"Do not tell people how to live their lives.
Just tell them stories and they will figure out how those stories apply to them."
-Randy Pausch (The Last Lecture)
"The teachings of Jesus Christ are a great treasure"
was the title for my primary lesson on Sunday.
When I was reading my lesson for last week, I remembered these cute chocolate scriptures from pinterest. My class has been bored to tears by my lessons lately. I had to make these. Cute right?
..And then I was all like, "Did I really just do this for a class of five year olds?" Yes, yes I did. They appreciated it pretty well I think. ;)
I'm pretty happy with how the lesson turned out. Right now, for me, if there was one thing I would want my class to know, it's what was taught Sunday.
This year, more than any time in my life before, I have learned how important reading the scriptures are. How important it is to learn and study the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Early in my life I felt an appreciation for the scriptures. I learned early how to apply the scriptures to my own life. Often when I was struggling with something, I would be able to open up the scriptures, thumb through the pages and find something that I felt was especially for me and my situation.
Psalms119: 105 -"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
Reading every night faithfully though, starting at the beginning of the book and working my way towards the end....never was something I found easy. I didn't understand the stories and I couldn't pay attention hardly at all.
At the very beginning of this year, something changed. I came by this story in The Book Of Mormon and it especially applied to what I was currently seeing in my life from some around me. A story which I have read before and understood pretty well....but really needed that night in January. I have read it about two (maybe more) other times since then and still find it amazing how much it applies to right now. I wish everyone would read it and ask themselves, who they are in that story.
I wanted to understand the scriptures better.
In the future, when my daughter comes to me for help, I want to be able to remember a story from the scriptures and be able to discuss how it applies to what she is going through.
"Do not tell people how to live their lives.
Just tell them stories
and they will figure out how those stories apply to them."
I also need to know the stories for myself.
Reading with Aleah every night (well, almost every night) from the Children's version of The Book Of Mormon helped me realize where my starting place would be. I'm sorry. I am so A.D.D. and I learn at an incredibly slow pace. I need a little bit of help. Mostly my scripture "study" reading just became reading words and getting through it instead of studying and applying the stories to my life. So I started with the children's version. And it has helped me a lot. I just finished the children's version of the Book Of Mormon (sounds so silly) and now I'm back at the beginning of the real set and starting over. I'm excited to see how I view the scriptures differently. Or understand how things are connected better.
The scriptures are important. They apply SO MUCH to today. Pride, sin, dismissing God and His prophets, repentance, love, following Jesus' teachings and prospering from it, etc.... It's all there. There is so much to learn from them. I am so grateful for them.
"Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me." D&C 19 23-24
What is The Book Of Mormon?
"The Book of Mormon is the word of God, like the Bible. It is Holy Scripture, with form and content similar to that of the Bible. Both books contain God's guidance as revealed to prophets as well as religious histories of different civilizations. While the Bible is written by and about the people in the land of Israel and surrounding areas, and takes place from the creation of the world until shortly after the death of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon contains the history and God’s dealings with the people who lived in the Americas between approximately 600 BC and 400 AD. The prophets in the Book of Mormon recorded God's dealings with His people, which were compiled by a prophet named Mormon onto gold plates.Before these faithful Christians perished, their record was safely hidden away. Joseph Smith obtained these ancient records in 1827, and with the gift and power of God Joseph was able to translate the ancient writings into what we have today. The Book of Mormon, along with the Bible, testifies that Jesus Christ is our divine Redeemer and that by living according to His gospel we can find peace in this life and eternal happiness in the life to come."
What is The Book Of Mormon?
"The Book of Mormon is the word of God, like the Bible. It is Holy Scripture, with form and content similar to that of the Bible. Both books contain God's guidance as revealed to prophets as well as religious histories of different civilizations. While the Bible is written by and about the people in the land of Israel and surrounding areas, and takes place from the creation of the world until shortly after the death of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon contains the history and God’s dealings with the people who lived in the Americas between approximately 600 BC and 400 AD. The prophets in the Book of Mormon recorded God's dealings with His people, which were compiled by a prophet named Mormon onto gold plates.Before these faithful Christians perished, their record was safely hidden away. Joseph Smith obtained these ancient records in 1827, and with the gift and power of God Joseph was able to translate the ancient writings into what we have today. The Book of Mormon, along with the Bible, testifies that Jesus Christ is our divine Redeemer and that by living according to His gospel we can find peace in this life and eternal happiness in the life to come."
