Hello! I am sister Carlson. I over analyze the details of everything. I think too deeply into every situation and some times I freak my self out. and by sometimes... i mean.. most of the time.
So how does one over come this tendency to be an overly analytical nut case!?!?!?!
It is enough to drive one mad. I over think everything and I have to talk my problems out until they are finally solved.
The scriptures council us to pray, to communicate with God in all things. Who better to discuss our life problems, worries and concerns with than heavenly father, the creator of all things, he knows us inside and out. every last detail.
36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.
37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good;
yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may
watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day. Alma 37
Heavenly father doesn't only want us to pray when things aren't going as planned, he wants to hear what is good in our life too, for us to share gratitude for that which he has blessed us with. Anything that is good comes from God. He takes care of us each and every day.
Have you ever had an amazing experience with prayer?
I know that some times when I am trying to make a change in my life or make a huge decision that as I pray and ask the Lord for guidance he is always there to answer. A few days ago I was praying about something, a question or I guess a concern I had. I received a very specific answer and I moved on with the answer I received. A few days later, my overly thinker mind got to me and I started thinking, well maybe that wasn't an answer or maybe I made that answer up..? Have you ever done that? been confused on if it was a self made answer or heaven sent??? Once again... I OVER THINK EVERYTHING. Hahaha. So.. I prayed again. As I was praying I told heavenly father I was going to do my best to find my answer in the scriptures and that if He would please guide me to a passage that would bring me peace in knowing that I am receiving direction from Him I would forever be grateful. So I flip through some pages with my eyes closed and I pop my book open to this:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire
a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me
in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things."
The whole section spoke to my heart, however this is one verse that really stood out to me.
The Lord knows my heart, he knows my desires, and He wont let me make a wrong choice. He will not lead me down a path that will destroy my happiness.
"6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4
How do you come to peace with an answer that isn't exactly... easy to act on?
"Faith is to hope for things which are not seen"
"to have faith is to have confidence in something or someone"
"Miracles do not produce faith, but strong faith is developed by obedience"
"Faith is a principle of action and of power"
If we never act how will we know if it was right or wrong...?
"6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." Ether 12
We are given the ability to choose, to act and to make decisions from heavenly father. How many times have you made a wrong choice!? haha.. I know that I have made.. well more than a lot. Did you learn from that wrong choice? Did it teach you to make better choices in the future? I have learned to not act on an impulse. I have learned to take thought, study it out in my heart and mind, then to take it to the lord and begin to act according to what I feel or don't feel. Most of the time I don't receive a specific answer, I think the Lord is watching me to see if I will use my experiences and knowledge from the past to better my future and to make a correct choice.
"8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in yourmind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right."
What if you have TWO amazing options... but you don't know which one to go with!? oh my goodness. this happens to me all the time. Not to long ago there was this awesome meeting we had as missionaries where a general authority was coming to train us! how often does that happen!? then.. on that same day some one I love that I had the opportunity to work with in a previous area was going to the temple for the first time. I asked the mission president for permission to go to the temple over this meeting. He weighed out the pros and cons of both situations and he told me both were great options so it was up to me to choose what I thought would be best for sister dimick and I. So. naturally. I prayed. I didn't really receive anything so we made the very difficult decision that we would go to the training. Which ended up being a much needed experience, i received answers of healing comfort and peace, my faith was rekindled and my heart was brim with joy.
The lord doesn't just have one specific trail that you are to follow exactly your whole life, if that were the case, we wouldn't have agency. He has a plan of happiness that involves following his commandments and his council. However we are expected to make the choices that get us there. He wants us to choose the right, to choose the options that bring us happiness, happiness is a choice. When we pray for help, especially between two good choices that he knows will ultimately bring us home, he leaves that up to us, to use our judgment and discernment to decide which one we think would be best. If we make the wrong one or pick something that really isn't going to be beneficial he will stop us before it is to late help turn us around and guide us back to something better.
often, it is neither of the two choices or three or four, which school should i go to? Maybe he needs you to re think your career or your future because he knows that something else would be better for you.
I know that as a 19 year old girl I was faced with a decision that has forever changed my life. It was one of the hardest decision I had made up to that point in my life but because I followed the council of my father in heaven my future has been forever altered in a way that I know is right.
Often times we find ourselves wandering back to the old path, the path we know or what is comfortable, but not.. not necessarily correct and as we pray we block ourselves from receiving an answer because we are scared about what we might hear. We are scared of what the future could hold. Never return to something because it is familiar. Don't stay some where because you are comfortable. Take faith and let go, let go of fear and comfort, take Christ by the hand and stretch yourself, let go and grow.
Believe Christ, believe that he is, believe that he
will take you to new places that will forever make you a better person. Step
into the unknown, take a risk, and go for it. Then trust, trust that Christ will
be the light guiding you through the tunnel.
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