So this morning I was reading the Book of Mormon with L. He is on Alma 32 now so we were reading about experimenting upon the word and knowing if something is good or not. Verse 35 mentions tasting the light. L thought this wording was a little bit funny. So then I explained to him what Alma means by "tasting" the light. I told him that if you eat a strawberry, but you are just mad that it's not watermelon, you won't really be tasting it. Also, if you just eat it really fast, you won't really be tasting it. But if you take a bite, savor it, think about how it tastes and feels in your mouth, smell it, etc. then you will really be tasting it.
It's the same with the gospel. Laman and Lemuel (and many other examples throughout the scriptures and also in every person's individual life at times) had bites of the gospel given to them. But they wanted something different. They didn't want to put in the time or effort to really savor the gospel. They didn't really taste it.
I then told the kids that we were going to do what Alma suggests and do an experiment. I told all the kids that I was going to play a song and we were all going to be really quiet and try to really listen to the song and see how it made us feel.
I played on of my favorite hymns - Savior Redeemer of My Soul.
About halfway through the song, L started complaining and asking when it was going to be over. After the song was over, I asked P how he felt (he had been really quiet the whole time.) He said "happy." I asked him if he had any feelings in his body and he said "warm."
I asked L how he felt and he didn't really answer. He just had a grumpy look on his face. I then explained that L had chosen to be like Laman and Lemuel. He had been given the opportunity to feel the spirit and to taste the light of the gospel. But instead, he got annoyed that it was taking too long and started complaining. He gave up on the experiment before it had a chance to grow and bear fruit.
I think that this was a nice little experiment and helped to illustrate what Alma teaches in chapter 32. First we need to desire to taste the light of the gospel. Then we have to have the faith to plant the seed and to nourish it. And we have to be patient as the seed grows.
Its interesting because we are growing a little garden on our deck this summer. Yes, we have been able to "harvest" a tiny bit so far (a few tiny strawberries, some basil, some green onions, etc.) but for the most part, we are just waiting for the other plants (the tomatoes and peppers) to bear fruit. Even though we are looking forward to the day when we will get to pick a ripe tomato and eat it, it's still been fun to just watch the daily progress of the plants growing and discovering new little green tomatoes that are growing. I think that this can be related to the gospel. Ultimately, the fruit that we want to have the opportunity of savoring is eternal life. But until then, we can enjoy tasting the fruits of progress, of bits of enlightenment, of growth. I think savoring that process will make the ultimate fruit of eternal life even more delicious. :)
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