Sunday, March 23, 2014

Come, come ye saints

So I am going to briefly interrupt my Book of Mormon project's posts to write about something that I realized today in church. We had an awesome lesson on Faith and Repentance in Relief Society. Our lessons got messed up a little this month, so the songs didn't exactly match the subject, but one was exactly what I needed to hear.
It was Come, Come Ye Saints, Hymn number 30.

I used to think that this song was just a rally to get the saints to cross the plains happily. While this is the reason that this song was written, that doesn't mean that it should be cast away as not being relevant to us. This songs helps us cross our own rocky mountains, forge across frozen rivers and walk miles of seeming wasteland. we are asked to do difficult things, like leave everything behind and cross a country, or tell a friend our beliefs not knowing their response. But all of the trials, hard choices, and low points are to purify us. 
"'Tis better far for us to strive, our useless cares from us to drive. Do this and joy your hearts will swell."
It is to drive out of us the impure things. 
"Why should we think to earn a great reared if we now shun the fight?"
If we pull a Jonah, and turn away from the difficult things that we are asked to do, we will not receive the reward that we came to earth to receive. 
"And should we due, before our journey's through, happy day!... We then are free from toil and sorrow too."
We are going to have days when we feel like we can't take another step, another second in the trial that we are in.
If that is the case, and it takes us, then good. As long as you kept the faith. If you make each step a step of faith, it doesn't matter what comes your way, you can make it through anything. So come ye saints, on the journey home to our Heavenly Father.
"We'll find the place that God for us prepared...where none shall come to hurt or make afraid."
"Our God will never us forsake."
He cannot forget about us. 
"Can a women forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." (Isaiah 49:15)
He has suffered for us. He knows that pains and heartaches that we feel. He cannot forget us, He will not forget us. He will be there for each and every one of us.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Christlike Attributes: Dilligence

Diligence is a word that we hear a lot but may not fully understand. In the 1828 dictionary, the dictionary Joseph Smith would have used, has two definitions that I think best fit the context that the Book of Mormon uses for this word.
The first is to love earnestly. What best fits this description is the constant instruction to exhort with all diligence. Lehi was a great example of this in teaching his sons. After his dream of the tree of life, he exhorted Laman and Lemuel with all diligence (1 Nephi 10:2). Now this doesn't really clear much up in the feelings that he put into teaching them. When I was first studying this subject, I thought exhorting with all diligence meant covering ever subject so that you taught them everything. The problem with that is that would be "casting pearls before swine" so to speak. You would teach people sacred things who were either not prepared for it or not willing to follow it. Another scripture about Lehi fixed this problem. Earlier in the Book of Mormon it says that Lehi did "exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent" (1 Nephi 8:37). We do not have to give the perfect lessons where we cover every material we had planned, with the perfect pinterest worthy handout. Contrary to popular belief, that does not constitute a perfect lesson. It's okay to get tongue tied, skip a part, or run out of time. A perfect lesson is when both the teacher and the learner come out edified. The first step in that is making sure the learner feels the love that the teacher and Heavenly Father has for them. Lessons are taught through love.
Another application is through service to Heavenly Father. Mosiah 7:33 says to "turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage." Replace diligence with this first definition. Serve him with earnest love of mind. For me when I was younger, I did service because it was my duty. I dragged along by my dad or it was mutual so I was to participate. I served because I had to. But as I grew older that the reason why my dad dragged me along to serve others was because of the earnest love that he had for the people he served and for the Lord. He was ensured he did his best was because of his love.
Now there is another context of diligence that fits into this scripture. The second definition is "steady application in business of any kind; constant effort to accomplish what is undertaken; exertion of body and mind without unnecessary delay or sloth."
Turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him constantly with body mind and spirit without delay. That is when you receive his protection. That is when you invite the Holy Ghost as a constant companion. Because you will listen and follow right away.
We are all asked to participate in missionary work, name badge or not. An example of how we can diligently bring the peace of the gospel to others is found in 2 Nephi 29:4, when it says, "Do they remember the travails, the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me in bringing forth salvation to the Gentiles?" The Jews went through a lot to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. Just look at Peter and Paul and all that they did bringing the gospel forth. That diligent work took constant exertion, both with their body and mind, to bring the gospel truths out without delay or sloth. The same can be with us, with that friend at work that has had a traumatic event happen in the family, with that family member that can't seem to ever be happy, or to the loved one who can't find the right path. Constant teaching with earnest love, using both the body and the mind. Without ever saying, I don't feel like it, or I am scared of their reaction. If you say it lovingly, they will not hate you for bringing gospel truths to them.
Finally, how can we strengthen ourselves through diligence. My favorite verse that I found when I was searching through the 80 some odd scriptures that talk about diligence was Moroni 7:19. "I beseech of you, brethren, that ye would search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ."
In high school I knew many kids, who were members of the church who would not search in the light of Christ to find what was good and evil. They would only see the gray areas and stay there, unsure of what was the right thing to do or not. It lead to a lot of them struggling with the church. Every day we hear lots of voices calling to us to see the "good" that they have to offer. If we do not grow the light of Christ that has been given us, it can be really hard to see in the dark what is truly good and what is disguised to be good. If we work diligently to have the light of Christ burning bright within us, we will easily see the difference between good and evil. Not only that but we will want to have the good in our life, and cleave to it. That is when we will have the guidance of the Holy Ghost, and take the name of Christ upon us.
Diligence is not a 100 meter sprint. It is a marathon. We may look up, tired and exhausted realizing that we still have 20 miles to go. But if we take it step by step, constantly pushing forward, not delaying that next step, we will reach our final goal.

