Elder Michael J. Teh
Of the Seventy
“We need to enlarge the circle of our influence” – This reminds me to break free from any cliques that we can quite easily establish and seek to include all.
“To some degree we all depend on each other to be able to make it back to our heavenly home.” – I don’t think to some degree, but to a LARGE degree we depend on each other. It’s with a little help from my friends that I survive. I realized while running in St George and again in the Wasatch Back Relay that without the help of others I would have had a much harder time keeping strong and courageous. Its in the helping hands, the smiling faces, the mutual strength that I draw from my friends and those who serve that I can become anything great.
“Do what you will, there is going to be some benevolence, as well as some malice, in your patient’s soul. The great thing is to direct the malice to his immediate neighbours whom he meets every day and to thrust his benevolence out to the remote circumference, to people he does not know. The malice thus becomes wholly real and the benevolence largely imaginary.” – I have enjoyed recently to listen to C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce and have read most of The Screwtape Letters. In a simple way Mr. Lewis clearly exposes the subtle ways we feed ourselves a steady meal of self deceit and garbage. It’s beautiful to me how clearly I see things after reading or listeningn to a few of his thoughts on Christian living.
This statement also reminds me of when Christ said if you can’t be kind to your brothers and sisters who are nearby then how can you show love to a God whom you can’t even see? (paraphrased)
My Walk will be simple. I will not bicker about “dirty dishes,” literally and figuratively and will do one kind, out-of-my-way act for each of my roommates and family members this week.