#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!

#9: No half-hearted prayers, please

"Ye must pray always, and not faint" (2 Nephi 32:8-9)

Heard this one before? I've heard this scripture plenty of times in many lessons and there are many different ways that this one line could be interpreted based on an individual's circumstances. I've heard it explained that we should pray always and not give up; that we should pray always and our prayers will sustain us; these are all very nice and very applicable but I never felt that this scripture really spoke to me. Until it was explained to me in a whole different way.

Turns out there's a few different definitions of the word faint (I love looking up definitions if you can't tell by now). The definitions below made this scripture light up like a firework for me!

faint

/feɪnt/ adjective

1. lacking brightness, vividness, clearness, loudness, strength, etc.

2. feeble or slight

3. feeling weak, dizzy, or exhausted; about to lose consciousness

4. lacking courage; cowardly; timorous

"Pray always, and not faint"... it's almost like the Lord is saying "Pray, yes, but I don't want any half-hearted prayers. Give me the real thing. Really talk to me."

Now it makes sense. The Lord is giving us specific instructions on how to get the most out of our prayers. We can pray all day long but if our prayers aren't clear, loud, strong, and heartfelt, what are we really going to get out of it?  Not nearly as much as if we really talk to Heavenly Father. He wants the real thing. A real conversation with us.

Let us pray always...and not faint!