Clarity

In the blog post Action, I mentioned Kris Judd’s invitation to Dwell in the Word. The following thoughts are offered as a further reflection on that process.

Dwelling in the Word is a practice all disciples can use in their personal spiritual formation. It is a way of exploring scriptural passages more deeply and reflecting on what those verses have to say to us. You can find guidance about using this spiritual tool by clicking here, and scrolling down to “Personal Spiritual Practices.” It is a method you may find very helpful.

For the month of June, those who have joined this journey with Kris have been reflecting on Doctrine and Covenants 163: 1-4. On a recent morning, as I read this page again, my attention was caught, not by the words or phrases in the document itself, but by a sentence in the preamble.

I place these words in the church’s hand, trusting that the Spirit will enable the faith community to hear the call of God today with increasing clarity.

Clarity! Isn’t that what each of us is searching for? Do you, like me, spend huge amounts of time searching for this elusive commodity? Whether walking, driving, working, resting, sleeping, praying, or reading, aren’t we always searching for greater clarity in our lives? Isn’t it a major desire of our hearts to have a clearer sense of our life’s purpose, or said another way, of God’s purpose in our lives? And here is that word, embedded in a document we have read over and over again.

The search for clarity is what calls us to greater depth in our personal spiritual practice. It is what moves us to want to Dwell in the Word, or listen to inspiring music, or mediate. or pray. Without it, we may always harbour doubts about whether our actions are in sync with our life’s true purpose.

But the phrase used by President Veazey is “increasing clarity.” Somehow that seems to sum it up just about perfectly. No matter how much clarity we attain, there is always more to be seen and understood. Our understanding is always partial and we May have just scratched the surface. We can always go deeper. Of course we will need to put the clarity we have achieved into action while we do that, but like scientist probing the mysteries of space, the quest is never fully achieved. There is always more to see.

May you be blessed with increasing clarity as you go about your journey with God today.

Posted by Carman