What is the Key to Happiness?

I am going to teach a class about this on Tuesday.  If you live in my area, you are invited to come.

This topic has been on my mind a lot lately.  I have my own ideas, but I want to hear from you. Even if you don't usually leave comments, please just take a second to tell me what you think is the key to happiness.

I'll post my thoughts later in the week after my class.

Spalories

There is an empty soda can sitting on my desk. In big letters it brags, "0 CALORIE." That means I can drink it and not gain any weight.  I don't want to gain weight, so I drink it.

Sometimes, when I am hungry, I will drink my 0 calorie soda to satisfy my craving.  I feel full and I didn't take in any extra calories!  Sounds like a win-win. But it's not.

The other day I was in a hurry.  So, instead of eating lunch, I grabbed a soda so my stomach would stop making noise. It worked.  My stomach stopped making noise. But, by the end of the day, even though I had ingested plenty, I had, in reality, taken in little nutrition. Our bodies need proper nutrition to feel strong, fight diseases and to function at it's fullest capacity.  It takes great care and attention to nurture and feed our bodies the right way.

Our soul need the same care and attention. It would be great if our spirituality could be measured in something like calories. For fun, I'll call them spalories (spiritual calories).  Spalories are vital to our spiritual health and well-being. We must take in healthy, good spalories so our spirits ( our testimony and spirituality) will be strong, fight temptation and function to it's fullest capacity.

There are many ways to get spalories.

Here is short spalorie chart:

Prayer: 500 spalories ( add 100 bonus spalories for kneeling.  Add 300 more for crying tears of gratitude or pleading)


Scripture Study: 500 spalories


Attending Church meetings and activities: 1000 spalories


Doing a selfless act of service: 600 spalories


Sharing your testimony: 1500 spalories (that is sometimes really scary!)


Hugging your children: 200 spalories.


Reading this blog: 300 spalories (just kidding.....or maybe not!)

You get the drift.  There are many things we can do that are worth plenty of spalories. I'm sure you can add plenty more to the list.

Let's say I need 2000 spalories a day for proper spiritual nutrition. I could pray twice a day and read my scriptures and be almost completely nourished.

But, Satan has come up with his own 0-spalorie replacements.  He would rather you partake of his goods than those that provide real spiritual nutrition.

Here is the adversaries 0 spalorie chart:

Standing in front of the mirror giving dirty looks at your thighs: 0 spalories


Yelling at your kids: 0 spalories


Being critical of others: 0 spalories


Watching inappropriate tv shows and movies: 0 spalories

The list goes on and on.  You could spend a lot of time on these activities and have a zero spalorie balance at the end of the day! In fact, if you do these things often enough they can actually take away from your spalorie reserve!

What's a spalorie reserve, you ask?

Great question!

We know that testimony and spirituality are not static. They either grow or shrink each day, depending on our spaloric intake. If I don't get enough spalories, my testimony and spirituality lessen- even if it is just by the slightest, imperceptible degree. But, if I meet or exceed my daily spaloric intake, my testimony and spirituality will grow stronger. And, if I go way over and above that amount, I will create a spiritual foundation of spaloric reserve!

But, if I neglect my spaloric intake, and replace it with 0-spaloric activities and attitudes, my reserves with quickly shrink.

Are all 0-spaloric activities bad? No. I like a good reality TV show once in a while.  But, it is bad when it replaces high-spaloric activities, like when I replaced my healthy lunch with a soda.

Bottom line: Feed your soul. God has given us countless ways to take in spalories.  The numbers above are just for fun. Figure out for yourself your spaloric intake.  Make a spaloric goal for yourself.  Find the things that are high in spaloric value that you just love, and indulge yourself!

Watch what you say and do.  Ask yourself, how many spalories is this worth? How many spalories do I need to nourish my soul today?

Love your spalories, love yourself!  I think that's my new slogan!

To Honor Those That Have Fallen

Sometimes no allegories are needed.  The truth is beautiful in it's simplicity.  

We honor those who have died while serving our country.  My faith teaches that all who die will live again.  Below is a message of hope and faith. 

 I hope will uplift you and bring peace to those that have lost loved ones in war and other times.

Now I See

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at my ophthalmologists office getting my eyes checked. It has become an every other year ritual since I was 14 when I first began wearing glasses and/or contacts.

Over the past few months my vision has really taken a turn for the worse. Even with my contacts in street signs were hard to read. Pretty much anything further than 15 took on a soft blur.

This visit started out like any other exam. The Dr. and I chatted a bit while he tested my vision on the big machine in the dark room (I hate getting my eyes checked.) Then, in the middle of the testing, I asked the Dr. why he thought my vision had gotten so badly so quickly. He said sometimes it just happens, but there wasn't any sign of disease or anything that should cause concern. Then Dr. said, "I really don't know. God only knows."

Normally I would have let it go without saying anything. But, lately I've been praying for more opportunities to share my testimony with those around me. So, in our half-darkened room, I simply smiled and said, "Yes, He does."

