Of Balance

Last week's scripture was one of my favorites - Mosiah 4:27:

And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.

I love the wisdom of this scripture. Everything we do has a purpose. But we need to be careful to not "run faster than [we have] strength." It reminds me of that "perfect" Molly Mormon. You know the one. She bakes homemade rolls, sews a quilt for every new baby in the ward, gives a perfect Relief Society lesson (with a beautiful table display), and does it all while homeschooling her 11 children.

That person doesn't exist, just so you know!

If we try to be that person, we'll get burned out pretty quickly! However, there's a second part to this scripture: "it is expedient that he should be diligent." Just because we can't be that perfect person (and don't really want to be!) doesn't mean we can just give up and say, "Oh well, this is who I am." We have to be diligent in becoming better. Every day is a new chance to be a little better. And if it doesn't work out, we always have tomorrow to start again. "... that thereby [we] might win the prize." When we do all things "in order" - the way Heavenly Father will guide us to do them - we'll be able to create a balance in our lives that will lead us to Him.

Gratitude Shows Our Faith

I love this passage of scripture:

12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

All ten were healed of their leprosy, but only the one was made whole. To me, this means he was physically and spiritually cleansed. It's interesting to me that Jesus said, "thy faith hath made thee whole." He didn't say his gratitude had made him whole, or his willingness to come back had made him whole. However, these things showed his faith. He believed in Christ, and he came back to make it known by giving Him thanks.

As we express our gratitude to our Heavenly Father, our faith in Him is also expressed. "Coincidence" or "luck" turn into faith as we acknowledge God's hand in all things. They become tender mercies of the Lord. When we give prayers of thanksgiving, we let Heavenly Father know that we know of His love and guidance in our lives. We show Him our faith.

Hold to the Rod

Hold to the Rod, the Iron Rod

by James Christensen

I love this painting! Here's the explanation that went along with the portrait on one of the websites:

"As we walk the road of life, we tend to collect things that make us feel safer and more sure of ourselves. These may be material possessions, titles or responsibilities, but in the end they amount to the same thing: a fleeting and superficial sense of security. It is only by holding fast to our beliefs that we can navigate life with any confidence.

"The character in Hold to the Rod finds himself so burdened with the mundane objects he has collected that, while he hopefully eyes the rod, he cannot reach up to hold it for fear of losing something else. The man has become little more than a vehicle for his adornments. He demonstrates that what is truly important is keeping sight of our true belief and faith, that they alone will guide us through."

So true. The story of the tree of life mentions a lot of things that get people to let go of the iron rod, but I never thought about the busyness of life being one of the causes. But it definitely makes sense! Life can really get in the way of the really important stuff sometimes! Hopefully, we all have the opportunity, every now and then, to step back and weed out the unimportant things, so that the things that bring us pure joy are the only things left!