What Percent Are You?

With all the natural disasters over the past few years and concerns of illness outbreak that have recently come to light, emergency preparedness has been on the forefront of many peoples’ minds. The organization I work for is updating the policies and procedures in our operations manual, something I got roped into helping with recently. Doing this includes updating our preparedness plan for 4 supported living apartment sites housing anywhere from 4 to 10 clients each, somewhere around 20 clients who live independently in the community, over 100 clients who are employed in the community, and somewhere around 200 employees.
Disclaimer: The numbers here are estimates based on my best guess. After 12 years at the organization, you'd think I'd know all the stats, but nope!

The CDC recommends storing at least 1 gallon of water per day for each person; more for folks who are pregnant or sick, and for those living in hot climates. The minimum water storage advised is a 3-day supply for each person with a goal to have at least a 2-week supply, if possible.

Do you know what that means??? It means we have to store a LOT of water.

Why is water so important?

Water is a vital nutrient involved in maintaining the health of all the cells in our body. It’s the building material for cells, a good medium for chemical reactions in the body, and a solvent (it cleanses). It also transports nutrients throughout the body and helps with efficiently getting rid of waste – always important. Water also absorbs shock for our brains, spinal cords, and babies in the womb.

Up to 60% of the human adult body is water. Did you know the brain and heart are composed of 73% water? The lungs are about 83% water. Our muscles and kidneys are 79% water. Each day we need to consume a certain amount of water in order to survive, dependent upon various factors like age and climate.

There was a woman a long time ago, living in a very dry climate, who needed water. She grabbed her clay pot and went to a well to fill it. The woman lived in Samaria, a place generally avoided by Jews due to conflict between them and the people occupying it; the Samaritans. While Christ and his disciples (to note, all Jews) were traveling to Galilee from Judea, He purposely chose to pass through Samaria. While there, they stopped at the well for water and to rest – the same well that the Samaritan woman was at gathering water. The disciples left to find food while Christ stayed at the well to chat. He asked the woman for a drink of water. She questioned Him, asking, “How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?”

He told her if she knew the gift of God, and who He was, she would have asked Him for water and He would have given her living water, what the Bible dictionary defines as a symbol of Him and His teachings, both essential for eternal life. The woman didn’t immediately realize this, though. Seeing that Christ had nothing that could have held water, she asked where He had the living water. This is where Christ testified that he was the source of living water and said, “Whosever drinketh of this water [meaning the well water] shall thirst again. But whosever 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.”

The woman completely missed what Christ was getting at; she was intrigued by the idea of never being thirsty again and getting to ditch the duties of hauling the clay pot back and forth all the time. I can relate, I don’t like feeling thirsty and I certainly wouldn’t want to haul water to make sure I remained hydrated. If I lived back then, I’d have no problem surviving a famine (obviously), but I’d definitely die from thirst first. I have a hard time remembering to fill the Brita water pitcher in our fridge - I’d never make it back then.

In a talk delivered in 1975, Elder A. Theodore Tuttle shared the following, referring to the initial misunderstanding the woman had in response to Christ’s declaration at the well:

This difficulty of understanding about water recalls the story of a sailing ship that had become disabled in a storm. It drifted aimlessly for many days. The crew and passengers became famished and parched from lack of food and water. Finally, another ship came into view. They signaled frantically for water. The other ship replied, “Let down your buckets where you are.” This communication made no sense at all, for they supposed they were far out to sea in typical ocean water [which you can’t drink because it’s saltwater]. Again, the famished ones requested water. Again, the signal came, “Let down your buckets where you are.” They could not know that they had drifted into the mouth of a great river and that the water beneath them was fresh and could save their lives. The water of life lay just beneath them, yet they were dying for lack of this knowledge.

Like the folks on the first ship who didn’t realize their ship was in fresh water that they could have consumed to save their lives, many people around us are thirsting and seeking to find “living water.” Just as water is a vital nutrient for our physical bodies, living water (Christ, His teachings, and the Holy Ghost) are vital nutrient for our spiritual selves. It’s the building material for our testimony, a good medium for spiritual change and growth, and a solvent (it’s cleansing). Living water also helps with efficiently getting rid of spiritual waste – always important.

Like the people on the second ship, we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are trying to signal that we have found Christ, His teachings, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, or the “living water.” This has brought us happiness, peace, fulfillment, and the promise of eternal life. Food for thought: Are we sharing our testimony our actions, our words, and our deeds?

Though the woman at the well took a little bit, she did come to know who Christ was. What did she do next? She left the well, left behind her clay pot, and testified of Him – she ran around the city telling people there was a Jew at the well and she believed he was Christ. The testimony of this 1 woman brought many of the Samaritan people to Christ where they asked him to stay and teach them. Christ stayed there for 2 days before continuing his journey to Galilea. During those two days he taught a lot of people.

