How good is sliced bread?
In the interest of full disclosure I should mention that just yesterday, barely week since my last post, I was called on to say the opening prayer in Sunday School and I bet you'll never guess what I caught myself starting to say. That's right. The infamous "daily lives". I caught myself in time to omit the word "daily", so it wasn't a total loss, but I guess I still have some room for improvement.
In the business world we often hear the word innovation. Being creative and able to adapt the changing world is critical for the survival of any business. Refusing to change simply because "that's the way we've always done things" is equivalent to giving up. Tom Callahan, Fictional CEO of Callahan Auto Parts, said "If you're not growin' you're dyin!'". We can't afford to be idle. The challenge for us is finding out how we can be innovative in our own lives.
So what does that have to do with sliced bread? Let's think about the man (or woman) that invented sliced bread. He didn't invent bread or slicing. He simply combined two existing things in a way nobody had done before. And to this day sliced bread has been the gold standard for describing how good something is. On a side note, I'd really love to learn how sliced bread and rocket science became the standard bearers for greatness and difficulty level.
For us, this means that in order to be innovative, we don't necessarily need to have a new idea. We have all the tools we need at our disposal. We just need to figure out how to combine them. Don't confuse innovation with invention.
Remember that this blog is about integrating the Gospel into our lives. It's about dissolving the barrier between Sunday and the rest of the week. So how does sliced bread help? It teaches us that there is power in combination. Not the secret kind. Combining two things into something greater is a principle at the core of the gospel. In the 6th section of the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord teaches us that his word shall be established in the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses. The combination of the words of two people will establish truth.
The Savior teaches us about marriage by saying that "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave unto his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Mark 10:7-9). The combination of man and woman in marriage forges an eternal bond
Moroni gave us a promise that if we would take "these things" (referring to the writings of the prophets contained in the Book of Mormon) and pray about them that we would know of their truth by the power of the Holy Ghost. The combination of the words of prophets and the Holy Ghost will increase our testimony and faith.
The Savior himself gives the greatest example of the power of combining two things when he knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane. We cannot begin to comprehend the depth of his suffering or pain. What we can all understand though is the desire to avoid that pain, and so as I read the account in Matthew 26 his plea to the Father sounds all too familiar. "Father, if it be possible, let the cup pass from me." Father, if there is any other way to do this, please let me. Three times he repeated his request to alleviate the weight of the sins and pain of all mankind. However, he didn't just ask for an easy way out. He also said "nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." The Savior was willing to combine his will with the Father's, and this combination is what allowed the Atonement to happen.
In the Bible Dictionary we learn that prayer is "the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other". Prayer is the vehicle through which the true power of agency and choice is revealed. When we choose to combine our will with our Heavenly Father's will we can accomplish great things. Prayer is the way that we find out what He wants us to do. It's the innovation we all strive for.
Combining prayer with action is the best thing since.......sliced bread. And in fact, it's even better.
For us, this means that in order to be innovative, we don't necessarily need to have a new idea. We have all the tools we need at our disposal. We just need to figure out how to combine them. Don't confuse innovation with invention.
Remember that this blog is about integrating the Gospel into our lives. It's about dissolving the barrier between Sunday and the rest of the week. So how does sliced bread help? It teaches us that there is power in combination. Not the secret kind. Combining two things into something greater is a principle at the core of the gospel. In the 6th section of the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord teaches us that his word shall be established in the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses. The combination of the words of two people will establish truth.
The Savior teaches us about marriage by saying that "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave unto his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Mark 10:7-9). The combination of man and woman in marriage forges an eternal bond
Moroni gave us a promise that if we would take "these things" (referring to the writings of the prophets contained in the Book of Mormon) and pray about them that we would know of their truth by the power of the Holy Ghost. The combination of the words of prophets and the Holy Ghost will increase our testimony and faith.
The Savior himself gives the greatest example of the power of combining two things when he knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane. We cannot begin to comprehend the depth of his suffering or pain. What we can all understand though is the desire to avoid that pain, and so as I read the account in Matthew 26 his plea to the Father sounds all too familiar. "Father, if it be possible, let the cup pass from me." Father, if there is any other way to do this, please let me. Three times he repeated his request to alleviate the weight of the sins and pain of all mankind. However, he didn't just ask for an easy way out. He also said "nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." The Savior was willing to combine his will with the Father's, and this combination is what allowed the Atonement to happen.
In the Bible Dictionary we learn that prayer is "the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other". Prayer is the vehicle through which the true power of agency and choice is revealed. When we choose to combine our will with our Heavenly Father's will we can accomplish great things. Prayer is the way that we find out what He wants us to do. It's the innovation we all strive for.
Combining prayer with action is the best thing since.......sliced bread. And in fact, it's even better.
Comments
Post a Comment