Ever since the day I got home from my mission.
I went to the temple because I didn't know
what else to do with myself.
I threw up all over the lawn.
Leaving my missionary service behind,
made me sad, empty, scared, and confused
about my future.
I had given 18 months of my life to the Lord
and I had found myself by losing myself
and I found greater purpose in serving others.
I didn't want to have to live my life for me.
I got inside the temple and sat down in the chapel.
On the organ played
Be Still My Soul.
Something told me to open up the hymn book
and read the lyrics.
Pretty sure it was The Spirit.
Be Still, my soul,
The Lord is on thy side;
with patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul:
Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future
as he has the past.
Wow. It was just what I needed to hear.
And beautifully communicated through music.
It was the first time I learned the lesson of commanding my spirit to be still.
Since then I have had much more practice.
One of my favorite verses of scripture is
Be Still, and know that I am God. -Psalms 46:10
I think of it often when I have to work at being still.
Go and listen to the history of the hymn.
Pretty cool.
History of Hymns: Episode 15 - “Be Still, My Soul”
I felt the same way when I came home. It was much easier for me to help others than to come home and think about myself. It took me awhile to get used to that. Guess I should have opened up a hymnbook. :)
ReplyDeleteNice Alice. These foundational symbols in our lives are so comfortable, so grounding.
ReplyDeleteI love that comfort comes when searching for answers in quiet moments.
ReplyDeleteToOdLeS.
LOVE that hymn! It is my very favorite...
ReplyDeleteSuch an inspirational song. I felt like that when I came home from my mission. I remember crying and my mom asking me what was the matter and I said I wanted to go home. I could see it made her sad and she responded you are home. Such a tough situation. It is so true that serving others can be much easier than that taking care of yourself. Those 18 months have been the best part of my life thus far. I think it will change when I start my own family but I treasure every moment I served. Thank you so much for sharing, I needed that reminder.
ReplyDelete