I learned a really neat lesson the other day, one about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I won't bore you with the who, what, where, and why of flower picking, but know that flowers were picked, placed in a water-less vase, and left unseen for hours. They were beautiful when they were first picked, so full of life! If flowers had the ability to feel happy, these flowers were feeling just that. While we were out living our busy missionary lives, the flowers died. The once beautifully bloomed flowers looked as though they would never recover. I had a thought, a simple one that took very little effort - add water. I did just that, I added water to the vase and when we returned that evening we quite literally gasped. The flowers were gorgeous! Back to that beautiful bloom, the one that has me wishing flowers had feelings so I could label them as happy.
Being a missionary, my mind couldn't help but relate this little experience to the gospel. Water is essential to sustain life - flowers, animals, humans, we all need it. Jesus Christ and his teachings (often referred to as living water) are essential for eternal life and true happiness. If we do not fill our spiritual vases with water, we will die. We all make mistakes, we forget to add the water, we put other things of lesser importance ahead of that water, sometimes we even blatantly refuse to add the water. Just as those flowers wither away, our spiritual progress begins to not only stand still, but deteriorate. Oh how important it is for us to fill our vases! Study the scriptures diligently! Attend church weekly! Pray with your heart, your whole entire heart! Attend the temple! Share the gospel! Do all that you can!! Fill your vase so you don't wither away. If I were a Book of Mormon prophet right now, I would probably turn my caps lock on and start telling everyone to repent now and come back, back to the path that leads to everlasting happiness! Happiness that is found here & now, and into the eternities, is only achieved by relying on Jesus Christ. We cannot return to full bloom, we cannot reach our full potential, and we cannot become who we are meant to become if we don't allow Christ to help us. Let Him in, let Him fill your vase.
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