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Lost and Found 101
By Carolyn Allen
Last fast and testimony meeting our delightful bishop’s wife shared an experience that we’ve all had at one time or another. A methodical and well-organized woman, she had uncharacteristically lost her keys on a busy morning. Her day, like the keys, vanished as well into the evening as she was unable to concentrate or accomplish much of anything other than looking for the keys. As she recounted her story, she was acutely reminded of the parable of the woman in Luke 15:8:
“What woman, having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, “Rejoice with me! For I have found the piece which I had lost!’
“The piece which I had lost …”
Have not each of us been there? The panic and surprising passion to find a lost valuable is an emotion common to us all. At such times the piece that lost usually means that our personal peace is gone as well.
Several years ago I lost a lovely little watch that my husband had given me for Christmas. One day turned into two, then three, then a week. As the days went by, I became increasingly concerned and began a desperate cleaning campaign. Each day I’d clean drawers and shelves, often ignoring much more immediate and pressing duties, but to no avail. Each night I’d pray again to find the dear little watch.
After two weeks, with no other choice, I quietly let it go as “one of those things” and vowed to do better with my personal belongings.
At about the same time, a neighbor shared the story of her sister, who had lost the diamond stone from her wedding ring at, of all places, the beach. As they raked through the sand, she knew she was probably just burying it. Though heartsick, she knew extended efforts were futile and quickly gave up.
How real the woman with the lost coin becomes at these moments! We long and pray to be able to call our friends and say “Rejoice with me! I have found the piece which I had lost!’
Gratefully, each of my three stories of lost items has a happy ending:
After fervent prayer, the bishop’s wife remembered a bag of clothing and miscellaneous items to be picked up for donation. As she hurried to the bag in the closet and tipped it over, the keys slipped into her hands! My watch was recovered two weeks later in sacrament meeting when my daughter pulled it out of her scripture bag! I’d loaned it to her several Sundays before and we’d both forgotten. And the diamond? Believe it or not, my friend’s sister literally called her (like the woman in the parable) laughing and crying saying that when cleaning out her purse, she had turned it over on the table and shook it out. There in the crumbs and crumpled gum wrappers was … the diamond!
Our bishop’s wife powerfully concluded her testimony with gratitude for her renewed understanding of the parable of the lost coin: the Savior’s desire for finding His lost sheep. With respect for that paramount truth, today we’ll borrow not the parable but the emotions to lend perspective to the vital importance of caring for our health: for today, for the challenging holiday months ahead, and for the ability to establish physical stability in the turbulence that marks the last days.
Of no less importance than a set of essential keys, a precious gift from a loved one or a diamond, is the motivation to care for our mortal bodies through healthy eating and exercise. Though we may be diligent, as my bishop’s wife, forgetful like me loaning the watch, or simply have a mishap like the woman with the missing diamond, somehow that ability to think before we eat and to make healthy choices a priority simply vanishes as at critical times well.
When gone, it is often replaced by a desire to eat everything in sight, whether we’re hungry or not. Mid-November, with Halloween behind us and the holidays staring us in the face is often such a time.
What do you do when it vanishes for your? Do you continue “hoovering” (as in the noun and word vaccum ), eating and sucking up every thing in sight while waiting for personal motivation to magically reappear? Do you light a candle and start looking feverishly inside your heart and mind? Or start a methodical search for where it might be? Or, like the woman with the diamond, do you quickly give up, feeling that it is all in vain anyway?
If your desire to eat healthfully has waned with the arrival of grey days and the approach of the holidays, take heart! Our weight loss made easy tip today is one that may fill you with joy. Though not all lost items are found, you, or a dear one, has a story like the ones I’ve shared today. .
In your mind, go back to moment you discovered the valuable was gone, then the steps taken to find the lost item. In your heart and mind, re-experience the feelings that somehow, no matter what the item was, finding it immediately became far more precious than anything else on your agenda. Review the time-consuming hunt and suspenseful seeking that multiplied its value and importance. Then relive the ultimate retrieval, a moment and blessing to cherish! Remember the vow to do better and to guard both the item and your actions more carefully. Then celebrate the recovery again! Relive the joy and relief when it was found, and apply it with prayer to your healthy living.
Often the motivation gets lost when it becomes drudgery rather than a delight:
Drudgery is:
D – Doing something you don’t like
R – Repetition of the same activity or foods day after day
U – Uncomfortable and bored with exercise
D – Doing it to please someone else
G – Going too hard, too fast, without a long-term plan
E – Expectations too high, not realistic
R – Rigid attitude all-or-nothing thinking and behavior
Y – yo-yo efforts, up and down, on-again, off-again
We can turn it into a delight by
D – Doing daily achievable activity through short-term goals
E – Exchanging exercise tapes and tips with friends
L – Looking for opportunities to be more active
I – Inviting a friend to join us in walks or in accountability
G – Getting moving for or more days a week
H – having respect for our body, no matter what we weigh, and seeing it as God’s gift
T – Tracking our efforts on a calendar to monitor progress
The Savior in his great love knows what matters most, and that a sacrifice may be required to go find a lost soul of priceless value. With this great and abiding personal love for us as a window into our value to Him, it becomes a blessing to seek for and keep close to our hearts the desire to honor and care for our mortal bodies with respect and affection.
Today’s Empowerment : I am of value to the Savior! I am of value to myself! With his love for me as an inspiration, I love myself enough to eat healthfully today
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