Couch pain

I've heard a number of couch stories recently and some of them speak of dismemberment and necessity.  I used to think of couches as comfort and relaxation but it seems it must be well earned. 

The more normal couch stories are the ones like these.  Couch is purchased and needs to be moved into the house or to a different room.  It doesn't fit easily and all kinds of movement of the couch in mid air or hard pushing and shoving are needed.  Sofa sleepers always open at unexpected times during this process and cause damage to walls and/or people.  In these stories the couch ultimately makes it into the proper place and dominates the room by its presence. 

Then there are the less normal stories that I've been hearing lately.  Couch is purchased and no amount of physical effort or creative contortions can get it in the house.  So window is removed so it can get in and may never find its way out of the house (or room for that matter) again.  Or most recently a couch that would not go through the necessary door.  All manner of coaxing doesn't succeed, even the missionaries are unable to arrange the blessed event.  Sweating and laughing people also are unsuccessful.  One leg of couch removed shows the desperation of the owner and couch suddenly complies and squeezes through the space.  As a reminder couch is given a can of soup as a peg leg to remind it that quick compliance it prized more than the sacrifice of extremities. 

But the best story of all:  Couch cannot go up to attic apartment so it is pampered and manhandled until the Dr. cuts it into three parts, moves it into apartment and then reassembles it.  Frankenstein recliner results. 

So the lesson that is evident here?  Humans are masters of the couch. 

Appropriate question to be asked:  Why do we make couches bigger than home doors?

Interesting lesson learned:  The couches of today will require pain and effort thus leading to increased appreciation of relaxing reclining whether in the home or on the porch. 

So what now?  Houses of the future must be built with a front door and back door, but there must be a couch door as well!

Humility can cause laughter or pain

Actor # 1:  55 year old woman with cane

Actor #2:  Suave and well spoken man of indeterminate age

Actor #3:  East Indian man dressed professionally with a nice smile

Actor # 1:  "I can't wait 45 minutes to see my doctor, can I see him now?"

Actor # 2: "I'll check to see if we can arrange something."

Actor #2 approaches actor # 3 who nods his head.

Actor #2: "The doctor says he will be able to see you early."

Actor # 1: Walking at high speed to office with Actor # 3 while carrying cane, speaking to Actor # 2:  "I don't even know why I see you dufus!"

Actor # 2:  laughing pleasantly: "Only the same reason you've been seeing me for years."

Narrator:  "Humility can be well earned but is always appreciated."

We did our best

Our language is so interesting.  I'm thinking of when we talk about doing our best.  Most often we refer to doing our best as a consolation.  We might not have won, scored well or were not chosen, didn't pass the muster but we did our best.  Usually when we talk about doing our best it means we didn't do as well as we would like.

I taught my kids that if they did their best then they didn't have any reason to feel bad regardless of if they won or lost.  I made sure to tell them before the game or competition as well as after.  I tried to help them see that the honor came in doing one's best not in winning.

Tonight the three of us went to the hospital to visit an old friend from church.  We were told she was in the hospital and that she needed some visitors.  Unbeknown to most, the last time she was in the hospital, I had not visited her.  She is a curmudgeonly like soul.  She chided me later for not visiting her and we agreed that the next time she was in the hospital that I would visit.  Or at least that is how I remembered it.

So when I found she was in the hospital, I remembered my promise and spoke with the family and we went to visit.  She has MRSA.  So we had to put on gloves and wear masks in her room.  That lasted until the nurses showed up and I noticed they were not using such precautions and then they told us we didn't have to wear the masks as she wasn't contagious.  Nice to know.

Back to when we arrived she quickly reminded me of our deal, the one where I promised to visit.  Except she remembered it differently.  The deal was that I would come to visit "if she called me".  Hmmm.  Did that mean that since she called she didn't want me to visit?

So we talked and had a good time.  She thanked us for visiting and I could tell she was on her best behavior.  We told her our intention was to sing for her as we like to do when we visit sick folks in the hospital, but with the face masks that was difficult.  She didn't seem to want us to sing and was happy to talk.  When the face masks were taken off we again broached the topic of singing.  None too enthusiastic she agreed we could sing if we wanted to.  We did.  She thanked us and said we sounded okay and she knew of course we had done the best we could after all.  I guess that was fair considering she didn't really want us to sing to her anyway, but is struck me as so much like her.  Trying to be nice but out pops a little game leveler.  It is hard to irritated when the person saying that is sick in bed and I am healthy able to go sing to more appreciative audiences if I choose.  We laughed all the way home.

As we left her room, only, of course because a respiratory therapist came to give her a treatment, I couldn't help but say as we left:  " By the way, no need to call!"

Ha!

Try me, prove me and see who I really am.

A few weeks ago in a Sunday school class the teacher talked about the verse in Jeremiah in the Old Testament chapter 17 verse 10.  It reads, "I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."

That verse has had me thinking for a few weeks.  I know the Lord tries us or proves us.  In other words he observes us to see how we handle trials as well as ease.  He wants to see who we really are.  Are we the spiffy looking person we like to appear as at church or do we act different when we can, when others don't see us and maybe when we think God won't notice.

Sometimes God does special things to try us to see where our heart lies.  Like in Doctrine and Covenants 124:55 when he gives Joseph Smith and the church the commandment to build a temple and explains: "that you may prove yourselves unto me that ye are faithful in all things whatsoever I command you, that I may bless you, and crown you with honor, immortality, and eternal life. "

How would we respond to a commandment especially one that was clearly labeled as a trial not just to see how we respond but so that we can get a desired reward by proving worthy of it.  Doesn't that happen frequently in our lives and in our society.  We often maybe even typically have to prove ourselves worthy by our effort or attitude or both to receive the promised reward.  Isn't that what a job application is about.  We show what we have done in the past that prepared us to do what the job requires and why we should get it.  A good resume tells them what our qualifications are but also tells them who we are.  But we hear about falsified resumes and that sort of stuff from time to time, I don't think that works with God.

Not only does He know our heart but He proves us so that there is no question.  Maybe so that we know our heart too and can't hide behind our excuses or even our fears.   Our excuses about why we didn't...whatever, and our fears (I'm thinking here of fears about not being able or good enough to...whatever, our lack of self esteem or maybe better said as our lack of recognition of our self worth).   God not only tries us to prove to Him but maybe to prove to ourselves (maybe sometimes surprise ourselves) as to what and who we really are and what we stand and will stand for and/or against.  Sometimes, unfortunately we may prove how quickly we will lay down when things get tough.

This idea of being tried individually and our life being a big trial to allow ourselves to prove ourselves is not new and is all through the scripture[click here to see examples] s.  And these are just a few of them.

But another related idea that intrigues me is that we also get the opportunity to prove God in a manner of speaking.  Lest we distrust or disbelieve that He will do as He says then we only need to DO what he says and prove Him.  This is mentioned in relation to one specific principle of the Gospel in Malichi 3:10: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."  I suspect that we also prove God when we do other things He has commanded and reap the blessings and consequences of that obedience.  Similarly when we do the things He says not to do we reap that result as well.  And all this reaping proves Him, that He does what He says and that things really are as He says they are. 

All this proving and trying of us to Him makes these words in Jacob 4:13 even clearer: "for the Spirit [keep in mind that the Spirit, the Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead] speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old."  So let us open our eyes and see what is clear so we can know what really is going on and not be duped or stupefied but instead prove ourselves faithful and true.