The green-eyed monster

As Halloween is upon us I thought I would share a funny story (call it a trick or a treat really) about the green-eyed monster of jealousy. When we talked of Joseph receiving his coat of many colours, which most likely signified him receiving the birthright, we also talked about how this made the other brothers jealous of him, being 11th of the 12 sons of Israel. I then told the class I was going to ask them an easy question, "Jealousy leads to good things or bad things?" They all in one voice answered back "Bad things." A hyper, energetic young woman on the front row raised her hand and said, "Yeah, like when you like a boy and another girl likes the same boy!" I respond saying, "Yeah, we do get jealous. So what are we going to do to stop it, or avoid it?" A pudgy, sandy blond haired boy with braces on the opposite side of the room raised his hand and said very matter of factly, "Well, you just go and get what they've got." I thought quickly and replied saying, "Like, if someone's righteous then you need to not be jealous but try to follow their example instead??" He, looked down, and then up again and said, "Yeah, like if someone has a bag of Skittles, you can just go and get your own bag of Skittles." And that was that. Oh, if it were only a bag of Skittles that we got jealous over. I hope that we can maintain such sweet simplicity. Have a sweet Halloween!

Learning to run

So, I've often wondered why sometimes we can be seemingly doing all we know to be right, but then still struggle with overcoming those little things. Like I know that I need to have patience, even if it's 3 AM with a screaming infant, and I know I need to write in my journal and study the scriptures daily and I usually want to do these things. But even despite the best efforts at times I feel like Nephi and cry out, "Awake my soul! No longer droop in sin." How do we overcome the little and big temptations alike. I think the story of Joseph, and learning to run, can help me and others out. Joseph was sold by his brothers, and then sold into Egypt as a slave to Potiphar. Genesis 39 verse 2 says "And the Lord was with Joseph..." answering all wonders of how much anger he held towards his brothers or what plots of revenge he was scheming up while in that pit or on the slave train! Not only was the Lord with him, but "his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand" (v.3). Joseph then came to be "overseer over" Potiphar's keep. Then, duhn-duhn-duhhhn, enters the villainess. Potiphar's wife noticed that Joseph was "goodly person" and "well-favoured" [which the OT student manual says means "good looking"] and "cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, lie with me" (v. 6-7). "But he refused" continues the record, and stated "There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God (v. 9)." She didn't give up, she persisted, as Satan always does, and "spake to Joseph day by day" (v. 10). Then Joseph being the diligent and dedicated servant that he was came into the house, but found himself alone. "And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: And he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out" (v. 12). He ran! He got out of there. He did not lull around, or wait to see what might happen. He RAN! Doctrine and Covenants section 10 verse 5 states "Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work." Prayer is so important in conquering Satan, and we know that Joseph was praying, because "the Lord was with him." Yes! we need to pray. We need to pray always. BUT, we also need to run. Run at the sight, or thought, of temptation. If we cannot learn to run then we'll never get past our temptations.

Welcome

So Taylor has an amazing blog about cooking and Scott has his sweet blog on politics, so I wondered what I could make a blog about. So here is a blog where I will post spiritual thoughts as I study and teach the Old Testament to my 9th grade seminary class at Spanish Fork jr. high. It is suggested that we drink 64 oz of water a day--8 glasses at 8 oz per glass. The Savior taught the woman at the well that "whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst." So, with that in mind I hope to be able to help out with 1 serving of our daily spiritual water needs; ie, 8 oz.