A Recipe For Success

     Living the Gospel is like learning how to cook a professional 5 star meal.  We are given a list of ingredients and exact instructions on how to cook a specific meal. This meal is perfectly balanced for our health and well being. We are instructed to prepare this meal to the best of our ability every day. At the end of the day, we are able to eat and enjoy the meal we have prepared. If we have put forth our best efforts it will be yummy and satisfying, even if it isn't perfect.

      At first, possibly even many years, this may be a struggle for us. Cooking the meal is not easy.  There are complicated techniques and ingredients we might not be familiar with.  But as we practice and work at it, parts of the meal preparation become easier, and the finished product at the end of the day becomes better and more satisfying.

     The catch is, we can only benefit from the meal if we prepare it in the way we have been instructed.  If we try to take shortcuts, substitute ingredients, or skip instructions, we do not gain the nutrients and well being that we need from the meal. Sometimes, we may not have a meal at the end of the day to eat at all. Just like our diets in life, if we fill our plates with unhealthy food, our bodies get sick. It is the same with our spiritual health, if we feed it with unhealthy spiritual foods, we will get sick. We may not think so at first. The spiritual junk food may smell good, it may taste sweet or succulent in the beginning. But over time we realize that there are toxins building in our spirits, taking up residents. These spiritual toxins, like fat cells, are much harder to rid ourselves of than they are to acquire.

     If we prepare the meal that has been given to us, we will get all the nutrients we need to be spiritually healthy, strong, vibrant, and full of life. Whenever we have questions about the meal preparation, we only have need to refer back to the instructions. And a bonus: We have the opportunity, on a daily basis, to inquire of the teacher what He would have us do. All we have to do is ask.