Week One

First off I want to share how I came up with the name for my blog. Dieter F. Uchtdorf posted on Instagram, "nothing will change your life this year as significantly as seeking to gather God’s light into your souls and allowing your spirits to be filled with the shining truth of heavenly things.

"Gathering light is a full-time privilege and process. It is not something you get from a class or a sermon. It cannot be checked off a list and considered completed. It is a process of every day and every hour. When you awake in the morning, you begin your quest for light. And when you finish the day, you evaluate your engagement in the task.

"Unfortunately, you will certainly experience times of sorrow and trial in your life. But as a light gatherer and disciple of Jesus Christ, you will experience His abiding joy in the midst of your trials. You will feel His watchful hand guiding your steps. As you receive this light, let it shine so that others will see it and glorify God because of it."

Gathering light is going to be my mantra this year. 

I've been feeling overwhelmed trying to balance recent trials, a new demanding church calling, additional responsibility at work, family challenges, and school work. Every time that I start a new class, I wonder if this is really what I want to be doing. Everyone seems set on their path. They know where they want to go and how to get there. My goal has been to get my degree and hopefully, somewhere along the way I'll figure out what I want to do next. As my graduation that date draws closer, I find myself more and more confused. Do I want a degree just to have one? Do I want to wait to work full time until my kids are grown and out of the house? Will I be satisfied staying with my current job? Am I capable of starting my own business? Am I prepared enough?

I don't know the answer to any of these questions but I know that if I focus on gathering light by following the counsel of our prophet and making spiritual matters a priority, these questions will be answered in time. I can move forward without the fear of not knowing what the next step will be. Elder Evans prosmied, "When young people can acquire the skills, the techniques, and the knowledge of these times, and along with it have a spiritual commitment and a solid faith and cleanliness of life, there is nothing that you can’t achieve; nothing in righteousness or in reason."

I enjoyed reading the article, Living Life as an Entrepreneurial Hero. It echoed many of my own thoughts about entrepreneurship. I'm hoping that this class will help point me in a more specific direction. Even if it isn't owning my own business, I hope that it helps me figure out my passions and how I can use them.