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This Sunday, there was a combined Relief Society / Priesthood Meeting. Our Bishop began to relay a message to us holding examples of real-life tires (worn evenly, worn unevenly, a blown out tire that has lost its thread and then a shredded tire.
The message took about an hour, but let me summarize the main ideas of what he said:
The road is like the straight and narrow path in life.
We can be likened to a tire. A tire that is aligned with the gospel wears evenly and last a while. A tire that isn’t aligned (to the gospel) properly will wear out faster and unevenly. A tire that has too much pressure or too little pressure and overloaded can blow out when traveling on the road. A shredded tire is a total catastrophic failure from all factors: not being aligned, not pressured correctly, overloaded, adverse road conditions.
The front tires would be the parents of a family: both mother and father. They turn together and guide the entire car and back wheels.
The back wheels would be the children. They follow where the parents go. They follow our examples.
The suspension that connects the tire to the car is likened to the gospel and scriptures that we have: The Bible (Old Testament, New Testament), the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and modern revelation. They absorb the roughness in the road and keep the front tires tracking straight.
The steering column is likened to the Prophet on Earth that we have today, Gordon B. Hinckley. Input from the steering wheel is transferred to the steering column, which turns the suspension and finally the front tires.
Heavenly Father would be the steering wheel and person behind it. Giving revelation to the Prophet, which is the steering column.
The family would be the entire car, made up of all the previous components connected together going down the road of life.
Jesus Christ is the master mechanic. He can fix anything on the car. Normally when you have an unevenly worn tire, blown out or shredded tire you would just buy a new one. Not Jesus Christ. He can repair any tire.
Being a car freak and total nerd, I completely enjoyed and appreciated the message that he brought forth. It is a very good analogy and puts everything in perspective in an automotive point of view.
My wife went shopping Saturday night and mentioned to me that she ran into one of our former missionaries. (He was assigned to a neighboring ward after teaching us our second lesson.) He was accompanied by the Mission Leader of his ward and the missionary’s companion. She walked up to him as he was saying “hi” to another family. He immediately started to point out about five or six families left and right that were also LDS.
I find humor in this, but also peace and wonder. Peace for knowing that, if needed, we would “bear each other’s burdens.” (Mosiah 18:8) And wonder – seeing how many people are members in our church and how fast it is growing.
This, obviously, is the sign of a true church by the fruit it is bears.
Yesterday, my companion asked me to speak on my experiences of how I was lead to the church. The message the spirit prompted me to give was the importance of every member to be a missionary by leading in example.
My companion spoke afterwards and got a different message about what I spoke about. He pointed out that as I had my friend Mike to make me feel comfortable with the missionaries, his brother had a similar opportunity by passing a young married couple talking to missionaries in a department store parking lot. As he walked by he overheard the unsureness of the young married couple.
He joined the conversation by introducing himself to the young married couple as a member of the church and shortly speaking about how the gospel has helped him raise a large family. He gave his name and number to everyone and let them know that his family was at their disposal if they should need anything.
A few days later, the missionaries called thanking him for taking a minute to help. The missionaries had been out all day and that young married couple had been the first people to agree to hearing more about the gospel.
It just goes to show how mindful we have to be at all times about the fact that there are people waiting to hear the gospel, but don’t know where to start or do not feel comfortable without a little help.
Not a day goes by when I am forever thankful for the work that missionaries do. As young adults that are just beginning their lives, they put their lives on hold to spread truth and answers. It is admirable how missionaries put Heavenly Father first before everything else. They truly “seek…first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33; 3 Nephi 13:33) If it were not for them, I don’t believe I would be where I am today with my faith. It was with the help of LDS Families and the missionaries unselfishly spending time with my wife and I, that we were able to find the truth in things ourselves.
After our first lesson, we were asked to attend church. As a timid investigator, I was weary about attending a new church with tons of strangers. I asked my friend Mike to accompany me to church the first time so I could “hide behind him.” Visiting church for the first time was like coming home for the first time. Everyone was happy to see me. Everyone greeted me and made me feel welcomed. The friendliness and helpfulness of everyone actually made an impact and everlasting impression. The chapel was humble in the way it was decorated. The way they conducted Sacrament meeting was simple. It was amazing and very different than how I remembered things in a Catholic church. Things just felt right: the place, the people and the things they were doing.
It makes me realize the important role every member of the Church carries: being a missionary. I believe that there are so many people in our lives that are waiting for the gospel and I am thankful for my friends, the families and the missionaries for setting the example for myself. The power of pure example is amazing. Besides speaking about gospel, with the countenance and way you present yourself can speak a million words. I only hope that I can set a similar example in which I have observed. I can only hope for the many opportunities to help other people learn more about the full gospel of Jesus Christ as I have.
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