Scriptures:
Examples of diligence: 1 Nephi 2:19, Jacob 1:7,19, Jacob 2:3, Jacob, 4:3, Jacob 5:74-75, Enos 1:10-12, Jarom 1:11, Mosiah 8:8, Mosiah 26:38, Alma 1:26, Alma 12:8-9, Alma 17:2, Alma 21:23,
Alma 40:3,9, Alma 49:30, Alma 60:10, Helaman 15:3-9, 3 Nephi 6:14

Why we should be diligent: 1 Nephi 4:34, 1 Nephi 10:17-19, 1 Nephi 15:11, 1 Nephi 16:28-29,
2 Nephi 9:51, 2 Nephi 25:23, Jacob 5:61, Jacob 6:3, Jacob 7:1-3, Mosiah 1:7,11,16, Mosiah 4:6,26-27,  Alma 7:23-25, Alma 32:41-43, Alma 37:41, 3 Nephi 23:1, Moroni 8:26, Moroni 9:6

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Christlike Attributes: Hope

Hope is the base attribute for other Christlike attributes. Both Alma and Moroni have said have said that  hope is when you don't need to see something in order to believe that it exists (Alma 32:21Ether 12:6). In order to have faith in Christ and in Heavenly Father, you first have to hope that they live and are divine. That is the planting of the seed that Alma discusses in that same chapter.
 Moroni says that hope precedes faith. It is important to "have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal" (Moroni 7:41). Jacob discusses that we need to seek for Christ first, and when we exercise that hope, then we will be blessed with the things that we need (Jacob 2:18-19). 
It is easy to discuss hope here, outside of a situation. But exercising it during life, when things get tough it can be hard to hold on to it. Mormon gave Moroni some excellent advice for when despair might come. He said "may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing of his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever" (Moroni 9:25).
For the Anti-Lehi-Nephis, or the people of Ammon, hope was essential to how they lived their lives. They clung to their hope so much that they were willing to die for it.
"They never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it" (Alma 27:28).
Hope helped this people hold strong to the oath that they made, as well as not fear the trials that were going to come their way. This came about because they had a hope in eternal salvation for keeping their oath. This is a lesson that we can apply to ourselves. We have made covenants to follow the gospel, and to be examples of Christ. If we hold tight to our hope that Christ lives, and act upon it, then we should not fear what trial and persecution that will come our way because Christ has had victory over it.
Nephi discusses of how this can be done. He sad, "ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life" (2 Nephi 31:20).
Scriptures for further study:
Why to have hope: Jacob 4:4, Alma 5:10(6-10), Alma 7:24, Alma 13:29, Alma 22:14, Alma 25:16, Alma 34:14, Alma 58:11, Ether 12:4, Moroni 8:14, Moroni 10:22-21

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Christlike Attributes: Meekness

