Escape versus Prayer

Today at church, someone spoke about how we are eternal beings and will live forever. But we have one short earthly life to live and learn from. So, we should get serious about learning all we can and becoming more Christlike in this life, which is very short in the eternal scheme of things.

The comment made me think about escape. I have an unfortunate tendency to want to escape from life when it is getting too hard for me to handle. I want to read Harry Potter for hours or just watch a movie, get out of the house, go away for the weekend, send my daughter to Grandma's, etc, etc. I even just want to escape to the brief pleasure that comes from eating a piece of chocolate.

The problem with this is that when I'm back from my escape, my problems are still there. Sometimes they are worse. Those of you who know me are probably wondering what in the world kind of problems I have in my amazingly blessed and seemingly trial-free life. Well, I'm the first one to admit that most of my problems come from my own attitude about things. Anyway, that doesn't matter. We all have problems.

Relaxing in life does, of course, have its place. We all need fun and recreation to renew our energies and help us enjoy life. But I've found that escaping every time I reach the boiling point of frustration or stress is actually hindering my spirituality and closeness to Jesus Christ.

It is taking me so long to learn this lesson, but I am gradually figuring out that it's true. When I am bustling around the house, feeling sorry for myself because of all the work I have to do, or anytime I am feeling depressed for any reason, escape is not a productive solution.

I am finding that whenever I feel like escaping from life, if I kneel down and pray instead, or read the scriptures or a spiritual article, then the Lord changes my heart and helps me to feel better, allowing me to go about my work with a light heart and a positive attitude. He helps me to remember the many blessings I should be feeling grateful for and how many people there are who would give much to be in my situation.

We are here on earth to learn something. The Lord is our teacher. If we spend our whole life escaping from problems, we won't learn anything. We are eternal beings. Whether it is one day soon or after we die, we will have to face the problems we struggle with and will not be able to escape them. Ultimately, real escape is impossible. I would rather face it now and learn something.

It always brings me more happiness to learn from God in prayer and scripture study. Escape only brings temporary relief. I don't want to face my Maker after I die and have him tell me what I should have learned from the experiences I had on the earth. I think a habit of escape is one of Satan's tools to distract us from becoming more like the Savior and to keep us from being happy. The Lord gave us freedom of choice so we could act, not be acted upon. Escape is a reaction to the forces I feel acting upon me. Prayer, however, is an act, a choice I take to help me cope with and learn from those forces. Anyone else have any experiences or thoughts to share? I'd love to see your comments.