Standards

Throughout my Mormon career, I've sat and listened to a lot of Sunday School lessons.  Sadly, by church the next week, I would've already forgotten the lesson taught the previous week.  I didn't forget them all though.  There were a few lessons that stuck with me, and I would like to tell you about one involving standards.

Standards are everywhere.  Some examples: You must be this tall to ride this roller coaster, you must have this good of a grade to get an A, you must be this attractive to be called a Jaw Breaker.  But these aren't the standards we were talking about.  This lesson was about moral standards.  The chart above (the extent of my artistic ability) compares God's standards to the worlds standards.  We know God is "the same yesterday, to day, and forever," (Hebrews 13:8) and as such, his standards never change.  The world's standards, on the other hand, are continually getting further from God's standards.  The penetrating question that was asked during this Sunday School lesson was this: "Are we only trying to be above the world's standards, or are we staying in line with God's standards?"

If we just want to be better than the world's standards, that can and will get us into trouble.  And the further down the slope we go, the steeper it gets.  May we stick to the Lord's standards and avoid the world's with all costs.

Rats!

Ratatouille is an awesome Pixar movie, and possibly one of the hardest words in the world to spell.  The movie follows the story of a rat named Remy whose only dream is to become a top notch chef in the restaurant world of Paris.  I don't know about you, but rat and chef just don't go together.  The thing about Remy was that he was actually an excellent cook.  He didn't settle with the slimy, sewer diet that most rats sustain.  He wanted something more.  Something delicious.  Something delectable.  But a rat becoming a chef is a preposterous thought.  Or is it?  All Remy needed was a chance, and when it came, he succeeded and became he had dreamed of.

Sometimes in life, we are Remy.  Other times, we're the ones not giving Remy a chance.  Appearance is the first thing we as humans see.  It's not always easy to look past it, especially when we're looking at a 'rat that wants to be a chef.'  But to truly know someone, we must see as the Lord sees because "the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7).  Our Lord and Savior sees us as we really are.  He sees our heart.  May we strive to be more like Christ by giving others a chance and casting out unrighteous judgments.  It is then that we will be able see the kind of chef that Remy can become.

Clean the Corners

I talked to a former owner of a restaurant the other day, and for some reason we got on the subject of cleaning.  More so relating to cleaning bathrooms, but we won't delve into those details.  Of course she, the restaurant owner, couldn't constantly be at the restaurant to check every little thing, but she had her own ways of finding out what had been done.  One of her tricks was to put a small stack of pennies in corners of certain rooms.  If the employees really cleaned, then they would've discovered the pennies, or at least knocked the stack over.  But if they didn't really clean, then the pennies would be in the exact same place as they were when they were first stacked.  More often than not, the corners were overlooked.

Corners are places that people pay little attention to.  They figure no one will see them.  But corners aren't only in rooms; we have corners in our lives.  At first glance, things could look fine, but in the corners of our lives, we could have a stash of dirt and debris that desperately demands dusting.  The question is, how often do we clean the corners of our lives?  Do we let them collect dirt and dust because we know they're not seen by other people?  Or do we make sure they are just as clean as the rest of the floor?   As much as we try to hide it from others, the Lord sees all.  Alma puts in pretty bluntly by saying, "But behold, ye cannot hide your crimes from God." (Alma 39:8).  May we clean, clear, and cast out our concealed crimes.  When we do, the corners of our lives will no longer haunt us.

Posters

I learned a valuable lesson the other day that has to do with music, but the principle can be applied to so much more. I had a conversation with someone who is quite musically inclined, and I was explaining to him that I wanted to be better at the guitar and better at singing. He asked me who my favorite music artist was, and I told him Jack Johnson. Then he proceeded with a follow up question: Is Jack Johnson an amazing guitarist or singer? Honestly, he's not. But he's an incredible musician.

I mean, I'm a decent musician, but sometimes I don't feel good enough.  It's great to have that desire to get better, but I shouldn't beat myself up because I'm not the best.  In a Jack Johnson song called Posters, he sings:


Looking at himself but wishing he was someone else
Because the posters on the wall they don't look like him at all

Looking at herself but wishing she was someone else
Because the body of the doll it don't look like hers at all

The world today has a way of portraying what we should look like, who we should be, and how good we should be at it.  We don't need to be like the people in the posters to be worth something.  We must remember that "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God."  (D&C 18:10).  No matter what the world thinks of us, we are all great in the sight of God.  And remember, "it's better to look up." ~ Thomas S. Monson.

