Spirituality is not just the happy moments when we feel good and are on track. Some of the deepest, richest, most spiritual, righteous moments are moments of darkness, abandonment, and injury. A desire for relief in those moments is universal to all human beings. We have abundant opportunity to push away, avoid, and numb out in these moments or find some kind of distraction to take us away from the pain. This kind of refusal of the present moment can often compound our pain and cover up its true source. Living a life consumed by distraction creates a shallowness , a meaninglessness. The ultimate consequence of this neglect, this deep betrayal of reality, is spiritual death.
No matter what has come before, no matter how awful, or confused, or lost we might feel now, this can be a new moment, a new day. Christ's mercy allows us to return to him, over and over again, when we lapse into old patterns.
Ty Mansfield, Jacob Z. Hess, Carrie Skarda, "The Power of Stillness", Deseret Book 2019
Many times I think that spiritual experiences are only those moments when I am doing everything I need to do and so the spirit is with me. But then I read this. And it hit me thinking.
As long as I'm trying to be better, as long as I'm trying to overcome my weaknesses, those are the moments that Heavenly Father wants to help me. He wants to send angels to bear up. He wants to bless me. In fact, He does and He will.
Those moments of seeming hopelessness and discouragement, when it seems that Heavenly Father is far away, He is right there. He is not a foot away but I can't see Him. He or His angels. Right there. Probably even reaching out. He is waiting to see if I desire to be better. If I will get up and keep going.
What can be more of a spiritual moment than that? Remember, Christ didn't come to fix the whole, but He came to fix the broken.
