A Lenten Personal Progress – Days 18 – 24

If you’ve been keeping up with everything, you will be half-way through your personal progress experiences later this week, on day 23.

My inspiration for putting this program together was my eldest daughter, who turned 19 without ever officially completing the personal progress program. She had done a large number of things during the course of her high school career. But when it came time to complete her personal progress, it was just too much for her to figure out.

When her younger sisters entered the Young Women’s program, though, she made custom binders for each one, giving to them encouragement and helps that might have made a difference in her day.

So my hope is that this will make a difference to others, in their day.

To go directly to a particular day, click on one of the following links:
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 |
Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 |
Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20 | Day 21 | Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 24 | Go to Top

Day 18 (Saturday)
I happen to be a member of a large family, so it is easy for me to imagine God loving a large number of us, His children, even though we are all different individuals. As a parent myself, I know that it is possible to love even when my children are doing all manner of less-than-optimal things.

And just as my heart melts when I see my children trying to do the right thing, so God is willing to love us and forgive us if we but begin to try to do the right thing. There is nothing you can have done that will make God hate you forever. He, through Christ, is always open to our return, to our taking up again the path towards Him.

Book of Mormon: Read Mosiah 29 – Alma 4: The sons of Mosiah refuse the kingship. Alma determines that preaching the gospel is more powerful than leading as Chief Judge.

Begin and complete Divine Nature 1: Read the suggested scriptures and list some of the divine qualities of a daughter of God, along with how you can discover and develop each of these qualities.

Start Divine Nature 3: For two weeks show love for a  family member and avoid unkind thoughts and actions.

Remember to:

• Review and keep your standards (day 18 of 31)
• Pray morning and evening (day 17 of 21)
• Continue your new habit related to personal integrity (day 16 of 21)
• Continue your habit of regular scripture study and prayer (day 15 of 21)
• Work on the three standards you decided to improve upon (day 14 of 21)
• Record the quiet acts of service others perform (day 13 of 14)
• Read your patriarchal blessing or set an appointment to get a recommend for one (reminder 12 of 21)
• Help plan meals, provide food, and gather the family for mealtimes. (day 11 of 14)
• Increase your understanding of the atonement and plan to share your testimony.
• Ponder Christ’s atonement and the gospel during the sacrament. (week 2 of 3)
• Explain the plan of salvation and how it builds your faith. (reminder 6 of 14)
• Participate in a performance or give a speech. (reminder 5 of 7)
• Notice and acknowledge the worthwhile qualities and attributes of others. (day 4 of 14)
• Improve an attribute important to being a good mother. (day 3 of 14)
• Show love for a family member and avoid unkind thoughts and actions. (day 1 of 14)

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Day 19 (Sunday)
There are times when we wonder if we, as just one individual, can actually make a difference. But we see this time and again in scripture, where a single person and their testimony is able to make a huge difference.

In today’s reading, that one person is Amulek, a simple man living in the city of Ammonihah. In all that city, Amulek was the only one, initially, willing to receive Alma into his home and stand by Alma to testify of Christ. For those who were converted in Ammonihah, it was the testimony of this man who was one of them that was most powerful.

There are those you know for whom you are the person with the greatest power to touch them, with the greatest power to deliver a testimony of Christ that they’ll be willing to hear. It may be in this life, it may be in the life to come. But these people that you know are your particular ministry.

Book of Mormon: Read Alma 5 – Alma 9: Alma preaches throughout the land. Many repent and accept the gospel, but the people of Ammonihah reject the gospel. Alma is commanded to return to Ammonihah where Amulek joins him.
Complete Faith 6: You studied about the plan of salvation, created a drawing or other teaching tool, and taught someone about the plan of salvation and how it increases your faith.
Start Divine Nature 4: Act each day to remember the Lord Jesus Christ and develop your divine qualities.