Brinner

Not many things hit the spot like brinner does.  I know that's not the most common word, so I'll give a quick explanation.  Breakfast for dinner equals brinner.  It is one of the greatest inventions out there.  The other day, I was able to have brunch (not quite as good as brinner, but close) with a family that I knew in a past area.  Not only was it great to see them, but it was great to talk about that area again.  Reminiscing about the good old times.  It made me remember all the good things that have happened on my mission and how we should all constantly remember those tender mercies of the Lord.

Remembering is one of the crucial parts of staying on the strait and narrow.  Even when things seem illogical and impractical, certain memories can prove otherwise.  For example, having a breakfast smorgasbord isn't the most typical thing to eat for dinner, but if we remember how tasty it was, then we can use that thought to have a most delicious meal that will fully satisfy us.  Though it seems out of place, not many things are better.

Helaman counseled his sons, Nephi and Lehi, about the principle of remembrance.  His sons were named after great men who were highly favored of God and Helaman exhorted his sons "that when you remember your names, ye may remember [those great men]; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know...that they were good."  (Hel. 5: 6).  But more importantly to "remember that it is upon...Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation."  (Hel. 5:12).  May we all remember, receive, and rely on the "rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ," the one true way back to heaven.

Casteth Out

Think of a world without light.  How could we survive?  Think off all of the things light does.  It helps plants grow, gives us nutrients, helps us see, comforts us (mainly because we're all scared of the dark), gives warmth, and so many other things.  The uses for light are almost innumerable.  Of all the differences in the uses of light, there is one thing that remains constant.

The Apostle John explains this constant characteristic of light in John 1:5, which reads, "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."  The imagery that this scripture portrays is so awesome.  Wherever there is light, darkness cannot be.  In reality, darkness is merely just lack of light.  The minute light enters the picture, darkness is instantly vanquished.  No matter how hard the darkness tries to stay in the room, the light will run it away.

As we keep the Light of Christ in our hearts and in our minds, there will be no room for darkness or evil.  That is the best cure to feeling dull.  Brighten the light inside and cast out the darkness.  The more we fuel the light, the stronger it will be.  The stronger it is, the harder it will be for Satan to try to put out our light.  May we keep the Light of Christ burning brightly in our hearts.

Unity

Being in a rock and roll band before my mission, I've played music with a lot of different people.  Trying to find the right combination of style, taste, and sound is pretty tough sometimes.  Even after you find a good combination, making each person become as one, so to speak, is an extreme challenge.  Often times little disagreements will come up, but there are occasions when everyone gets in the groove, and that's when music is made.  The trick to getting the perfect sound is unity.

Unity is something that we need to be striving for in this life.  Whether it's for a rock and roll band, a family, or just in oneself, it's an important attribute to attain.  The people of Alma, after they had been baptized, we're commanded to be unified together.  Mosiah 18:21 reads, "And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another."

Just like having unity in a rock band will produce the best music, unity in a home will produce the best people.  The main person we want to be united with is our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We must unite in the same cause as Him.  We must develop an eye single to His glory.  We must see the world as he does.  We must see others as he does.  It is then we will be in perfect harmony with Him and His teachings.

Broken

First off, I know what you're thinking: another Jack Johnson blog?  Well, music is something that I can relate to.  I've been playing music ever since I can remember, and plus, you can never have too much Jack Johnson.  The song that I want to talk about this time is a song called Broken.  The song talks about Jack and another person, although it is never revealed who Jack Johnson is talking about.  We can get a lot from it by a line from the chorus though.  The chorus is: "Without you I was broken, but I'd rather be broke down with you by my side."

The question is, who is the 'you' that Jack Johnson is talking about?  Without out this person, he was broken, but even if he is broken, he'd rather have this person there.  So I ask myself who am I broken without?  Well a few answers come to mind: my family and friends are two big ones, but those only cover some aspects of my 'broken-ness.'  The one person that we are all truly broken without is Jesus Christ.

We are completely broken without him.  Acts 4:12 reads, "..for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."  It is only in and through Christ that we can return to live with God.  Even with him in our lives, we will still face some "breakdowns."  It's inevitable.  But remember, without him we are broken, but we'd much rather be broke down with him by our side.  When we have those breakdowns, He'll be there to lift us up and to help us through it.  May we always strive to have him by our side.