When it comes to talking about being meek, a lot of people think a synonym is weak. However that isn't the case. A person that is often thought of being the most meek is Moses. I don't know about you, but I definitely don't think of Moses being weak. 
Meekness is similar to humility, in the fact that you put others before yourself. Really, it is putting the wants and needs of what the Lord needs you to do ahead of your wants and needs. It takes recognizing that the Lord knows you better than you, and so his plan is better than yours. 
Christ displayed this by following the Lord's plan, even when it got hard. He said "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). He went through with the most difficult thing a person will ever pass through with strength and grace. That is perfect example of meekness.
Moroni 8:25-26 states that the way to gain meekness starts with forgiven of our sins. This means full and complete repentance. The reason why this is so important to developing meekness is it shows that we recognize that we did something wrong, and that we are willing to return to the path that Heavenly Father has in store for us. Just like repentance, meekness doesn't happen all at once. It takes time, effort and swallowing your pride in order for it to develop. It also says that after we have repented, continue in prayer and meaningful communication with the Lord. It isn't a one time thing, that once you get it, you have it forever. Like all good things, it takes continual work and effort to maintain and continue in meekness.
This verse also discusses a major blessing that comes from being meek is the Holy Ghost will come and fill you with love and hope. Having the Holy Ghost as a companion, helping you to receive these two attributes, will be a great blessing in life. 
When trials come, and they will definitely come, meekness will be a key in helping you to pass through them. Not only will you have the blessing of the Holy Ghost guiding you, you will be able to more perfectly exercise your faith and hope in Christ (Moroni 7:43-44). This will help you to be able to have the strength to take the hard load, as well as to see what you need to learn from the trial to become better. 
Something that is mentioned a lot in the Book of Mormon is "the meek will be reproved with equity" (2 Nephi 21:4). I was confused by this statement so I tried to look up reproved and equity in the bible dictionary but I couldn't find them. However in the topical guide, they had other things to search for, that helped me to understand what this means. Essentially, the statement means that the meek will be judged righteously by Christ at the judgement bar. If we are meekly seeking for him, we will be eligible for the power of the Atonement, and Christ will extend his mercy towards us (Ether 12:26).
Scriptures to Study:
Blessings in being Meek: 2 Nephi 21:4, 27:29-30, Alma 13:28-29, 3 Nephi 12:5, Ether 12:26, 
What will happen if you aren't meek: 2 Nephi 9:30, Mosiah 3:19, Helaman 6:39-40, Moroni 7:43-44

Friday, February 14, 2014

Christlike Atributes: Humility

This semester I am taking a Book of Mormon class and in this class we spend all semester on a Book of Mormon project. This project is to specify study so that we better understand the Book of Mormon. 
My favorite way to study the Book of Mormon is by topic. So I decided to use this opportunity to better understand the attributes of Christ. The Book of Mormon testifies of Christ. We are to try to become like Christ in this life. Seemed like a perfect combination.
The first attribute that I studied was Humility.

2 Nephi 31:7 says: "Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy,  he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnessesth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments."
Christ is the Only Begotten. This entitled him to power. He is holy, as Nephi said. However, he still humbled himself and submitted to the Father. What does that say for us?
We are children of our Heavenly Father. We have been given power through the Holy Ghost and Priesthood power. In order to have the "power of the Lord with [us]" we need to "humble [ourselves] before the Lord" (1 Nephi 13:16). 
How do we become humble? Many think that it means that we need to be down on ourselves all of the time and to be a welcome mat for others to walk all over. But that isn't really the case. 
Really what is recognizing that we have blessings, where they come from, and where our strength and abilities come from (1 Nephi 16:321 Nephi 18:4).
One of the major themes of the Book of Mormon is the pride cycle. This is where the people start out humble, they receive blessings, so they become prideful. As a result, they are chastened, then they become humble again. A way to counteract that? Be humble "be in whatsoever circumstances [you] might (Alma 32:25) and don't let prosperity get in your way (Alma 62:49).
This does not mean that because you are humble, life will always be prosperous and you will never have trouble. I wish that were the case but that is not true. Another theme that we read a lot in the Book of Mormon is afflictions that the humble received from the wicked. However, that is not to discourage being humble. A perfect response comes from Helman 3:34-35: fast and pray oft, wax stronger in humility, wax firmer in the faith, and yielding your heart unto God. Doing this will  result in joy and consolation, purifying and sanctification of your heart. The people of Alma at the waters of Mormon were delivered from their trials and heavy afflictions because of their humility and mighty prayers (Mosiah 24:13-17). See also Mosiah 29:20.
Ultimately, the reason why we should be humble comes from Mosiah 3:18: "men drink damnation unto their souls, except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent."
When we are humble through this life, we are worthy of the atoning blood of Christ and will receive exaltation. That is why we need to be humble.

