Behold, a college student went forth to his refrigerator. This refrigerator contained all manner of food, and it had begun to be full. Verily, the student did not take care; when he went to place an Applebee's carry-out box on the top shelf, a full container of tomato sauce did straightway fall off of the shelf. As it fell, the student thought, "Woe is me, for I know not how to catch such a whirling and oblong object. Perhaps it will land gently and not break open." Behold, it broke open. And it got everywhere. The sauce did splatter into the deep and dark crevices of the refrigerator insomuch that the student cried out, "Aw, man." Knowing that the problem must be dealt with, the young man seized paper towels and washcloth, beginning to be intrigued by the spiritual metaphor inherent in such an event. He did not mourn unduly, but straightway began to clean one area at a time. He had to pull out parts of the refrigerator and examine hidden corners. He could work only one section at a time, though the mess was exceedingly large. He had to return to the sink many times to seek the Water (*wink*) and its cleansing power over the rag. In time, he did finish cleaning the mess he had created, and straightway began considering a blog post.
I enjoyed writing that little narrative-parable. I humbly remind you that if you have made messes in your life, if you have made mistakes and have found large pools of gunk to clean up, it is your responsibility to clean up. Jesus Christ will help if you seek Him (and we definitely need His help), but the clean up will take persistence and dedication. As huge as it may be, you can work on one bit at a time, one hour, one afternoon, one day at a time. I heard lately, "Get up, do your part, and I will do what you cannot do." That struck me hard, clarifying my thoughts on the principle of salvation by grace and works, which I believe. Healing by grace and works. Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints once said, "When a person requested a priesthood blessing, Brigham Young would ask, “Have you used any remedies?” To those who said no because “we wish the Elders to lay hands upon us, and we have faith that we shall be healed,” President Young replied: “That is very inconsistent according to my faith. If we are sick, and ask the Lord to heal us, and to do all for us that is necessary to be done, according to my understanding of the Gospel of salvation, I might as well ask the Lord to cause my wheat and corn to grow, without my plowing the ground and casting in the seed. It appears consistent to me to apply every remedy that comes within the range of my knowledge, and [then] to ask my Father in Heaven … to sanctify that application to the healing of my body.” (April 2010 General Conference, "Healing the Sick", quoting Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe (1954) ) True, Brigham Young and Elder Oaks spoke of physical health, but I wanted to use that comment to emphasize the work that we have to do when dealing with a mess in our live.
Could I have avoided the mess? Yes. I could have taken more care with the container, or done my best to catch it as it fell. Will it serve any of us to wonder how our lives would have been without those big mistakes, to repeatedly imagine that we could have been better? I say nope. Just keep swimming, everyone. Keep moving forward. Looking backwards is only useful in moderation. But you don't have to take my word for it, as Lavar Burton used to say on TV.
(Man, I haven't thought about Reading Rainbow in ages. Now I want to find a DVD set or something.)