Nay, Speak No Ill

I've been thinking a lot about charity lately.  It's such a pure attribute that we will most likely not be able to achieve it in this impure, mortal state, but we can always be working towards it.  I can't remember where I heard this quote, but it has always stuck with me.  "Sometimes charity is just saying nothing."  When I heard that quote, the hymn, Nay Speak No Ill, instantly popped into my head.

Then speak no ill, but lenient be
To other’s failings as your own;
If you’re the first a fault to see,
Be not the first to make it known.

Many times, we can show charity by just keeping quiet.  We're not perfect, and neither is anyone else.  When we see some one's fault, we don't have to be the one to make them known.  Let them be, and go on.  Look past the imperfections and accept them as they are.  That is true charity.  Charity is one of the most important attributes we can attain.  Moroni puts it well in Moroni 7:46 when he says, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing." 

Christmas!

"It's the most wonderful time of the year."  Christmas is almost here!  It feels like just yesterday I was celebrating Christmas in the tiny town of Lolo, MT.  I can't believe a whole year has come and gone since then.  The Christmas season is such an awesome time.  The cool, crisp, air, with everyone wishing for a white Christmas (which is almost inevitable for Montana and Wyoming).  Lights are lit, music is playing, and gifts are given and recieved.  However, in the midst of all of the activity and excitement, there is a much deeper meaning.  The gifts are great, but we must not let that be the primary purpose of our Christmas. 

The true reason for the season is to celebrate the birth of Christ.  On the night of Christ's birth, the sign of the star was given.  Three wise men followed that star until they found Jesus, their Lord and Savior.  They gave him gold, frankincense, and myrrh as gifts.  Upon their return home, they were told to take a different route.  Matthew 2:12 reads, "And being warned of God in dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way."

Once the wise men found the Christ, they went a different way back.  They could not go back down the same path that they came from, but with this new knowledge, they walked a new path.  During this Christmas season, grasp the true meaning of Christmas.  Find the Christ is Christmas and experience the blessings that come from it.  Once you do, you can do as the wise men of old did, and not return to your old ways, but walk a new path.

Reason to Rejoice

Life is good.  There are a lot of really happy times that I can remember.  Times where I laughed, times where I smiled, times where I rejoiced.  Some of them include when the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup (we won't talk about them this year), when my high school rock and roll band played a stellar show, and more importantly, when I opened my mission call to the Montana Billings Mission.  Just thinking of those times fills my soul with joy. 

I had an experience recently that kind of threw me for a loop though.  The experience led me to believe that there are so many more times that we can and should rejoice.  In 1 Peter 4:12-13, Peter is explaining how suffering should cause us to rejoice.  He says, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings..."  That scripture hit me like a brick wall.  Never have I ever thought of that we could rejoice in suffering.  Logically, it doesn't make sense.  Spiritually is a whole different story. 

Times of trial should be considered blessings.  Trials refine us and define us.  Often times when hardship is happening, a blessing is the last thing we want to call it, but we can rejoice in Christ.  We can rejoice that we are suffering with him, and through that suffering, we grow that much closer to him.  We start to understand what he went through, while he fully understands what we do go through.  He loves us and will never leave us comfortless.  We must not sulk in sorrow during our suffering, but rather celebrate because of our sanctification, and realize the reason to rejoice!

Floater

I learned something about eggs the other day.  Float them.  When eggs start to go bad, they develop some kind of gas inside of them.  So if you put them in water and they float, then you know that they're bad; but if they sink, then they are good.

I compared the egg to us, and the water to our baptism.  When we are baptized, we make a covenant, or promise, with God that we will walk in a new light.  We promise to keep His commandments, take upon the name of Christ, and always remember Him.  When we are baptized, we are put under the water as a symbol of the death of our old life, and a birth of a new life.

We have to make sure every ounce of our soul is committed.  We can't go forward if one leg wants to go one way, and the other wants to go the opposite.  We have to make sure we're 100% committed.  The eggs that float are still in the water, but they won't go all the way under.  They aren't fully committed.  There is something that is holding them back.  The eggs that go all the way under the water are the ones that have their heart and soul into it.  They are all the way committed and will do whatever they need to in order to reach their goal.

As we evaluate our lives and try to be better each day, think about how we can be more committed to following our Savior Jesus Christ.  When we do, we will be engulfed in the "living waters" of life.  We will recognize that it is much more satisfying to be a good egg, than a bad egg.

