Forgetting

A year or so ago, I was in a bit of a rut in my life.  I had just finished my first two years of college, and I was living at home with my family for the summer.  The majority of my friends were living elsewhere for the summer, and I was left to myself.  I was working two jobs, so the majority of my time was spent either at work or traveling to work.  (Not fun, by the way!)  Nothing drastic had happened recently, but I could feel myself slowly falling into a spiritual slump.  I was not feeling happy!  And so, one day, I decided to get to the root of the problem.  Why do I feel this way?  I thought.  What happened to the happiness and conviction that I once had?  I pondered and reflected on my life and on everything that had brought me to the point where I was right in that moment.   This is the realization that came to me (of course, in the form of poetic writing):

It’s so silly, really–forgetting. It’s such a simple and common cause for such an eternally significant effect.  The danger of it is that it is almost unnoticeable–like a long strand of hair that slips quietly into the flowing breeze, or the moment of subtle change from late sunset into twilight.  We walk on–small, shifting moments all around us–but our focus is elsewhere, and it may be days, months, or years until we realize how much we have let disappear.

How many times have we doubted ourselves simply because we forgot the celestial beings we really are?  How many times have we bitterly wondered why we are here because we forgot in whose plan we first trusted?  How many times have our hope and faith faltered because we forgot about the matchless gifts of love our Savior has given us every step of the way?  How many times have we repeated a bad decision because we forgot what we once learned?

How much longer will we continue on in a state of stagnation because we forget the greatness we were sent here to achieve?

Could it be that perhaps remembering these things would be among our greatest tools for success?  What difference would it make if every day we woke up remembering these eternal truths?  It would have made a world of difference in my own life.

Of course, I did not know I was forgetting.  I was once so strong and grounded.  Yet while I never lost the knowledge nor doubted it was real, somehow as days went by, I forgot what it meant to me.  I  forgot that this truth was exactly what it was–true–and that it is glorious, personal, and life changing.  I never stopped living the teachings, but I forgot for awhile the important of who I am in the plan of things.

  Oh, how much sadness and discouragement I could have been saved if I had but remembered!

But here I am, reminded once more of all those things I have learned.  I feel renewed, strengthened, and I am happy again.

And my soul sighs, because remembering feels like home.

And so, now, whenever I feel myself falling into a spiritual slump, I simply remind myself who I am and whose I am: I am a daughter of God.  He has sent me here.  His Son, Jesus Christ, is my Savior and my perfect example.  I trust in His plan, and He is with me.  Fellow children of God, LET US NOT FORGET!

“And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off.” 2 Nephi 10:20