#30: C is for Conversion

The parable of the 10 Virgins. I think it’s one of the more well known parables in the New Testament. (If you’d like a refresher on the story, look here.)

We’re told to apply the scriptures to our own lives so that they gain deeper personal meaning. And it bothered me when I was younger that the 5 wise virgins didn’t just share their oil with the other girls. So I decided to change the parable slightly because I don’t use oil lamps often enough for me to relate to them. Now instead of lamps, the 10 virgins own flashlights. And they’re going camping (because why else would they need flashlights?) And these flashlights, of course, use batteries.

Now if you know anything about camping, you know that you should always take fresh batteries for your flashlights. Because the woods are dark and scary at night and without a good flashlight you might get eaten by something.

So here we have our 10 Campers and they each have a flashlight. Only half of them have extra batteries though. And they’ve been camping for a while. Now the story makes more sense to me because it’s not that the 5 wise campers are being selfish with their extra batteries. You can’t really share extra batteries. When your flashlight goes out, you need all 4 of your extra batteries. (yes, I know it’s still not a perfect analogy, but if you don’t like it, you can make up your own. That’s what’s so great about life—EVERYTHING relates to a gospel topic somehow)

In October 2012 general conference Elder David A. Bednar from the Quorum of the 12 Apostles shared his interpretation of the parable of the 10 Virgins. His explanation is one of my favorites now. He compares the lamp/flashlight to our testimonies and the oil/batteries to our spiritual conversion.

Were the five wise virgins selfish and unwilling to share, or were they indicating correctly that the oil (batteries) of conversion cannot be borrowed? Can the spiritual strength that results from consistent obedience to the commandments be given to another person? …The clear answer to each of these questions is no.”

So there you have it. When it gets spiritually dark out, you need a good flashlight with extra batteries. And you have to bring your own batteries on the camping trip. That’s the ground-rule. And you can get batteries at church, and in your scriptures, on your knees in prayer and on your feet in service to others. So go get your extra batteries before it gets dark!

C is for Conversion

#18: A Tale of the Old West

Faith,
                 Hope
                       and Charity.
                                                                  These three always go together. And I don't know about anyone else out there but I always had a hard time keeping faith and hope separate in my mind...they just seem to be used interchangably but I know they're different (otherwise the phrase "faith, hope, and charity" would be completely redundant). So what's the difference?

This morning, I was thinking back on a story one of my teachers told me years ago (I told you that you made a difference, Brother Butterfield!!). This story has stuck with me all this time because of how it demonstrates faith and hope and what the difference is. Here's the story as I remember it:

A man is wandering through the desert, dying of thirst. His canteens are hanging empty at his side. Just when he thinks all is lost, he comes upon a deserted town. In the middle of this ghost town is an old, dried-up well. Next to the pump the man finds a small jug of water and a note:

"Use this water to prime the well."

The story can take two different routes at this point. In one version of the story, the man isn't willing to take the chance on this old well and drinks the water in the jug instead. This tale doesn't have a very happy ending and the man perishes in the desert before he can reach civilization.

In the other version of the story, the man decides to take a leap of faith and trust that his sacrifice will lead to enough water to restock his supply so he can survive until he gets out of the desert. Here's where the tie-in to faith, hope and charity comes in:

Pouring the water down the well to prime the pump is FAITH. Faith is an action. In this case, the man's faith comes by testing the promise on the note.

Now, can the man just sit there and "hope" the well starts working? No--he has to pump the handle for all he's worth! That's real hope. HOPE is what sustains you between an act of faith and when you receive the promised blessing.

Where does charity fit in this situation? The man can demonstrate CHARITY by refilling the jug for the next person that comes along.

I love this analogy. Faith, hope and charity are all action words and this helps me to remember that to really have faith, hope, or charity I have to show it. I hope this story helps you remember the differences between these three principles and how important ALL of them are.

And, no matter what your circumstances are--never, never give up hope!

#17: Willfully Rebellious--The Seatbelt Reminder

Once upon a time I was riding in the car and we were just going around the corner (maybe 100 yards) so I didn't fasten my seatbelt. The little bell that goes off to remind you to wear your sealtbelt started chirping (ding.......ding.......ding........ding........) and I ignored it because we were only going a short distance. Normally I fasten my seatbelt by the time it starts dinging but this time I was feeling somewhat rebellious and decided just to wait it out. To my surprise (and annoyance) the warning came faster and more persistent (DingDingDingDing!). No, I thought, we're almost there, I'll be fine without it. Finally, shortly before we arrived at our destination, the car went silent. No more ringing noise. We got out of the car and went on with our afternoon. But the thought that kept coming back was that there's a gospel analogy hidden in that experience...  :)

Ignoring what you've been taught and what the Spirit is prompting you to do is known in the scriptures as being willfully rebellious. The seat belt reminder is like the warning voice of the Holy Ghost. If you're being disobedient, the Spirit will send you gentle promptings to change your behavior or course of action. If it's really important, the warnings will get more frequent and more persistent. (Sound familiar?) But just like the car alarm, if you ignore the Spirit long enough eventually it will go away and leave you to face the consequences of your actions.

So remember to buckle up...and follow the promptings of the Spirit!