Scriptures for further reading (sorry I am not linking all of these):
Why be humble: 1 Nephi 16:5, 1 Nephi 16:24, 2 Nephi 12:9, Mosiah 4:10-11, Alma 5:54, Alma 7:3,23, Alma 13:13-14,28, Alma 15:17, Alma 32:12-16, Alma 34:38, Helaman 11:9-11, 3 Nephi 4:33, Ether 6:12,17, Ether 9:35, Ether 12:27
How to be humble:
1 Nephi 15:20, Mosiah 3:19, Alma 5:13,27, Mosiah 21:13-14, Alma 32:6, Alma 42:30, Alma 48:20, Helaman 6:5, 3 Nephi 6:13, 3 Nephi 12:2, Mormon 5:24, Ether 6:30, Moroni 8:10

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Letting someone back into the fold

"What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth he not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which is lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner which repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." -Luke 15:4-7
When we think of this parable we think of two things.
First, the Lord is the Good Shepherd, who loves all of his sheep and will seek after them.
Most of the time through his servants.
The second, we have to seek after those under our care who have gone astray.
Whether we are the young women's president with one girl who hasn't been to church since she was baptized and you haven't met.
Or we are the elder's quorum president with 25% attendance.
(I really hope no one has that statistic)
We are to seek after them.
But I want to look at this parable, and another with a different perspective.
Let's pretend for a second we can understand sheep communication.
We hear about how the Shepherd calls together all of his friends to celebrate the sheep's return, but how do you think the ninety and nine sheep react?
Sheep can be kind of stubborn so I think that they would tease that lost sheep. 
Probably with something like:
Baaaa ba ba ba baaaaaaaa
Interpreted as: "Silly sheep. Going off and getting lost."
Or:
Bababababa baaaabaaaa
Which means: "Selfish jerk. I can't believe you made the Shepherd leave all of us just for you."
Some might even say: 
Bababababa baaabaaabaaa Babababababa
In English: "You are so dumb. And will always be that way."
And they would turn their backs on that poor guy, who didn't know the way, and was lost, cold, and scared.
But in the scriptures we also talk about how sheep are meek and humble. 
So some could also say "Welcome back. I am so happy to see you." Or even "You are shivering, here, take my warmth. Let's get you some food." One might even say, "You've been gone all day, come join us. I am so glad our Shepherd brought you home. We have been worried."
(Sorry, my sheep is rusty so I can't give you the translation)
These sheep have a choice on how to help the one who was lost.
Can you see where this is going?
In middle school I made some different choices. I didn't know who I was and didn't quite have a testimony yet. I was lost. And while I was lost I made some dumb choices.
When I finally decided to find my testimony, I came back and tried my best to repent of the mistakes that I made. 
Now I didn't exactly leave the church, but most of the LDS kids my age knew how I acted. I had to make some big changes when I finally found my testimony.
Some of those kids saw the choices I made and saw me one way. And then when I had changed, they kept me in that view. Never forgiving me for falling away and not really wanting to let me back in.
I know there are many people who feel the same way. They were lost, and when they came back, members only saw them for the choices that they made, not for who they are and who they can be.

Let's face it. At one point in time we are all going to be the lost sheep. We are all going to be the prodigal son. And the eruption in heaven that happens when we come back is astounding. But on earth, it may not be the same. And it makes it really hard to come back, because you aren't welcomed back into the fold. But we still come back.
We will be lost in one way or another. We aren't perfect. That's a fact.
While we are going to be the prodigal son. We get to choose whether or not we will be the elder brother when another prodigal son returns. 
We get to choose whether or not we are going to be upset over the joy of the prodigal son's return. We get to choose to let our pride stand in the way of helping another into the fold and stay there. We get to choose whether or not we see other's for their choices or who they really are. Sons and daughters of God, who can share with us in exaltation. 
A recent Mormon Message helps to illustrate how:

We all have the same goal. The return to our Heavenly Father. That is why we are all here.
It isn't a competition. We all have the opportunity to get there. So why not help another out? Why not help a fellow lost sheep get there?
We all have a desire to be forgiven and given a chance. 
We need to pass that on to others.
Allow them to come back. Allow them to repent. Allow them to prove their willingness to contribute to the church.
Don't hold them in this eternal pit of being condemned for their choices.
"I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all me."
Even if they don't wrong us, we still have to be there for them to improve. 
President Monson said "We need to bear in mind that people can change. They can put behind them bad habits. They can repent from transgression. They can bear the priesthood worthily. And they can serve the Lord diligently… It is our responsibility to give them opportunities to live as they should. We can help them overcome their shortcomings. We must develop a capacity to see men not as they are at present but as they may become when they receive testimonies of the gospel of Christ."
They're going to mess up. They won't change right away. But that is why they need our help to return. They can't do it alone. We need to be tools in the hands of Christ to help them come back on that path.
Don't be the other prodigal son. It is hard enough that we once were or will be the first prodigal son. 
Help others to return. 
And let them come back.
After all, what fun will the celestial kingdom be if our friends and family aren't there?