The Edge

A man needed a driver to give him a ride through a dangerous mountain path.  To ensure his safety, he wanted to find the best of the best of the drivers.  The man asked the same question to four different drivers: How close can you get to the edge and still feel comfortable?  The first driver said, "I can drive one foot away from the edge and be comfortable."  The second driver said, "I can be 6 inches away from the edge and be fine."  The third driver said, "Give me 1 inch, and there's no problem."  The last driver that he asked said, "I don't know, I stay as far away from the edge as I can." 

This man knew exactly who to choose.  No matter how skilled the driver was, getting close to the edge just isn't smart.  He chose the fourth driver.  The further away from the edge, the better.  What does getting close to the edge prove anyways?  The Lord doesn't care how close we can get to the edge, in fact, he wants us to stay as far away from the edge as we can.  Christ, in his Sermon on the Mount, taught, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon."  (Matthew 6:24).

Getting close to the edge is, in a way, serving two masters.  It's saying, with our actions, that we only want to do the bare minimum to stay on the path.  But think about it, the closer we are to the edge, the less room there is for error.  One faulty step could be our downfall, literally.  When we stay away from the edge, we leave room for our mistakes, which are unavoidable.  Then we will be able to correct ourselves and continue going.  May we all strive to stay as far away from the edge and choose this day to serve the Lord.  It's only then can we reach the end of the mountainous path safely.

An Egg-cellent Story

The other day, an unfortunate thing happened.  I ran out of milk...and eating Marshmallow Maties dry is just not the same.  So, I made some scrambled eggs.  To my surprise, they turned out pretty good.  I was satisfied with the breakfast I had created, and was ready for the day.  So ready, that I didn't wash the dishes I had just used.  I just threw them in the sink.  Once we got back from our hard days work, it came time to do the dishes. 

Because I had waited all that time, what was left of the eggs had hardened to the pan, and was quite difficult to get off.  I wasn't expecting it to be such a chore, but I really had to put some elbow grease in it.  If only I didn't wait until later, then it wouldn't have been such a burden. 

I learned a valuable lesson that day.  There's no need to wait when something needs to get done.  Alma, a Book of Mormon Prophet says, "Do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end..."  (Alma 34:33).  We are like the frying pan, and the eggs are things that we need to repent of.  When we make mistakes, we don't want them to be sitting on our souls until we find time to clean them off.  We must make time.  We need to clean them as soon as we can.  The longer we wait, the easier it will be to push it off until later.  We must be repenting every day, and cleaning the eggs off our frying pan.  Only when the pan is nice and shiny can the Savior look at us, and see himself. 

You Just Got Served!

As I've been on my mission, I've thought a lot about how I can be the best missionary I am capable of becoming.  A ton of ideas fly through my head each day of how I can improve.  In my opinion, it all boils down to service.  While on my mission, I devote 2 whole years to serving the Lord in whatever way he asks.  It's the least I can do to repay him for everything that he's blessed me with.

The service that I'm doing is helping more than just the people I serve.  It helps me every day.  King Benjamin, a righteous king in the Book of Mormon, explains the important of service in Mosiah 5:13, which reads, " For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?"  From this scripture we find that service can help us as well. 

If we live our lives only thinking of ourselves, then we won't know too much about the people around us.  We'll be too busy tending to our own needs to take them, or their feelings, into consideration.  This scripture applies to our Heavenly Father as well.  How can we know him and what he wants for us if we never serve him?  The servant must serve the master to be able to better know the master's will. 

Jesus Christ himself said, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 10:34).  If we lose our life in the service of God, we will find it.  I am a witness of that.  As I've been on my mission, I've discovered things about myself that I would've never known if I would have passed up this opportunity.  The things learned and the experiences gained will benefit me the rest of my life.  The same can happen to you if you put that scripture to use.  There's no end to the blessings that will come because of it. 

What's Your Focus on?

There once was a young boy just learning to use a plow.  He was trying really hard to plow in a straight line, but couldn't get it right.  He went to his Father for advice.  His father told him, "Just keep your eye focused on something on the horizon, then you'll go straight."  That's some pretty sound advice if I'd say so myself.  After an hour or so, the Father goes to check on the boy only to find that boy had done everything except plow in a straight line.  The lines were criss crossed, zig zagged, and loop de looped.  He asked his boy what had happened.  The boy responded with, "The cow kept moving."

Many things in life are constantly changing.  Standards have drastically changed.  We need to get our focus off of the cow that keeps moving on the horizon and focus on something that is constant and immovable.  But how can we know what or who to base our standards on?

