Cleave

A few days ago, I decided that I'd like to make a blog specifically meant for LDS content.  There were a couple of reasons, but ultimately it came down to one important fact.  I read the scriptures daily, but lately I've had a hard time focusing on what I'm reading.  That makes it difficult for me to gain anything special from my personal scripture study.

I think that if I try to blog once a day about what I'm studying or thinking about, it could help me focus more.  So in a way, this blog is primarily for me.  It's a way for me to record my questions, thoughts, and discoveries during my scripture study.  It's a way for me to keep thinking about what I can learn from what I read or what I hear about the gospel.

I know I could do this privately, just write in a journal or whatever, but I figure that blogging can pressure me into achieving my goals.  If I don't post on a particular day, my blog will show that, and anyone who might read this blog will know that I skipped a day.  I'm a sucker for people's expectations of me, and I'm going to use this weakness to make me strong in my spiritual studies.  There's a scripture about how the Lord makes weaknesses into strengths...we'll see if it works when I use my weaknesses to get my butt in gear.  And even if I don't post daily, I bet that posting at least every other day or maybe even just twice a week could help me look for the spiritual things in life to study and blog about.

I also believe in sharing, so a blog about this makes sense to me.  Maybe something I say will help someone else, and maybe someone will comment to tell me their own thoughts on my post, and those types of comments usually help me.  So as I'm opening the door to share with others, I'm hoping others will share back.

Now, as a part of this preface, I'd like to explain why I titled this blog "Cleave."  Cleave is an interesting word in the English language.  It is a verb with synonyms that are antonyms of each other: separate and adhere.

I read this little fact a long time ago, and it's one of the most common words that goes through my head.  Mostly because this word caused a lot of reflection on my part.  In the end, I related it to the gospel.  I thought, "At some point in my life, I have to choose what type of cleaving I will do.  I will either cleave unto God, or I will cleave my relationship with him.  I will either turn to the gospel, or I will turn away from it."  So I decided to cleave to the gospel, to turn to God, to adhere to the Church.

It's not easy, and at times I don't think I'm doing my best, but that's why I'm starting this blog--I'm trying to be better.  And I hope that maybe I can inspire other people to try to be better, so I plan on ending my posts with a simple challenge to any readers, a challenge to make their own decision:

Choose to Cleave.