O Be Wise

A short and simple verse from the Book of Mormon reads, "O be wise; what can I say more?" -Jacob 6:12

So what is wisdom?

According to the dictionary on my desk it means knowledge of what is true or right coupled with good judgement.

I find that very interesting. If we want to heed Jacob's counsel and be wise we must first gain knowledge. This knowledge comes from things like going to church, reading our scriptures, and other things. But it doesn't end there. We have to correctly apply the things we learned or else we might become the opposite of wise and that's foolish. None of us want that now, do we??

So all I can say is, "Be wise."

Batter Up

I haven't been much of a baseball player but I have always found significance in the common phrase: Keep Your Eye on the Ball. Since I am a missionary I suppose it won't be much of a surprise that I want to relate this to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The picture above is of my brother. Now, I wasn't at the game so I can't say for sure, but I think he hit the ball in this picture. Notice where is eyes are focused. They aren't looking at his bat, or the outfield, or anything but the ball itself. If we want to return to live with our Father in Heaven we've got to keep our eyes on the prize. We need to stay focused on what we want in the end, not what catches our eye for a moment.

So next time you see something out of the corner of your eye, so to speak, pay no attention. Just keep your eye on the ball and knock it out of the park. Batter up!

Trust in Your Companions

Often in our lives we are asked to trust others. Sometimes that trust is great sometimes small. As missionaries we have temporary companions that we are paired up with from 6 weeks to 4 and 1/2 months. We have to learn to trust one another rather quickly. If we don't the Lord's work is hindered.

The picture above illustrates this idea. In a three-legged race two people are literally tied to one another. They have to trust each other and work together to win the race. You might consider it a victory if they even finish the race. It takes practice to stay in sync with your partner. At first an individual may think he or she knows more about three-legged races so they don't have to listen to what the other one says. Or perhaps they think that the other person should "just know" which leg to step with, without them having to specifically tell them. The truth is that it takes some communication and trust in your companion, friend, spouse, or whoever you happened to be teamed up with to finish the race.

In an Ensign article Christie H. Frandsen wrote, "By trusting in the Savior’s atonement, I learn to trust myself; and by trusting in my husband and in our marriage, I can come to trust in the promises the Lord has given us through his prophets."

For more of Christie's article click here.