Did we fill up?

A few weeks ago I was preparing to teach a sunday school lesson, part of which was on obedience to the promptings of the spirit. The thought came to me that sometimes when the Lord asks us to do certain things--such as praying, reading our scriptures, going to church, attending the temple, etc.--we see it as the end goal. So when He asks us to do more we get overwhelmed and think, "Look that ALL that I'm trying to do! How can I possibly do more?" When really those things He asks us to do are MEANS to an end, not the end in itself. Those things are to fuel us spiritually so that we CAN go and do and be on His errand. But if we do those things just to do them, we move on feeling little changed and still lacking. Funny that we do that, eh?

It'd be like going to a gas station to fill up our car, paying, sitting there for 5 minutes then driving off without ever filling up the tank. Sometimes I feel like my prayers are like that. I kneel down for a few minutes, my mind wanders, I doze a bit and then end. Time has elapsed but have I been filled? Or with the hurried scripture study...I read a few verses, close the scriptures and scurry off to "start" my day. But have I taken time to align my spirit with God's? Or have I gotten my spiritual fill to take on the challenges of the day in a Christ-like way?

But ya know, we all do our best, eh? And there are seasons of our life where we are pulling up to the gas station without filling up. But at least we're pulling up...and staying in the habit of going, so that when we're ready again to be filled we will be. Thank heavens for a Heavenly Father who understands and quietly and lovingly encourages us to press forward on the path, and to do our best each day...whatever our "best" may be.