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.

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.

Need For Speed

Now I'm not the biggest gamer, but I do enjoy a good video game every once in a while.  One type of game that I like in particular are the Need For Speed games.  There's so much to the game.  You can do drag races, circuits, drifts, or even just drive around the town.  I also really enjoyed making my car go super fast and look super cool.  Contrary to the title of the game, sometimes a Need For Speed will get you in trouble. 

There are all sorts of courses you have to race, most of them have many twists and turn.  I learned quick that slamming the gas wasn't the best way to win the race.  Sure on the straightaways I did pretty well, but when the turns came, it was disastrous.  I learned quick that I needed to slow down when I saw a turn coming up, and my racing improved drastically. 

Racing is a lot like life.  We often think going as fast as we can will ensure our victory, but that's not true.  We have twists and turns in our life just like in the races, and if we don't slow down, we'll find that our slamming of the gas has slid us off course.  King Benjamin, in the Book of Mormon, gives us the same advice when he says, "...for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength." (Mosiah 4:27).  There's a time when a Need For Speed will do us good, but we need to be careful that we don't over do it.  For when we run faster than we have strength, we will inevitably fall.

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." 

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.