Episode 42: Being a Receiver of the Gospel, not a Doer

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Now you might be thinking, what the heck is a receiver and a doer?

Well, I totally made those terms up because I have seen this phenomenon happen  with many women I work with. I want to help you understand this phenomenon and how it can alter your perspective of the gospel. 

What I see a lot of women doing is trying to do more to be more perfect and then getting burnt out when they can’t keep up. The gospel isn’t about doing MORE, it's about learning to receive.

What happens is that we develop certain stories about ourselves and what it means about us. Specifically If we aren’t able to keep up with someone else. if don't do as much as they do or do all that we’re asked to do.

This causes us to turn into what I call, a doer.  Don't worry, we all have a doer inside of us that wakes up and causes us to start treating the gospel like a checklist

We often feel if we can do a certain amount of things it will prove our worth and value and we will be good enough.

The gospel is not about doing, it’s about receiving.

 Before I jump into what it means to be a receiver, I want to first see if you can identify with the doer first. As I stated above, we all have the doer inside of us.  The great thing is that we can learn to manage it and not let it run our lives.

Being a Doer

 Becoming a doer of the gospel is pretty common. Many women that I work with often feel this way.  Let's see if you can relate to some of the things they say...

• I do good for a while then I mess up one time so I throw in the towel and I give up completely.
• I get really exhausted sometimes from doing so much and will completely quit for a long time.
• I feel like I need to be perfect at reading my scriptures, saying my prayers, going to church and signing up for every single opportunity to serve.
• I don’t feel like I can make any mistakes.

When you are in the doer state you are trying to attain something that isn’t possible. It will always feel like you are failing.

Another thing you might say in the doer state is , "I can’t come up with a plan that fits all that I need to be doing and I need to come up with the perfect plan before I can do anything." The problem with this doer mentality is that it takes the flexibility out of letting the Spirit guide you in what the Lord wants you to be doing.

You might also say...

• Doing everything we are expected to do in the gospel is too hard.
• I have so many distractions in my life. It is too chaotic and I am just not good at.
• In order to be where I want to be in the gospel I need to get all of these things solved first then I can focus on doing more in the gospel

With this doer mentality you are leaving a valuable resource on the table.  The enabling power of Christ, the guidance from the Spirit, and the will that God has for you.

Can you relate with any of those statements? My guess is you have found yourself caught in at least one of those mentalities a few times in your life.  

So ask yourself. What is it costing you to be a doer? Is it costing you time, energy and a closer connection with Christ? 

The doer thinks the destination is getting things off their list and done but once they do, they feel like they need to do more and more of it to feel satisfied. Never knowing if they have done “enough.”

Scripture study, saying your prayers, going to the temple or even taking the sacrament are not tasks to be checked off or done for the day. The direction you want to position yourself isn’t to get things off your list and get them done, it is to do those activities to RECEIVE the power that you need for your life. 

Being a Receiver

President Nelson said, “Our Father knows that when we are surrounded by uncertainty and fear, what will help us the very most is to hear His Son."

When we seek to hear—truly hear—His Son, we will be guided to know what to do in any circumstance. Those activities that you are “doing” in the gospel are meant to point you in the direction of the Savior so that you can be guided in any circumstance.

Instead of being a doer in the gospel, be a receiver.

A receiver of power, knowledge, healing and love.

The first thing to know when thinking about receiving is that God’s power, knowledge, healing and love is all around us all the time. Much like radio waves. 

You can’t see radio waves bouncing all around you nor can you hear them. But if you got the right tool, like a radio, and turned it to the right station then you could hear those radio waves.

God’s power, knowledge, healing and love through revelation is the same way. It is happening all around us all the time. Elder Bednar calls this a continuous stream of revelation. The problem is you can’t receive that continuous stream of revelation unless you use the right tools to tune into them.  Tune into them by being a receiver.

I have broken down the receiver into three different principles. These are the foundations of what a receiver does.

1. A receiver is able to prioritize their day through the Spirit.

2. A receiver seeks daily inspiration to lead their family.

3. A receiver accesses Christ’s power to endure physically and mentally.

What would change for you if you started to look at those tasks in the gospel as ways to receive that power, knowledge, healing and love? How would that change your life?

So how do we do that? Let me help you. I am holding a 5-day challenge starting on January 10 to teach you the tools the need to change your mindset and become more of a receiver.

5-days to Hear Him Challenge

In the challenge I will teach you how to start looking at the tools that the gospel has given us as ways to receive and hear Him more in your life. I want to help you stop looking at the tools of the gospel through the lens of a doer, which often leads to inaction.

When you view the gospel tools through the principles of a receiver you can receive even more motivation and desire to continue on a path that leads you to feel the enabling power of Christ, the guidance from the Spirit, and understand the will that God has for you.

If you are interested in learning those tools so you can turn away from your doer mentality and learn to be a receiver then sign up now for my 5 Days to Hear Him Challenge.

 I also want to share with you another life changing tool I use everyday to have a consistent spiritual routine. Consistency is really tough with all the things you need to get done in one day. People need to be taken care of and the energy you are using to do it can make it hard to squeeze in all of you're “supposed to do's ” on the spiritual front.

If you’re like most women you probably feel guilty for not doing enough spiritually and  anxious that you need to be doing more and have perfect study routine. My Seeking Personal Revelation Journal can help you do that.

When you learn to create consistent daily spiritual habits it becomes natural to you and something you can't live without.