Patience

Blessings in the Waiting

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Backstory

I listened to the Like a Rock podcast this week, and the host mentioned Hebrews 10:35-36. What leapt out to me about these verses was, “Ye have need of patience. After ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” I researched the meaning behind these words. Patience sometimes is more than simply tolerating the wait; it is continuing to follow God, even when the waiting is hard. Sometimes we need to trust in our Heavenly Father before we see blessings. Living with chronic illness symptoms every day, I understand waiting. But I need to trust that someday, healing will come to my body, and I need to believe that my Heavenly Father will be there for me while I wait to be healed.

Blessings in the Waiting

If you have ever felt alone,
That you are completely on your own.
If you believe that no one truly understands how you feel,
Just know that your struggles are real.

If you ever feel that your trials weigh you down
Because of the weight, you feel like you might drown.
If you plead with your Father to be there,
And to take away every worry and care.

But all you feel is silence from above,
Just know that He sends you His love.
He is working behind the scenes in your life,
Even though all you feel is never-ending strife.

If you feel like you are constantly waiting for blessings to arrive,
And you are doing all you can just to survive.
Your Father hears your heart’s desire,
And He is walking with you through the fire.

When you are drowning in the midst of the sea,
And all you can do is send out a silent plea.
Never doubt that your Father in Heaven
Is there for you every moment without question.

The Takeaway: Sometimes we might feel like we are carrying the weight of our burdens alone. We plead with our Heavenly Father and all we hear is silence. What we don’t see is that He is working in the background of our lives, even when we feel like we are constantly waiting for blessings to come. We just need to trust that He is there for us in the waiting.

Watch the YouTube Short of me reading part of this poem here:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dXH0Yywq5AM

Learning From the Rough Places

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Backstory: 
Lately I’ve been thinking about the weaknesses we carry and the mistakes we make. Sometimes those struggles feel discouraging, like proof that we are failing or not changing fast enough. But our weaknesses are not meant to defeat us—they are meant to teach us. As I reflected on my own struggles, I began to think of us like rough stones. When a stone is first taken from the earth, it is jagged and uneven. But over time, through polishing and shaping, those rough edges begin to smooth. In much the same way, the weaknesses we wrestle with throughout our lives can shape us if we allow the Savior to work in our hearts. Through His Atonement, our mistakes can become learning experiences instead of endings.

Learning From the Rough Places

My dear Father in Heaven,
I love thee much, without question.
I know I begin like a stone with edges so rough,
And I know being human and changing is tough.

Please help me to smooth out the ways I behave,
To become like Thy Son, the One who can save. 
Sometimes when Thy chisel strikes deep into me,
It hurts—but Thou seest what I cannot see.

Thou knowest my soul when I’m tempted to quit; 
Thou seest the light when I cannot find it. 
When I am discouraged by each flaw and fault, 
Please bring my heart’s heavy spirit to halt.

When I lose my temper with those I hold dear, 
Help them to forgive me and cast out my fear. 
Help me forgive me, and find through Thy grace, 
The warmth of Thy steady and loving embrace.

Please, Father, from deep in my flawed, honest heart, 
I ask for Thy help to make a brand-new start. 
I trust that through Jesus, Thy Beloved Son, 
I can be refined until we are all one.

The Takeaway: Weaknesses and mistakes are not signs that we are beyond hope. They are opportunities to grow, to become more humble, and to turn our hearts toward Jesus Christ. Through Him, our rough places can be softened and refined. As we trust the Savior and keep trying, the very things that once discouraged us can become the tools that help shape us into the people our Heavenly Father knows we can become.