November Scripture Group: "Looking Up"

I lead a scripture group at my home once a month, and this past week, we studied a talk called
"It is Better to Look Up" by Elder Carl B. Cook.

http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/it-is-better-to-look-up?lang=eng

Here are the questions I sent out to the group a couple of weeks in advance:

(1) How can we best train our minds to keep an optimistic outlook when we're tired?

Have you ever noticed that the world looks the worst when you are physically/mentally exhausted?  Elder Cook had had a tiring day, and he thought, "How can I possibly do this?"  What is a better question we can ask ourselves when we are tired?  And how can we shift our focus to the Savior at those times?

(2) What does "Looking Up"  look like?
Elder Cook explains the process that President Monson goes through to maintain his hopeful nature--in the midst of all the wickedness and negativity he sees--and the heavy burdens he is carrying. 

Read through the talk and note what President Monson does, and then think about how you can apply that to your life.  Finish this sentence:  "If I am 'looking up,' I will be . . ."

(3) How can we remember to focus on the Atonement more often?
I was really struck with the part of the talk that said the Atonement relieves anxieties, burdens, and sufferings. 

I have a lot of anxiety in my life right now--about my aging mother, my responsibilities, my children . . ..  Instead of just getting stressed out and crying about the hard things, what could I do to allow the Atonement to relieve that suffering for me?  How do I do it?  What are the thought processes and habits I need to put into place so I don't carry burdens that the Lord will willingly bear?  (Sorry to make that last paragraph so personal to me--I just figured I would write what I'm thinking, and then you can apply similar questions to your situation.)

(4) How can we incorporate what we learn in "Daughters in My Kingdom" into this area of study?  What do the early members of the Relief Society have to teach us about "looking up"?




Here is what I learned from the discussion:


(1) Sometimes "looking up" means kneeling down in prayer.  When I am in the middle of a stressful situation, I need to stop and pray--remembering to ask God first.

(2) As we turn to God immediately whenever we face a trial, our experiences with Him will grow, and our confidence in Him will become stronger.  These challenges we face are designed to turn us toward God, who loves us with all His heart.

(3) The atonement covers all our anxieties, burdens, and suffering.  If we feel overwhelmed, that means we need to give ALL of our worries to God, and then work WITH Him to do what needs to be done.  He is our partner.

(4) We need to slow down.  If we're running in too many different directions, we can't feel the peace that His spirit brings.

(5) This is a gospel of joy, and if we're not having a great time, there's something wrong. (From Elder Scott.)  We need to ask the Lord to help us feel that joy each and every day.

I love our scripture group, and I found that since our discussion, my prayers are more earnest, I am worrying less, and I am thinking more about how powerful the Atonement really is.

What a blessing it is to know God!