The Lord's Law of Health

The Lord’s Law of Health

Because God loves his children and wants them to be happy, He gives them commandments.  Personal health contributes not only to our happiness, but also to our ability to help in building God’s kingdom, so it’s not surprising that the Lord has given instructions on the topic of physical health.   

One important contributor to good health is sleep, and in today’s world, good patterns of sleep are often difficult to develop.  The Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual says, “Electric lights and late theaters have transformed night into day and deprived the people of some of their natural sleep, and at the same time of a portion of their physical and mental vigor”.  The Lord’s  remedy for this health challenge is found in D&C 88:124.  “Cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.”   

Unlike today’s ease of modern inventions, everyday living in the past was hard work and  exercise.  Things like farming and hunting to get food, manual labor to provide shelter,  and walking as  a means of transportation contributed to a healthy body.  Maybe for that reason,  it’s difficult to find scriptural references on the topic of exercising the body. Still, members of the church are taught that exercise is an important part of life.  In the pamphlet, For the Strength of Youth, the suggestion to “exercise regularly” is recommended for better physical and emotional health.

Maybe the greatest contributor to good health, is the food that a person chooses to eat.  In D&C 89, known as the Word of Wisdom, the Lord gives clear instructions on what things will harm our bodies and which things will increase our health.  He begins with the assurance that His instructions are “adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints”, or in other words, each person is capable of living this law. The Lord later suggests three food groups that He has “ordained for the use of man” - every herb and every fruit (which includes vegetables), flesh of beasts and of the fowls of the air, and all grain.  In a world full of processed foods, convenience foods and fast foods, the Lord’s law of health is a reminder that meals that include basic foods will keep bodies healthy and minds invigorated.  

In addition to  what kinds of food, the Lord also gives other important suggestions.  D&C 89:11 says, speaking of the healthy foods mentioned above, “all these to be used with ‘prudence’ and thanksgiving”, and then in D&C 59:20, “And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with ‘judgment’, not to ‘excess’ . . .”.   Clearly, too much of this good thing can be harmful, and the warnings not to be excessive, to be prudent and to use judgment in choosing amounts, are an important part of the Lord’s law of health.              

 Keeping the Lord’s law of health will improve quality of life and will increase ability to serve God and others, but obedience to this law will do so much more than that.  John A. Widtsoe  suggested that there are four rewards for keeping the word of wisdom:  1) Self control is developed, 2) Strength of body, including  resistance to contagion, 3) Clearness of mind, and 4) Spiritual power.  Certainly with every commandment kept, comes many promised blessings.  

The Lord’s Law of Health

Daily Assessment

Rate each day’s decisions from 1-5, with 5 being the best.  Aim for 50!

1.  Sleep

Did I go to bed early?  

Did I arise early?

2.  Exercise

Was I active during the day?

Did I do something specific to exercise?

3.  Food

Did I include fresh produce throughout the day?

Did I choose meat carefully and eat it sparingly?

Did I choose whole grains?

4.  Prudence, Good Judgment and Not Excessive

Was I prudent in my choices, careful to avoid processed foods,

convenience foods and fast foods?

Did I use good judgment in my food choices?

Did I eat in excess?

The Lord’s Law of Health

Daily Assessment

Rate each day’s decisions from 1-5, with 5 being the best.  Aim for 50!

1.  Sleep S     M     T     W    Th     F     S

Did I go to bed early?                        

Did I arise early?                       

2.  Exercise

Was I active during the day?                  

Did I do something specific to exercise?                       

3.  Food

Did I include fresh produce throughout the day?        

Did I choose meat carefully and eat it sparingly?                       

Did I choose whole grains?         

4.  Prudence, Good Judgment and Not Excessive

Was I prudent in my choices, careful to avoid                       

processed foods, convenience foods and

fast foods?

Did I use good judgment in my food choices?                    

Did I eat in excess?                       