Remember to:

• Review and keep your standards (day 19 of 31)
• Pray morning and evening (day 18 of 21)
• Continue your new habit related to personal integrity (day 17 of 21)
• Continue your habit of regular scripture study and prayer (day 16 of 21)
• Work on the three standards you decided to improve upon (day 15 of 21)
• Record the quiet acts of service others perform (day 14 of 14)
• Read your patriarchal blessing or set an appointment to get a recommend for one (reminder 13 of 21)
• Help plan meals, provide food, and gather the family for mealtimes. (day 12 of 14)
• Increase your understanding of the atonement and plan to share your testimony.
• Ponder Christ’s atonement and the gospel during the sacrament. (week 2 of 3)
• Explain the plan of salvation and how it builds your faith. (reminder 7 of 14)
• Participate in a performance or give a speech. (reminder 6 of 7)
• Notice and acknowledge the worthwhile qualities and attributes of others. (day 5 of 14)
• Improve an attribute important to being a good mother. (day 4 of 14)
• Show love for a family member and avoid unkind thoughts and actions. (day 2 of 14)
• Act each day to remember the Lord Jesus Christ and develop your divine qualities (day 1 of 14)

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Day 20 (Monday)
My younger children are finishing school this month. Also, we are coming up  on Father’s Day. These are both great opportunities to thank those who have done so much to help you in your life.

A card is nice. But a card or letter that explains the particular things a father, grandfather, or teacher has done to influence you for good will be treasured.

You will notice other things. As you seek to see the good in those around you, treating them with kindness and respect, you will find that this blesses you as well. And if you do notice faults, you may find that you are in a better position to help them overcome their faults when they know you honestly care for them.

Book of Mormon: Read Alma 10 – Alma 13: Alma and Amulek proclaim the gospel and contend with Zeezrom, a lawyer who tries to argue that the gospel is wrong.

Complete Good Works 1: For two weeks you recorded the quiet acts of service others perform. Write about this in your journal.

Start Divine Nature 5: For two weeks, treat your parents with respect and kindness and do as they ask.

Remember to:

• Review and keep your standards (day 20 of 31)
• Pray morning and evening (day 19 of 21)
• Continue your new habit related to personal integrity (day 18 of 21)
• Continue your habit of regular scripture study and prayer (day 17 of 21)
• Work on the three standards you decided to improve upon (day 16 of 21)
• Read your patriarchal blessing or set an appointment to get a recommend for one (reminder 14 of 21)
• Help plan meals, provide food, and gather the family for mealtimes. (day 13 of 14)
• Increase your understanding of the atonement and plan to share your testimony.
• Ponder Christ’s atonement and the gospel during the sacrament. (week 2 of 3)
• Explain the plan of salvation and how it builds your faith. (reminder 8 of 14)
• Participate in a performance or give a speech. (reminder 7 of 7)
• Notice and acknowledge the worthwhile qualities and attributes of others. (day 6 of 14)
• Improve an attribute important to being a good mother. (day 5 of 14)
• Show love for a family member and avoid unkind thoughts and actions. (day 3 of 14)
• Act each day to remember the Lord Jesus Christ and develop your divine qualities (day 2 of 14)
• Treat your parents with respect and kindness and do as they ask (day 1 of 14)

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Day 21 (Tuesday)
This past week the missionaries came to our home for dinner. They also shared a lesson about faith, and we read the parable that compares faith to a seed.

Because I have grown plants, I had an insight that I’d never had before with respect to faith. In the parable, it isn’t enough to just notice that the seed has swollen (the way “good” beans swell when you soak them). It isn’t enough to see the seed put forward the first small leaves. You need to continue to nourish and tend the plant.

And when it comes time for the plant to put forth fruit, it is well-known to gardeners that you sometimes have to be “mean” to the plant – cutting down on water, reducing temperature, even cutting part-way through the stem. Only under such stress will a plant put forth sweet fruit filled with seed.

Book of Mormon: Read Alma 14 – Alma 18: Alma and Amulek are cast into prison and those they converted are burned to death. Zeezrom repents and is healed. Alma is reunited with the sons of Mosiah after 14 years.

Complete Individual Worth 5: Write in your journal about a dance, speech, music or drama performance you participated in and how that affected your feeling of individual worth.

Start Divine Nature 6: Select a divine quality from the readings and for two weeks strive to make it a part of your daily life.

