Can ye feel so now?

I was wrong about the platelets. Talitha's blood tests today showed high enough that she didn't need a transfusion after all. And it looks like she's on track to start up her next bone marrow transplant round on Friday.

(I've tried not to think about her next round. But now that we have to start making plans and figuring schedules...makes me tired all over again.)

Enduring to the end is such an integral part of the Good News of Christ. It's what keeps us exercising faith and changing our ways for the better.

The principle of "enduring to the end" teaches us that faith and repentance require effort and regular renewal. Otherwise, we forget what we once felt and grow blind to eternal truths that bring peace, happiness, and joy in this life AND in the world to come.

The scriptures have a wonderful spiritual checklist that can walk us through the basic essentials of drawing closer to God and the life He knows is possible if we will just follow Him. A change of heart in the past doesn't do much good in the present if it has grown cold or reverted back to its former state.

"And now behold, I say unto you...if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" (Alma 5:26)

At different times and seasons of life and during various types of trials and challenges, spiritual strength and desires may ebb and flow to some degree. This is where effort and renewal are required. Otherwise, faith becomes a passing phase rather than a sustaining influence.

If during the low times we can persist and cling to the word of God then maybe the next low spot won't be quite as spooky even if at first it appears more ominous.

Said Ralph Waldo Emerson, "That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved."
...
Have I made it too obvious that I'm giving myself a pep talk?

There have been times in the past and more recently when giving up seemed like the easier thing to do. I guess I've learned for myself that it really is worth holding on even if for just a little longer.

The plaque on the kitchen wall reminds me: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13)

(It also helps to have a brave little baby daughter!)