Personal Inventory

Everyone likes a good list, right? I do; undoubtedly. From Joe J. Christensen's (then president of the MTC) article "Toward Greater Spirituality,"* ten questions to take a sort of personal inventory and decide how best we can approach the task to increase our spirituality, or closeness to the Lord:

1. Do I read the scriptures daily? "Some of the most remarkable personal revelations have been directly related to individual study of the scriptures. For example, the vision of the degrees of glory recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 76 came to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon after the Prophet had been studying the translation of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of John. Joseph Smith's First Vision came after he had reflected on James 1:5 "again and again." And President Joseph F. Smith's vision of the redemption of the dead came as he pondered over questions related to 1 Peter 3:18-20 and 4:6." Not unimpressive.

2. Do I really pray and not just say prayers?

3. Is my fasting meaningful? "Do I do more than just get hungry?"

4. Do I go to bed early and get up early? Counsel from Elder Harold B. Lee to Marion G. Romney as a newly called Assistant to the Twelve: "Go to bed early and get up early. If you do that, your body and mind will become rested and then in the quiet of those early morning hours, you will receive more flashes of insight and inspiration than at any other time of the day."

5. Am I essentially a happy person? "We will not enjoy the Spirit with us as much as if we were of good cheer."

6. Do I work hard? "Laziness and spirituality do not go together... feeling follows action more often than it precedes it."

7. Am I more concerned about how rather than where I serve? "Thankful, humble service is the hallmark of Christianity."

8. Do I love everyone - even my enemies? "Spirituality cannot be cultivated in an atmosphere of contention, dissention, and disharmony."

9. Am I striving to "become one" with what I know I ideally should be? "If we are moving in the direction of achieving this oneness [with God], peace of mind and increased spirituality will be among our blessings. This process is at the heart of the reason we have come to this earth. it is at the center of the message we have to share with the world."

10. Do I share my testimony with others? "Our testimonies are not static; they increase or decrease in intensity, and sharing them with others gives us a spiritual boost."

*Ensign, June 1983