Monday, February 3, 2014

Notwithstanding my weakness

This weekend I was faced with a difficult decision. My doctor wanted to do a really expensive test because every other test has come back clear. 
When I had heard that yet another test claimed I was normal, I immediately got angry. I was so done with hearing nothing. I just wanted an answer.
But I couldn't do anything because I had to go meet with clients and be nice and professional. 
Which is really difficult when all you want to do is cry.
So I waited until that night. Which was dumb because I had a long day of work in the morning. 
But I prayed. I told Heavenly Father that I was angry with him. I had been patient and trying to use both spiritual and temporal medicine. I was improving on doing what I was supposed to. Now things were effecting my work. 
I wanted an answer and I wanted it now. Well I shouldn't talk in past tense. I want an answer.
I prayed and cried until I fell asleep. Which was like 1:30 in the morning.
Like I said. Dumb. But very helpful.
The next day I had a talk with my sister to discuss what to do. 
Do I ask my parent to sink more rent and tuition money into another test that will probably say everything is normal, or do I keep going and do whatever it takes to find an answer? It has been six months this has gone on. But every other test has come back normal, this one will likely be no different.
Yesterday was fast Sunday. 
So of course that was what I fasted for. What to do?
The more I thought about it, the more I was like I am done with the disappointment of a test telling me that my body was lying. The more I wanted my parents money to go into schooling where it wouldn't be wasted. 
I decided to call the doctor's office and ask more about the test and why they ordered it. If he had something he had an idea of what was going on and just needed a picture to confirm it, or if he wanted more fun pictures of my insides just to see if this time it was different. If it's the former, I'd go through with it. If it was the latter, I would say, uh no let's do something else. And by something else, I meant find a doctor with a different specialty that could give me help, because this one was pretty much out of ideas.
Amidst all of this, I was experiencing a lot of pain, so I didn't do a whole lot. 
On bad pain days, I can only really sit in bed and watch movies or TV. I can't focus, I'm not fun to be around, and I have zero motivation. So all weekend that's all I did.
That includes being bad about scripture study. I know. I'm working on it. 
So last night as I went to bed, I was like I at least need to read a little bit, even if it isn't my reading goal. 
I read 1 Nephi 21
If you aren't familiar with Nephi's writings, he likes to quote Isaiah. A lot. Which means brain confusion. A lot. Especially when you're trying to cram in reading at 12:30 at night.
But I knew that if you had a question before reading, it would be answered so I was like ok, I am going to put it to the test.
So this is what I am reading.
Verse 5: "And now, saith the Lord-that formed me from the womb that I should be his servant….yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength."
And I was like "Yes, yes, I have been relying on you throughout this. I know this already. Not really answering my question here."
But I kept reading.
Verse 8: "…in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee my servant for a covenant of the people…"
I was like "Ok, good to know this isn't going to kill. But seriously, answer the question."
Read some more. 
"They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them; for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted."
Me: "…you aren't telling me what I think you're telling me."
More reading.
"But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me-but he will show that he hath not. For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee, O house of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."
The answer was trust me? With what?
"Lift up thine eyes round about and behold; al these gather themselves together, and they shall come to thee. And as I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothier thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on even as a bride. For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitations; and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away."
At this point, at 12:45 in the morning, I realized what my answer was. I'm sure you're thinking, I don't get it. 
Even though these words are talking about the gathering of Israel will have a power to overcome enemies, the Spirit told me something else.
I have been swallowed up with this…whatever it is. But I need to trust the Lord and he will take care of it. He hasn't left me alone and will know what to do. It will work out, so stop worrying about it. I need to focus on helping others, through school and work.
So I went to bed realizing my answer is to not do anything. Not go through with that test. Not find a different doctor. Not go find a shrink. I just need to stop. With everything having to do with this…thing.
I woke this morning going, how in the world am I supposed to do that? I can't focus on anything when I am in pain, and it has been bad and consistent lately. 
Today I was catching up on reading for my Book of Mormon class and we're in the war chapters in the end of Alma. And I am in the very best part. The stripling warriors and Helaman's perspective on how awesome they are.
At the end of the story, Helaman is telling Moroni about how they don't have any supplies or reinforcements. And says this:
"But behold, it mattereth not- we trust God will deliver us, notwithstanding the weakness of our armies, yea, and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies."
And I was like boom. That is how I am going focus on school and not my stomach. Heavenly Father is going to take care of it. I just need to put in my part. Believe. Do homework. And study! Even when I don't want to. 
You can do the same. We all have a weakness that is plaguing us. Trust Heavenly Father. Turn to him with all heart and effort. Put everything on him. Believe. Do everything you can. And he will take care of it. Even if it doesn't seem possible. I promise you it is. It will happen. Just needs your faith.