Daily Totals:    

Weekly Totals (Possible 350 pts)      

Wk 1 -

Wk 2 -

Wk 3 -

Wk 4 -

Wk 5 -

The Pinwheel's Wind

          The Pinwheel's Wind

Each time a word escapes your tongue, it's like a pin wheel's wind

Your words are blown 'round other's ears

They're heard again and again

So if your words are vulgar, and the jokes you tell are crude

It quickly will be passed around,

That you are someone RUDE!

And if your words are harsh and mean, you cannot call them back

They'll linger in the spinning air

And hurt with each attack

But if you share God's tenderness, with words that love and lift

They'll linger still, but oh how sweet,

Each thought another gift

So choose your words most carefully and like the pin wheel's wind

They'll linger on for all to hear . . . 

Again and again and again

Angels

(Written for the Aunts - my Dad's sisters, during the time we were caring for Dad before he died)

Angels

Each day seemed so long, as we watched the one who had always been our pillar of strength, prepare to leave us.

Oh yes, a priceless privilege  for us to give back, in some small way, a portion of what he had given us so many times.

We wanted desperately to hang on to each precious moment, yet with great empathy we watched him struggle with the changes in himself.

We were untrained in the medical profession, but he had trained us well in the profession of love, and so we were qualified

Yet still, each moment, our task weighed heavy on our tender hearts.

 . . . . . And then, through the door would walk our Angels.

So much like him that just seeing them brought solace and sweet memories.

Sometimes they brought in his favorite foods, like rice pudding or cabbage slaw.  They knew all the things that made him happy.

Sometimes they shared stories - news of the present day and the joys of happy days gone by

Sometimes they would sing with him, and when he stopped singing, they sang to him.

And always, they brought hugs - hugs for him and hugs for us.  And always they smiled, and comforted our aching hearts.

And so we would watch for our angels and wait anxiously for them to walk through the door, because when they did, it felt like heaven.

To Know You Are Enough

   I've decided that I will never get over losing my Mom.  It's been 17 years since she passed away, and still at times, the hurt is as deep and as strong as the day she left.  Today has been one of those times.   I miss her so much.  I always felt so safe with Mom.  I knew that I could be myself,  and whoever that was, that's the person she loved.  There isn't a more comfortable and peaceful feeling than that - to know that you are enough.  Reason says that that feeling would make a person complacent and unwilling to push and fight for improvement.  But oddly enough, it has the opposite affect.  I always wanted to please Mom.  Not because she shamed me into it, but because her unconditional love motivated me and gave me confidence to move forward and improve.

Dad - Thirsty to Learn

One of the most vivid pictures that I can still see in my mind from my childhood, is my Dad sitting in his big chair in the living room, his shoes neatly placed next to the chair, the lamp on, and him reading a book.  When I would walk in, he'd look up and take his reading glasses off, and then he'd share with me his most recent discovery from his reading. It was always exciting to him.  He loved to learn.   As a young man, when he was just home from his mission and ready to go to college, his father died.  Dad was left to  work the family farm and provide for his mother and 7 younger siblings.  He never regretted his decision to take care of his family, but he was always thirsty to learn more.  Sometime after he married and started a family, he began to take night classes at the university.  He was a hard worker.  He worked long hours to provide for us, he was heavily involved in our community, and he served in the church, but he somehow always made time for school.  Dad graduated from ASU the same year that my oldest sibling graduated from  ASU.   Through the years, I'm sure Dad talked to me about the value of education, but the greatest lessons I learned came from watching him.  The opportunity to become educated should be cherished;  It's worth every effort; and life long learning adds excitement and satisfaction to life. 

A Conduit to God's Love - The Power of Ministering

17 years ago this month, my Mom passed away.   She taught me a lot of great things, but if I were to choose just one characteristic that I consider her “hallmark”,  I think I’d choose her unique ability to love.  Mom loved from deep within her heart.  And when she served, it was different than just going through the motions.  It was like her service came with a special stamp of approval from our Heavenly Father.  She  loved everyone - it didn’t matter what station in life or what circumstance a person came from.   Each was deserving of her completely genuine and sincere love.  Looking back, I think Mom spent her life ministering.  My brother Darl spoke at Mom’s funeral and he captured her so well when he described her as “a conduit for God’s love”.

