Gospel Lessons From Chocolate Milk, Part 2, Displacement

Recently I watched a Dave Ramsey video in which he drew an interesting analogy. I have been pondering about it for the last week or so. I've changed his analogy slightly, and have my own conclusions. Since I have another post about lessons I learn from chocolate milk, I'll call this part 2. 

Suppose you filled a glass with water and then poured a little bit of chocolate milk in it. The entire glass would become cloudy. If you continued to pour in chocolate milk, eventually all the water would spill out over the top and there wouldn't be any water left, just milk. 

Then suppose you took the same glass, which now contains chocolate milk, and started to pour water into it. At first there would appear to be little change. Over time, however, the glass would start to clear until all of the chocolate milk were displaced. 

We did this experiment recently for a family home evening. One of my kids noted that the water became cloudy much quicker than it became clear again. 

Now consider glass as our soul. The water represents things of the spirit, and the chocolate milk (for this example only) represents things that offend the spirit. 

23 And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.
24 That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
(Doctrine and Covenants 50:23-24)

We can choose to fill our souls with light or darkness. 

 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23)

If we stop pouring milk into the class, it doesn't make the glass clean again. Water has to displace the milk--the milk has to be pushed out. 

Refining fire, go through my heart,
   Illuminate my soul;
Scatter thy life through every part,
   And sanctify the whole.
(Charles Wesley)

I've enjoyed pondering this analogy. I'd be interested to know what other lessons you can draw from the analogy.  

Easy To Be Entreated

A week ago during family scripture study we read Alma chapter 7. It was my turn to share a thought about one of the scriptures that we had read that night, and I was particularly impressed by verse 23. 

 23 And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.

I was particularly struck by the phrase "easy to be entreated."  Unsure that my kids knew what "entreated" meant, we looked it up in the dictionary. We found that it means, basically, to ask someone to do something. So if we are "easy to be entreated" people will feel at ease to ask us to do things. We tried to think of ways we could be more easily entreated, and what makes someone easily entreated. 

During the week several problems happened to people around me, problems to which I knew the answer or a simpler way of solving the problem. If people had asked me for help, I could have saved them a lot of time, and in some instances, lots of money. These people were so focused on solving their own problem that they didn't consider outside resources. Later, I asked them why they didn't ask me for help. They responded that they thought I would treat the situation lightly - either blow it off as unimportant or chastise them for getting into the situation in the first place. Had I been more easily entreated, perhaps those problems could have been resolved more easily. 

Originally when I read scripture in Alma, I recalled the scripture in James 1:5.  

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

"Upbraid" means to find fault or scold. James is teaching that if we ask God a sincere question, God will grant us wisdom and not scold us for asking the question. God is easily entreated. 

I have lots of problems and challenges. Most of the time I am so caught up in trying to resolve the problems that I don't ask for God's help. He knows the simpler way. He knows the bigger picture. I should entreat him more.