Time

One of the most meaningful “medals” I wear is my callused hands. The skin is so thick on my fingers tips of my right hand I literally have no feeling, from hours playing cello. I have a scar on the top of my right hand from when I climbed in the oven when I was two. And I have sections of thick calluses under each finger from hours of weight lifting at the gym. Though these details may not be significant to anyone else, they are incredibly meaningful to those who have paid the price of time to grow them.

When someone stands up for the gospel, or bares a powerful testimony, it is as though they are showcasing their thickened, conditioned hands. The spirit, like a hand, requires hard work over a long period of time to grow. My brother, Nate, is a perfect example of this. All through high school he did not waste a single minute to let his hands “soften up”. He conditioned his hands, teaching himself hard work, self discipline, strong character, and focus. He loved learning about the gospel. Though we weren’t the closest brothers while he was here, I am just now realizing the strength and focus he must have had through his senior year.

It makes sense that the spirit doesn’t operate on a “30 second testimony” basis. Those power-house, make-you-cry moments are wonderful, but they are simply a conditioning of the skin. Otherwise, attaining a testimony could take as little as an hour and it would be taken for granted instead of something you spent the time pondering and praying about. Thomas Jefferson once said “Anything worth having is worth fighting for”. A focused character and rock-solid testimony are priceless tools that are worth the time to grow. But no two are the same. No one has the same scars or calluses on their hands as mine. Each is unique. No one in will go through this life experiencing the exact same things as somebody else. But that’s what makes each of us valuable and special to the Lord’s plan.

In this generation, rarely is it asked of the saints to give up all we posses. But it is asked we give our time. And the more time we give living the gospel, the more the lord has promised to condition our hands, to make us capable to carry heavier loads, and to allow us to bare a sincere, powerful testimony that He Lives. What could possibly be a more valuable investment of time?

Synergy

For years I thought synergy was just a cool word that was some strange combination of super-energy, or something similar. But only recently have I discovered it is actually a real word, and have since seen it appear in many things. Synergy, as defined by Dictionary.com, is “The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.” As a member of the Murray High Swim Team, which is considered a strictly individual sport, I have been a direct witness to synergy. For years I have wasted hours of time stretching, visualizing, pumping myself up, or “getting in the zone” as I would call it, before my events. I would put the rest of the world outside me, and do the best I possibly could. And I did. Though I put one hundred percent of my effort into my event, I was failing to utilize my team’s effort and support like I should have.

The principle of “give and take” does not apply when talking about synergy. The give comes from love, not from selfishness of expecting something in return. If people approach any form of team or partnership with “give and take” in mind, they will only get out what they put in. Nothing more. They will constantly be balancing out what they give with what they get in an imaginary scale in their mind. Doing this will block out any possibilities of both parties getting more than they put in. Synergy is a mathematical explosion, if you will. I have now started busying myself cheering for team mates, giving personal motivation boosts, or comforting those who didn’t do as well as they planned. By doing this, I have found I am more prepared, more relaxed, and feel better in my races because I know I have a grateful team behind me pushing for me every length of the way.

I had the terrible opportunity to take the ACT test this Saturday. And right there, in the reading section, was the perfect example of synergy. It was a technique used by the Native Americans known as “The Three Sisters”. The Natives would plant maize in a circle around a small mound of dirt. When the maize grew about 6 inches tall, they would alternate planting squash or beans between each stalk of maize. As each plant grew, they created an ecosystem perfect for the others progress. The maize stalks provided a structure for the beans of climb, the beans provide nitrogen to the soil that the other plants utilize, and the squash spread across the ground to monopolize sunlight and keep the weeds down, as well as its prickly hairs repelling pests. This is the perfect example of synergy in an agricultural sense. The three plants, when working together, grow better than any one of them could by themselves.

Isn’t this a wonderfully ideal concept? How much more efficient could man-kind be if we could all work together in unity. Perhaps this is the reason the church stresses unity so strongly. D&C 38:27 says “be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.” That sounds slightly harsh. But there have been groups that have risen against the church, creating disunity, and destroying the ecosystem of synergy the church operates in. The conflict of Proposition 8 in California is a good example of this. Members are taking personal opinion over Prophetic counsel. They are not one with the church.

