Poor in Spirit

Blessed are the poor in spirit...at first thought, I really don't like how that sounds, I don't want to be poor in spirit, weak, unable to provide spiritually for myself, having to rely on another for spiritual sustinance, but one can never be completely spiritually self reliant.

Being poor in spirit is knowing that you aren't perfect, relying in the atonement for improvement, and then giving your best efforts. Even in so doing, we will always fall short of returning the gifts that we have been given.

I had a friend who served a mission. This girl...She was younger than me, but I really looked up to her. She was always so spiritually in tune, she always appeared to give her very best and when she wasn't able she was really hard on herself because she knew she was capable of doing better.

When she got home from serving for 18 months in Brazil, she gave a talk in church about her experoences. I remember very little about the talk, but what I willnever forget is her words that part of why she wanted to go on a mission was to try to repay just a little portion of the blessings that she has recieved. She wanted to give all that she had to give(her time) to serving the Lord and helping others to come unto HIm. She then said that she came back even more indebted to Heavenly Father then when she left because she was blessed so abundantly in those 18 month. She will never be able to fully repay those debts, but she can sure try.

THAT, is being poor in spirit. It's not being unworthy or not spiritual enough, it's doing your absolute best, tyring to give and serve and love and knowing taht in so doing your best efforts are miniscule in the grand scheme of things.

I came across this cute little story today: One Christmas, my Cub Scout son needed two dollars to make me a present. On Christmas morning, he was so excited about it that in spite of the many brightly wrapped packages with his name on them, he insisted I open his present first. It was a pencil holder for my office—made from a jar covered with brightly colored macaroni. The two dollars bought pencils and erasers. I was pleased with his innocence and love. He then eagerly turned to his own presents.
In comparison with the bounteous gifts the Father bestows upon us—life, the Atonement, the gospel, prophets, scriptures, temples—our gifts to him are like jars covered with macaroni. It’s the best we can do, and he accepts our efforts with pleasure. The realization of the difference between us and Him produces deep humility and blessedness.

http://lds.org/ensign/1991/01/the-beatitudes-pathway-to-the-savior.p28,p29?lang=eng

My views on being poor in spirit have defninitly changed, and as I go throughout my day I am going to try to give my very best efforts, even though I know they will look like macaroni.