Tools Part 3

Just a few more random thoughts about the use of spiritual tools:

*I should use the right tool for the task.  It doesn't work well to peel a potato with a power washer or a garlic press even though those are useful tools.  In a like manner, I shouldn't try to mend a bit of a depressed spirit with a spiritual gift/tool, such as--say, the gift of tongues. If I'm hanging by a limb off of a cliff, scripture reading is not the tool I should try to employ.   I recognize that those are incredibly extreme examples, but my thoughts are that if there is a problem to solve, some tools are more fit for the job than others.  And perhaps my thoughts are more along the lines of solving my problems with spiritual tools rather than tools of the world.  Given all of the cool tools out there, still the best one for peeling potatoes is one that is designed to peel potatoes.

*Often problems take more than one tool. Even after I've peeled the potato, I usually have to go in with a paring knife to remove other impurities. I can't just pray a problem away--in my experience, I also have to search the scriptures and put into action ideas given by the Holy Ghost, as well other things depending on the problem.  I am wise to make use of the many spiritual tools available to me.

(Sorry it's so blurry; hope you can still get the idea.)

*I kept one of the potatoes from my Primary lesson and let it sit on my counter top for a few weeks.  As it sat there, I observed that it is much easier to apply the Atonement (and other spiritual gifts) earlier rather than later.  A new crisp potato is much easier to peel than a-growing-soft one. If I can, I should always opt for the easier job. It saves so much time and emotional energy for other things.

*As Debbie pointed out in a comment, we sometimes go into back up/emergency battery mode.  This surely will be the case in a very mortal experience.  I feel like I've been there a great deal since Caleb got his mission call.  But, at some point I cross into a dangerous situation where I am not as easily helped back into peace of mind/conscious and joyous living.  I need to be able to recognize when my emergency battery signal is flashing at me and take appropriate action.

*The wonderful thing about spiritual tools is that they are useful in many situations.  Obedience, repentance, prayer, scripture study etc. can all be put to use for solving many of my problems.  They are not isolated and can all add value to my task or maintaining peace of conscious.

Here is an illustration of how the development of many modern day tools and inventions have blessed our lives.  It is directions from a recipe book printed in 1879.

"To secure nice butter for the table in winter:

In October and November, engage butter to be brought weekly, fresh from the churn in rolls.  Wrap each roll in a piece of old table cloth, and put in a sweet firkin or stone jar which has been washed with soda water, scalded and sunned for a month before using.  Pour over it a clear strong brine, which also must have been prepared at least a week beforehand, by pouring off the settlings and repeated strainings.  Have a nice flat rock washed and weight the butter down with it, being careful to keep it always under the brine."

In the same way that Heavenly Father has poured His knowledge on earth towards the creation of physical tools, His spirit is also flooding the earth with spiritual tools that we can use. He has given us many physical and spiritual tools in these last days--all of which I need to use be efficient and effective.

One of the scriptures that Angel Moroni repeated four times to Joseph Smith was Joel 2:28-29:  "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:  And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit."

Sister Beck said of this scripture:  "The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life."

That gives me a glimpse of what kind of spiritual power tools I have available to simplify and bless my life. 

Making butter and preparing my firkin seems so much more difficult than my current luxury of acquiring purchased butter. I likewise would be wise to make use of as many spiritual tools as I can they will simplify and enrich my life.

Tools Part 2: The Atonement

If you haven't read Tools Part 1, you may consider reading that first.

In pondering and planning sharing time on the Atonement last month, I had been thinking about tools and how one actually uses the spiritual tool of the Atonement.  A beautiful idea was presented to me as an object lesson.  Here is what I did:

I took in a large bowl of potatoes with words written on each potato such as 'sadness', 'grief', 'pain', 'loneliness', 'discouragement', 'hurt feelings', 'anger', 'disappointment'  etc. I asked the children if they had ever experienced any of those things.  They had.  I asked one child to come up and remove the skin off a potato because we wanted to get rid of those negative things in our life.  

