I have a game that I play...avoid speaking in church. It's not that I absolutely hate speaking in church, I just enjoy listening and thinking about what is being said more. I do enjoy the writing part, thinking deeply, trying to figure out what I can say that may or may not influence someone for the better. I failed at playing that game last week, so yesterday I spoke in church. Here's what I had to say: :)
Back in high school, I was in an AP art class. I was working on an 8x10 drawing on black paper of lilies. using prismacolor pencils for the first time. With these pencils, you can get the colors to blend using a layering technique. You build up layers of colors and blend the colors as you go. I was pretty close to finishing the piece, but I was having trouble with one of the sections of the flower with getting the color just right, so as I layered the colors, I began to notice little black specks on the drawing. So, I would just add more layers to try to cover them up, but what I didn't realize was the the black specks were from the paper as it began to come apart. Before I knew it, I had drawn a hole into this drawing and there was no fixing it. Obviously I was angry and frustrated with myself because I should have realized what was happening, but I had to start completely over with this drawing. If I had paid closer attention to what what was happening on my paper, I could have probably stopped, taken a break from what I was doing, and figured out a way to prevent further damage to the drawing.
Life can be very similar. We can be trying to do our best to be productive and make something beautiful out of our situation; we can work and keep working, adding more layers to our lives, but before we realize it, we have worn ourselves thin. We exhaust ourselves to the point where we can no longer function properly and the only way for us to get back on track is to start over, and start fresh.
This past week has been all over the place for me. I was a math tutor and then we had our epic coloring party for FHE on Monday. Tuesday, I did a bunch of landscaping. Wednesday, I taught my friend, Shirley (who is 90 ish) some things in Microsoft word. And if any of you have taught an older person how to use technology, you understand why that is so tiring. Thursday, I worked two jobs and then celebrated my grandma's birthday. Friday, I got a phone call from my mom, who was at work, asking if I could come teach her and the new manager how to use a program on their computer that I had never used before. So I not only had to teach myself how to use the program, but I had to teach them as well...and their old too :) and I went to the Weber Co. fair. Saturday, I went to work, baked brownies, cleaned the church, and did what any sensible country girl in the area would do and I went to the demolition derby.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has had a hectic schedule, but by the end of the week, I'm dead to the world. With each new day that we live through, we get a few more black specks showing through.
But when Sunday comes, we can take a step back and look at those black specks or holes and figure out how best to fix them. We can rest from the struggles of everyday life and become rejuvenated on the Sabbath.
Elder Worthlin, stated in 2006 ("Sunday will come")
"Each of us will have our own Fridays (or those busy weeks,). Those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We all have those Fridays...But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death, Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrows (or trials, or exhaustion, busy weeks, etc.) Sunday will come."
The literal Sunday comes every week. Now what are we supposed to do with those Sundays?
I want you to think for a second. What is your general routine for the Sabbath? Are you constantly rushing like you do the rest of the week? Or do you treat the Sabbath as a separate day? Do you take the time to rest fro the world we are constantly being sucked into or are you coloring yourself thin? Are you spending more time on Facebook and Pinterest than you are with the friends and family you have around you?
Satan knows that we need Sundays. He knows how powerful and important the Sabbath can and should be for us. He tempts us with our weaknesses, hoping we will give in because he knows that the more time we spend being busy and distracted, the less time we have to focus on building up our relationship with our Heavenly Father and the Savior, and the less time we will devote to church or focusing on the importance of the sacrament.
Just like tithing, we can set apart time each week and give it back to Him. We can give the Lord equal time.
Even with the constant reminders of the Sabbath, we forget how important it is. Just like Jared said in his testimony last week, Sometimes we have to get caught in a rainstorm while we are golfing on Sunday to help us realize what we have forgotten.
I want you to think of just one thing that you can do/do differently to improve your Sabbath day observance. Just one thing. It doesn't have to be huge. Now that you have, I want you to actually do it. Nothing will change if you don't do anything differently.
With each small change that we make to better our Sabbath day observance, we can become closer to Heavenly Father. We will find rest from the demands of the world and we will be able to face another hectic week without wearing holes in oursleves.
For one of my jobs, I mow lawns--lots of lawns. So I had some time to think about what I wanted to say while I was mowing and let's be honest, most of you won't remember this talk a month from now, and knowing that information, I was trying to figure out what I wanted you guys to remember. What would I want you guys to know. If I was to die tomorrow, what would I tell you? What would I want my last words to you to be?
