All Thy Doings, All Thy Thoughts

Alma 37:36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

On the surface, this looks like a fairly standard verse about praying always, but I want to highlight two phrases in this verse and emphasize those points. Alma encouraged his son Helaman to "let all thy doings be unto the Lord" and to "let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord." This is no small feat. "All thy doings" literally includes everything you do, from getting up in the morning, to brushing your teeth, to taking a shower, to getting dressed, to having breakfast, and that's all just within your first few waking hours. Can we really make it so ALL our doings are "unto the Lord"?

I think so, but only if we also apply the second phrase I wanted to highlight: "let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord." I've made a blog where I've shared spiritual thoughts every day for years, and many of those blog posts have come from looking at everyday events through a spiritual lens. I started looking at just about everything as a parable, and it's gotten to the point where washing my hands with water and drying them off with a towel can be a spiritual experience in that it reminds me of Jesus Christ. In that sense, my "doing" of washing my hands can be done "unto the Lord," because it reminds me of Him and thus brings me closer to Him.

We can, theoretically, make it so everything we do draws us closer to the Lord, if only by making us think about what those actions can teach us about Him. The more we reflect on the Lord and His parables, the more parables we'll be able to find in our daily lives. And the more parables we find in our daily lives, the more often we'll be directed toward the Lord. In theory, this can extend until literally everything reminds us of the Lord, and everything we do brings us one step closer to being like Him. This is a high standard to reach, but the more we think about it, the closer we get to reaching it.

I was blessed to be inspired to force myself to look for spiritual messages to blog about every day. This blog has helped me see spiritual messages in places I had never thought to look, and all of them have brought me a little bit closer to God. I haven't yet gotten to the point where literally all my thoughts and actions draw me closer to God, but I'm closer to that point than I was before I started blogging, and I largely have my blog to thank for that. And I have God to thank for encouraging me to blog.

I would give you a similar encouragement. Look for spiritual messages. Write them down somewhere. Maybe share them. At least list them. Try to think about how even mundane things can help us draw closer to the Lord. And work toward the point where everything you do and every thought you have draws you closer to the Lord. I'm not at that point yet, but I'm getting there, and I'm getting there by making a conscious effort to turn even mundane thoughts and actions into spiritual messages. You can do the same.