Potluck

Tonight, my college choir class had a potluck after our rehearsal. We all signed up to bring food, we spread it out on the large tables and everyone helped themselves. I was amazed at the many different dishes that everyone brought. We had soup, bread, meatballs, chili, pulled pork on tortillas, and all kinds of desserts and goodies for eating. It was amazing. There was even enough things that are actually on my diet that I did not go hungry. (A little cheating would have been so nice though!)

While I was sitting there, I couldn't help thinking how this earth life is a lot like our college potluck dinner. We are surrounded by different things to see and experience. We can see the colors, smell the inviting aromas and finally, taste the amazing feast. We get to choose. If we want to, we can skip all the things in life that are good for us. We can bypass the teaching, the instruction, the spirit, the church, family, good friends, the scriptures, the commandments and anything else that we decide we don't want to partake of. We can, in essence, eat only the desserts. The fun, the amazing, the exciting things are there for our taking.

We get to make choices. What we need to take into consideration is that those choices have lasting consequences for us as we strive to live our lives. In the same way that someone who never eats anything but desserts will eventually harm their bodies, (the body will grow weaker and weaker, until it eventually dies of malnutrition), we can choose to harm our souls be not doing those things which do not appear to be "fun and inviting".

Our spirit needs the nourishment that comes from making good choices here in this life. I think there must be a part of our spirit that remembers what it was like to live with our Father in Heaven. That part, wants to be able to return to Him. It is that part that whispers to us when we choose too many "desserts" in our lives. When we choose too many things of the world, when we choose things that will stay in our minds forever. When we listen to inappropriate music or watch movies or TV that are not good for us, the spirit withdraws and we ache to feel it back again.

The world would have us eat only dessert.

In 2 Nephi 28: 7-9 we read:

"Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us. And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God — he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark."

It sounds like our day to me. There is security in following the commandments. There is wisdom in how we select the things that we will do and say while we are here. Yes, there is a very big pot luck out there, but it is up to us to make sure that the choices we are making are ones that are going to help those around us and ourselves too. There is a lot to be gained from "following in His footsteps". May we each strive to be just a little more careful of the things of which we partake. May we try a little harder to be a little better is my prayer.