Remembering To Do The Small And Simple Things
I am amazed at when I think back to my mission, and my amazement goes even further at my mission President, when he encouraged me to read from my scriptures (mainly the Book of Mormon) for 30 min a day after my mission. My amazement came not from the request, but from the time he had told me to allot. I mean come on, I was reading the scriptures all day and personally at least 2-3 hours per day if not more. I really had not clue what would happen in life after my mission, but my mission President knew, and thats why he encouraged me to do the what almost seems impossible task now.
Life catches up with you fast (as the Nationwide commercial states) and before you know it you are married with kids (multiple kids) and getting up early to make sure everyone gets bathed, dressed, fed and off to school on time. Doing all this without even giving yourself any consideration still. Then picking kids up, dropping off, church callings - before you know it the day is gone and you feel like you accomplished nothing. Oh yea, and did I forget to mention a little thing called … work. You have to work for a living, so throw that into the mix and I am surprised more people in the Church don’t have a nervous break down when extended a calling.
I can’t even seem to find 10 minutes to read the Book of Mormon right now, let alone 30. I know, I know … turn of the TV you are going to say, but at the end of the day and I am beat thats all I wanna do. I just wanna jump into bed, and turn the TV on, talk with my wife (finally after a long day) and just relax. I feel that I have to be in the proper mind set to read and really study the scriptures. Plus I just got done with an hour of reading to and with the kids because of school assignments…so my reading nerves are all about spent.
So whats someone in my situation to do? Its simple - No matter how hard it may seem, no matter how tired I think I am, no matter if I have to turn off the TV (I mean I do have DVR for goodness sake I can watch it anytime really) and just DO IT … as President Ezra Taft Benson use to say … DO IT. Its remembering to do the small and simple things that good things will be brought to pass. I see the benefit of reading the animated scriptures with my kids everynight and the lessons it is teaching them, but I need to get spiritually fed too from my research and study. The only way I am going to get it is by doing it.
I didn’t mean for this post to turn out as a self confession or anything, but I really do feel the urge to share that we as members of the Church (the only true and living one on the whole earth) have a duty to remember the small things because they really do bring huge and amazing things to pass.
