Testimonies are very fragile. They need to be cultivated on a daily basis. There are times when it seems that you are strong, but seem to forget the need to continually nourish your testimony. It is also easy to push your testimony to the back burner as you struggle to meet the daily demands of being a parent. The simple fact is that the most important thing you can do each day is to nourish your testimony. You can do this by studying the scriptures and praying. Of course your children needs must be met, so you may need to be creative in finding the time to nourish your testimony.
I have found that setting aside a certain time each day makes a big difference. I will often turn on the television for my children so I can spend a few minutes studying undisturbed. As I do this on a regular basis, my children learn that my studying is an expected thing. This example will help them as they grow into adulthood and begin to study the scriptures on my own.
Additionally if I am struggling to feel the spirit or I have a particularly rough day, I pray about the things that I can change to do better. I know that the Lord can help me to achieve things that I would not be able to on my own. This is true in every aspect of my life, from the spiritual to the practical. I pray about my parenting and my work. This helps me to stay focused. It invites the spirit into my life and thus into my home.
Recently I blogged about the drought my area has been having, I compared it to a spiritual drought we can create in our lives. This last weekend after several weeks of slow rainy days and the best kind of rain, the lakes reached flood stage. Similarly as we work on building our testimonies, we will begin to recognize the blessings that are flooding our lives as a result of the gospel and keeping the commandments.
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