How do you fit it all in? Feel like I am failing already

[autismmum]

I am just starting my LDS journey over last couple of months. Have been living the WOW since then and reading my way through the Book of Mormon and trying to work through the booklets the missionaries give out ( haven't spoken to them yet though got them from LDS shop). I have so much to learn and there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day!

We have a son who has autism and s lot of my time is spent with him. I really want to learn and I know that you all are expected to do scripture study and prayer everyday...how do you get it all to fit?

It is getting me down a bit as I feel like I am failing myself and God. The Book of Mormon is a hard old thing to work through and takes a long time if you are actually to understand it properly.

Other converts....how long did it take you to get through all this and actually understand it all?

[skalenfehl]

It can be a life long process. While developing faith and a firm hope in coming to Christ can be relatively quick (as quickly as we are willing to be obedient to the principles that we study), understanding all the points of doctrine from the creation to the atonement, etc takes years. Christ learned line upon line and precept upon precept and so do we learn here a little, there a little.

Do not be preoccupied with gaining "knowledge" so quickly. While we are only saved as fast as we can gain knowledge, even church scholars, so far that I am aware, have not declared having been visited by angels or received the Second Comforter. Such is the accomplishment of mere fishermen and farm boys and thus is a promise that anyone can achieve the same. Be patient, prayerful and obedient as fast as you gain light. It will come.

[norah63]

One thing that has always been of help for me is to practice praise.

The Lord inhabits the praises of His people.

So to offer up a sacrafice of praise, brings Him close. Even when we don't feel like it is the best of times to praise, because it replaces those doubts with better thoughts.

[bytor2112]

One thing that has always been of help for me is to practice praise.

The Lord inhabits the praises of His people.

So to offer up a sacrafice of praise, brings Him close. Even when we don't feel like it is the best of times to praise, because it replaces those doubts with better thoughts.

What does this even mean....seriously??? By praise...do you mean prayer? Do you mean singing songs that invite the Holy Spirit? A sacrifice of praise means..........?

[tubaloth]

Alma 37:6-7

[shine7]

Praise, to me, means being thankful in your heart to God

congratulations on your choice

it is a lot to take in and really just takes time putting one step in front of the other

"feeling down" can be a trap, so be prayerful......go to God in prayer and let Him know how/when you feel

overwhelmed.......ask Him for the next step and ask that you will recognize that next step

it is a PROCESS

and don't feel bad if you 'backpeddle' here and there.....just keep pressing onward as you can, prayerfully

Your spirit already knows what you are 'relearning' here on earth, so trust in God and keep goin' forward

praying for you....

I have learned that even reading the scriptures for 5 minutes and praying everyday brings the spirit...and

as your time is limited, God will make every experience a progress for you.....Just keep reading in the

Book of Mormon, and ask the Holy Ghost to help you understand it for this layer of your journey.....you

will find that each time you read through it, your understanding will increase......again, a PROCESS.....I

remember when the Book of Mormon was sooo hard to understand, and after many years of reading/studying

it, makes it easier to 'get' the language of the scriptures......no matter what, the scriptures are God talking

to you spirit to spirit, giving you line upon line and precept upon precept, one step at a time

Edited April 29, 2012 by shine7

[log2]

We have a son who has autism and s lot of my time is spent with him. I really want to learn and I know that you all are expected to do scripture study and prayer everyday...how do you get it all to fit?

It is getting me down a bit as I feel like I am failing myself and God. The Book of Mormon is a hard old thing to work through and takes a long time if you are actually to understand it properly.

Other converts....how long did it take you to get through all this and actually understand it all?

If I may make a suggestion, don't focus so much on the outward performances such as scripture study if you don't feel it's helping. Instead, focus on putting your whole heart and soul into your prayers and coming into communion with your Father. Scripture is not what you read, but what the Spirit gives you, either independently or as you read - therefore, pray with all your heart to receive the Spirit of God. Then see where you feel your priorities should be.

Edited April 30, 2012 by log2

[MorningStar]

Do a really short scripture study like 5 verses and if you feel like you can do more, then do more. That's what we're doing with our kids right now. Sometimes we get through a chapter and sometimes we don't. You could also listen to the scriptures on CD while you're driving or something like that. :)

[Guest]

I didn't even read the scriptures from cover to cover. My husband and I would read it together before going to bed and I'd fall asleep on the first paragraph. I'm used to reading the Catholic Bible where everything is in regular English, so I can read it kinda like a novel. The Book of Mormon got me so confused - first off, English is only my 3rd language - and so the Book of Mormon was like learning a 4th language.

What I did was read the magazines - the Ensign mostly - and read the talks and then read each and every scripture that is referenced in the talk. Then it became a lot easier to understand what the scripture was saying. I moved on to the Gospel Principles and Gospel Doctrine manual after a while and read all the scripture references there too... then I went through all the Primary books (the children manuals are really cool!).

But, in any case, I felt the truth of the Book of Mormon and the Apostasy like I got hit by lightning - before I read the entire thing. The rest is just feeling the Spirit one infinitisimal step at a time. I've been a Mormon for over 10 years and I'm still doing infinitisimal steps... but hey, in the story about the Turtle and the Hare, the Turtle made it to the finish line ahead of the Hare, so I take comfort in that.