Synergy has a very broad application. It can apply to marriages, quorums, presidencies, school classes, companionships, or friendships. The church has always understood the importance of unity; therefore they have always understood synergy. You cannot have one without the other. I feel as though I have over elaborated on such a simple topic, because it all boils down to selflessness. As we give in love, we receive more. Giving in expectation of getting something in return is not a terrible concept; it is how most things in the world work. But it is not synergy. We hear it all the time, the more we serve, the more we get. And I truly believe that.

Be There

I heard a quote in sacrament meeting today that struck a flurry of thoughts in my mind. And it has spawned me into starting a new blog in which I hope to share some of my own introspective thoughts and insights on life and the gospel. The quote is this:

“Wherever you are, be there, or you will miss most of your life.”

It is easy to skim the surface of this quote and apply it to simply living in the moment, give anything you attempt one hundred percent, or don’t ever be distracted or you will miss the lessons taught to you. These are excellent concepts that can be administered to many aspects of life, but I feel the author intended this for more than a simple catch phrase.

As I pondered this, I broke it down into four steps that I feel cover the main points this quote is implying. But the first three are simply the plan. They are things you absolutely need to know before any actions you do have meaning. They are the self-evaluations that must take place for you to know what your purpose really is. The first step is, you need to know where “There” is. This may sound trivial. But there are many people that understand being “there” as simply a motion of physical existence, and not a state of internal peace. If you want to be there, you need to consciously define where “there” is. It could be as common as being at peace with friends and family, or as complex as living all the commandments and doctrines of the church with exactness. Wherever “there” is, you need to know where it is.

The second step is you need to know how to get “there”. This step reminds me of the common adage “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Though we may know where we want to be, we may not ever think of the small steps we will need to take to get there. It would be unrealistic for someone without a high school diploma to budget a six figure income that year without a plan. Likewise, it would be unrealistic for us to think that if we know where we want to be, it’ll just happen. Knowing where it is, and knowing how to get there are two very different things that are often confused.

The third step is you need to know what it takes to stay there. This step is often misunderstood as being difficult. But in reality, when “there” is reached, this step is simple, effortless, but nonetheless essential. Anyone who has undergone a drastic change in their life in order to get to “there” will never tell you it was easy. And yet, as I imagine it, staying “there” would be simple after seeing the bad affects of not being “there”. As habits are formed, the lifestyle will change and they will become accustomed to the new way of life. During a 186 mile flight, a jumbo jet uses 43 percent of its fuel on the take off. But as it reaches its desired height, it stabilizes, and fuel does not burn as fast. Similarly, though the change may be difficult, as you reach a new height, the coast becomes a wonderful, smooth ride. Not to say life will become any easier, but you will be at greater peace with yourself and will be able to better cope with life’s trials.

The last step is of course, “be there”. The action step. Now for some this step may say “get there” or “getting there”. It is different for every person. But even if you are “there” that is not to say we should not be eternally progressing. “Being there” is not a stationary principle. At least not in this sense. As I see it the more we get there, the more we want to become better. In 2 Nephi 4, it is shocking to see the great lamentation Nephi has for his sins. When in reality, how great of sins could he have possibly committed and still been a prophet? Nephi was “there”, and as such he was continually trying to be better. The more we come to understand this concept, the more effective our lives become. We’ll operate like a well oiled machine. As the quote states, if you’re not there, “you’ll miss most of your life”.

If I was completely honest I don’t even know if I’m “there”. But every day is a new day, and I pray that I may be continually progressing. My bishop told me a few days ago to “be the man you were sent here to be”. I don’t know what I’ve been sent here to do specifically. But I know the man I need to be to be worthy to do the things I need to do. President Monson has his own quote which summarizes this nicely, “Do what you need to do, learn what you need to learn, and be who you need to be”.