While serving as a missionary for the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I developed a bad habit of breaking one of the mission rules. At a zone conference with other missionaries from the area, one of our leaders specifically asked us to raise our hands if we had been keeping that rule. I was shocked.
As a missionary, I chose to follow rules. These rules included everything from the obvious, abstaining from alcohol and drugs to things you may not think of, like keeping to a schedule or staying with your missionary partner at all times. Our schedule included waking up at 6:30 AM, praying, and then exercising for 30 minutes before getting ready for the day.
After a few months as a new missionary, I started waking up a few minutes late. A few minutes turned into 30, sometimes more. It wasn't the biggest problem I could have had, but I felt guilty.
One Sunday, while I quietly pondered and waited to take the sacrament, I felt very strongly that I needed to resolve this problem. With the strength I felt from God, I decided to wake up at 5:30 AM every morning for the next week.
A little more than a week later, I was sitting in a missionary zone conference (a missionary training meeting). One of the assistants to the mission president, a leader of our mission, asked us to close our eyes and said, "I want you to raise your hand if you've been waking up at 6:30 AM or earlier every day for the past week." I was shocked. I was able to raise my hand because I listened to a feeling I had during the administration of the sacrament. For the rest of my missionary experience, I had very little trouble waking up on time.
That may seem small and silly, but it was a tremendous learning experience for me. I learned that if I take the sacrament reverently with an ear turned towards God, I will learn what God wants me to do to be better.
This blog post is part two in a three-part series on the sacrament. Part one was posted last week, part three is a poem that will be coming next week.
Have you had any special experiences with the sacrament? I would love your thoughts, comment below.
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| Myself as a missionary (I am third from the left) |
As a missionary, I chose to follow rules. These rules included everything from the obvious, abstaining from alcohol and drugs to things you may not think of, like keeping to a schedule or staying with your missionary partner at all times. Our schedule included waking up at 6:30 AM, praying, and then exercising for 30 minutes before getting ready for the day.
After a few months as a new missionary, I started waking up a few minutes late. A few minutes turned into 30, sometimes more. It wasn't the biggest problem I could have had, but I felt guilty.
One Sunday, while I quietly pondered and waited to take the sacrament, I felt very strongly that I needed to resolve this problem. With the strength I felt from God, I decided to wake up at 5:30 AM every morning for the next week.
 |
| Sacrament cup and bread (from LDS.org) |
A little more than a week later, I was sitting in a missionary zone conference (a missionary training meeting). One of the assistants to the mission president, a leader of our mission, asked us to close our eyes and said, "I want you to raise your hand if you've been waking up at 6:30 AM or earlier every day for the past week." I was shocked. I was able to raise my hand because I listened to a feeling I had during the administration of the sacrament. For the rest of my missionary experience, I had very little trouble waking up on time.
That may seem small and silly, but it was a tremendous learning experience for me. I learned that if I take the sacrament reverently with an ear turned towards God, I will learn what God wants me to do to be better.
I love this song! It's called "Stained Glass" by Jon Guerra
Have you had any special experiences with the sacrament? I would love your thoughts, comment below.
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