Bishop Bingham began the discussion by handing out two suckers.  He instructed one brother to go ahead and eat it.  The other he instructed to unwrap the sucker and then eat it.  What a difference it makes in how the sucker tastes!  (waxy vs. sweet, no flavor vs. flavor, etc.)  He then compared it to the gospel.  We all need to participate in order to learn.  We need to be agents – acting in accordance with our knowledge.  We need to ask questions to understand the gospel better.  Dig, search, wonder.  Unwrap it so that you can better savor it.

And ask we did.  Bishop Bingham opened the rest of the time up for questions.  Questions anyone in the class had about the gospel.  We talked about the first resurrection (D&C 138:50) and how our spirits will want to be joined with our bodies again.  Even though there is pain and sorrow connected with these bodies, there are also so many wonderful experiences as well.  So many experiences that are intensified because of the body/spirit combination.

We talked about repentance after death (D&C 138:31-37).  We also talked about Satan’s proposed plan before we came to this earth.  Now, I had always assumed that Satan wanted to force us to do good.  Force us to get back to heaven again.  But that’s not it at all.  He wanted the easy way.  He wanted to take away consequences.  To have us do whatever we wanted and still be saved in the end.  And he wanted to have ALL the glory.  Sneaky, no?  Quite.

We also discussed what changes and what doesn’t in the gospel.  Doctrines are eternal truths that are never-changing.  Principles are doctrines that are packaged for application and fit the learner and situation.  Policies change over time.  They are usually used to protect doctrine and fit the times (i.e.  No dating before the age of 16 is a policy that protects the law of chastity.  It is not a doctrine – think about biblical times.)

Now, the unwrapping principle is true in so many areas of life.  Put in a little more effort.  Try a little harder.  Go a little deeper.  You’ll taste the rewards if you do.

What are some questions you have?  Search and find those answers.  Actively ask and search.  Unwrap the gospel and taste the sweetness.

{from a combined Relief Society/Priesthood meeting at church (August 29th).}

Came across this on Facebook.  A friend asking a question and a response from another friend.  So true and what an excellent way to handle bullying.

Q: “What do you do when other kids are mean to your kid and she comes home in tears? It just breaks my heart. :(”
A: “I taught my girls that they should feel sorry for them. When kids are mean to other kids, it is almost always because they have someone who is mean to them. The hurt is usually caused by someone close to them that they love and should love them. I would tell my girls that they should disarm the other child by asking the “mean child” if they have had a bad day…or if someone has been mean to them. Usually it stops the “mean child” in their tracks. They don’t know how to respond. They want to feel the power of being the one who gives it out instead of the one who gets it sometimes.  The “mean child” is wanting a reaction from your child. They want them to cry or run off or feel as bad as THEY do when someone hurts them. You teach your child that anything that is said to them is not about them. It is about the other child and the pain they are in. It won’t take away the all the pain that your child will feel when it happens, but it gives them a bit of understanding why kids bully. It teaches them to have empathy for others. Then lots of hugs, kisses, and love! “

p.s.  I found the same to be true in my student teaching experience.  Almost every time a student would act up in class it was because of an outside reason.  School stress, relationship problems, family troubles, etc.  If I took a minute to call them aside and talk for a minute it would usually come out.  If I expressed sympathy and let them know I cared, the minor behavior problems flew out the window – sometimes without a need to even address them.  And those students would be the ones to later stick up for me. Pure beauty.