I went outside and did some weeding in my yard yesterday. We have two apple trees. They both have a border around them, that theoretically is supposed to provide them a buffer from other plants so they get the water they need. As a practical matter, when you don't put any sort of barrier down, and don't weed very often, they don't get any sort of buffer.
I finally decided to clear out the weeds around the trees and found something very interesting. One tree had weeds of all sorts growing under it, clover, dandelion, tall ones, short ones, basically all the kinds of weeds that grow so prolifically here. The other tree's circle was full of grass with very few weeds present. Why the difference? One tree is in a more shaded area where the grass grows lush and green. The other tree is on the edge of where the sprinkler can water, in a very sunny patch. Because of this, there is very little grass and a lot of weeds. Even though there are those barriers, the areas around the trees were invaded by the plants surrounding them.
I thought that there might be a gospel application in this. The things we surround ourselves with affect us, even if we don't intend for them to do so. If we have friends, hobbies, entertainment, etc. that are not at the standards we want to live at, we are opening ourselves up to have weeds in our lives.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Wisdom and Order
I had a new insight into a scripture that I have thought a lot about over the years.
And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
Mosiah 4:27
When I first heard that scripture discussed in an adult lesson, the people, probably mostly the women, talked about how they needed to remember that they didn't have to do more than they were able to do, that we shouldn't put pressure on ourselves to do to much. My general response to that was something like: I'm good on this scripture. I don't try to push myself too hard. I'm good at taking it easy and not taking on too much.
Then, in later years, I realized that I needed to focus on the second half of the scripture. For some people, their challenge might be to not take on too much. For me, my challenge is to not take on too little. I need to be more diligent in my efforts in just about everything.
This last time I studied the scripture, I realized that the two halves of the scripture work best when taken together. We don't have to run faster than we have strength, but we need to be diligent. And as we are diligent, our strength increases. Thus, the wisdom and order part of the scripture. When we are wise about our efforts, and do things in the proper order, we are able to win the prize.
My realization for this was fueled by my efforts at exercising the last several months. When I first started, I ran for 13 minutes at a pace to run a 15 minute mile. I ran every weekday for months, increasing my speed by .1 mph as I was ready to do it. Within 4 or 5 months, I was able to run a 10 minute mile and maintain that pace for 13 minutes. And then a few weeks ago, I decided to push myself and see what I was really capable of. I ran a mile in 8:45. There is no way I could have run a mile at that speed 6 months ago, but through diligent effort, I was able to reach that level. Thus we see that as we run as we have strength to do, and diligently strive to do better, the Lord blesses our efforts and our strength to do increases.
And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
Mosiah 4:27
When I first heard that scripture discussed in an adult lesson, the people, probably mostly the women, talked about how they needed to remember that they didn't have to do more than they were able to do, that we shouldn't put pressure on ourselves to do to much. My general response to that was something like: I'm good on this scripture. I don't try to push myself too hard. I'm good at taking it easy and not taking on too much.
Then, in later years, I realized that I needed to focus on the second half of the scripture. For some people, their challenge might be to not take on too much. For me, my challenge is to not take on too little. I need to be more diligent in my efforts in just about everything.
This last time I studied the scripture, I realized that the two halves of the scripture work best when taken together. We don't have to run faster than we have strength, but we need to be diligent. And as we are diligent, our strength increases. Thus, the wisdom and order part of the scripture. When we are wise about our efforts, and do things in the proper order, we are able to win the prize.
My realization for this was fueled by my efforts at exercising the last several months. When I first started, I ran for 13 minutes at a pace to run a 15 minute mile. I ran every weekday for months, increasing my speed by .1 mph as I was ready to do it. Within 4 or 5 months, I was able to run a 10 minute mile and maintain that pace for 13 minutes. And then a few weeks ago, I decided to push myself and see what I was really capable of. I ran a mile in 8:45. There is no way I could have run a mile at that speed 6 months ago, but through diligent effort, I was able to reach that level. Thus we see that as we run as we have strength to do, and diligently strive to do better, the Lord blesses our efforts and our strength to do increases.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)