What Desirest Thou?

Since I haven't posted in a month, I've decided to copy and paste a few snippets from a project I'm writing up and doing with some of my friends. These are meant to be little spiritual exercises meant to  move one along the process of reading, studying, pondering, writing and hopefully growing in the things of God.

What Desirest Thou?

Nephi’s first spiritual experience began with a DESIRE. A desire to understand the vision of his father Lehi. Nephi’s desire coupled with his faith was powerful--it caused him to spend time pondering the things he’d heard. During this pondering, Nephi was caught up in vision and the Spirit of God came to him asking the following: “What Desirest Thou?” 

I believe the Lord often asks us this same question: “What desirest thou?” If God were to ask this question of us today, what would our response be? Would we have a ready response like Nephi or would our desires be unfocused or conflicted?  If we are unaware of our desires or not honest about our true desires, we are at a disadvantage. Alma teaches us that God grants unto (wo)men according to their desires. This means that what we have received in our lives is partly what we have desired to receive. 

To hone in on our desires enables us to understand ourselves better. Where have our desires taken us in the past year? 5 years? 10 years? Many people move about in their lives unaware that their true desires are not in line with their spiritual beliefs.   They are not self aware. Identifying the desires that have driven us in the past can be a powerful, enlightening experience. Defining and refining our desires in the present can be the first step to true spiritual awareness and growth. It can be the catalyst for true spiritual progression.

 Sometimes, our vision is short-sighted. We don’t see all that is possible for us. The Lord calls this phenomena “unbelief”. He tells us in Ether 4: 13-15:

Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief. Come unto me, O ye house of Israel and if shall be made manifest unto you how great things for the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world, and it hath not come unto you, because of unbelief.  Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you...be made manifest. 

Desire is the forerunner to action. It fuels us. God cannot move us forward in our spiritual path if we have no desire to truly progress, or if we don't believe anything more is possible for us. What is holding us back? Is it a lack of focus? A lack of belief? A lack of desire? It is certainly worth investigating. What great and marvelous things has God hidden from us that can only be uncovered when we begin believing they CAN happen? Identifying the underlying forces which hold us back from greater things enables us to clearly see the dynamics we operate in. Then, like Nephi, we are invited to use our DESIRE and the eye of FAITH to uncover the greatness which lies in wait. 

Write.

What are your greatest desires for mortality? What would you like to accomplish spiritually before returning to God? If heaven were the limit, what would you like to achieve in the next year?  What is holding you back? Perhaps it's time to allow yourself to believe there is more to know, more to experience, and more to BECOME. Hopefully this list will grow throughout the year as your do!