The promise Christ made to the Samaritan woman has been made to all of us; every one of Heavenly Father’s children. Doctrine and Covenants 63:23 states that “unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom, and the same shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life.” By living a faithful and obedient life, we develop an eternal life source within us that will quench our thirst for happiness, peace, and eternal life.

As we do to prepare for natural disasters and emergencies, we need to work on preparing ourselves to endure the variety of physical and spiritual trials life may hand us by filling our personal emergency spiritual storage with living water. We can do this through the daily exercise of our faith; an essential part of our spiritual development and maintenance. This is where Primary answers fit perfectly. We can exercise our faith each day by reading our scriptures, praying, being kind to others, practicing humility, loving our neighbors, keeping the commandments, adhering to the covenants made at baptism and in the temple, and many other things.

Recalling that our physical bodies are made of about 60% water, supplied through consuming ample amounts of water on a daily basis, I pose this question for thought: What percentage of you is made up of living water?

I bear my testimony that I know this is the true church of Jesus Christ on the earth today. Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us, as we are, and wherever we are on our journey back to Him. This is the time to prepare ourselves for that journey; to do hard things, endure through trials and challenges that come our way, and to do so faithfully.

In Humility, Our Burdens Are Hefted

For this week's insight sharing assignment in the religion course (REL 275C - The Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon) I'm taking through BYU-Idaho online, I've been given permission to utilize an assignment I've also been working on this week in my communications course (COMM 130 - Visual Media).  

In my Visual Media course last week, we learned about and analyzed common design elements used in magazines. This week, we designed our own single page and corresponding 2-page spread.  One of the assignment requirements was that we utilize an article or talk from our church's website or BYU-Idaho's news website.  Another requirement was that we needed to utilize at least 2 photographs that we took ourselves during this semester.  My mind immediately went to a the snapshot I took with my cell phone of a winter sunset behind the large cross outside the Methodist church in Eagle River where my Great Aunt Kathy's funeral services were held last month.  Though I understand why members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints typically don't wear or display crosses as symbols of faith, I love the symbolism of the cross that so many Christians worldwide use and have used for many generations.  At that, I decided my second photo would be one that features a cross necklace a friend gave me a while ago who said she thought of me when she saw it; what a kind and touching compliment that I may never feel deserving of.  I wear that necklace occasionally, not so much to remind me of Christ, but to remind me of my own potential and that maybe, just maybe, I'm doing something right with my life.  

With my visuals mostly planned out, I set out to find my spread's content.  Imagine how thrilled I was to remember a recent talk from a recent conference that was centered on the concept of taking up our own crosses!  The talk I chose is from October 2019 General Conference, delivered by Elder Ulisses Soares, titled "Take Up Our Cross." 

Elder Soares said something that spoke to my quiet love of the symbolic cross:

Jesus purposely and metaphorically used the symbol of a cross to help His disciples better understand what sacrifice and devotion to the Lord’s cause would truly mean. The image of a cross was well known among His disciples and the inhabitants of the Roman Empire because Romans forced victims of crucifixion to publicly carry their own cross or crossbeam to the place where their execution would occur.

I imagine that back then, the aforementioned victims forced to carry their own cross were compelled to do so by means of physical punishment and torture.  On the way to Golgatha for His crucifixion, Christ carried His own cross, willingly.  The son of God, on His way to his final saving sacrifice and act of love, set an example of incredible humility.  Christ carried His cross; more than just the huge heavy beam.  He carried His burdens, the things weighing heavy on His heart, and exercised faith in the grimmest of times.  He set the ultimate example for us to follow, so are we?  It's something to think about, for sure.  

Thinking about the example Christ set for us during His life, but especially during His last days as a mortal being, reminds me of Alma 32 and the blessings of humility.  It discusses the whole concept that those who are compelled or forced to be humble by reasons of circumstance, etc. are blessed, and those who are humble without the need to be compelled are blessed even more.  Where here do I stand? How about you?

Elder Soares's talk reminds us that taking up our own cross or burdens requires humility, faith, patience, and the ability to endure; never give up.  It includes other wonderful gems of wisdom that I believe individuals of many faiths can really appreciate.  If anyone is reading this, please take some time to read his message.

Below is the magazine layout I created (1 single page and a 2-page spread) with Elder Soares's talk, two original photos of mine, and one of my favorite Latter-Day Saint artist's portrayal of Christ (quote added); if you haven't checked out Liz Lemon Swindle's art, please do! If you want to read a fabulous story about the man who is the model behind that gentle face of Christ, check this out too!

The smaller images show the whole layout so you can see how it works together.  Below them are larger sizes of each page where more detail is able to be seen.

Thank you for sharing this time with me today.  Know you are loved and can handle anything life hands you.  You got this.  We got this. I believe in you, and so does your Heavenly Father.