the correct tool.

Recently, I put a new bike seat on my bike and oiled the chain so that it wouldn't squeak anymore. I was reminded of a metaphor I learned on my mission a few times and of what it means to me.

Here are a few short stories to illustrate my point:

The Accident (on my mission in California) - Elder Olofson and I had been together for a few months and we were starting to get along really well. We were on our way to visit Judith to talk to her about getting baptized. Josh Groban may have been distracting us, but as we came over a small hill we saw a green light, but the truck in front of us was completely stopped. 

Olofson slammed on the brakes and we avoided the truck, swerving to the right. We looked at each other and exhaled. Then the car behind us slammed into our rear. The guy's car was totalled, but we were fine. After everything got sorted out we realized that there was a piece of shrapnel stuck in our muffler:

This little guy proved impossible to remove; until the Zone Leaders showed up with this tool:

Locking pliers. With some effort we got it dislodged. It took the proper tool to fix our problem.

The Toilet (on my mission in California) - Clogged toilets are the worst thing ever. We were living with members and tried every single thing imaginable to try and get the toilet unclogged. Finally, we asked the family if they had a plunger. Took about 5 seconds to get the toilet clear. Again. A problem that could only be fixed with the correct tool.

The bike saddle - I hated the bike saddle on my bike. It was uncomfortable and made me slide forward. So I took a bike saddle my brother had lying around to replace it. I needed a Hex key to change the saddle. There were none to be found in the house. I tried some other stuff and ended up buying a Hex key at the bookstore. It took the aid of a hammer to get the nut loosened, but it worked.

The metaphor I see in all of this is repentance and the Atonement. We've all made mistakes and done things that we regret. Sometimes it just takes saying we're sorry, or never doing it again. Sometimes it takes a whole lot more than that.

 Sometimes the Atonement takes the form of a hammer. Sometimes it takes the form of a bulldozer. The point is, there are problems that we cannot fix ourselves. Only by going through the proper steps of repentance and applying the Atonement in our lives can we be made right again.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is accessible to all of us at no cost. It is the only correct tool to receive forgiveness and confidence in God's presence. 

deliverance.

A few days ago as I was reading in Ether (Book of Mormon) I was struck by an impression.

The people of Jared had a hard time with staying righteous and were greatly influenced by the kings who ruled over them. When there was a king who followed God, the people usually followed suite. When the king would rather kill his dad for the throne than wait around and maybe inherit it, their society tended to decay.

One king, Shule, made sure that the prophets could come in and call his people to repentance. The people fixed their lives and were blessed for it. What was the reason that Shule, unlike a few kings before him was concerned with what God wanted?

"And there were no more wars in the days of Shule; and he remembered the great things that the Lord had done for his fathers in bringing them across the great deep into the promised land; wherefore he did execute judgment in righteousness all his days." (emphasis added, Ether 7:27)

So. Shule remembered how God had spared his ancestors from the Tower of Babel and brought them to the Americas.

Sound a little familiar?

In the Old Testament there are countless times where the children of Israel remember how their ancestors were delivered from Egyptian captivity (or didn't and roamed around in the wilderness, or were conquered and put into captivity again) and this led them to live the commandments of God. Nephi and his righteous descendants always looked back on their "Exodus," from Israel to the American continent.

So what is my point? Every group of righteous people had something in common. They remembered how God had delivered them. When he had taken them in His mercy and put them in a much better situation where they could be blessed if they would stay faithful to him.

It led me to ask myself, what event in my life has been the foundation of my belief and testimony? What can I always look back on to renew my desire to live correctly? I have a certain night in mind where God answered one of my prayers. So I suppose you can call it my "Exodus," my figurative deliverance from captivity.

Which deliverance do we remember to keep us strong?

in every thought.

so i recently had the idea of sharing some of the insights and things i learn in my studies and life. this blog is an attempt to share things that i find interesting, or help me to live the life God would want me to. i hope it will help me to develop some of my impressions into full thoughts.

the name "in every thought," comes from a scripture i've been being led to semi-frequently in Doctrine and Covenants (6:36), "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."

the scriptures have been a very treasured thing to me over these past four years. i've found a lot of answers and guidance in them. which makes sense. they are answers and guidance to God's children, so i should be able to relate my own life to theirs. maybe you're even looking for the same answers that i am.

D&C 42:62 "If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things––that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal."