Genesis 2:7 ~ "And the Lord of God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
A book called Peace is Every Step written by Thich Nhat Hanh has a section of the book titled "Breathe! You are Alive." The following is a page from that section..."Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand-new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four brand-new hours will bring peace, joy, and happiness to oursevles and others. Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves in everything we do and see. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We don't have to travel far away to enjoy the blue sky. We don't have to leave our city or even our neighborhood to enjoy the eyes of a beautiful child. Even the air we breathe can be a source of joy. We can smile, breathe, walk, and eat our meals in a way that allows us to be in touch with the abundance of happiness that is available. We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive. Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment."
God gave us breath without it we would not exist as mortals. I believe even as mortals with the gift of breath sometimes we only exist. We forget that we are alive and that God has made us holy.
I Corinthians 3:17 ~ "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."
Unfortunately, I have witnessed those that have not esteemed the gift of life to be of much worth and they have trampled this sacred gift under their feet. There are those that have contemplated, tried, or even committed suicide. There are those that have chosen drugs and alcohol and those that have just given up on living, on being alive. Then, I have observed those that have learned how sacred life is but almost too late. Those that have merely existed to find out they have just a few months to live. It's sad to watch them try to cram a whole lifetime into just a few weeks. And I have been grateful to watch those that embrace life; those that know and understand just how precious and sacred such a gift is. They not only exist, they know and understand who they are. They are on a mission, God's mission. They spend almost every waking hour in thoughtful prayer, kind service, and much gratitude.
Not only has God given us the gift of life but he has blessed us with many talents.
D&C 6:10 ~ "Behold thou hast a gift, and blessed art thou because of thy gift. Remember it is sacred and cometh from above."
I believe that there are many ways to show reverence for the sacred gift of life. One is gratitude. We can always thank Heavenly Father in our prayers, but like I tell my own children words mean nothing unless we back them up with actions. We can show our gratitude by using our gifts to our greatest ability, by sharing, loving, and serving our fellow beings, by becoming the child that our Heavenly Father planned.
This past year, I have had the privilege of spending countless hours in a hospital room alongside my uncle, Joseph Parks Craig. I have witnessed the gift of breath. On April 6, 2007 his lungs collapsed. The doctors had to insert a tracheotomy. I have watched Parks when he was close to death while a machine breathed for him. I have been there when the doctors would take him off of the ventilator a few minutes at a time to try to strengthen his lungs. I have watched him turn blue when he couldn't catch his breath. I have been there when the nurses had to rush in and get him back on the machine. I was there to help Parks count to slow down his breaths and breath deeper. I have seen him fight hard for what we take for granted. In the past year he has taught me so much about life. He is grateful every day to be alive. Parks is grateful that he has a caring wife that will not leave his side. He is grateful to have nurses and doctors that went to school so they could serve him. He lets everyone know. I teased him just last week because Parks told a nurse "Thank you" after she poked him in the finger for a blood sugar test. He understands that life is sacred. He's one of a kind because this is a lesson he learned at an early age. He was diagnosed with Polio when he was just 4 years old and has spent his life in a wheelchair. He never gave up. He has never had self-pity. He has always lived life. Parks' has been a loving son, brother, husband, uncle, friend, and co-worker. He shows reverence by being grateful, by serving and putting others first. Parks has definitely become the child that Heavenly Father wanted.
This talk was supposed to be on "How has being reverent to sacred places and things blessed my life?" I have learned that keeping a reverent attitude each day and knowing that life in general is sacred is a blessing. I have learned to take the little things for granted such as breathing, looking at the clouds, and smelling the magnolia's on my aunt's tree. I have learned that small things like swimming on the 4th of July in the dark with Kody while watching the neighborhood fireworks is more satisfying than going to a party or watching a professional fireworks display. Spending a summer vacation in a small hospital room can be more rewarding then traveling the world. I have learned that relationships are a sacred gift from God. We have family, friends, and neighbors in our lives for a reason.
Proverbs 27:17 ~ "Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."
We know the way to sharpen a knife blade is with steel. The way we can sharpen our characters is by having friends. I have several life long friends of all ages. They keep me on my toes. One day I'm explaining how breath is the first gift God gave to each of us and the next I'm singing "3 Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree". You never know how God is going to use your life to bless others, but as long as you are awake and breathing you can be his instrument. I have learned that God has trusted me with talents and when I use them to help others he blesses me. But most of all I have learned that each breath is a gift.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson states, "When you develop a deepening reverence for sacred things, the Holy Spirit becomes your constant companion. You grow in understanding and truth. The scriptures speak of it as a light that grows 'brighter and brighter until the perfect day' (D&C 50:24)... On the other hand, those who do not appreciate holy things will lose them... They will grow increasingly casual in attitude and conduct. They will drift from the moorings that their covenants with God could provide. Their feelings of accountability to God will diminish and then be forgotten. Thereafter, they will care only about their own comfort and satisfying their uncontrolled appetites. Finally, they will come to despise sacred things, even God, and then they will despise themselves."I have not always viewed life as a sacred gift. There was a time that I only cared about my own comfort. I have to admit there was a time that I was not happy with myself and I didn't even believe in God. That was a miserable time in my life. I am grateful that Heavenly Father placed friends and loved ones in my life to help guide and show me who I am. I'm afraid with out my sacred relationships that I would still be lost. I have been blessed with talents, relationships, and life. I have grown in understanding. I am learning more about the light and truth. The more reverent I am the more I am blessed.
I challenge each one of you to breathe! Live! Be grateful.
And as President Gordon B. Hinckley always said, "Stand a little taller, and work a little harder and value a little greater the marvelous blessing which you have as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
I say all this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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