I love how children are very obedient and in both Jr. and Sr. Primary each child started trying to peel the potato with their hands without more of an explanation than that.  As each one worked, I talked a little about Christ's time in Gethsemane and on the cross.  After a few minutes I checked on my friend.   In response to my question "How's it coming?"  my cute little Jr. Primary helper said  "I need a tool." (how perfect!)  I asked him if he would use one if I gave him one.  He said he definitely would.  I gave him a potato peeler and he got back to work.  In a few minutes, he had all the skin removed beautifully--and much more nicely than it would have looked had he completed the task with his fingernails like he originally started.

I likened the peeler to the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  It  is a tool for us to rid ourselves of the uncomfortable, unpleasant and painful things of mortality.  And just like peeling potatoes is still work, it is much more pleasant, efficient and effective with a tool.  Life is--and always will be work--both spiritual and physical, but it is much more pleasant, efficient and effective with the use of spiritual tools--in this case, the Atonement.  

In pondering how, especially in terms Primary children understand, how one actually uses the Atonement and what that looks like in day to day actions, I think I came up with at least a partial answer.  And that is this:  I am using the Atonement when I copy, emulate, follow, pattern (etc.) Jesus Christ's behavior and choices--do as He would do-- in every situation I can.  Think of others the way He does.  Respond to problems the way He did.  Reach out to others like He did.  Act compassionately.  Etc.

I wanted to try it out so I had some time and experience to back up my idea so that I could testify to those impressionable children.  I'm so very far from perfect, but I have tried it enough to recognize the beauty, simplicity and power of that principle.  I have recognized the strengthening and enabling power (two of the blessings of the Atonement) in my life in ways I can't describe when I've humbly tried to act how Christ would act.

One thought that has helped me in acting more like Christ is this:   He had mortal needs just like me--fatigue, hunger etc. He also had many, many people needing and wanting things from Him--throngs pressing on Him at times even.  Those are things that I can relate to, in part, with the demands that come to a mom.  So I have tried to think of His example and how He addressed each concern that came to Him with love, tenderness and compassion. When I've been in situations that are very demanding and I've thought of His care and concern for each individual, not only have I been able to act better, but my responses, at times, have surprised me.  They are not what I would do if I was only working under the umbrella of my intellect and abilities. They have been more like what Christ would have done--I have been enabled to be better and in many cases, much much better.  

A personal example.  One Sunday morning, three days prior to Greta's birthday, Caleb told me he was in charge of food for a Chinese New Year meal at scouts--the same day as Greta's birthday.  It is the tradition at our house that on your birthday, you can request any meal and I will make it. Greta had requested Shrimp Scampi, Red Pepper Salad and a strawberry cake (which, since I'm trying to cut out processed foods from our diet, was made from scratch).  For his activity, Caleb needed Won Ton soup to feed twenty 16-18 year old boys.  I'll be honest, at first I was super frustrated with the scout situation.  My initial response was not the best, I admit.  But during the Sacrament that day as I was reflecting on how I could use the tool of the Atonement, I recognized my response had not been very Christlike.  I decided to try this little experiment of responding in a Christlike way to this situation. How would Christ have responded? What would have His compassion looked like?  That changed my thinking and after church I apologized to Caleb and told him I would do whatever he needed me to to do make his assignment happen.  Wednesday came and my cooking to-do list was uncomfortably long especially since I already had a few other plans for the day (Caleb did help when he came home from school).  But all day I focused my thoughts on the demands Christ had on Him and how many people needed Him and how He always responded in love and compassion. I worked hard to mirror those thoughts and feelings.  I couldn't believe the difference it made. My thinking changed as I submitted my thoughts to meekness and "What can I do more to serve Thee, Lord?".   My task list no longer felt like a burden.  It felt like I was providing true service and that in my service, I was making a difference.  Those feelings were the strengthening and enabling power of the Atonement and not something I could have produced with my own set of skills.  I was able to do more than I could have done on my own and I felt my spirit strengthened in the process. Then after our family meal together, I sent everyone on their way to meetings and scouts and I was left with two excited little girls and a kitchen that had dirty dishes from two large meals.  The miracle of the day for me was that I did not feel bitter or overwhelmed about that mountain of dishes---I was filled with thankfulness that I was able to serve.  It was such a stark difference to how I could have felt had I chosen a different thought process.  The feelings of gratitude were a true gift.

