Today I had a great experience at church! Listening to the talks in Sacrament meeting made a difference in my view on faith and how to move forward, even with uncertainty and then how to be happy through gospel principles.
The first speaker in Sacrament meeting gave a great talk about Repentance and how it's designed to make us happy, not just correct mistakes. She shared an experience she had as she worked on her family's farm. She talked about pigs they were raising and how they liked to use fences to scratch their backs. One day she was doing routine work when she heard a scream come from the dog's pen. She rushed over to find a pig who, while trying to scratch its back along the fence, was bit by a dog on the other side of the fence and wouldn't let go of its ear. The pig screamed as she tried to push the dog away and eventually was able to release the pig from its bite. The pig, now free, walked off like nothing had happened. Moments after she left the scene, she heard the same scream again and found the pig trapped just as it was before, trying to scratch its back again. She related it to our own situations as we consistently make the same mistakes, even though we know the pain and suffering it causes. It caused me to reflect on the mistakes I routinely make, even with some knowledge of the negative consequences they entail. I decided to remember this story whenever these mistakes arise again.
The next speaker also did a great job, but focused for his talk on faith and moving forward to a hazy but promising future. He related the story of the Children of Israel and their exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land. He talked about how in these passages, the people wanted to turn back and be slaves in Egypt again. They figured that the life they had before was better than the one they currently lead; back home in Egypt, at least they had enough to eat and a sturdy roof to live under. Because they had never been to the Promised Land, they didn't know what to expect or how great it would be. If they would have known what they were migrating towards, they would have no thought to put themselves into bondage again. I thought of this first as a parallel to repentance, how moving out of patterned sin can be difficult and a comfort zone of sorts, but then the message became one of moving forward with faith: not knowing what will happen, but knowing that the guidance we receive from the Lord will bring us to the best place we could hope to be in. This really resounded with me as I have wrestled with life changes and the demands of a college education.
Church, and especially Sacrament Meeting, can be a great learning experience and a chance to fill up on inspired teachings if we make the effort to listen and pay attention to the speakers. I'm glad I did this week, I've been taught a lot today!
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