Pop Quiz
2008.10.12 | A rare bit of seriousness |
“Surely, what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of a man he is? Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth? If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am. The rats are always there in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before you switch on the light.” ~C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 192
“Opportunities to server others in meaningful ways, as we have covenanted to do, rarely come at convenient times. But there is no spiritual power in living by convenience. The power comes as we keep our covenants.” ~M. Russell Ballard, Ensign, May 1999, 85
I am a very structured person. Everything I do has its time and place, and at times it can be a bit distressing to me when other events interfere. Because I am so structured, I like to schedule my service into specific blocks of time. Upon discovery of the above quotes, however, I realized that service is not something you just do at a set time every day as if it were some rote tradition. Service is an attitude; it is something you do always, whether in a premeditated act or as a result of situations you find yourself in. You do it always because that is who you are, not just how you act from time to time.
The gospel, much to my chagrin, is not a bunch of to-dos but rather a compilation of to-bes. It is the unexpected moments, the barging in to discover the rats in our cellar, that really show us who we are. I like to think of these unexpected service opportunities as pop quizzes administered by the Great Teacher. He places people in our path who need a helping hand so as to gauge our progress. This pop quiz format may not be the most pleasing form of testing to the student; we may much prefer to study and cram for a scheduled exam and at the appointed time spew out all the facts and wisdom we have collected, but such a test doesn’t do much to measure what He is looking for. Only the unanticipated, unplanned-for pop quiz calculates who we have become.
“Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.” (3 Nephi 12:48) O that we may discover the rats in our lives and root them out, that we might find ourselves better prepared for further heavenly testing.
Recommended reading: “The Challenge to Become“
2 Comments to Pop Quiz
Thanks for the ever needed reminder. And oh my.. “The Challenge to Become” what a talk! It always comes back into conversation (or blogs) when I need its message the most.
Kellen2008.10.13
Rob you hit it right on the nose. I had one of those unexpected pop quizzes the other day and I failed miserably. I learned most people don’t think its funny to release 2000 live cockroaches in someone’s office and lab just because they took my parking spot. Live and learn, I guess. Great advice!
2008.10.12