They would be this:
Back in high school, I was in an AP art class. I was working on an 8x10 drawing on black paper of lilies. using prismacolor pencils for the first time. With these pencils, you can get the colors to blend using a layering technique. You build up layers of colors and blend the colors as you go. I was pretty close to finishing the piece, but I was having trouble with one of the sections of the flower with getting the color just right, so as I layered the colors, I began to notice little black specks on the drawing. So, I would just add more layers to try to cover them up, but what I didn't realize was the the black specks were from the paper as it began to come apart. Before I knew it, I had drawn a hole into this drawing and there was no fixing it. Obviously I was angry and frustrated with myself because I should have realized what was happening, but I had to start completely over with this drawing. If I had paid closer attention to what what was happening on my paper, I could have probably stopped, taken a break from what I was doing, and figured out a way to prevent further damage to the drawing.
Life can be very similar. We can be trying to do our best to be productive and make something beautiful out of our situation; we can work and keep working, adding more layers to our lives, but before we realize it, we have worn ourselves thin. We exhaust ourselves to the point where we can no longer function properly and the only way for us to get back on track is to start over, and start fresh.
This past week has been all over the place for me. I was a math tutor and then we had our epic coloring party for FHE on Monday. Tuesday, I did a bunch of landscaping. Wednesday, I taught my friend, Shirley (who is 90 ish) some things in Microsoft word. And if any of you have taught an older person how to use technology, you understand why that is so tiring. Thursday, I worked two jobs and then celebrated my grandma's birthday. Friday, I got a phone call from my mom, who was at work, asking if I could come teach her and the new manager how to use a program on their computer that I had never used before. So I not only had to teach myself how to use the program, but I had to teach them as well...and their old too :) and I went to the Weber Co. fair. Saturday, I went to work, baked brownies, cleaned the church, and did what any sensible country girl in the area would do and I went to the demolition derby.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has had a hectic schedule, but by the end of the week, I'm dead to the world. With each new day that we live through, we get a few more black specks showing through.
But when Sunday comes, we can take a step back and look at those black specks or holes and figure out how best to fix them. We can rest from the struggles of everyday life and become rejuvenated on the Sabbath.
Elder Worthlin, stated in 2006 ("Sunday will come")
"Each of us will have our own Fridays (or those busy weeks,). Those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We all have those Fridays...But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death, Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrows (or trials, or exhaustion, busy weeks, etc.) Sunday will come."
The literal Sunday comes every week. Now what are we supposed to do with those Sundays?
I want you to think for a second. What is your general routine for the Sabbath? Are you constantly rushing like you do the rest of the week? Or do you treat the Sabbath as a separate day? Do you take the time to rest fro the world we are constantly being sucked into or are you coloring yourself thin? Are you spending more time on Facebook and Pinterest than you are with the friends and family you have around you?
Satan knows that we need Sundays. He knows how powerful and important the Sabbath can and should be for us. He tempts us with our weaknesses, hoping we will give in because he knows that the more time we spend being busy and distracted, the less time we have to focus on building up our relationship with our Heavenly Father and the Savior, and the less time we will devote to church or focusing on the importance of the sacrament.
Just like tithing, we can set apart time each week and give it back to Him. We can give the Lord equal time.
Even with the constant reminders of the Sabbath, we forget how important it is. Just like Jared said in his testimony last week, Sometimes we have to get caught in a rainstorm while we are golfing on Sunday to help us realize what we have forgotten.
I want you to think of just one thing that you can do/do differently to improve your Sabbath day observance. Just one thing. It doesn't have to be huge. Now that you have, I want you to actually do it. Nothing will change if you don't do anything differently.
With each small change that we make to better our Sabbath day observance, we can become closer to Heavenly Father. We will find rest from the demands of the world and we will be able to face another hectic week without wearing holes in oursleves.
For one of my jobs, I mow lawns--lots of lawns. So I had some time to think about what I wanted to say while I was mowing and let's be honest, most of you won't remember this talk a month from now, and knowing that information, I was trying to figure out what I wanted you guys to remember. What would I want you guys to know. If I was to die tomorrow, what would I tell you? What would I want my last words to you to be?
They would be this:
- There is nothing more important than having a relationship with our Savior and we can strengthen it by keeping the Sabbath day holy.
- There is nothing the Atonement of Jesus Christ can't reach, fix, or heal.
- There are no rules telling us that we can't ask questions about the gospel, no matter how dumb we think they are.
- There is nothing that we can't pray and talk to Heavenly Father about.
- Last: The ONLY place that happiness can be found, is in this Gospel.
I hope that we can each remember to rest from the world on the Sabbath and remember to honor it. It is a great time for us to to focus on our Savior...
I shared my testimony after this. I don't remember what I said, but I know that the Savior loves me and I know that He loves you. I know that prayers are answered, because my prayers have been answered. I know that God lives because I have seen the tender mercies that have been placed in my life at times when I needed them. The Gospel makes me want to be a better person and it brings happiness into my life that I can not find any other way. It brings me hope through the Savior and through the Atonement.