When Christ was on the Earth, he not only taught us how to live, he showed us as well.  Hebrews 13:8 states, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever."  His standards are set and they will never change.  He has already set the bar from the beginning of time.  It's our job to put our focus on the immovable object on the horizon.  When we do, we will no longer be "like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed," but we will know exactly where we're headed (James 1:6).

You've Got a Friend in Me

I've always enjoyed Pixar movies.  Somehow they're all really really good.  Especially the Toy Story series.  Man, what a well made series.  The theme song, You've Got a Friend in Me, has been stuck in my head the past couple of days.  It's gotten me thinking about what a friend is.  I used to qualify a friend as someone I'd hang out with on a regular basis.  That's a friend right?  Eh...not quite.  As I thought more about it, I realized a friend is much more than that.  A friend is someone that you can trust, someone you can look up to, someone that sincerely cares about you. 

I was reading in John chapter 15 and Christ talks about us being his friends.  However, we're not automatically qualified to be his friend.  John 15: 14 reads, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you."  I can't think of a better friend to have the Christ himself.  He will always be our friend, but we can be his if we do as he commands.  How cool is that! 

As the theme song of Toy Story goes:

You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
and you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed
Just remember what your old pal said
Yeah, you've got a friend in me

Christ is and will always be our best friend.  May we strive to be the friend that he would have us be.  As we continue to live his teachings and follow his example, we can be that friend.  And when the road looks rough ahead, we can turn to him.

Sinks Canyon

If you've never been to Sinks Canyon, I highly recommend it.  It's such a cool sight to see.  Especially in the winter time because the water is frozen over.  We were able to walk across the frozen rapids and explore some of the caves around there.  We armed ourselves with flashlights so we would be able to see and hopefully get some pretty cool views.  There was one particular cave that we went into that was way sweet, but let me tell you this experience that I had there. 

There is absolutely no way we could travel in those caves safely without light.  Even sometimes with a flashlight, it can be tough to do.  Think of the cave as our journey through life.  Okay.  So we're all trying to make it through life.  If we have a light with us we can see fairly well as to where we're headed, but life can still be tough, even with light.  Sometimes we can misstep, but regardless, the light makes it easier for us to travel. 

While I was making my way to the exit of the cave, I bumped into a rock and my flashlight shut off.  This caused a short moment of panic and an impulse action.  I tried to move forward after the light had suddenly shut off, and I felt the consequences of that by slipping and scraping my hand.  Without light, we can still travel through the cave, but we have to try many different courses of action.  Most of the time, if we don't have the light to guide us, we choose the wrong one, or in this case, misstep.  Those are the times when we make choices that we wouldn't usually make; the times when we can't clearly see the right path. 

We have access to that light all of the time.  It's through Jesus Christ and his Atonement.  If we repent and allow him to heal our scrapes, then we can finish the journey through the cave of life.  There's no other way except through him.  "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."  (John 8:12).  He can, and wants to light the way for us.  It's up to us to let him into our lives.  Then once we have received his light, we can "let [our] light so shine before men" (Matt. 5:16).  May we always strive to have his light with us at all times, in all things, and in all places.

It's Always Worth it

So we had a pretty good snow storm the other day.  Me and a couple of Elders went out to shovel some walks/driveways.  My shovel wasnt my favorite.  It got stuck on every bump, crack or dip.  It was pretty frustrating.  But I knew that I was doing the right thing.  I had one more house left, and their walks. 

I kept having a conversation in my mind while I was shoveling.  Like two shoulder angels were arguing.  One kept saying, "You've done enough.  This last person can get their own driveway shovelled."  The other one responded with, "You've only got one left.  Just do it!"  Back and forth this was going on. 

Sometimes this is what life feels like.  It always seems like when we are doing the most good, the most opposition comes.  When we are trying to shovel others sidewalks, the sidewalk cracks get more and more persistent.  We can't let this get us down.  So back to the story.

I decide to go ahead and shovel the last houses walk despite the negative voice in the back of my mind.  I forgot about myself and my troubles, and just went to work.  It was by far the worst driveway I did.  While I was finishing up, the person living in this particular house came out and thanked me for doing this.  He said he was in a rush to get to work, and didnt have time to do it.  How grateful I was that I endured to the end. 

Life can be tough.  It can bring us down and wear us out.  But we must press on.  No matter how much opposition there is, we must continue doing that which we know is right.  My testimony of that increased today, thanks to a snow storm.  And how awesome will it be to have the Savior thank us for the work that we have done when we've finished.  It's always worth it.