Friday, September 13, 2013

Exact Obedience or Not?



It's an awesome talk and it leads right into the question I pondered today at church, “Is keeping the sabbath day holy a commandment from God or not a commandment when your swim coach says so?”  I asked it of two great teens today as they were leaving to go “swimming” because the coach said they had to.  I said, “JUST SAY NO!”  (Uchdorf) And they said they couldn’t.  I related  my daughter Dia’s story of her fight to wear a modest choir dress and the sabbath battle she fought for what she believed.  She was a pioneer in a world that ignores the Sabbath--to her teachers she became noteworthy.  
The great thing is that these teens will get another chance.  Another great take-away from church today:  Brother Gentry said, "The Lord keeps giving us chances (adversity) until we get it right."     

Later today, my daughter texted me that a Samoan in their ward spoke, 'My culture says I can get a tattoo and my LDS friends think it would be great.  I know that for me the answer is No.  The real question for me, “Is my culture more important than my God?”'  

What he said to my daughter was, "noteworthy."  She took note and passed it on to me. 

So my point to ponder this Sabbath is “Exact obedience, and Why?”

My youngest son is going backpacking with my husband in the Sierras this week, they have fifty pound packs, they are going above 11,000 feet in elevation and they are packing food for six days—in bear-proof cans.  No one says to them, “Don’t know why you bother with a bear can.”  Everyone knows why. 

My husband got into poison ivy this week and is so hideously affected that the doctor prescribed a steroid shot, and a pill pack for a week.  Despite the drug's terrible side effects, no one who sees him and his “Popeye” arms asks, “Why Are you taking steroids?”  Everyone knows why.

My Elder son in Alaska wrote me last month, 

“Exact Obedience=God's Power.”

And that is why. 

Elder Bednar, “And Nephi did minister with power and with great authority.”  

And That Is Why.  

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