July
11, 2012 tiffany.stamm
This is a post written by my
missionary companion about one of our adventures.
This
morning has been of epic proportions. My companion and I are always up to
something ridiculous, so we should have known this was coming. We decided this
morning we were going to try and save some time! First off I will share some background.
Usually when we go downstairs to the parking lot we have to go down three
flights of stairs and ALL the way around the building. OR there is a fire
escape, with convenient stairs, coming right to our window that leads to the
parking lot. The choice of the fire escape was certainly the "most
efficient" of the two choices! So we decided in order to "save
time" and "get to the Lords work" faster that this was the BEST
PLAN EVER! Alas. I should have known it would end badly. You see, it started
off great, we were having such a fun time climbing out our window on to the
fire escape. We successfully got to our car and grabbed the needed items. We
even met some missionaries of another faith while we were down there and had a
nice conversation with them. The job was successful, we went back up the fire
escape and then....DISASTER STRUCK! Somehow...my companion decided to FALL in
the window instead of step in, which in turn pulled down the lamp, broke the
light bulb, knocked over a chair, moved the fridge, tore a hole in her shoe,
scuffed up the other, and got rug burn all up her legs. Meanwhile I'm outside
on the fire escape holding a heavy item, which makes me almost fall off the
fire escape with laughter. Oh my goodness!
But wait...that
way was easier. It was more convenient. It seemed like such a fool proof plan!
We were going to be safe and we were going to be successful...or so we thought.
This whole experience reminds we of something we read in the Book of Mormon. In
Alma Chapter 47 we learn of a man named Amalickiah. Now Almalickiah is not a
good man. He has intentions to become king by killing off all the other people
in line before him. Not cool Almalickiah. Not cool. The way he plans to do this
is by tricking everyone. At one point he tricks the leader, Lehonti, of the
other group to come down the mountain he was stationed at and talk to him.
Well, Lehonti is not being fooled by Amalickiah. He KNEW that Amlickiah was bad
news and he KNEW that he was going to be safe if he just stayed up on that
mountain. But when we continue reading in Alma 47:12 we learn that Amalickiah is not okay with just sitting and
waiting at the bottom of the mountain. He tells Lehonti he will be safe! It's
just down the mountain a little way Lehonti? Why not go down? You'll probably
be fine! But no. Lehonti was fixed in his purpose with a determined resolution!
Alma 47:6 He won't go down that mountain! Then Amalickiah decides he
will go up the mountain, nearly to Lehonti's camp, and convinces Lehonti at
that point to come down the mountain with his army. Lehonti saw no reason to
not go! He could bring his armies with him, and he would be SO CLOSE to his
camp that everything would be okay. But. Alas. Lehonti was tricked. He thought
he would be safe, he thought he would be fine if he took his armies with him, and
the thing was he was safe for a while, until he was betrayed! He would've been
safer if he stayed up on that mountain!
Truth is, there
is probably almost always a "more efficient" way to get things done.
But are we going to be hurting others or yourself to do it? Are we going to be
spiritually safe at the end of the day? Wouldn't you rather go the safer way
and not have to deal with the after math, which for us meant cleaning up our
apartment and sweeping up glass and all sorts of chaos, so instead of leaving a
little early to go out and do missionary work we had to stay in and clean! It
was obviously not worth it. Are we ever choosing the more acceptable way with
our friends? It's just a little way "down the mountain" you might
think you can go right back up and as my companion and I learned, there are
always consequences. Do we ever do the things we KNOW are not safe and tell
ourselves that we can make it alright? We won't get hurt, we will only do it
the one time. Of course my companion and I are alright. We are safe besides a
few scrapes and bruises. But we could have been better off! We could have been
perfectly fine! Don't let the desire of the more efficient way keep you from
being the most spiritually happy you can be!
Lesson learned
from the fire escape? Don't go down that mountain. Stay strong in what you know
to be true! The safer way if always the better way both physically in
spiritually.
Sister Honomichl, Sister Stamm, and Sister Wright--who just returned
from her mission and spent the day with them because she had not been released yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment