Two weeks into seminary and boy am I glad to be back! I know that I complained and moaned about accepting the calling again and that I had a really bad attitude during the month of August. (I apologize to all of you who had to listen to me whine). It wasn’t that I didn’t love teaching but with everything else going on in my life, it just seemed like too much and I was too tired. Well, I have to repent because I have a new group of students, a new book of scripture to teach, and basically as Patti LaBelle would say, “I Got a New Attitude.” You may ask what would make me change my attitude so quickly.
For me, seminary forces me to prioritize my life. How I spend my time determines not only what kind of teacher I am but also determines how sleep deprived I am. Since I was in high school, I have had the same conversation with some of my friends. How do you create and maintain balance in your life? Is there room for the priorities as well as room for the levities of life? I have decided that I think there is room but it boils down to constantly shifting and re-evaluating one's life. In church a few weeks ago, my friend spoke of her mother and she said and I am paraphrasing, "Family Home Evening, scripture study, prayer, temple attendance were not things my mother found time to do in her life, they were the foundations of her life." So often I find myself finding time to do things that should be nonnegotiable items.
Seminary brings a focus back to my life and that focus helps me work on those foundation items. Daily I go to teach the gospel but daily I feel that I am the one that is taught. We always talk about “likening the scriptures unto ourselves” and seriously the best way for me to do this is to figure out how I can relate the gospel principles to the lives of my students and in turn, I apply them to my own life. I am also excited because I worked out a schedule where I only teach Tues, Wednesday, and Thursdays. I am exhausted for those three days but it allows me to have some of a life and some recovery time. Here is to week 3!
For me, seminary forces me to prioritize my life. How I spend my time determines not only what kind of teacher I am but also determines how sleep deprived I am. Since I was in high school, I have had the same conversation with some of my friends. How do you create and maintain balance in your life? Is there room for the priorities as well as room for the levities of life? I have decided that I think there is room but it boils down to constantly shifting and re-evaluating one's life. In church a few weeks ago, my friend spoke of her mother and she said and I am paraphrasing, "Family Home Evening, scripture study, prayer, temple attendance were not things my mother found time to do in her life, they were the foundations of her life." So often I find myself finding time to do things that should be nonnegotiable items.
Seminary brings a focus back to my life and that focus helps me work on those foundation items. Daily I go to teach the gospel but daily I feel that I am the one that is taught. We always talk about “likening the scriptures unto ourselves” and seriously the best way for me to do this is to figure out how I can relate the gospel principles to the lives of my students and in turn, I apply them to my own life. I am also excited because I worked out a schedule where I only teach Tues, Wednesday, and Thursdays. I am exhausted for those three days but it allows me to have some of a life and some recovery time. Here is to week 3!
