Kites

"The boy was very young.  It was his first experience with kite flying.  His father helped him, and after several attempts, the kite was in the air.  The boy ran and let out more string, and soon the kite was flying high.  The little boy was so excited; the kite was beautiful.  Eventually there was no more string left to allow the kite to go higher.  The boy said to his father, 'Daddy, let's cut the string and let the kite go; I want to see it go higher.'

His father said, 'Son, the kite won't go higher if we cut the string.'

'Yes it will,' responded the little boy.  'The string is holding the kite down; I can feel it.'  The father handed a pocketknife to his son.  The boy cut string.  In a matter of seconds the kite was out of control.  It darted here and there and finally landed in a broken heap.  That was difficult for the boy to understand.  He felt certain the string was holding the kite down."  (Ensign, Nov. 1999)

This story teaches a valuable lesson.  There are many things in life that seem to tie us down.  We feel that we can't soar to our full potential because of them, when really, it is quite the opposite.  They don't hold us down, they anchor us. 

The string can be compared to the commandments we keep.  As long as we are strong in keeping them, then our kite will fly high.  But once we choose to break that string, then we'll be driven with the wind because there is nothing there to anchor us.  We must always remember that the commandments aren't there to keep us down, but they keep us flying.  Once we realize this, we will be able to reach the end of that string, and the fullest of our potential.

Grease is Cheap

My mom loves Dove chocolates.  When I was younger, I always liked to read the little sayings on the inside of the wrappers.  As I grew older, I realized that most of them were just cheesy lines to entertain you.  Once  we had read them we'd just throw them away, but there was one in particular that my mom has kept throughout the years.  It reads, "There is greatness in smallness."  This spoke to her when she read it, and looking back, it's rather profound.

I was once told a story about a father and son who just bought a new machine to help them work.  The machine cost them a fortune and needed to be kept in good condition for it to work properly.  Most importantly, a few parts had to be greased up at the start of each day or else the whole machine would have to be replaced.  Every morning, the father would remind the son to get some grease and lather up the parts of the machine that needed it.  He would always say, "Grease is cheap."

The lesson in these two examples go hand in hand.  We can see how something as cheap and simple as grease can maintain a well oiled machine.  We are the well oiled machine that needs the small amount of grease everyday for us to work up to our full potential.  If we don't have our daily dose of prayer and scripture study then we will deteriorate as people and won't work as well as we could.  Alma, a Book of Mormon Prophet, explains it well while giving advice to his son Helaman, "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass..." (Alma 37:6).  A few minutes each day is all that the Lord asks us to give, and the blessings are infinite from it.  May we always remember that "grease is cheap" and that "there is greatness in smallness." 

Pringles and Cookies

One year when I attended EFY, an awesome object lesson was given to us.  It involved Pringles and Chips Ahoy cookies, which just so happen to be two of my favorite snacks.  He began by talking about people that influence our lives.  We came up with a list somewhat similar to this: family, friends, teachers, church leaders, etc.  During our teenage years, friends seem to have the biggest impact on us.  It seemed like we didn't want to hear what our parents would say, and we already knew what was being taught by teachers for both school and church.

Contrary to our belief at that age, the people that we wouldn't listen to were the ones that could build us up the most.  Although friends can be a great strength in our lives, they can also be a great weakness if we choose them unwisely.  Picture yourself as a Pringle.  If you surround yourself with other Pringles, you can build each other up.  Through that you can withstand temptations better.  Let's talk about what happens when a lonely Pringle tries to build up a Chips Ahoy.  The Pringle will be crushed under the weight of the Chips Ahoy cookie, and both will end up at rock bottom. 

Even if we have multiple Pringles underneath the Chips Ahoy, our progression will be halted.  We can't stack any more Pringles on top of the cookie.  The only way to continue to be built up is if we surround ourselves with Pringles in our lives.  It can be hard at times and we may even be ridiculed for it, but if we continue doing what we know is right, we'll be built up until we reach the heavens.