Be Thou Humble

Hello Everyone once again.  I can't believe how fast this transfer is going by, but I've loved every snowy minute of it.  

I have a brief yet compelling story to tell of how being humbled truly feels.  

During a District Meeting last week, a Sister in my district told us of an experience she had about being humbled.  She didn't tell us what she was humbled in, or how she had been humbled, but only told us that she was humbled because she asked for it.  Personally, being humble is something I would pray for, but I rarely would pray to be humbled.  The thought popped into my head later that night to pray for a humbling experience.  I humbly obeyed that prompting and didn't think much of it. 

Later that week I was out to dinner at a small local diner.  I was preparing to pay for my food, when I heard a soft voice say something that cut me deep.  I could trace the words to the person, so I knew it wasn't just an impression to me alone.  But this quiet sentence carried the Spirit with it, and those words hit me hard and showed to me a huge flaw in myself.  In pondering this experience and how a simple phrase like the one I heard earlier could cut so deeply, I was reminded of 3 Nephi 11:3 which reads:

"and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn."

That whole night the phrase was stuck in my head, and was bouncing around my skull constantly.  My mind was on that experience throughout the night until I realized that this is something I had prayed for.  I had actively sought to be shown my flaws, and my prayer had been answered.  It wasn't a great feeling at first, I personally felt like I had been blindsided by a bus.  But the more I pondered on the experience and truly looked at myself and my flaws, the more I began to see how I can change for the better.  

While reading Ether 12:27 last week after the humbling experience, I noticed something in the wording at the beginning of the verse.  

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness"

It's my hope that each of you will pray to be humbled.  As backwards as it may sound to pray for that, it is something that will open your eyes.  Becoming aware of our own faults and flaws is the only way to set goals to change and to improve.  Without knowing where you stand, you cannot know where you need improvement.  

To improve, I feel that Hymn 130 "Be Thou Humble" give some great insights.  The first verse outlines that the Lord will lead us by giving us answers to our prayers.  When you find your flaws, turn to your Heavenly Father in earnest prayer with a desire to change, and he will lead you.  

"Be thou humble in thy weakness, and the Lord thy God shall lead thee,

Shall lead thee by the hand and give thee answer to thy prayers."

If we pray to be humbled, and we work through the Savior to change and improve.  The Lord will lead us in the things we stand in need of.  If we are humble, we will one day be able to be the person our Father in Heaven sees in us.

I love you all, and hope you have a great week. 

Love, Elder Gailey