Before that, I don’t think I had ever really thought much about what a conduit is or does.  But since then, I have thought about it  many, many times.

A conduit is a system that moves something from one spot to another.  The type of conduit I think of most often is an electrical conduit.  It’s a pipe used to cover and protect electrical wiring, and it takes those wires from a source of power to where it needs to go.

So my brother described mom as a conduit for God’s love.    And she certainly was that - a person who took God’s love and safely  delivered it, unchanged and just as God had sent it,  to the people around her.   She spent her life ministering.

Our charge as disciples of Jesus Christ, is to minister to others.  From electrical conduits, I think we can learn a few things to help us be better conduits for God’s love and better at ministering.

1)  Connect to the Source

First of all, we need to connect ourselves to the source.  For electricity to be passed through a conduit, it has to be connected to the source of the electricity, and for us to be  effective at passing God’s love on to His children, we first need to connect with the source of that love - connect ourself to God.   Elder Henry B. Eyring tells us that-

“Charity is born of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and is an effect of His Atonement.”    (From Jan. VT Message) .

As we work on strengthening our faith, developing our testimonies of God’s plan of happiness; as we have more gratitude for the atonement and more love of God, we’ll be better at sharing God’s love with others.

So the first thing is we need to connect to the source

2)  Channel God’s love

The second job of an electrical conduit is to “Channel or route the electricity.  If we are to be effective at ministering, we have to channel God’s love to the places it needs to go.   Lately, I’ve been hearing the word, “watchare” quite a bit.  Isn’t that a great word?  When we minister, the “care” is preceded by the “watching”.  That’s how we channel God’s love.  We watch.   Pres. Monson, who is a master at ministering, said this -

“If we are observant and aware, we can accomplish much good”

To minister, we can’t  just live in our neighborhoods, we have to observe and be aware of our neighbors and look for opportunities to share God’s love with them.  When we come to church, do we just slip into our seats and then slip out again, or do we take the opportunity to observe what’s around us?  Does someone look sad?  Is someone having trouble with their small children?    Is there someone sitting alone? Who isn’t there that day that usually is?  Who isn’t there that day that never is, but needs so badly to feel the love of God in their life?  We can’t channel God’s love  without observing and being aware of where it needs to go.

3)  We safely deliver God’s love

Okay, the last thing, then - to be conduit’s for God’s love, we have to act.  Ministering is all about doing something.   I’ve mentioned part of this, but listen to the complete quote by President Monson

“Often small acts of service are all that is required to lift and bless another: a question concerning a person’s family, quick words of encouragement, a sincere compliment, a small note of thanks, a brief telephone call.  If we are observant and aware, and if we act on the promptings which come to us, we can accomplish much good.

(Thomas S. Monson)

“If we act on the promptings which come to us”, if we do as the Lord himself would do if He were here to do it, than we can accomplish much good.  And because we are doing His work, the Lord will prompt us and direct us as we minister.

The result of an effective electrical conduit - connecting to the source, channeling it and delivering it - at the end of the line, the result is power.  And the result of effective ministering is Power - God’s power in the lives of His children.  Individuals are strengthened.  We’re strengthened, our wards and our stakes are strengthened, our communities are strengthened.   You just can’t be in the business of channeling God’s love without the result being greater strength and greater power.

At the last supper, Christ gave Peter an important instruction that I think is applicable to us today.  He said,

Luke 32  . . . when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

As people who have made covenants with the Lord, we have the charge to strengthen our brethren and our sisters.  I pray that we will be conduits of God’s love as we minister to their needs just as God would if He were here to do it Himself.

Two People, A Dozen Donuts, and a Box with a Note

Hanging on our refrigerator is a donut box lid with a handwritten note  that reads, "Josh, You are one outstanding player - never backing down but always going forward - Great!  Judy and Grant Ward"  This box, full of donuts, was dropped off at our house last Saturday, the morning after Josh's last High School ballgame. It wasn't the first time that Josh had been gifted a box of donuts.  In fact, it had become a tradition of sorts; four years of donuts, boxes and notes.