Remember to:

• Review and keep your standards (day 21 of 31)
• Pray morning and evening (day 20 of 21)
• Continue your new habit related to personal integrity (day 19 of 21)
• Continue your habit of regular scripture study and prayer (day 18 of 21)
• Work on the three standards you decided to improve upon (day 17 of 21)
• Read your patriarchal blessing or set an appointment to get a recommend for one (reminder 15 of 21)
• Help plan meals, provide food, and gather the family for mealtimes. (day 14 of 14)
• Increase your understanding of the atonement and plan to share your testimony.
• Ponder Christ’s atonement and the gospel during the sacrament. (week 2 of 3)
• Explain the plan of salvation and how it builds your faith. (reminder 9 of 14)
• Notice and acknowledge the worthwhile qualities and attributes of others. (day 7 of 14)
• Improve an attribute important to being a good mother. (day 6 of 14)
• Show love for a family member and avoid unkind thoughts and actions. (day 4 of 14)
• Act each day to remember the Lord Jesus Christ and develop your divine qualities (day 3 of 14)
• Treat your parents with respect and kindness and do as they ask (day 2 of 14)
• Strive to make a divine quality a part of daily life. (day 1 of 14)

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Day 22 (Wednesday)
One truth that is rarely appropriate to discuss on Fast Sunday is the importance of constant nourishment.

You will tend to thrive in the gospel if each day you read the scriptures, ponder the atonement, and pray. It’s just like how it’s usually best to eat each day, rather than just loading up on good things once a week.

The gospel is a lot like food. Your spirit needs daily nourishment. And the ways you get your “gospel” can be like food – either a well prepared meal that is a true delight, or a meal that is slapped on the plate in sodden, colorless mass. If someone hates food, it might be that they’ve never had good food. If someone doesn’t like being with other believers, it may be that they’ve never really tasted the sweetness of the gospel.

Book of Mormon: Today is a free day. If you’re behind in your reading or any of the value experiences, use this time to catch up.

Complete Good Works 2: For two weeks, you helped plan meals, obtain and prepare food, and gather family for mealtimes. Write about this in your journal.

There’s no long-term experience scheduled to start today. Take a glance at future (or past) long-term experiences – there might be something you’d like to get caught up with or started earlier than planned in my schedule.

Remember to:

• Review and keep your standards (day 22 of 31)
• Pray morning and evening (day 21 of 21)
• Continue your new habit related to personal integrity (day 20 of 21)
• Continue your habit of regular scripture study and prayer (day 19 of 21)
• Work on the three standards you decided to improve upon (day 18 of 21)
• Read your patriarchal blessing or set an appointment to get a recommend for one (reminder 16 of 21)
• Increase your understanding of the atonement and plan to share your testimony.
• Ponder Christ’s atonement and the gospel during the sacrament. (week 2 of 3)
• Explain the plan of salvation and how it builds your faith. (reminder 10 of 14)
• Notice and acknowledge the worthwhile qualities and attributes of others. (day 9 of 14)
• Improve an attribute important to being a good mother. (day 8 of 14)
• Show love for a family member and avoid unkind thoughts and actions. (day 5 of 14)
• Act each day to remember the Lord Jesus Christ and develop your divine qualities (day 4 of 14)
• Treat your parents with respect and kindness and do as they ask (day 3 of 14)
• Strive to make a divine quality a part of daily life. (day 2 of 14)

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Day 23 (Thursday)
The reading for today includes the story of Ammon and his brothers preaching to the Lamanites, a people for whom various Nephite prophets had prayed for hundreds of years.

Even so, it might have all come to naught if it hadn’t been for Ammon. Ammon had been a king’s son, yet he was willing to serve as any of the other slaves of King Lamoni, willing to risk death if the sheep under his care were scattered, as had so often happened before.

And yet it was only because of this danger and Ammon’s service that Lamoni was converted, and with Lamoni thousands of others were converted, hundreds of years after Nephi and Jacob and Enos had poured out their hearts in prayer to God. Ina similar manner, the hope of your prayers may not be realized immediately, and it may require intense bravery on the part of someone you will never meet. But God will hear prayers of faith and answer them in His time.