[olytitan]

Please don't beat yourself up. What matters is the direction you are going and what you want to accomplish. Do the little things. Sometimes things are missed and you can't internally reprimand yourself for it. As for "understanding" the Book of Mormon....I was born and raised in the LDS religion. There are still things that I do not remember that I know I have read before. In the Book of Mormon, Bilble... Our own prophets have said that they learn something new each time they read, or each time they go to the temple...something new. We all learn a little at a time. You willl learn as you are ready. Sometimes you may have huge revelations/new understandings that just amaze you. Other times you will have lulls where you are happy with what you understand and feel like you get it. Later you may start thinking of things that bring up questions and you begin to learn even more. You can read a story in the Book of Mormon and learn something from it based on what's going on in your life. Some time later you can read the same story and learn something completely different from it - or realize something new that you missed before - again, because of what's going on in your own life and what you either focus on or need help with at the moment. I'm 40 and I'm always learning. Some day you may get your patriarchal blessing. It's meant specifically for you. During different times in your life when you read it, it will also have different meaning for you and help you in ways you didn't expect or make you realize something new you wouldn't have ever thought of in previous years. We all learn things based on our own life experiences, perspective, and readiness. Take it one day at a time. Read a little when you can. If you miss some it's not the end of the world, but if you do read it can be some extra help through the day with your own spirituality and learning. We have 5 children and we don't always get our family reading done. It happens and it's okay. Just try to keep the habits as consistent as possible. It doesn't have to be huge either. Maybe you read for ten minutes. I doesn't have to be an hour at a time. :)

[SoCal_Counselor]

It is about starting off small and simple. There are many things that you would like to learn about the Church and the gospel through the scriptures. Truth is, you will not be able to learn everything you want to learn when you want to learn it.

Start off small. Consider reading (AND pondering) one verse of scripture a day. A great list to start with could be the scripture mastery list: Scripture Mastery Activities - LDS Seminary.

The best thing you can do is learn how to apply even that one scripture to your daily life. You could even write down that one scripture that you read and put it on the fridge, or post it on facebook, etc.

I read in the Ensign about a mother that had a hard time reading her scriptures regularly. She eventually just left her scriptures open in the kitchen (where she happened to spend a lot of her time). She would read a verse here and a verse there, nothing major, but she was still reading.

[HEthePrimate]

I am just starting my LDS journey over last couple of months. Have been living the WOW since then and reading my way through the Book of Mormon and trying to work through the booklets the missionaries give out ( haven't spoken to them yet though got them from LDS shop). I have so much to learn and there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day!

We have a son who has autism and s lot of my time is spent with him. I really want to learn and I know that you all are expected to do scripture study and prayer everyday...how do you get it all to fit?

It is getting me down a bit as I feel like I am failing myself and God. The Book of Mormon is a hard old thing to work through and takes a long time if you are actually to understand it properly.

Other converts....how long did it take you to get through all this and actually understand it all?

I, for one, don't fit it all in. These days it seems that people overschedule themselves, and find it's difficult or impossible to get everthing done. So I try to simplify my life. Set priorities. Decide what is most important and most urgent to get done.

In your case, your son obviously takes priority over most other things. Reading the Book of Mormon is a good thing to do, and I encourage you to keep at it, but you don't have to read the entire book at once. It's okay to read just a little at a time, if that's all you can do. You might even read it with your son.

Learning is a lifelong process. Rather than thinking about learning the gospel as a goal to achieve, you can think of it as a journey, walking with God and carrying on an extended conversation with Him. What's important is not that you understand everything all at once, but that you are searching and engaging in an active relationship with God.

HEP

[Vort]

I am just starting my LDS journey over last couple of months. Have been living the WOW since then and reading my way through the Book of Mormon and trying to work through the booklets the missionaries give out ( haven't spoken to them yet though got them from LDS shop). I have so much to learn and there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day!

We have a son who has autism and s lot of my time is spent with him. I really want to learn and I know that you all are expected to do scripture study and prayer everyday...how do you get it all to fit?

It is getting me down a bit as I feel like I am failing myself and God. The Book of Mormon is a hard old thing to work through and takes a long time if you are actually to understand it properly.

Other converts....how long did it take you to get through all this and actually understand it all?

Membership in the kingdom of God is a marathon, not a sprint. It's great to get excited and dedicate yourself to something, and it's important to feel that spirit and not to get complacent. But discouragement...don't let it have a place in your heart. You can't do everything RIGHT NOW, and you are not expected to.

Pray as soon as you get up and right before you go to bed. Use that time to commune with your Father. Doesn't have to be a long, drawn-out session. Just meditate, talk things over with God, pour out your heart. You may be surprised how much this helps clear your mind and make you feel centered and in control.

Set aside a bit of time every day to read scriptures. Maybe ten minutes when you get up or right before going to bed. Read with your son; he can read a verse on his own. If he doesn't read yet, just tell him the words to repeat, or teach him to identify one or two words by sight (such as "God" and "Lord") and let him read those words.

Go to Church on Sunday. Get to know the other people in the ward or branch. Become friends with some of them. Ask them about themselves, and tell them about yourself. Look forward to going to Church to see your friends and worship with them. Maybe drop them a note during the week or invite them over some time. (Or let them invite you over.)

These things are called "personal devotions". They will help you get where you want to go. They need not take a long time; the point is not to overburden you with a long checklist of to-do items. Rather, it's to take a short time each day, or maybe two or three or four short times, to commune with the Lord and feel his Spirit, then take strength and guidance from that.

And don't give up. Remember Churchill: Never, never give up. You may get to know other Saints that you admire and want to be like, but then wonder how they ever developed such ability and think you can never do that. They developed their ability step by step, just like you are doing. If you could see yourself ten years from now, or five, or even two, you might not recognize yourself. Exciting and wonderful growth is in your future. Don't sweat it. Frustration and disappointment are also in your future. Don't sweat that, either.

Enjoy the journey, sister. Just keep walking the path. Your fellow Saints are there with you. None of us is perfect, but we're all heading in that direction.