Since we are currently going through some of life's turbulence (blah), I am working on the "cheerfulness and patience" thing it talks about in Mosiah 24.
15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.
16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.
I have found that I'm not always very good at the "cheerful" or "patient" thing during trials. I am pretty good at "panic" and "despair," however. Alas, this isn't part of the scripture in Mosiah.
So...focusing on submitting cheerfully...
This was made easier one day this week with the following discovery:
If you can't tell, there is a piece of bread in the manger where Jesus usually is. This left us to ponder on the meaning of it all. Was someone trying to remind us of the significance of the Savior being "the bread of life?" Or, was someone thinking that we needed to feed the animals?
The boy admitted to putting it there. "Why?" We asked, extremely curious. "Because I wanted to," was the reply. That was all he said. I didn't press the issue until later in the week. "Son, why did you really put the bread in the manger?" Realizing I needed more of an explanation, he spelled it out for me. "Well, I was in the front room, eating a plain piece of bread, and I decided to put some of it in the manger." That was it. I looked at him. "Well then," I replied, "why don't you go in there and take the bread out of the manger and put baby Jesus back in?" He did so.
This got me thinking about funny things little children do with nativity sets. I took my beautiful olive wood set to Primary one Sunday, and had each of the children bring up a piece as we read the story of Jesus' birth. Doing this reminded me of something else: I LOVE the way children put together the scene. All small children seem to do it the same way (with the exception of 2-year olds, who just take off with the baby Jesus to places unknown--we are still missing a baby Jesus from one of our sets).
Anyway, when small children put together the scene, you end up with EVERYBODY right around Jesus and the manger. I mean, the animals are there, up against the manger, breathing right on Him. The wise men and shepherds are not behind, or off to the sides of, Mary and Joseph, but right by the manger as well, as if He were their own child.
In fact, little children don't think about the fact that you are trying to make a display for people to look at, so they will form the pieces into a circle around baby Jesus. None of the pieces are holding back, they are all smashed together, trying to get in as close as possible to see this little baby.
By the time the children are finished, the onlooker can't even see the baby Jesus--just the backs of the figures looking at Him. Children don't put the faces of the figures outward so that people can see them--they know that the people involved wouldn't be looking out at an audience, they would be staring at the baby.
This arrangement forces the onlooker to have to come close, and look down into the circle, to see baby Jesus.
Contrast the little children's method with the way I put together a scene: the pieces are all spread out, so that onlookers can see and admire each piece in its beauty. I have the number of pieces "balanced" so that similar numbers are on each side of the little family. Not all of the pieces are focused completely on the little family. Some are "cheeked out" so that onlookers can see their faces. Putting the scene together this way, leaves the finished scene pleasing to the eye and looking "right."
Really, though. Which method really looks "right?" Any child will tell you (and any adult who thinks about it) that the children's method is right.
Wouldn't everyone be trying to get close to baby Jesus?
Little children think about it logically. If THEY had the opportunity to see baby Jesus in his manger, they would be right up there, trying to see and even touch the new baby and would realize how important this event was. Children would assume that EVERYONE (including the animals) would feel the exact same way, and want to get as close to Him as possible.
Are the pieces of the nativity, and where we place them in relation to the Savior symbolic of us?
Little children. They are the ones the Lord has told us to be like. They are the ones closest to Him. They keep their nativity pieces close to, around, and focused on the Savior.
Why, as we get older, do we move our pieces farther away, and focus more on the "beauty" of the "stuff" that the nativity is made of, rather than what it represents?
Why do we feel like we have to please the onlookers in our lives, rather than our Lord? I'm pretty sure He would have us come close to Him, rather than out posing for others to admire us.
The more I think about it, the more I like the little children's way best.
Isn't it interesting how once children have their pieces in place, you must come close to the nativity in order to see what all of the pieces are looking at?
You are compelled to look at what is most important--the baby Jesus.
And isn't it interesting how the 2-year-olds choose, out of all the pieces, to keep the baby Jesus with them as they go off on their adventures?
Seems to me like that might be a good game plan for all of us.
I have found that I'm not always very good at the "cheerful" or "patient" thing during trials. I am pretty good at "panic" and "despair," however. Alas, this isn't part of the scripture in Mosiah.
So...focusing on submitting cheerfully...
