Reality vs Reality
This may hold the record for the shortest Jessica blog post in history because I'm one tired woman right now...
But I was just doing some research. You know, cause I'm cool like that. Contrary to what you might think, it wasn't for any final. 'Tis the season, you know. It was actually because I'm the blessed soul who gets to deliver the Relief Society lesson the first weekend in January.
I figured I'd get a jump start and begin to compile my thoughts now instead of waiting until the holidays roll around and I have other things on my mind.
SOMETIMES I'm prepared. Sometimes.
Well, I dug through my bookshelf and grabbed every possible piece of literature that would have anything to do with the lesson subject-- temples. After thumbing through one of them and finding an old statistic, I hopped onto the handy dandy worldwide web so I could get a more current count of the operating temples.
Did you know that in 1995, there were 47 operating temples with 13 under construction, and now there are 134 operating temples with 10 under construction and 13 announced?
Dude.
That's pretty nifty.
At any rate, as my screen loaded, I was suddenly struck by the shallowness (is that even a word?!? I guess it is... spell check didn't squawk about it and etch an annoying red line underneath it...) of the world. Don't get me wrong-- there is a LOT of good going on. But, my oh my, how there is a LOT of bad, too.
No offense nameless search engine (aaachooo--YAHOO--oooo!), but is the fact that Eva Mendes and Jenny McCarthy "rock[ed] the same sequined frock" the most important thing going on right now? Really? That's the best we've got? Oh no, wait. Fear not. You could always check out the recent engagement photos of the royal couple and stalk them for a while. Oh boy. Sign me up.
It just boggled my mind that we've allowed ourselves to become so brainwashed that we choose sequined frocks and Oprah's relationship status over focusing on what is really important. A little ironic.
We're talkin' about the work of salvation, here, folks. And I'm just as guilty as everybody else. I'm not trying to point a waiving finger of shame at everybody but me. I get in the habit of logging on and wasting time reading about crap that doesn't really matter. But don't get me wrong-- a little free time is necessary.
Facebook stalk your old high school buddy for a few minutes. By all means. Read about something that catches your attention, be it a news report of a bubbling-one-eyed-martian that landed in a cornfield in Nebraska zapping everybody into a daze with its stun gun or whatever else.
But let's just keep ourselves realistic, here. God the Father literally lives. His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, lives. The true church was ushered in through Joseph Smith and all keys have been restored once more. Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet of God on the earth right now, and he receives revelation to guide us in the latter days. The temple is literally the house of God, and sacred work pertaining to our salvation and the salvation of all mankind is performed therein. We are all sons and daughters of God, and we are loved more than we can imagine by Him. He knows us each individually, and wants us to succeed and be happy.
Now THAT is reality. THAT is worth spending 3 hours reading up on. Sorry, Oprah. Sorry, sequined frock. Sorry, royal engaged couple.
Hopefully this scripture applies.... Eh... Even if it doesn't, it's really cool and I just found it written on the back of a blank "Fresh Market" rain check slip, so I'm gonna share it anyway =]
"It must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet." (Doctrine & Covenants 29:39
But I was just doing some research. You know, cause I'm cool like that. Contrary to what you might think, it wasn't for any final. 'Tis the season, you know. It was actually because I'm the blessed soul who gets to deliver the Relief Society lesson the first weekend in January.
I figured I'd get a jump start and begin to compile my thoughts now instead of waiting until the holidays roll around and I have other things on my mind.
SOMETIMES I'm prepared. Sometimes.
Well, I dug through my bookshelf and grabbed every possible piece of literature that would have anything to do with the lesson subject-- temples. After thumbing through one of them and finding an old statistic, I hopped onto the handy dandy worldwide web so I could get a more current count of the operating temples.
Did you know that in 1995, there were 47 operating temples with 13 under construction, and now there are 134 operating temples with 10 under construction and 13 announced?
Dude.
That's pretty nifty.
At any rate, as my screen loaded, I was suddenly struck by the shallowness (is that even a word?!? I guess it is... spell check didn't squawk about it and etch an annoying red line underneath it...) of the world. Don't get me wrong-- there is a LOT of good going on. But, my oh my, how there is a LOT of bad, too.
No offense nameless search engine (aaachooo--YAHOO--oooo!), but is the fact that Eva Mendes and Jenny McCarthy "rock[ed] the same sequined frock" the most important thing going on right now? Really? That's the best we've got? Oh no, wait. Fear not. You could always check out the recent engagement photos of the royal couple and stalk them for a while. Oh boy. Sign me up.
It just boggled my mind that we've allowed ourselves to become so brainwashed that we choose sequined frocks and Oprah's relationship status over focusing on what is really important. A little ironic.
We're talkin' about the work of salvation, here, folks. And I'm just as guilty as everybody else. I'm not trying to point a waiving finger of shame at everybody but me. I get in the habit of logging on and wasting time reading about crap that doesn't really matter. But don't get me wrong-- a little free time is necessary.
Facebook stalk your old high school buddy for a few minutes. By all means. Read about something that catches your attention, be it a news report of a bubbling-one-eyed-martian that landed in a cornfield in Nebraska zapping everybody into a daze with its stun gun or whatever else.
But let's just keep ourselves realistic, here. God the Father literally lives. His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, lives. The true church was ushered in through Joseph Smith and all keys have been restored once more. Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet of God on the earth right now, and he receives revelation to guide us in the latter days. The temple is literally the house of God, and sacred work pertaining to our salvation and the salvation of all mankind is performed therein. We are all sons and daughters of God, and we are loved more than we can imagine by Him. He knows us each individually, and wants us to succeed and be happy.
Now THAT is reality. THAT is worth spending 3 hours reading up on. Sorry, Oprah. Sorry, sequined frock. Sorry, royal engaged couple.
Hopefully this scripture applies.... Eh... Even if it doesn't, it's really cool and I just found it written on the back of a blank "Fresh Market" rain check slip, so I'm gonna share it anyway =]
"It must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet." (Doctrine & Covenants 29:39
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