I have a number of friends who are very good at taking care of their physical bodies. Many of my close friends work very hard at eating only things that are good for them and exercising on a regular basis. I believe a strong parallel can be drawn between the way we take care of our body and the way we take care of our spirit.
The body needs good food and it needs to be put to work. Our spirits need food and work just as much as do our bodies. Nephi says we need to "feast upon the words of Christ." The prophets Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and John the Revelator all make reference to eating the words of Christ as well. This analogy is nothing new!
Our bodies grow stronger by being submitted to challenging tasks. Our spirits are no different. Not only do they need to feast upon and digest the scriptures, they need to be put to work in the form of prayer, service, and faith-testing trials, in order to grow. Just as with our physical bodies, feasting alone cannot produce a healthy spirit, nor can exercising without nourishment.
President Hinckley referred to these ideas in his message in the Ensign of October, 2006. He taught that new members "need to be constantly 'nourished by the good word of God' (Moroni 6:4)." He also said they need work to do - "Faith and love for the Lord are like the muscles of my arm. If I use
them, they grow stronger. If I put them in a sling, they become weaker.
Each of you deserves a responsibility."
Some of our spirits are probably in very good shape. Some may be weak and starving. Our spiritual health should be a matter of great importance. We have a trainer who is ready and willing to help us improve our spiritual health at any time. He knows everything there is to know about spiritual health and can help any individual reach a level of health they wouldn't believe possible. He knows we all have the potential to be like His Father. He even has his own gym and gives out unlimited free memberships.
No comments:
Post a Comment