This post is probably more for me than for you, but I know I need the reminder often so here it goes:

Law Governs Everything

God works by law. That means if we want to obtain a blessing, it will be through obedience to a specific law. This concept is taught by those in the coaching realm as well as in our religious circles.

There are many coaches who will draw on the work of Raymond Holliwell to teach concepts such as: finding greater happiness by focusing on the positive and not the negative; or the idea that if we want wealth, we can’t be stingy with our money. (Being wise is not the same thing as stingy.)  We must give to receive.

Within the gospel, we most often hear the scripture from Doctrine and Covenants 130: 20-21, which states,

20 There is a ^alaw, irrevocably decreed in ^bheaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all ^cblessings are predicated—

21 And when we obtain any ^ablessing from God, it is by ^bobedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

My frustration, and what I call my roller-coaster of faith, has been because of these concepts. Many times, I feel that I have tried to be obedient and have done what was needed, so why don’t I always see results? Why don’t I always feel that I have grown and learned from a situation? Why does relief not come when I feel I need it?

In the April 2019 General Conference there were a few things that reminded me of the vital piece that often goes missing. The first was the story by Elder Brook P Hales who spoke of a woman who became blind. A little boy asked her to pray and ask for her eyesight back and she explained that it doesn’t always work that way.

In another talk by Elder Dale G. Renlund, he stated, “[…] you do not earn a blessing—that notion is false—but you do have to qualify for it.” That is the piece I believe many of us forget or miss. It’s all about qualifying.

Qualifying is different than receiving. We live in a world where we want instant gratification. We give and we want to receive. When we do something, we want to see the results. But the Lord doesn’t say when we will get the blessings. He says we must be obedient to receive the blessings, but it is always up to Him when we will get them. We must stay obedient, stay the course, continue striving and working, and then trust that the blessings will come.

Qualify Every Day

So everyday we should be working to qualify for the blessings we desire. If we don’t see the blessings that day, we qualify the next and the one after that. Weary the Lord. You can have everything you want, eventually. But it may not happen on this side of the veil. Your system, and my system are to do the things every day that will eventually bring the promised blessings.

Your life will not automatically flourish because you abide by law. It is true, the Lord wants to bless you and He wants to see you have joy. But you must also prove yourself. You must be tested, you must grow to be a joint-heir with Christ. This means the big blessings you seek will more than likely not come quickly. You will see instant blessings (peace, comfort, inspiration, etc), but others you may not see, even in this lifetime. Our brother Satan is fighting against you receiving any blessings, so as you struggle to show your faith, he will work tirelessly to encourage you to falter.

Ask yourself this, “Could we really learn and progress if we were immediately given every blessing we qualified for?”

During my faith struggles, I have been reminding myself to do the small and simple things. What can I do today to qualify for the blessings I desire?  That’s it.  That is all I can do.  Because I can’t see the future or the intricacies of how to get what I desire, the only thing I can do is my part to qualify.