A Nibble or a Feast?

Most moms can probably relate to slaving away to make a nice, nutritious, delicious meal only to have your kids pick at it and say they’re not hungry – they already filled up on sugary snacks at their friend’s house. 

I don’t think our kids are the only ones who do this. Do we ever “nibble” when it comes to spirituality, excusing ourselves because we’re too busy (already filled up), tired, or not interested in what’s being served? 

I’ve heard some say that even if we just read one verse of scripture a day, that’s good enough. And I have practiced this in my own life, telling myself that if my eyes even fall on a page in the Bible and maybe take in a verse, well, that’s better than nothing. When I did that I found the scriptures to be rather boring and unsatisfying. And as a friend once pointed out, it wouldn’t be much help to give a starving man a cracker and say, “Well, it’s better than nothing.”

It wasn’t until I decided to make prayer, scripture study, and communion with God a daily priority that it began to be deliciously satisfying. I’m not saying I spend hours a day doing these things, but I have worked hard to make them priorities. I am still very imperfect in this regard, but it’s amazing to me how that one little decision to reprioritize has had a huge impact. We must nourish the seed of faith, not occasionally sprinkle water over it. It should grow up into a tree of life within us (Alma 32:27-43).

I wonder how we might feel when it’s time to “return and report” if we are compelled to say, “well, I didn’t make it all the way through the scriptures or make prayer a priority, but I never missed an episode of (fill in your favorite show or sports team).” Or even, “well, I dabbled in that spiritual stuff. But I earned a bunch of degrees and had an amazing career and made lots of money.”

The scriptures are not meant to be taken lightly, or to be consumed one verse at a time, or reduced to soft platitudes we can hang on a wall. We can find real power and understanding in the scriptures if we will give it the time and effort. If there’s something you want to know, you have to pay the price of knowing it. If you decide to make this a priority, you’ll have to give up something, whether it’s sleep, a perfectly clean house, your favorite TV show, going for long runs, a book you want to read, shopping, extra hours at work, etc. Whatever you need to give up, it will be worth it.

Remember that Christ taught,

Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14)

And,

Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what you should do. (2 Nephi 32:3)

So, “drink” and “feast,” not “sip” and “nibble.” I don’t mean to sound harsh. I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to this. It’s just that I’ve discovered for myself that there’s so much more to be had if we just put in the effort to receive.