is getting back to basics.

This post isn't meant to be pretty or inspirational or anything, it's just something a little deeper than what I've been posting lately. Those things consititute little obsessions for me and I recognize that I need to go back to what is most important in my life. I love the gospel. I am so glad that I know it's true. I wish sometimes that I could be as caught up in it as I am in other trivial things, but that's my choice, right? It's almost like I can step outside of myself and recognize that I am going through some stage and I will be over it soon and the most important things in my life will still be there. I feel the need again to do some soul housekeeping and clean out the things that are keeping me from focusing on the most important aspects of my life. I am a list-maker, so here are some things I know I need to work on:

1. Prayer. Doing more than reading off a to-do/thank you list to the Lord. I need to really ask for what I need and ask the Lord to help me know what I need. I need to pray more for other people too.

2. Scripture study. Not just reading the scriptures, but studying them. I need to seek answers in them and learn to ask the right questions. I need to do it when I am not dead tired too!

3. Charity. Seeing more in a person than what they do and refraining from judgment. I know that it is impossible to tell what trials a person deals with by simply looking at them or even interacting with them. And I may never know. And should this change the way I treat them anyhow? No. I need to be kind to every person I meet and interact with, letting go of past hurts, offenses, and grudges.

4. Temple attendance. Not just when it is convenient, but when I know I need to go. I feel a pull toward the temple and I know I need to spend more time there pondering greater questions in my life and seeking to understand the Lord's will as well as accomplishing work for the dead.

5. Church service. Seeking to do more than just the bare minimum for my calling, but (at the risk of sounding cliched) really magnifying it.

I have a new semester ahead of me and new opportunities to make my life and the lives of those around me better. I feel hopeful. I feel very blessed. I know the Lord doesn't do this for me so that I can sit around feeling good and being useless. I need to act and give service. I hope that I can help bring more good to pass.