Or the story of the Cinnamon toast
I was making cinnamon toast for breakfast the other morning. I put the buttered bread and sugar and cinnamon into the broiler. Because there was something on the computer that needed to finish I went over to the computer and did not watch what was happening. As a result I burned the cinnamon toast. I could smell it burning from my station at the computer. The smell of burnt toast filled the entire house. There was no hiding my mistake. My good wife remarked, "It looks like you have burned the toast."
Of course I had to sheepishly admit that I had made a great mistake. Fortunately all the damage that was done was burnt toast, which I promptly disposed of in the garbage.
I thought this might be something that I could enlarge upon as an object lesson for our lives.
Living here upon the earth we are constantly surrounded by distractions. There are all kinds of distractions to divert us away from our true purpose for which we were sent here. There are so many distractions here that one would have difficulty delineating them all.
Just as trying to multitask cooking cinnamon toast and checking a computer problem result in burnt offerings the distractions that are present in this life can lead to a much more disastrous outcome . We could lose eternal life and the blessings of this life,
Let me just mention a few distraction that I have observed that keep our attention diverted from those things that will enlarge our souls and expand our understanding of the eternal principles of knowledge.
Video games.
There is nothing inherently wrong with recreation, but when the recreation becomes the dominant time consumer in our life it ends up being a major distraction and waste of precious time. My mother used to say, "Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of."[1]
There are many young people who let the video game distract them from homework, household chores, sleep and exercise. It may even go so far as to interfere with service to The Lord. I recently heard of one young man who said he could not take the time to go on a mission for he was so important to his on- line video game partners that he could not take the two years out of his life to serve a mission for The Lord.
Sports
The pursuit of sports is a diversion when we let it interfere with our observance of the Sabbath day, our attendance to the temple, our family home evenings and reading of the scriptures. It may begin quite innocently, but if not properly monitored, it can divert us from our goal of obtaining eternal life.
Television
I have been told by someone that the home teachers could not come to visit because it would interfere with the family's favorite sit com program on television. This seems to me in contra distinction to the mandate to seek first the kingdom of God. I realize that many visits from the home teachers lack the spirituality that is necessary to bring people to God, but that is no excuse to yield to this distraction.
Social media
Is being abreast of things on Facebook or Twitter more important than learning the things of God?
I was making cinnamon toast for breakfast the other morning. I put the buttered bread and sugar and cinnamon into the broiler. Because there was something on the computer that needed to finish I went over to the computer and did not watch what was happening. As a result I burned the cinnamon toast. I could smell it burning from my station at the computer. The smell of burnt toast filled the entire house. There was no hiding my mistake. My good wife remarked, "It looks like you have burned the toast."
Of course I had to sheepishly admit that I had made a great mistake. Fortunately all the damage that was done was burnt toast, which I promptly disposed of in the garbage.
I thought this might be something that I could enlarge upon as an object lesson for our lives.
Living here upon the earth we are constantly surrounded by distractions. There are all kinds of distractions to divert us away from our true purpose for which we were sent here. There are so many distractions here that one would have difficulty delineating them all.
Just as trying to multitask cooking cinnamon toast and checking a computer problem result in burnt offerings the distractions that are present in this life can lead to a much more disastrous outcome . We could lose eternal life and the blessings of this life,
Let me just mention a few distraction that I have observed that keep our attention diverted from those things that will enlarge our souls and expand our understanding of the eternal principles of knowledge.
Video games.
There is nothing inherently wrong with recreation, but when the recreation becomes the dominant time consumer in our life it ends up being a major distraction and waste of precious time. My mother used to say, "Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of."[1]
There are many young people who let the video game distract them from homework, household chores, sleep and exercise. It may even go so far as to interfere with service to The Lord. I recently heard of one young man who said he could not take the time to go on a mission for he was so important to his on- line video game partners that he could not take the two years out of his life to serve a mission for The Lord.
Sports
The pursuit of sports is a diversion when we let it interfere with our observance of the Sabbath day, our attendance to the temple, our family home evenings and reading of the scriptures. It may begin quite innocently, but if not properly monitored, it can divert us from our goal of obtaining eternal life.
Television
I have been told by someone that the home teachers could not come to visit because it would interfere with the family's favorite sit com program on television. This seems to me in contra distinction to the mandate to seek first the kingdom of God. I realize that many visits from the home teachers lack the spirituality that is necessary to bring people to God, but that is no excuse to yield to this distraction.
Social media
Is being abreast of things on Facebook or Twitter more important than learning the things of God?
Look at the things that you post. Are they uplifting and bring a closer relationship or are they full of complaints? Who wants to hear about your ingrown toenail or pimples on your face or an ill fitting dress? I read about people's frustrations and negative experiences. What good does it do? Who does it lift and make a better person? This is a distraction from the mandate to love one another, mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort and stand as a witness of God in all places, yea even the Internet.
Satan wants us to be diverted from our quest to return to our Father. If he can provide enough worldly distractions, he will then bind us with his awful chains and lead us carefully down to hell.
Keep your 'eye on the ball' and do not be distracted or you too may do more than burn the cinnamon toast.
Love,
Grandpa
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