Intent

I have realized the power of “intent” in my life. If I intend on having a good day, I will. If I intend on trusting in the Lord, I do. If I intend on seeking truth, I find it. The opposite is true. When you intend or expect negative things to happen, they often do. Or you could have no intent good or bad and let life happen whatever comes our way. But my brain is too hyperactive to live that way. I have to be vigilant in what I “feed” my mind. I’ve noticed on the days I mindlessly scroll social media, that I feel more anxious. Sometimes I think other people’s problems could become my own and even begin with intent to find evidence to prove such.

In the scriptures, there are several instances that teach us about intent. The one that came to mind is in Moroni 10:3-5. It’s a beautiful promise that says:

3: Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

A few things here show the power of intent. You must first look for evidence by reading the Book of Mormon (or whatever you’re trying to understand), remember the good that comes from that, turn to God and ask, with a hope, or real intent and a sincere heart, that they are true. This simple act has answered so many of my questions. I have come to know Heavenly Father more fully and it gives me hope and faith that I can continue to get to know him. I remember the experiences in my own life that have witnessed to me that there is a God. I remember the experiences of those in my life that have taught me, raised me, and set a good example to me of what that truth means and what it brings forth. I think about the pioneers and the sacrifices they made because they KNEW it was true. I can’t imagine traveling by foot or wagon across America for anything unless I knew with unshakeable faith that it was true. To their sacrifice alone I feel obligated to learn for my self of its truth and apply the simple step by step acts of faith to my life to see their fruits come forth. The Bible and the Book of Mormon state that “by their fruits ye shall know…” if these things are true and good. You can look at it individually or globally. What do these acts of faith bring into my immediate life? What does our church do for the world at a humanitarian level. These are good things. I don’t expect everyone to want to live the way I do– that’s why God gave us agency and fought with so much sacrifice to preserve agency. He wants us to come to know for ourselves and choose for ourselves our greatest potential and this can only come as we align our will to his, by choice.

That has been weighing on my mind all week. Andy and I were able to attend the temple on Wednesday, while a friend took care of preschool carpool and taking care of our Kids while we attended. It was a beautiful and peaceful experience. I loved seeing all of the elderly folk at the temple who had lived their lives valiantly to be able to attend and continue to attend in their age. I saw this adorable older man with a cane, who probably should’ve had a walker and thought to myself, “That’s Andy in fifty years, too stubborn to give up his cool looking cane for a walker.” Then I heard a sister talking rather loudly that she didn’t need both hearing aids to her friend that was sitting right next to her and thought, “Oops. that’s me.” Seeing those interactions brought warmth to my heart of the lives these individuals had lived. As we left the temple a sister said, “Congratulations!” to Andy. I looked at him puzzled, thinking maybe they had had an earlier conversation about his recent residency graduation. He just responded, “Thank you!” but looked at me with the same confusion. She must’ve witnessed our confussion, because she responded, “How long have you been married?” “Just shy of 12 years,” we responded. She said, “Oh! Well, you’re still in the honeymoon phase!” I laughed, “It doesn’t feel like much of a honeymoon with four little kids to take care of.” And she responded, “Well make it, because I miss those days!” And she is right I need to savor, with intent, the little moments in my life. With that being said, here are some snippets from our week.