Amist the Whirlwinds

My favorite scripture is from Helaman 5:12, "And now, my sons [I insert my name here], remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our redeem, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."  Several years ago in Relief Society we were challenged to learn some of the scripture mastery scriptures.  This was the one I was assigned.  I never have memorized it, but I know where to find it and I have often pondered its meaning in my life.

I am the type of person who takes on, and/or is given a lot of responsibility.  I often chose the harder path when presented a choice because I know I will learn more in the long run.  Because of all of these factors I often find myself in a ...

...either by choice or by timing.  Sometimes when I depend on only my own strength or my own knowledge I often find myself....

 ...hanging on for dear life.  Sometimes even shaking myself to the core of my testimony.  When my fight or flight comes up, I often want to "run away," but rationally I talk myself into fighting.  I will often rely upon myself so much that I forget to pray for help, or ask for light and truth in my situation; becoming discouraged. In that discouragement, I often find myself heading towards the "gulf of misery and wo."  When I get to that point I remember my foundation...

 ...which I have chosen to build upon the rock, my Redeemer; Christ the Lord.

After coming through a trial I often wonder why it takes me so long to remember those things.  I have been pondering this for the last few weeks.  I have been inserted into another whirlwind.  Some of the things swirling about are in my control and are by my choice (running the game clock for the kids soccer games, being building chair, being a grade level facilitator).  Others are because other people have asked me (IAT committee, RTI team to move from IAT to RTI at school.)  Some are because this is that time in life (senior in school).  Others are because I have been called in my church (Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Primary).  On some days everything is beckoning my attention, other days only a couple are demanding attention.  When I get going through a week the intention is to walk with the Lord everyday, when things start swirling sometime prayers are forgotten.  When I think about it later, I know better; but it still happens.

What I am most grateful for is the knowledge of how to restart.  The gift of knowledge that helps me continue to grow.  I am grateful for the comfort of the scriptures, even after all these years later and the many layers of understanding since; I still rely on the power and truth of this my favorite scripture.  I am glad no matter when Christ finds me, he's always willing to walk with me and most of the time carry my load.