So this is kind of random and a little out of character for me.... but I wrote this talk (for church) and I wanted to share it with my friends and fam...especially my cute Grandmas who are NOW computer savvy enough to read my blog. YEAH!When I was twelve my parents took me on a white water rafting trip on the Colorado river and I was in LOVE. I knew I wanted to be a river guide and I never forgot it. After I graduated from high school I got a job working for a company in Moab Utah and moved there to live out my childhood dream. During the time I spent working I saw the most beautiful canyons and scenery imaginable. hundred mile stretches on the Green River. Cataract canyon and West Water canyon on the Colorado River and many other breathtaking sights. But off all the trips I’ve ever been on there is one that stands out above the rest. This section of river is by far the most spectacular and the most dangerous of all. It has one mile sheer cliffs that jet out from the river and up to the sky. Thousand foot waterfalls, crystal blue water from side canyons it is truly breathtaking and amazing. I certainly have never guided on this stretch of river, but I have had the opportunity to tag along and witness the beauty of this canyon a couple of times.
Any guesses? Of course......The Colorado river through the Grand Canyon.
Now today I get to speak to you about finding joy in life and through the Savior. So what I would like to do is compare our journey in life to this amazing journey through the Grand Canyon.
So lets pretend that I am back in my glory days and I am going to be one of the many guides on your trip and I get to orient you on what to expect, some safety measure and precautions. So here we go.
Welcome to our trip This WILL be a spectacular adventure and you’ve waited a Long time to get your turn. You knew it would be a rough ride with some dangerous rapids, but also the most joyous and the most beautiful ride as well. You were thrilled with the possibilities of this new adventure.
Now....... if you pay close attention and listen to these instructions, I will give you some important hints on how to have an incredibly joyous journey and the safest ride possible.
There are two possible ways you can get from the "put in" to the "take out".
First you can ride on the boat. or secondly.... you can swim in the water. There is no other way. You only have two choices. You cannot take a nicely paved sidewalk that runs along the river.
You have to be in the boat....... or in the water, but you understood that when you signed up for the trip. SO let me explain.....
The head oarsman of the boat is our Savior Jesus Christ. If you are on the boat you are choosing to live like the Savior and follow his example. You are kind hearted, a peacemaker, you quickly forgive others and you have a deep respect and love for all mankind. You never get your feelings hurt and you never worry about the past or the future. On the boat everyone is equal and free it doesn’t matter what the color of your skin is, how much education you have, what clothes you wear, or what you look like. No one will judge you on the boat, and you have no need to judge anyone else. You see all people for their true individual potential..... and they see you for yours. There is an overwhelming peaceful feeling on the boat, one of humility and gratitude. If you are on the boat you will see the most spectacular sights and YOU WILL have an incredibly joyous and safe journey. I am not saying that you won't have to go through some rough rapids, but you will be guided and directed through whatever lies ahead.
And lastly we all start off on the boat, and it is our God-given right to be on the boat.
Now because we are free to choose sometimes we choose to act in ways that are not in accordance with our Savior. We begin to feel uncomfortable on the boat because we get angry or we choose to gossip, or get our feelings hurt. Maybe we watch a movie or listen to music that we wouldn't watch or listen to on the boat....... so we choose to jump in the water. Any action or feeling that is not like the Savior causes us to jump in, and it is our choice. No one makes us jump in.
Now let me tell you what being in the water is like. Sometimes being in the water looks tempting. We see other people laughing, smiling and having a good time .... SO we decide to try it out. Once we are in the water we realize that the water is brutally cold. It can be exciting at first, but when you start heading through the rapids it is a little frightening. You are all alone and you are fending for yourself. Being in the water can cause fear and stress and worry. You also feel unfulfilled like you are missing something. Maybe you are missing the beautiful scenery, or the breathtaking sights because you are too worried about yourself, how you are going to make it through those rough rapids that lie ahead.
Being in the water can be lonely, but it is our choice.
Because we are mortal we find ourselves jumping in and out of the boat a lot. For some of us it is easy to get back in the boat when we find ourselves in the water. Others of us it is a little harder to get back in the boat. We feel inadequate and unlike our Savior and although we don’t really like being in the water we can’t imagine feeling comfortable on the boat with him so we choose to be at the mercy of the water.
But there is hope. There is a way for you to get back in the boat and it is not as hard as you think, and you DO NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT TO GET BACK IN THE BOAT.
One essential piece of rescue equipment is the rope. With a rope we can rescue anyone that is in the water. But you have to choose to grab ahold.
I am going to tell you about three safety ropes that are ALWAYS extended from the boat. So listen carefully.
The first safety rope that is always extended is PRAYER. I am not talking about your consistent daily prayers, although it is a good habit. I am talking about the most sincere prayers you have ever offered up..... where you get on your knees and you beg and plead and beg and plead some more and you ask for forgiveness and you stay there however long it takes until you are willing to submit everything to the Lord. You recognize that you cannot swim much longer on your own and when you choose to say “Thy will be done”. you will get up off your knees you will find yourself back in the boat every time.
The second safety rope that is always extended to you is FASTING. And let me remind you that you do not have to be perfect to grab ahold of these safety ropes.
Fasting is a great blessing because once you go a few hours or a few days without food and water it becomes very apparent to you that you are nothing without the Savior. That he is the source of all good things, your food, your water and when you realize that you are literally less than the dust of the earth, and truly humble yourselves.... you will always find yourself back in the boat.
The third rope that is always extended is CHARITY.
Let’s say that tomorrow you are out doing some Christmas shopping. You see a young mom in front of you checking out. She looks a little tired and is wearing ragged clothes. She is trying to keep her 3 small children distracted so she can buy a couple little toys for them for Christmas. You heart is filled with compassion and you reach into your pocket and you take out the last hundred dollars that you were going to spend on Christmas gifts. You roll it up and you hand it to her quietly and wish her a Merry Christmas. At that moment nothing matters....... you would take the coat off your back and give all of your posessions to help someone in need....... Charity will always get you back in the boat. Charity is the pure love of Christ.
Here is our guide and map for our trip. The Book of Mormon.
The Prophets in the Book of Mormon are telling us one very important thing. They are saying to get back in the boat. Get back in the boat and when you jump out get back in again. They encourage us and teach us about people who lived their lives in the boat, and the exceeding amount of JOY they experienced. They also give us some important clues so we can recognize if we were in the boat.....or if we were swimming. They taught us to recognize how WE FEEL.
When we are feeling good- when we feel love, hope, peace, humility, charity in our hearts, patience, joy, hope and LOVE..... and we are in the boat.
When we are feeling bad..... stressed, angry, jealous, hateful, depressed, unhappy, self- conscious, we can recognize that we are NOT in the boat.
So ask yourself every day, every hour, write it big across your mirror. HOW AM I FEELING TODAY?
If you find yourself feeling angry, unhappy, unfulfilled, stressed, fearful etc. GRAB ONTO A ROPE....ANY ROPE.....AND GET YOURSELF BACK IN THE BOAT!!!
Drop on your knees, give a heartfelt, prayer and ask for help, or find someone you can serve and fill your heart with charity. Begin to fast, and humble yourself. I promise you you will find yourself back on the boat.
May God bless you and help you to remember these safety ropes PRAYER....FASTING.....and CHARITY. Once you learn to get back in the boat you will experience a life of abundance, happiness and true joy! I know these things to be true, and I know that you CAN experience the most beautiful sights and have an incredibly joyous journey JUST get yourself back in the boat.
I'll see you at the take out.
I say these thing in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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