***Just a note:  I'm not saying that we should always take more things on ourselves and be unwise in our human limitations, but for me, on that day, I learned a great lesson about where I placed my thoughts and the enabling power that came when my intents are pure.  Using that as a guide, I feel I can better judge things in the future so that I will not burn out, but still give my life in service to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

This leaves me with big questions for myself:  With such a powerful tool that the Atonement is, how come I don't use it more often?  What good is my potato peeler if I just leave it sitting in my drawer?  Am I living my life ineffectively, inefficiently and exerting greater effort than necessary with results poorer than need be?  If the Atonement is a tool that will help me rid myself of pain, loneliness, discouragement, grief, sadness, anger, hurt feelings etc. why don't I make better use of this tool? Thought provoking questions for sure.

This is long enough for this post.  I have a few final wrap-up thoughts I'll share in another few days.  Again, if you have further thoughts a long these lines, I'd love more ideas to wrap my thoughts around.

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PS.  Just because I've had a few successes with this thought/behavior pattern, I've got so far to go!  As with any spiritual truth revealed, a testing ground is given to see how you'll use your new-found understanding.  I have to say there has been testing ground!  And my test scores haven't been fantastic. Very sub-par, in fact.  That, however, is no reason for me to give up.  I must keep applying and applying and applying. . . .  Perhaps in a decade this thought process might affect a greater portion of my actions.  I'm thankful for more chances.

Tools Part 1

I've been thinking about tools lately.  We have so many tools available to us that we don't often think of how many we benefit from or about how much their usefulness blesses our lives. Just a few tools that  I used this morning:  alarm clock, griddle, microwave, measuring spoons and cups, spatula, pen, phone, squirt bottle, round brush and blow dryer (to give girlies hair dos). . .  It's amazing all of the tools I use in a day's work that allow me to have more time and complete tasks with greater ease.  Tools make my busy life easier, more rewarding and with their use, I work more effectively.  If I didn't have them or didn't use them, I'd work a lot harder and/or inefficiently.

My spirit has a lot to accomplish in a day too:  pushing through disappointments, forgiving, not taking offense, being kind even if I don't feel like it, being patient, summoning courage to hasten the work, pondering and understanding gospel truths, finding the stamina to work through fatigue, pushing negative thoughts about myself or others out of my mind, forcing myself to use my time wisely, ridding myself of selfishness, developing true charity, being joyful etc. etc.  Feels like a mountain, doesn't it, especially since there are also the physical demands of providing for a family: managing, organizing, motivating and encouraging a household etc.  That list could go on as well.

Just as I have many tools available to me to make my physical life easier, Heavenly Father has given me spiritual tools. If I use them, I will be more successful, efficient and effective at keeping my spirit healthy.  This is when I feel peace. With my spirit at peace, the physical demands required in life are appreciated and even enjoyable.

A few spiritual tools I've been given to help me:  the Holy Ghost, the Atonement--strengthening and enabling power and with it, the tools of repentance and forgiveness, the scriptures, the words of living prophets, prayer, my temple covenants (the Endowment is a gift of power--a power tool!). Just as physical tool must be used to receive its value, a spiritual tool is the same.  It's pretty hard to flip a pancake if I don't use the tool available to me to do such a task; and it's illogical for me to try to flip a pancake with something else if I own a spatula.  I need to make correct use of the spiritual tools given to me.  I'm making my life a lot harder if I do not.

So how does one use a spiritual tool?  Many resources are available to know how to use physical tools.They come with instructions or owner's manuals; or information how to use them is learned or passed on from our parents or others.  The Internet provides much information as to how to use tools correctly and efficiently.  So how do I learn about and use the spiritual tools available to me?  What does the use of a spiritual tool look like in real-life application?  What actions does that mean I perform?  What motions do I go through?  And what do I do if the desired result isn't achieved? (How do I troubleshoot?)

If anyone still reads here, I would love to hear thoughts you have about this.  I've got a few ideas, but I want to explore other's thinking regarding this as well.  (Not to mention the fact that this post would be too lengthy without breaking it up.) So if you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear them.  Please share!