Blackberry lessons

                   

It's the tail end of blackberry season and Dallin is obsessed with finding new ones every chance we get. I had several 'a-ha' moments today while he was doing just that. 

I've been thinking a lot about the small and simple things and how really those are not the small things at all-they are huge! But we too often think that even just a small effort won't be enough. We soon fall into the trap of "just look and live" principle in the Book of Mormon. It seems so easy and so simple to look but their downfall was that it was too small and simple. They thought that it has to be grand and big to be enough. 

The look and live principle was happening today. I had several blackberries in my hand and I kept saying to Dallin, 'look here's some' but he was so fixed on finding his own that he didn't realize that all he had to do was look at my hand to find some. It's right in front of you, kid! (I guess there is another lesson there too about being persistent, ha!)

In Brooke's program it's all about mastering the small and simple every day. That's where floors come into play. If there is a habit you haven't stuck with, the first question is 'have you made a floor for it?' Because even doing the floor is just a win! Even one intentional breath of "I love and accept you" will be enough. Don't fall into the trap of 'that's too small, it won't amount to much.' Because compounded, and it becomes great. Inversely, not doing that small thing has compounded into more and more of not doing. Or just periodic exhaustion. Which one will serve you better? 

Today I thought about being connected to the vine and parallel to being connected with Jesus Christ. Dallin is so fascinated with blackberries that are green or red. He points those out more than the blackberries. But he knows they're not ready yet because they have to turn black. Sometimes he'll pick a red one off and throw it in the bushes thinking that it's wasted. I tried to explain that the berry has to stay on the vine to ripen. It won't have any growth if we take it off too soon.

Even though our progress is slow and sometimes we go through some sour (or tart) parts of life, staying connected to Jesus Christ (He is the vine), is what will nourish us and help us grow. And we're all growing at different rates. Some are still in the green phase, others are more of the darker red. We have to keep sticking with those habits and those things that will keep us close to God. 

I love that His pattern is line upon line, precept upon precept. I've learned that God is not in the business of quick fixes. And that's a good thing. It's very merciful of Him. Because it helps us to hold onto the growth that we've received. We hear often of people losing a lot of weight in a short amount of time and then they put it right back on. It's because they haven't developed the habits consistently over time to maintain that weight. If we're all in for an outcome, then we miss the beautiful journey of what it takes to stick with something even when it's boring. We have to love the boring and mundane. That's where the magic happens-in the small, daily things we do every day.