Big Thoughts in Our Little World

I was driving to work yesterday and the moon was huge. It just sat there in its full glory and looked pretty magnificent. It really hit me how large it really was. Then it hit me how small the moon must be in comparison to the sun. Then I remembered an e-mail I had been sent recently that showed planets represented in size to one another by balls of clay. The earth looked pretty big until the next picture had the size of the sun and then the sun compared to other suns or stars. I was literally lost in space trying to grasp how large the universe is and how small I am.

I was running in the early morning a few days ago and saw the stars more clearly than I had in a long time. I was taken back by how immense the sky and the heavens are. With all of the order in the universe and with this world and others, how could there not be a Great Creator. A Master Painter to these skylines. A skilled artisan who understands the end from the beginning. One who can see the whole of all space and time and is not limited to our finite understanding and vision.

Society thinks to create a great television show is masterful. I say it is shameful when compared to the splendor of morning's glory. Even more insignificant when compared to the great creation of the earth we live on. Now, try and wrap your mind around when all space and time began. Who started it all? Who put the players of our existence in motion and what came before them?

Only when we realize how unintelligent we are do we have a sip of true knowledge. Only when we realize how weak we are do we understand just a little about real strength. Only when we look beyond ourselves do we meet true love. Only when we care for others more than we care for ourselves do we realize who we truly are. And, only when we understand who we truly are will we comprehend how easy it is to destroy. But, to create is divine.

If you don't believe me - bring a child into the world. You will never be closer to God in this life then when you take that newborn child into your arms and you see pure innocence. A new canvas. I only pray I have some strength to be the father, teacher, supporter, and caregiver it takes for my children to understand the greatness from which they come - and, the excellence they can achieve through Jesus Christ.

The Choice

There are times in a man's life when he has to make a choice that shapes him and really helps him to become the man he should be. There are times when temptation is so real that your mind says yes so loud you can't hear your heart. Some times choices can ruin you forever....

I had such a choice the other day. I had just gotten out of the shower and went to put on my deoderant and it wasn't there. It all came flooding back to me. Yesterday, I had used the last little bit of my deoderant and threw it in the garbage. I determined to remember to go to Target that evening and buy some new stuff. I had forgotten.

Many things raced through my head at that moment like, "How far away is the garbage I through it in?", and "Could I scrape any more off the applicator if I did find it?" Then, the weirdest thought came to my head. Just use April's (my beautiful wife). She will never know and you may actually smell a little better. Then, I remembered those "PH Balanced for a Woman" commercials and wondered what that meant if men used it.

My head was spinning and I was working on the pros and cons list in my head as fast as I could. Do I take the chance of being smelly like a girl? I could always say my wife must have brushed up against me if anyone could smell it. Doing it only one time wouldn't hurt me. "No one would ever find out" I told myself. I had to make a choice.....to wear the wife's deoderant or to go naturally fresh all day.

Although the temptation was great to succomb to the urges to always wear some sort of deoderant, I wore nothing. I am proud to say I didn't wear women's deoderant that day. I am also glad that even my wife didn't notice. Mark one up for the Jerster.

Snippety-Snip

After several years of paying for cable television - we finally cut it off. Don't get me wrong, we have almost always only had the basic package for some time, but we cut it all off. I haven't missed it one single moment. I found that it was a time sucking vortex - and I don't even watch tv that much. My pitfall would be after the kids go to bed and I just want to unwind and not think a little while before I go to bed. So, I flip on the teli with the intent to watch a show or so before climbing in bed. I watch the first show and then stumble upon a murder mystery special or a documentary. I watch that and then I see something interesting on the news, so I would wait up to see that. Then I would realize I could get all the scores from the day's sports events in just a few minutes. Then it would just be a little longer until Leno and Letterman and I can turn the channel back and forth to get the funniest parts. By the end of these nights (not as often as I might portray it, but enough), it was 1am or so before going to bed and my wife has been asleep on the couch for a couple of hours.

I would be tired the next day and really feeling silly that I had stayed up so late. I would not do it for a few nights and then I would be back. April and I had pretty much finished the New Testament a month ago or so and we started reading the Doctrine and Covenants. We also started reading a great book by Randal Wright called "25 Mistakes LDS Parents Make and How to Avoid Them". We started discussing the media and decided we could live without cable. I canceled the service the next day. Life is great!

I recommend it to everyone. Just do it and see what happens. One of two things will happen. 1. You will notice how great it is and the time you have to do other things that may be more enriching to your life. Or, 2. you can get a great deal coming back to a service on your favorite cable package. I don't think I will ever go back and I am grateful for it.