Stand in Holy Places

I have been home one month. Crazy, right. I think so. It has been very difficult to get back into life. I have been struggling with some of the timing of things. And I haven't been able to keep my spiritual end of the bargain up. Scripture Study, prayer, temple. . . My mom wanted me to go to my sister's ward on Sunday, they were speaking and Mom was going to be Grandma. I just knew I needed to the stability of going to the home ward. I am so glad I went.
In Relief Society we talked about President Monson's talk from October, Stand in Holy Places. As we were talking about the talk I started thinking about the mission and how it was such a "Holy Place" for me. I started thinking about why it was so holy. Then we talked about prayer. I have never prayed as much in my life as I did on my mission. I then thought, "Allison, you are not praying like you did on your mission. Granted it doesn't have to be 18 times a day, but you know 2 times would do you good. You need to make an effort to pray." When they were sharing the story from the Frankfurt Temple dedication I thought, "As a missionary I was seeking and following personal revelation more than I have in the last 4 weeks I have been home." As I thought about what we were discussing I realized the whole first of the talk was about keeping the commandments and how important they are. My mission was made up of obedience to the commandments. How is my obedience now? I think it is okay. But of course I could do better. If I was a cartoon character I would have had a light blub light up over my head. In order for me to continue Standing in Holy Places, I need to be obedient to the laws of God. I need to pray more. And last I need to seek and follow the promptings from the Holy Ghost. All of the sudden President Monson's talk didn't seem so much a trip down memory road as it did when I heard it in the Fayetteville chapel. It made sense. I am so grateful we have a living prophet who knows the right way to teach those who he is over. I am so grateful for this church. I have made a few goals that I hope will help me be a better person and be able to Stand in Holy Places more. I know that the Lord loves me and He wants me to be happy. While things aren't as easy as I thought they were going to be when I left the mission field I am so grateful I get to go through this struggle. I am so grateful I get to learn what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ. I am going to continue moving forward with the knowledge that I can become a better person and I can be a better person. This Gospel is amazing!

One of the most Holy Places in the world. The Sacred Grove.
Pslams 24:3-5
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.