Why Do I Do Dailies?

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to sit down with one of my sponsors and complete my Step 5.  It was an amazing experience and I was given some great counsel by this great brother.  Over the course of our discussions he said one thing in particular that really touched my heart.  While discussing my struggles with understanding my self worth and my feeling that my struggle with inadequacy and self doubt was one of my biggest triggers and root causes of my addiction, he asked me what I was doing to overcome these root causes.  I outlined my daily lists and action plan that I have been trying to follow.  He commended me for my efforts and then said something I will never forget.

He explained that in his own recovery there had been a couple incidents that had really been breakthroughs for him.  One of those breakthroughs was when he came to the understanding that dailies were so important in his recovery.  Not because we are commanded to do them, not because we have a to-do list that includes them.  Rather, he had recognized that doing dailies brought him closer to his Father in Heaven and Savior and he needed that relationship to sustain his recovery.  It was only through this closeness to a loving Father and Redeemer that he was able to sustain his efforts and overcome an addiction he could never overcome on his own.

That really struck me.  It made me evaluate and question my own efforts.  I have a pretty good routine down with my dailies.  But am I doing it because I am supposed to?  Because its on my daily task list, or because I recognize that it brings me closer to my Heavenly Father?  I decided to spend some time studying this concept and would like to share some of my findings here.

One of the first places I looked was the most recent General Conference.  I was led to the wonderful message of President Eyring called "Come Unto Me".  He gives an amazing promise that if we pray and try to find opportunities to serve others the Savior will draw closer to us and be more involved in our lives; "My promise to you who pray and serve the Lord cannot be that you will have every blessing you may wish for yourself and your family. But I can promise you that the Savior will draw close to you and bless you and your family with what is best."  What an amazing promise for one like myself who struggles to remember that relationship and that love of my Savior who is constantly there for me.  Prayer, a key element of dailies, will draw my Savior to me.

It turns out, President Eyring has been sharing this testimony of coming closer to the Savior for many years, I found another talk he gave back in 1991 when he was a counselor in the Presiding Bishopric called "To Draw Closer To God".  His message then was much the same that it is today; "If you want to stay close to someone who has been dear to you, but from whom you are separated, you know how to do it. You would find a way to speak to them, you would listen to them, and you would discover ways to do things for each other. The more often that happened, the longer it went on, the deeper would be the bond of affection. If much time passed without the speaking, the listening, and the doing, the bond would weaken."  I love this concept of viewing our relationship with our Father in Heaven as that of loved ones who have been separated from us for a time.  If one of my children or my parents were on a mission and we were separated, I would seek out opportunities to be in their life.  Emails, social media, phone calls and any means needed.  Letters and emails from them would be cherished moments to study and read about them.  This same relationship is possible with my Heavenly Father and Savior.  I can talk to them every day in prayer and listen for their answers in quiet meditation.  I can listen to them through study of the scriptures and the words of modern prophets.  This will as President Eyring testifies; deepen the bond of affection between us. 

One other talk that really touched my heart as I studied this concept was given in this past October Conference by the General Sunday School President, Russel T. Osguthorpe.  It is titled; "One Step Closer To The Savior".  The message of his talk was actually to announce the new teaching method for the Youth Sunday School that was recently implemented.  But he also gives a powerful testimony of how studying the Gospel will bring us closer to the Savior; "When we learn and teach His word in His way, we accept His invitation to “come, follow me.” We follow Him one step at a time. With each step, we draw closer to the Savior. We change. The Lord knew that spiritual growth did not happen all at once. It comes gradually. Each time we accept His invitation and choose to follow Him, we progress along the pathway to full conversion."  I love his testimony that learning and teaching what we learn is a way to draw closer to the Savior but also his gentle reminder that this will not happen overnight.  It is a process that happens gradually over time, which is why it is so important to find time to study and learn every single day.  Thus the concept of "dailies". 

I so grateful for these powerful testimonies of modern prophets.  I know there are countless others that I could list here that say the very same thing.  If I want to know my Heavenly Father and my Savior more intimately, if I want to feel them in my life, I know how to make this happen.  THIS is why I need to do my dailies every single day.  I cannot do this alone, I need help and the help will come if I seek it out.

~~~ Tim