As I think back over these years and these donuts, my heart is filled with gratitude for two wonderful people who watched a boy play ball and encouraged him to become a man.   I cried the night that they brought donuts after Josh had fumbled the ball and lost the game for his team.  The note on the box was encouraging and re-assuring, and gave Josh confidence to carry the ball again without fear.   As the boxes of donuts kept coming, whether Josh had a great night on the field or had struggled on the court, it didn't matter; each note applauded his effort and taught him that it's not whether you win or lose, but it's how you play the game.  Judy's and Grant's encouragement was consistent - a mental pat on the back and an unspoken invitation for Josh to work hard, and to give it all he had.

Who would have ever known the impact of two people, a dozen donuts, and the boxes they came in?  If I could go back, I would have saved every donut box and transcribed the valuable note handwritten on the top of each one.  But I don't think Josh will ever forget this last important message, and I hope that what Grant and Judy think he is on the field and on the court, will motivate him as he prepares now to work hard as a missionary, and that just like he did on the court, he'll give life all he has.  "Josh, You are one outstanding player - never backing down but always going forward - Great! Judy and Grant Ward".

Taco Tuesday

Taco Tuesdays

          Through my calling as the Relief Society President in our ward, I had heard several times about the Pathway Program – an online education program offered through BYU-I that was affordable and flexible.  Even though I originally thought it might work for me sometime down the road, I knew of several women in our Relief Society that I thought might benefit from a program like that, so I checked into the details of the program and shared with them what I learned.  Several women were very interested, but even though the tuition cost was reasonable, three of them had extremely tight budgets and felt that it would be impossible for them to come up with the money.  I knew that there must be some way to earn that money.  That was when the work began.

          There were four of us who decided to work together to earn enough money for our Pathway tuition.  We threw out all kinds of fundraising ideas, such as house- cleaning,  selling homemade crafts or having a garage sale.  We finally decided on two projects.  One was to provide drop-in babysitting one morning a week.  The other was “Taco Tuesdays”.  I tried out some different recipes and came up with our Taco Tuesday menu – warmed, big, flour tortillas with a choice of pulled pork or a ground beef mix,  a choice of  baja sauce or honey chipotle sauce, a choice of toppings  (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, red salsa and green salsa), rice and beans.   The four of us decided together that we would each work as hard as our individual schedules allowed us to, and then we would split the money equally four ways, and believe me, we each worked hard!! 

The first couple of weeks it was more difficult to get orders, but once people were in the rhythm of “Taco Tuesday”, we had people calling us to place their orders.  I was the designated shopper.  I searched for good deals and shopped the sales for the ingredients we needed.  One week I bought 75 lbs. of ground beef because it was on sale.  It went into the freezer to use on future Tuesdays.   Our goal was to sell 50 taco plates each week – some with one taco and some with two, so the shopping was no easy task.  Once the food had been bought, I would deliver ingredients to the four different women so they could prepare their assigned part;  I always prepared the meats, Priscilla made the sauces, Stephanie chopped the toppings,   and of course, Josefa always made the rice and beans because she knew just how to make them taste deee-licious.  When it was time to actually make the plates, we set up a food line on my long kitchen table.  The mood was always cheerful and enthusiastic as we worked together to special order each take-out box to be just how our customer likes it.   By the time clean-up time rolled around, we were beat.  We would make up a taco or two for each of us and eat together for a few minutes before clean up and good-byes.

          Our goal was to earn $1500 before the date that tuition was due   That included $325 tuition for the four of us, and enough to cover paying tithing as well.  Between the money we earned doing drop-in babysitting, and the majority that we earned doing Taco Tuesdays, we reached our goal.  This project was a lot of hard work, but the blessings that have come because of it have made every effort worth it.  I am so grateful for the wonderful relationships that I’ve developed with the women I worked with.  I now consider them to be among my dearest friends.  And the blessings from our work continue each day now, as I have the opportunity to strengthen my testimony and learn life changing lessons as part of the Pathway Program.