A while ago, a theme started to stand out in my life of small things that I could change that would make my life easier, but up till then I wasn’t changing it. I was content to live with an annoyance rather than just make a small change and improve the quality of my life. It was as simple as not changing the dead batteries in our motion sensor garbage can lid or not setting up a way to pay for things via virtual credit card on my phone. Each time something like this popped up, I would have the same thought of “we are living beneath our privileges,” meaning, I was choosing to not enjoy something that I could be enjoying, because I would have to change something to get it. When I was asked to teach Sunday School in my ward a week later, a more spiritual context became my focus. It made me realize that there are many gospel-centered ways we as saints are living beneath our privileges, and I hope that this article helps inspire you to choose something small in your life to change to help you better accept the blessings that God wants to give you.
Miracles
Our Prophet, President Nelson, has told us to “seek and expect miracles.” It is a great invitation, and maybe many of us don’t follow it because we are afraid that we won’t see the miracles we are seeking. This is one of the biggest ways we are living beneath our privileges! Nelson explains, “Moroni assured us that ‘God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.’ Every book of scripture demonstrates how willing the Lord is to intervene in the lives of those who believe in Him. He parted the Red Sea for Moses, helped Nephi retrieve the brass plates, and restored His Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Each of these miracles took time and may not have been exactly what those individuals originally requested from the Lord. In the same way, the Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, ‘doubting nothing.’ Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith.”
If we start praying for help to have the faith to seek and expect miracles, we will start to see the Lord’s hand in our lives in an interactive way! And yes, sometimes the miracles will come in unexpected forms rather than in the way we requested, but, just like with Moses and the parting of the sea, it is done by Heavenly Father whose ways are “higher than your ways” (Isaiah 55:9) and “will be for your good” (D&C 122:7).
Receiving Revelation
Elder Dale G. Renlund gave a phenomenal talk on personal revelation where he said, “I invite you to have the confidence to claim personal revelation for yourself, understanding what God has revealed, consistent with the scriptures and the commandments He has given through His appointed prophets and within your own purview and agency. I know that the Holy Ghost can and will show you all things that you should do.”
He isn’t the first prophet/apostle to tell us to seek revelation from God, yet the invitation keeps coming because many of us our living beneath our privileges by not regularly seeking the guidance of the Lord! (As for how, I HIGHLY recommend listening/reading Renlund’s whole talk for guidance on that).
And it doesn’t have to just be for the big, life-changing decisions of our lives; we can receive revelation that will enlighten our understanding of the gospel (which should always be topics within our purview) and enrich our lives that way. In the Book of Mormon, the Brother of Jared sees the hand of the Lord as He is touching the sixteen stones to give light and then the Lord asks him, “Sawest thou more than this?” to which he replied, “Nay; Lord, show thyself unto me.” And then he saw God and had a bunch of visions! A small part was given due to his Faith, but the rest only followed after he asked. God isn’t just a distant father that’s divorced from our daily life and only coming to the big events; he is our loving Heavenly Father who wants to be in the details of our lives and to help us become like Him. However, He typically waits for us to show we are ready.
Blessings from Obedience to Specific Commandments
There are so many promised blessings that we can receive if we are willing to do our part. If we are paying a full and honest tithe, God has promised He will, “open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10). President Nelson has also said, “I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day,” and then continues on with specific blessings. Yet some of us struggle to give back that 10% to the Lord in tithes, or to find even ten minutes in our day to study our scriptures.
How Are You Living Beneath Your Privileges?
And I am not saying that we need to be perfect in all of these things coming into the new year, because we CAN’T be perfect in everything yet! We must come unto Christ and THEN we can be perfected. But, until then, what is one thing we can do? Now. Today. What is a small change you can make in your life to stop living beneath your privileges—the blessings that the Lord desires to give you? It could be as simple as getting on your knees to say your nightly prayers, or starting to say more prayers at all. It could be starting to hold FHE every week with whatever your family looks like right now. It can be finding time today to reflect and ask God what He would like you to focus on to improve right now. That is likely the best place to start.
Elder Dunn of the Seventy counseled, “Truly, it is by small, simple, and, yes, even just 1 percent things that great things can be brought to pass.” Let’s take the opportunity NOW to start accepting more of what our Heavenly Father was waiting in store for us, because I know there is much He wants to offer!
And if the thought of trying to set goals to live up to your privileges is daunting, I recommend reading my husband’s article on this subject as it breaks down the steps to successfully setting and reaching goals: Learning How to Set And Reach Your Goals
