ARE YOU SLEEPING
THROUGH THE RESTORATION
By President Uchtdorf
Penny Fuehrer gave our
lesson on Sunday July 27, 2014.
“There is too much at
stake for us as individuals, as families, and as Christ’s Church to give only a
halfhearted effort to this sacred work”.
Penny started her
lesson by reading the story that President Uchtdorf told in his talk about Rip
Van Winkle.
One day, while wandering in the mountains with his dog, he
discovers a group of strangely dressed men drinking and playing games. After
accepting some of their liquor, Rip becomes drowsy and closes his eyes for a
moment. When he opens his eyes again, he is surprised to find that his dog is
gone, his rifle has rusted, and he now has a long beard.
Rip makes
his way back to his village only to discover that everything has changed. His
wife has died, his friends are gone, and the portrait of King George III in the
tavern has been replaced by a portrait of someone he does not recognize—by
General George Washington.
Rip Van
Winkle had been sleeping for 20 years! And in the process, he had missed one of
the most exciting periods in the history of his country—he had slept through
the American Revolution.
In May
1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used this story as an illustration for
his speech “Don’t Sleep Through the Revolution.”
Penny wanted to discuss the three major reasons why it is easy
to become a bit sleepy while building up the kingdom of God.
First, selfishness.
Those who
are selfish seek their own interests and pleasure above all else. The central
question for the selfish person is “What’s in it for me?”
I am sure
you can see that this attitude is clearly contrary to the spirit required to
build God’s kingdom.
Naturally, we all have a desire for recognition, and there is
nothing wrong with relaxing and enjoying ourselves. But when seeking the “gain
and praise of the world” is a central part of our motivation, we will miss the
redemptive and joyful experiences that come when we give generously of
ourselves to the work of the Lord.
What is the remedy?
The
answer, as always, lies in the words of Christ:
“Whosoever
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
“For
whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life
for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” Those who serve others
will not sleep through the Restoration.
Another thing that may cause us to sleepwalk through this
significant season of the world is addiction.
Addictions often begin subtly. Addictions are thin threads of
repeated action that weave themselves into thick bonds of habit. Negative
habits have the potential to become consuming addictions. Once again, it comes
from the words of the Savior:
These
binding chains of addiction can have many forms, like pornography, alcohol,
sex, drugs, tobacco, gambling, food, work, the Internet, or virtual reality.
Satan, our common enemy, has many favorite tools he uses to rob us of our
divine potential to accomplish our mission in the Lord’s kingdom.
What is the remedy?
The first
thing we must understand is that addictions are so much easier to prevent than
to cure. In the Savior’s words, “Suffer none of these things to enter into your
heart.”
The best defense against addiction is never to start. Please
know, first of all, that there is hope. Seek help from loved ones, Church
leaders, and trained counselors. The Church provides addiction recovery help
through local Church leaders, the Internet, and in some areas, LDS Family
Services. The most important thing is to keep trying—sometimes it takes several
attempts before people find success. So don’t give up. Don’t lose faith. Keep
your heart close to the Lord, and He will give you the power of deliverance. He
will make you free.
The third obstacle that prevents us from fully engaging in this
work is the many competing priorities we face. Some of us are so busy that we
feel like a cart pulled by a dozen work animals—each straining in a different
direction. A lot of energy is expended, but the cart doesn’t go anywhere.
What is the remedy?
Once again, it comes from the words of the Savior:
“Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment”.
“And the
second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
Everything
else in life should be secondary to these two great priorities.
A
Call to Awaken
The
Apostle Paul wrote, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and
Christ shall give thee light.”
“My dear
friends, know that you are brothers (sisters) of light”.
“Don’t
allow selfishness! Don’t allow habits that could lead to addiction! Don’t allow
competing priorities to lull you into indifference or detachment from blessed
discipleship and ennobling you to give service to others”.
General Conference April, 2014; Priesthood Session: “Are you
sleeping through the restoration?”