I guess he wasn't expecting that response, because he did a double take. Then, with a hint of skepticism, he asked, "How do you know God is a He, and not a she or a something?"

Now I was the one taken by surprise. I thought for just a moment before I responded.

Me: "Because He is my Father in Heaven and I am His child." (I felt so bold, like the Apostle Paul!)

Dr.:"But, God is many other things to many people."

Me: "Yes, but truth is truth, regardless of opinion. There are millions of opinions, but one truth. It is not our job to create our version of God based on our personal hopes and beliefs. We must find the real Him and base our hopes and belief on the truth."

Dr. had a scientific mind, and therefor wanted proof of His existence.

Me: "Man can prove anything he sets his mind to. Man has proven that eggs are bad for you. Then he proved they were good for you. I'm not sure where man's view on eggs are right now, but I am sure it'll change again. That is why we shouldn't rely on man for that answer. Things of a spiritual matter can only be taught and understood through spiritual means. That is where faith comes in. It is not a matter of proof. It is a matter of prayer and faith."

Dr. didn't seem too convinced. With little response he continued testing my vision. For the remainder of the exam we had fun small talk about many other topics, but nothing spiritual. I thought my boldness had fallen on deaf ears and blind eyes.

At the end of my appointment, he shook my hand. I thanked him for the exam and the new contacts.

Me: "Thanks for helping me. It's great to finally see again."

It was then that he smiled and said, "You are an interesting person. You've given me some things to really think about now."

I left feeling great. As I drove home I was once again grateful for the gift of sight. Because of my visit with Dr. I was able to see things I couldn't before. The street signs were clear and the clouds and trees once again had definition. How beautiful and clear everything was to me.

Then I smiled at the notion that, perhaps because of his visit with me,the good Dr. might be able to see things he could not before. Perhaps, as he is thinking about God and seeking Him, he might begin to see things he couldn't before. As he begins to look at life through an eternal lens, his potential will become clear, his purpose might have more definition, his trials might have more meaning, and his joy might be more full.

It brings the words to the song "Amazing Grace" to mind: "...was blind, but now I see."

Side thought - Wouldn't it be great if we could patent a contact that would allow us to see the eternal perspective? I'd call them Forever Focus contacts. When we wore them, we'd see our children as God does (even when their rooms are a mess and they aren't doing their homework.) We'd look at our trials differently. We would even look at ourselves differently. Ah, if it were only that easy!

More Than a Just a Name

I love nicknames. Growing up I didn't like my name - Michelle. It seemed boring. So, whenever I got a nickname (which wasn't very often) I relished it. My childhood friend, Shelby, called me Ish. To my red-headed twin cousins, I was Mishka. My brothers called me Missy or Siss. My mom had a lot of nicknames for me. When I was little she used to call my Shelly-little-butt.... until I started calling her mommy-big-butt. She changed my nick-name to Shelly-Belly after that. My favorite nickname of all is one that my mother uses now. She calls me Love.

The nicknames are fun and creative. But the real reason I loved nicknames was that I knew it was more than just a name, it was a term of endearment. It was a way to share how someone felt about me without having to say it.It is an indicator of the level of a relationship, where there is love, affinity and concern for the person. Whenever I was called by a nickname, I felt loved (still do.)

I wonder if that is why Jesus has so many names? Jesus, Bread of Life, Cornerstone, God, Jehovah, Rock, Lamb of God, Exemplar, Creator, Good Shepherd, Light of the World and Savior just to name a few. Do you suppose it is because He means so many things to so many people?

To the Savior, his names are more than names. They have meaning. And, when we use them, it should be a token of our acceptance of Him, our love for Him, and our understanding of His role in our lives.

In Luke, 5:46, the Jesus teaches the importance of that relationship when he asks the question, "And why call ye me, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"

When we call Jesus our Exemplar, our Shepherd, and our Savior, we should acknowledge our role as one needing to be guided, to be shepherded and needing to be saved. Our actions should plainly manifest our feelings for Him.

If we really do call him "Lord" then should not follow Him and do the things that He says? Should we not believe that He is?

When Jesus was being question by Pilot, He again showed that a name is more just a name. Pilate called to Jesus and said unto him, "Art thou the King of the Jews?" Jesus could have answered yes. But, rather, he answered him, "Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?" In other words, 'Do you believe that I am the King of the Jews, and not just called so?'

As we call upon His name, let us remember that it is more that just a name- it is our testimony of who He is. He is our Judge, the Light of the World, the Firstborn, our Advocate, the Christ, and the Messiah.

Whenever I write to my dad, whether in email or a letter, I never sign the name 'Michelle.' I always sign "Your Daughter." I asked him once if he wondered why I did that or even noticed it before. I told him that for me it was another way of acknowledging my love for him as my father. It was more than just a title or a name at the end of the letter, it represented my pride, love and gratitude for being his daughter.

As we take His name upon ourselves we take on other names as well - Disciple, Follower, Pupil, Saved. Let our actions give meaning to the names we now have. Our works should reflect our love and devotion to Him. Let us show Him that we, too, know that there is more than just a name.