Book of Mormon: Read Alma 19 – Alma 24: The sons of Mosiah (Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni) are able to convert many of the Lamanites. The believers begin calling themselves the Lehites who aren’t Nephites or Anti-Nephi-Lehies. The rest of the Lamanites attack the believers, who refuse to defend themselves.

Complete Faith 1: For three weeks you have prayed morning and evening. Write in your journal about how this increased your faith. This is a great habit to continue.

There’s no long-term experience scheduled to start today. Take a glance at future (or past) long-term experiences – there might be something you’d like to get caught up with or started earlier than planned in my schedule.

Remember to:

• Review and keep your standards (day 23 of 31)
• Continue your new habit related to personal integrity (day 21 of 21)
• Continue your habit of regular scripture study and prayer (day 20 of 21)
• Work on the three standards you decided to improve upon (day 19 of 21)
• Read your patriarchal blessing or set an appointment to get a recommend for one (reminder 17 of 21)
• Increase your understanding of the atonement and plan to share your testimony.
• Ponder Christ’s atonement and the gospel during the sacrament. (week 2 of 3)
• Explain the plan of salvation and how it builds your faith. (reminder 11 of 14)
• Notice and acknowledge the worthwhile qualities and attributes of others. (day 10 of 14)
• Improve an attribute important to being a good mother. (day 9 of 14)
• Show love for a family member and avoid unkind thoughts and actions. (day 6 of 14)
• Act each day to remember the Lord Jesus Christ and develop your divine qualities (day 5 of 14)
• Treat your parents with respect and kindness and do as they ask (day 4 of 14)
• Strive to make a divine quality a part of daily life. (day 3 of 14)

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Day 24 (Friday)
For many years I was aware of the song, “Oh, that I were an Angel.” But it wasn’t until a time reading through the Book of Mormon quickly, reading many chapters each day, that I realized why Alma cries out, wishing he were an angel.

It is because he is standing before a field of the dead, killed in battle by those who rejected Christ. And Alma, who had fought against those who believed in Christ in his youth, knew that it was only because of the angel that appeared to him that he was turned from destruction.

Likewise, Alma cries out, wishing he could have been such an angel to those who killed in battle, able to cause them to change, as he was changed.

We cannot be the kind of angel that appeared to Alma, but we can still be angels of good and mercy, trusted for our integrity. Though we may wish for more, what we can do is all God requires of us. In time and through the grace of our Savior, Jesus Christ, it will be enough.

Book of Mormon: Read Alma 25 – Alma 30: Many are converted by the faith of those willing to be slain, but the faithful are still a minority. Ammon convinces the faithful to flee and secures the land of Jershon for the refugees. The Lamanites attack the Nephites, destroying Ammonihah. Korihor preaches that there is no Christ.

Complete Integrity 2: For three weeks you have developed a new habit related to personal integrity. Write about this experience in your journal.

There’s no long-term experience scheduled to start today. Take a glance at future (or past) long-term experiences – there might be something you’d like to get caught up with or started earlier than planned in my schedule.

Remember to:

• Review and keep your standards (day 24 of 31)
• Continue your habit of regular scripture study and prayer (day 21 of 21)
• Work on the three standards you decided to improve upon (day 20 of 21)
• Read your patriarchal blessing or set an appointment to get a recommend for one (reminder 18 of 21)
• Increase your understanding of the atonement and plan to share your testimony.
• Ponder Christ’s atonement and the gospel during the sacrament. (week 2 of 3)
• Explain the plan of salvation and how it builds your faith. (reminder 12 of 14)
• Notice and acknowledge the worthwhile qualities and attributes of others. (day 11 of 14)
• Improve an attribute important to being a good mother. (day 10 of 14)
• Show love for a family member and avoid unkind thoughts and actions. (day 7 of 14)
• Act each day to remember the Lord Jesus Christ and develop your divine qualities (day 6 of 14)
• Treat your parents with respect and kindness and do as they ask (day 5 of 14)
• Strive to make a divine quality a part of daily life. (day 4 of 14)

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 |
Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 |
Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20 | Day 21 | Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 24 | Go to Top