Alma 37:36-37

Verse 36 describes something I feel like I have struggled with for a long time. We covenant to always remember Christ, and this verse talks about letting all our thoughts be directed unto the Lord. Yet in the everyday business and even monotony of life, I find it very hard to always keep my mind on the Lord. How do I think about laundry, and dishes and homework, showers, and all the other millions of things that fill my day and at the same time also being thinking about God? I know that it would help. If I was truly always remembering it would be so much easier to choose kindness and love and hard work and service in the midst of all those things. I just have never felt very successful at always keeping my thoughts on God. At BYU someone once talked about training your mind to come back to Christ, and that feels like it aligns well with the idea of agency. But I still find it very difficult to train my mind to do that, all these years later. I think that is where the idea of ponderize could be helpful, because it gives you a concrete thing to send your mind back to, instead of the overwhelming idea of God in general.

I also need to be better about counseling with the Lord in all my doings. Last night I was reading an article about 50 ways happier and healthier people live, and the idea of morning, midday and evening prayers really struck me. That author said:

I’ve gotten the best results as my morning prayer and meditation are motivational, my afternoon prayer and meditation are strategic and my evening prayer and meditation are evaluative and educational.

In verse 37 he talks about lying down unto the Lord at night so that he will keep you safe, and then with a prayer of gratitude in the morning. My prayers are never this structured or purposeful, they are random pleading of my freaked and stressed out mind. Would praying this way, or more purposefully in general help with that feeling of frenzy and fear? What would a motivational morning prayer look like? Would it be the same as a prayer of gratitude? What I was grateful for the opportunities before me that day? And would it help always remember Him for me to specifically dedicate my time to the Lord?

As I start each new project in a day, I could counsel with the Lord on what I am doing, and that would help train my mind to return to Him. “Please help me mop the floor well, and feel happy about serving my family instead of frustrated about the constant need to clean.” “Please help me know if this is the best use of my time, or if there is something else I should be doing.” Missionaries pray all day before they do everything they do. And that doesn’t seem weird because they are on the Lord’s errand and need His inspiration and intervention. But if I believe that being a full-time mom and housewife is the Lord’s errand for me right now, that needing to pray over the things I am doing isn’t really any different?

Alma 37:36-37