see the road has curved and that he is no longer headed in the direction that he had intended. 

• What is in that cart that we are each frantically pushing?
• What things could you pull out that are not so vital to that final destination? 
• What things could you remove to lighten your load and clear your line of sight so that you can focus on the destination? 

These are the questions I am asking myself...

What do I need to DO so that I can better BECOME what the Lord wants me to BECOME? 

Lighten that load, spend the energy to focus on the internal changes we each need to make. I have learned that the to do list is still there tomorrow and... 

If I have to 'DO' less to have the time to 'BECOME' more, then that is okay.

28 But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, BECOMING humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;

29 Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest. (Book of Mormon, Alma 13)