Mind the Gap

My thoughts on Sister Thompson's talk "Mind the Gap"

I have to share a funny before I start my thoughts on this talk. A kid on my soccer team has a shirt that says "Mind the Gap London" on it. I have learned you never ask kids what their shirts say because it 1) makes you look like a fool and 2) could mean something you don't want to know EVER! Now I know!

Gap #1:
I remember the day I went from believing to knowing. It was a powerful day and to this day only my journal and I know about that day. It is one that my family is just going to have to take my word for it and discover in my journals someday. I truly don't know even how to put it into words as the vision that opened in my mind doesn't have earthly words. I just pray that each of my children has that kind of an experience. I know it made a huge, huge, huge difference in my life. It was the day that I went from going through the motions because I wanted to believe it and going through the motions because I KNEW it.

OK, I was just going to leave my comments at that, but I have to take on the "If God really loved me" thing. If God really loved us would he send earthquakes? Would he send hunger, famine, sickness? YES! There must be opposition in all things--ALL THINGS! If there wasn't all the bad stuff then we couldn't show we are good and he would stop being a God.

Gap #2:
I remember this gap well. I turned 18 at the beginning of my senior year. I was too old for YW and way to young for RS. I remember my mom telling me that I didn't have to go to RS or to YW, but I had to pick one and attend at least that Sunday meeting and one monthly activity. I picked YW (my YW leader was so awesome!). It was about April that year that the BYU students came back and they started a young adult RS class. There was some 20 of us young girls (I can call us young cuz I'm old now). it was such a great transition period for us. We didn't have a YSA ward in our area at the time so it was a great in-between. My movement over that gap was smooth and wonderful.

I know how hard it can be, but we as the old ones need to embrace the young ones and help our own (both YW and YM) when the time comes. I have one coming up here very soon and the push away from YMs is so strong. He is older and his worries and desires are different. Reminds me of the break from childhood into teenage-hood. They want feet in both camps and it is hard.

Gap #3:
Faith is the action to our belief. I don't recall where I heard that, so I won't put quotes around it. I read and hear so many profess a love and even a belief in Christ but I don't see the proof in their belief. If they truly believed would they do what they do, say what they say and be who they are?

That begs the question, what does my actions tell?

I don't say this to toot my own horn, but on one of my soccer teams a father faithfully video tapes his son's games. Because I'm coaching the offence and the boy is usually on offence I am usually near his parents. Today we played a very hard team and were seldom on offence so I didn't have much to say. The ref blew a call--big time. I could have let my emotions rip with a lot of swear words. I just kicked at the grass, blew my breathe out and refocused. The dad made a comment that went something like this. "You know, I can edit it out." I looked at him confused like. He then said, "You can let it out coach, I can digitally edit out the bad words." My son told him that I don't swear. He just laughed. "Really? Never?" Then Jason said, "NO, check your tapes." I just got an email in my inbox that said, "Your son was right. You don't swear even when you have cause to, but you sure are entertaining when we score."

What I find really, really interesting about this is that his wife is a very inactive member. I was the RS president when they moved into the ward. I helped them get their house put together and introduced them to the schools, churches and neighborhood. Funny how they forget. I do know that her parents are very active.

So do my actions give me away my valiant testimony?