This was made easier one day this week with the following discovery:
If you can't tell, there is a piece of bread in the manger where Jesus usually is. This left us to ponder on the meaning of it all. Was someone trying to remind us of the significance of the Savior being "the bread of life?" Or, was someone thinking that we needed to feed the animals?The boy admitted to putting it there. "Why?" We asked, extremely curious. "Because I wanted to," was the reply. That was all he said. I didn't press the issue until later in the week. "Son, why did you really put the bread in the manger?" Realizing I needed more of an explanation, he spelled it out for me. "Well, I was in the front room, eating a plain piece of bread, and I decided to put some of it in the manger." That was it. I looked at him. "Well then," I replied, "why don't you go in there and take the bread out of the manger and put baby Jesus back in?" He did so.
This got me thinking about funny things little children do with nativity sets. I took my beautiful olive wood set to Primary one Sunday, and had each of the children bring up a piece as we read the story of Jesus' birth. Doing this reminded me of something else: I LOVE the way children put together the scene. All small children seem to do it the same way (with the exception of 2-year olds, who just take off with the baby Jesus to places unknown--we are still missing a baby Jesus from one of our sets).
Anyway, when small children put together the scene, you end up with EVERYBODY right around Jesus and the manger. I mean, the animals are there, up against the manger, breathing right on Him. The wise men and shepherds are not behind, or off to the sides of, Mary and Joseph, but right by the manger as well, as if He were their own child.
In fact, little children don't think about the fact that you are trying to make a display for people to look at, so they will form the pieces into a circle around baby Jesus. None of the pieces are holding back, they are all smashed together, trying to get in as close as possible to see this little baby.
By the time the children are finished, the onlooker can't even see the baby Jesus--just the backs of the figures looking at Him. Children don't put the faces of the figures outward so that people can see them--they know that the people involved wouldn't be looking out at an audience, they would be staring at the baby.
This arrangement forces the onlooker to have to come close, and look down into the circle, to see baby Jesus.
Contrast the little children's method with the way I put together a scene: the pieces are all spread out, so that onlookers can see and admire each piece in its beauty. I have the number of pieces "balanced" so that similar numbers are on each side of the little family. Not all of the pieces are focused completely on the little family. Some are "cheeked out" so that onlookers can see their faces. Putting the scene together this way, leaves the finished scene pleasing to the eye and looking "right."
Really, though. Which method really looks "right?" Any child will tell you (and any adult who thinks about it) that the children's method is right.
Wouldn't everyone be trying to get close to baby Jesus?
Little children think about it logically. If THEY had the opportunity to see baby Jesus in his manger, they would be right up there, trying to see and even touch the new baby and would realize how important this event was. Children would assume that EVERYONE (including the animals) would feel the exact same way, and want to get as close to Him as possible.
Are the pieces of the nativity, and where we place them in relation to the Savior symbolic of us?
Little children. They are the ones the Lord has told us to be like. They are the ones closest to Him. They keep their nativity pieces close to, around, and focused on the Savior.
Why, as we get older, do we move our pieces farther away, and focus more on the "beauty" of the "stuff" that the nativity is made of, rather than what it represents?
Why do we feel like we have to please the onlookers in our lives, rather than our Lord? I'm pretty sure He would have us come close to Him, rather than out posing for others to admire us.
The more I think about it, the more I like the little children's way best.
Isn't it interesting how once children have their pieces in place, you must come close to the nativity in order to see what all of the pieces are looking at?
You are compelled to look at what is most important--the baby Jesus.
And isn't it interesting how the 2-year-olds choose, out of all the pieces, to keep the baby Jesus with them as they go off on their adventures?
Seems to me like that might be a good game plan for all of us.
2 comments:
Wow, what a great insight, and totally true.
I would have to say that it speaks to the scripture about becoming like little children. Little kids feel closer to God than an older, more experienced, more bitter person. But little kids just love him. They have that pure blind faith. I remember the time I was at your house just home from my mission and not doing very well, and I sat down to dinner with you guys. Sarah offered the prayer and she said...and I quote "Please bless Neal, and Uncle Beeg, and everyone I know, and everyone I don't know." And she meant every word of it. How many times in your adult life have you prayed for "everyone" you don't know? Why? Because we don't have the same faith that we teach our 3 year old child to have. This is a great lesson Sher. I'm going to really try and "move my pieces closer" to Christ.
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