Overwhelmed

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been feeling very overwhelmed as a wife, a mother, my calling in the Relief Society Presidency, and with school.  I felt like I came off such a spiritual high last semester that I couldn't maintain.  I didn't realize until recently that that's okay.  It's okay to be caught up in many spiritual experiences and then reach a point where that's not entirely your reality anymore.  It's probably not even realistic to stay caught up in a spiritual high for too long because we are bombarded with distractions of every sort.  The kids, school work, food, family, friends, exercise, social media, sleep, and the list goes on.  As normal as all these things are, they were feeling like major distractions to me and I was having such a hard time trying to find balance and create sanity in my life.  I felt like I was caught up in a mess of chaos. 

As I prayed for comfort and peace and direction to know what I need to be doing to get back on the strait and narrow path, I was amazed at how the Lord never changes His ways of teaching me.  It is precisely 'line upon line, precept upon precept.'  I learn best this way even though a lot of times in my life, I want to hurry up and get to the finish line, I learn when I am able to see all aspects and realize what the Lord is teaching me is patience and long suffering in all things.

No matter what I go through in life and no matter how overwhelmed I get, I never lose faith that things are happening on purpose.  I am where I am in my life because the Lord has placed those experiences in my life for my good.  Whether they don't feel like it at the time doesn't change the Lord's will and purpose for me going through it.

This reminds me of the Jaredite nation.  In the book of Ether, we learn about this people.  'Following the flood in Noah's day, many descendants of those who had been spared became wicked.  One group of people attempted to build a tower "whose top may reach heaven."  The story of the Jaredite nation began with the building of the Tower of Babel.  The Lord dealt with the widespread wickedness by confounding the common language and by scattering the people across the face of the earth.'  The people must've been overwhelmed with fear and confusion when this happened.  I love how the brother of Jared reacted to this:
 'The brother of Jared pled with the Lord to preserve the language of his worthy friends and family.  Demonstrating great faith and led by the hand of God, the brother of Jared was able to lead this group to another land.'   I have felt this same way lately.  Feeling overwhelmed in a world filled with so much wickedness has brought me to my knees several times.  I have prayed for peace and guidance in my life to know what I should do.  I am so grateful that the Lord continues to have mercy on me.  My relationship with Him and my Savior strengthens every time I am allowed to demonstrate my faith in His will for me.