Sin and Pumpkin Pie

So, recently, I've been on a "getting fit" kick.  Missionaries, at least in our mission, do a "six months to slim" program for their last six months.  I got on board as well.  It's nothing too specific, just eat better, exercise more, and in general, be healthier.  Something I have adopted as my mantra is the phrase, "A minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips."  Cheesy, I know, but very effective.  I first heard this as I was chowing on some candied yams, I immediately put down my fork.  Anyway, I have been thinking about the universality of that phrase, and how it can actually pertain to our spiritual well-being as well as our physical fitness.  More specifically, it got me thinking about how we need to keep our spirits "fit" in much the same way as we do our bodies.

So, as human beings, we need to eat in order to nourish our bodies.  You and I both know that some things you eat are good for you, and other things are DELICIOUS bad for you.  In the same vein, our spirits are always taking in spiritual food, every waking moment.  Some things that our spirits take in are good for our spirits, and other things are bad.

Don't tempt me!

Take pumpkin pie, for example.  I love pumpkin pie. It's ridiculous how much I love pumpkin pie.  It's so delicious as it's going down, but every time I eat it, I feel a sense of regret right afterwards.  This is because I know it's going straight to my hips, and unless I do something about it, it'll stay there for a lifetime.  Sin is like pumpkin pie.  We may enjoy it in the moment, but the eternal implications are never worth it.  It goes right to your spiritual hips, and is pretty hard to get rid of.

Fortunately, there is a way to get rid of our spirits' "muffin tops".  In order to get that pumpkin pie off of your gut, you need to do two big things:  diet and exercise.  In diet, we replace the bad foods that we've eaten, and replace them with good, nourishing food.  In exercising, we take proactive action to get rid of the extra calories that result from eating the pie.  So, when we spiritually diet, we take those sins, or unwholesome thoughts, or whatever ails you, and replace them with nourishing things like scriptures, prayer, hymns, church, etc.  The result is astonishing.  I've noticed as I've eaten healthier and turned down the things that are bad for me, they don't actually taste as good.  Same goes for our spirits.  As we grow accustomed to and even lean on our good spirit food, we won't have desires for the bad.  Slowly, it becomes easier to say no to the proverbial pumpkin pie. 

And repent 'til your spirit behaves!
Source

Exercise is like repentance.  It's a process.  And sometimes it's a hard process.  However, when we put all we have into it, and take the action, and stick to our plan and our process, we can get rid of the results of our sins.  It takes work.  But it's always worth it in the long run.  We can have our sins cleansed, and their effects are completely lifted from our souls.  In the immortal words of the prophet, Isaiah, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." 

With these two things working together, diet and exercise, we find a system that's hard to beat.  The spiritual diet prevents us from having even more sin enter into our hearts, and exercise, or repentance, is the only way to get rid of the sin that we currently do have.  The results of this program are easy to see, we've got a fit soul.  And, just like a fit body is more capable to do many things, a fit soul is they key to be able to feel the Spirit, receive personal revelation, and attain those awesome gifts that the Spirit brings to all worthy. 

I invite everyone to do a "six months to slim" program on their own spirits.  Begin by turning down that proverbial pumpkin pie, no matter how delicious it looks, or how much homemade whipped cream is on there.  Work off all the extra calories you've got now, and see how you feel!  I promise it will be better!

Stay fit, people!

Elder Sharples