Mission Prep: A Quiet Heart

So, since the astonishing announcement that has somehow changed my view of life, I have talked to many friends about the mission age change, one of whom (already serving) told me that, if I plan on going, now is the time to prepare.
I already knew that, but the reminder was, well...reminding.
So, amongst all of my thoughts (that have been getting deeper and deeper) concerning my future and the will of God, I decided a few weeks ago to prepare by reading. I hope that this will bring a kind of foundation to my roaming thoughts since, whenever I try to express them, they always get tied into knots or start dancing all over the place until I can't even find them let alone write them down.
So, I have started my own personal mission prep reading list. And, from the advice of my mom, the first book I read was this:

 

(A Quiet Heart, by Patricia T. Holland--wife of Elder Holland)

This is not a book review, only a few of my reflections I have gained from reading it. I would suggest this book to any young woman or Relief Society sister though. It's uplifting to both the discouraged and the optimistic, because the main focus, at least to me, is on both finding peace and becoming stronger disciples.

Reflection #1: The Title. How beautiful that sounds! A Quiet Heart. In a world that's always moving and always making some kind of noise, the peace and serenity of a quiet heart sounds so perfect.

Reflection #2: The importance of having the Spirit and prayer as our key to revelation and communication with God, and the relationship with Him, ourselves, and others as a result. 

Reflection #3: Finding ourselves, our inner calm, and our divinity. I liked how she said, "To truly find ourselves, we must lose ourselves." That's a good reminder to serve others and forget yourself.

Reflection #4: She says it perfectly: "We are the Lord's disciples. He accepts us as we are, even as we are growing toward what we must become. Rest in that love. Bathe and luxuriate in it. Let it relax, calm, and comfort you. Let us deep our face to the Son and come unto him."

Reflection #5: The vital importance Love has in our lives. We can't let go of ourselves without it, and we can't find peace and happiness without letting go of the temporal things that make us hang onto ourselves. Love is how we help and guide others, and how we can have faith in God. If we don't love Him and know that He loves us, then it's difficult to have faith that He knows what's best for us. 

"Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we have learned here." --Marianne Williamson, as quoted in the book.

"When we decide to love, everyone within our sphere of influence has a chance to triumph. And we can decide to love because through it all God first loved us."

Reflection #6: "God's Covenant of Peace". She quoted Psalm 107:26-30 when it talks about men swaying in the storms of life and how they cry out to God for peace, and "he bringeth them out of their distresses". That reminded me of Mark 4:39-40 when Christ calms the storm and then asks his disciples, "Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" Peace and hope and faith all seem intertwined, and, if we let Him, I believe that God can bless us with a peaceful heart.

Reflection #7: Following God's will and truly being the Lord's disciple are two of the best things we can keep as our focus and in our hearts.

"Our future has everything to do with what we desire in our hearts."

"The greatest obstruction to my own heart and the greatest obstacle to doing God's will is my own will."

"It takes constant vigilance, constant evaluation of our values and our personal needs to let go of such self-centeredness and live by the heart. It takes years of practice, years of prayer, meditation, and daily scripture dedication to rid ourselves of the vanity's constant demands. But it is the only path to true peace, true happiness, and a constant relationship with the Lord."

"To become like him [Christ], we have to desire more than every other desire to offer him our hearts and receive his in return."