Today I was reading 2 Nephi 31-33 and it really hit me that the Lord is really a parent. As I read I saw so many examples of what I do as a parent and the frustrations with my children repeated back to me from the Lord and I began, again I am sure, to realize that the same feelings and reactions that I have with my kids are the same or similar to what the Lord is saying / feeling about me.
I don’t get the feeling that I should change my expectations necessarily but that I need to maybe approach my children differently and have some more empathy and show more long suffering with them – as he does for me.
I am by no means perfect or anywhere close. I still struggle with some of the daily religiosity practices – not the theory or reasoning behind them but the application of them into my life. I understand and know that I should be doing them, but my strength/faith/motivation is weak and I do not the things that I would. It is a lot like health and fitness. I intellectually know and understand – I have even done it for a time and enjoyed the benefits, but so easily fall back into habits not conducive to health and wellness.
God help me as I try to do a little better each day. I tell my kids this. It is the least that I can do as well. That is all that Heavenly Father wants, my wife wants, and really – that my kids want.
It is really what I want too.
Great chapters, great learning, great feelings – now let’s see how the implementation goes. Let’s try to follow the pattern in Dury to God – learn, act, report.