Still learning!

The world in general is fairly discouraging. There are people who claim to believe in the basic goodness of mankind and offer observations of technical, medical, and other scientific advancements. All that may be true but, morally and spiritually, I'm not so sure we human beings are headed in the right direction. There is much of anger, vengeance, lust, greed, and total lack of moral compass in the world right now. I was so grateful to be able to hear the words of peacemakers/servants of God/followers of Jesus Christ this past weekend. The men and women who spoke during the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints were inspiring to listen to because they were all inspired in what they had to say. As an added bonus to the encouragement, guidance, and reassurance their words offered, the opportunity to have the windows of heaven opened so that I could receive some personal whisperings from the Holy Ghost gave me further enlightenment. I know they were to me but they weren't necessarily totally personal. The sparks of enlightenment I received were about general principles that anyone, and everyone who wants to understand more of what God understands, could benefit from. They weren't necessarily connected to specific themes or words being given at the time, but they are interesting concepts.
I realized that God doesn't usually answer immediately and concisely to guide our decisions and actions; that isn't because He is busy or delaying our satisfaction. It is because we NEED the chance to think it out for ourselves- to search all we that we already have at our disposal: past experiences, ability to analyze, principles already understood, and the writings of prophets. If we are to become like He is, we need to exercise our own abilities, not just remain in our current state of ignorance and weakness waiting to be told what to do. We need to gain a clearer understanding of how and why things work so we can better make our OWN decisions and judgements. Being an obedient servant is a step in the right direction but it is NOT OUR ETERNAL GOAL! Our eternal goal is to be like He is, wise, omniscient, etc.
When we do need to rely on heavenly guidance, we need to be in the right frame of mind and open to righteous wisdom. The Lord can not dwell in unclean temples. If we are polluted in our minds (dwelling on unrighteous thoughts or memories), or our bodies (influenced by drugs not related to a doctor's prescription even to the point of "simple" caffeine), or our emotions (anger, lust, all major "natural man" type feelings), the Holy Ghost- who is a member of the Godhead- will not have as much affect on us. We are all far from perfected and while in our mortal state are subject to temptations and weakness. However, if our pure intent is to overcome the natural man and come closer to our Father in Heaven, He is more than happy to help- as long as we are doing our part and not just waiting for Him to take over.
The authority to act in the name of Jesus Christ, the priesthood, has been restored to the earth. Often we tend to feel that, since Jesus healed any and all who asked when He was living as a mortal, priesthood members should be able to do the same. We know that Jesus explained that at least one of the reasons He was able to heal so many was to show His power- to identify Himself for who He was/is- the Son of God. I think there is another reason why He was uniquely able, or really more WILLING, to heal everyone when priesthood members now don't/can't and that is - it is a foreshadow or type. We know that the scriptures are full of allegories and parables and symbols. Christ physically healed all when He was on Earth because He can and will spiritually heal ALL WHO DESIRE IT. His atonement covers anyone and everyone who asks.
These thoughts may not mean as much to others as they did to me. I don't even know if anyone will ever even read them! But it was beneficial to me to ponder them and take the time to word them so it makes the concepts better integrated into my mind. I continue to seek wisdom. I know that God loves us and because He does, it has to be painful or at least uncomfortable for Him to see us in pain and sorrow. Yet it is absolutely essential that we all have our agency, including Satan, and experience opposition in all things. That inevitably results in pain and sorrow for all of us. How can God stand it? How does He resist "fixing" everything? How does He let us struggle the way we NEED to without giving in to the heartfelt desire to take care of us? I know it's wisdom to let us gain our own muscle and mental ability. As a mother I have often wanted to step in and "do it" for children when they're struggling. But how can a kid learn to tie their shoes if you always do it for them when they cry and get frustrated and may even miss their bus? I keep reaching to better understand wisdom and how to apply it.