Monday, May 12, 2014

Continuous Living Water 

I went to Moab this past weekend to run a relay race with Daija.    I had bought some flowers during the week intending to plant them and ran out of time.  I left them sitting in the shade hoping that the rain that was forecast would keep them alive while I was gone.  I watered them heartily Friday before I left.  Rain was in the forecast for the weekend.  I didn’t have time to worry about them on Saturday because I was running (another post later).  But Saturday evening it started to rain HARD in Moab and I was reminded that my flowers needed water and I started to worry if there had been enough rain in Draper.  And then as if Heavenly Father was helping me learn a very important lesson the thought entered my mind that the vessel that these flowers were in was not big enough to store water.  They not only needed rain, but they needed it daily and on a regular basis.  I wondered.  I realized that prayer and scripture study were the living water for my soul and for a brief moment I felt the intense need of those on a daily basis.   No amount of extra rain would have helped them the next day.  One spiritual experience like Time out for Women is not helpful on a continuous basis unless I take those drops of knowledge and use them daily.  Fervent prayer and scripture study on one day a week in not sufficient.  It helps that day, but I could wilt the next day if I don’t get another dose of spiritual rain. 

The following scriptures remind me that I need Christ’s living water but these flowers remind me that I need them on a daily and regular basis. 

By living the gospel of Jesus Christ, we develop within ourselves a living spring that will quench eternally our thirst for happiness, peace, and everlasting life. The Lord explains clearly in the Doctrine and Covenants that only faithful obedience can tap the well of living water that refreshes and enlivens our souls: “But unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom, and the same shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life.” ⁷D&C 63:23 (Joseph B. Wirthlin April 1995)

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” ⁴ John 4:13-14

There's Still Daylight

There’s still daylight

April 24-26, 2014
I had the privilege of taking my Dad to a 10^th Armored Division reunion in Phoenix, Arizona.  There are not that many WW2 veterans left.  I was planning on dividing the driving day into two equal days, meaning a stop in Henderson just outside of Las Vegas.  My dad traveled well.  We had to make more stops for me than for him.  I had gotten off one hour later than I anticipated.  When we got to Henderson we were looking for a motel.  I remember Dad looking back at the sunset and saying those memorable words:  “There’s still daylight”, let’s keep going.  I was tired, but he is my dad.  We made it to Kingman, Arizona and even though it was one of their busiest weekends of the year, we found a motel with a handicapped room with a room next to it.  We ate dinner and got to bed around 10:00 that night.  He said I will see you in the morning.  He’s 94 so he sleeps in – he was up and ready to go around 7:00.  You see there is daylight.  And it doesn’t matter which end of the day.  If there is daylight – you get going and you keep going.   I told my brother about this and we laughed.  It was our childhood mantra – if there was daylight – you should be working.  Not just working, but working hard.  I remember the summer that Josh went to work on the farm.  I went out to the field he was in and I saw him “resting” on his shovel and I was frantic.  I remember so vividly thinking that he had to get shoveling quickly or else he would be in trouble for “leaning” on his shovel.   I believe my brothers and I had worked out a warning system and would let each other know when Dad was coming so we could get back to work if we were “loafing”.   We were not overworked, but we learned to work and work hard.  We learned that if there was daylight – there was work to be done.  My dad at 94 still has more energy than I do.  We were at the meetings of which they said – he can take a break and come back if he needs to rest.  Rich and I kept saying – do you want to rest?  Nope he kept going and never took a break.  I wanted to go back to the room and rest – but he is like the energizer bunny.  As long as there is daylight………………