From the book ‘The Power of Stillness’:

We often speak of Nephi’s prophecy of future Christians saying they already have enough good in their lives, with no more space for anything else (see 2 Nephi 29). Yet when consumed with our over scheduled lives, don’t we sometimes fall over this same no-more-space stumbling block, thus limiting whatever additional light God might have for us personally?

A story is told of a Zen master meeting his eager student for the first time. As they sit to talk, the master starts pouring tea until the cups are full. But he keeps pouring. As the student watches the tea pour all over the table and onto the floor, he finally asks, “Why do you keep pouring when the cup is already full?” The master responds, “That over full cup is like your over full mind. There is no room for me to add anything. You have to empty your mind if you want to take anything I have to offer you.”7

Do you know what it’s like to have an “overfull mind” — to the point where there is simply no room for anything more? Citing the limited handcart space that forced earlier Latter-day Saints to leave some things behind, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland reflected that we may also need to ask what can truly fit in our own finite “handcart” space, and what needs to be tossed off. He suggested that “maybe a lot of other less needed things [can] sort of fall out of the wagon.8

In one translation of Paul’s letter to the Philippian Saints, he states that Jesus “emptied himself” so that he could do the work of the Father (Philippians 2:7, New English Translation). In our own communion with God, it may require a similar emptying of ourselves—our minds, our stories, our expectations of what “should” be happening—in order for us to be taught and tutored by Him. Admittedly, as seen in the story of Mary and Martha (see Luke 10:38-420) sometimes it can be really good things (how about serving dinner to the Lord Himself?) that lead us to be “so cumbered with much serving” that we’re hardly able to sit at His feet and relish His words anymore. ~Jacob Z. Hess, Carrie L. Skarda, Kyle D. Anderson, Ty R. Mansfield, The Power of Stillness (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2019) p.17-18

Personal note from Kent. . . . After consulting with my administrator, Bill Mead, this and future posts will be available only from this site. This permits me to have freedom to publish with no encumbrances from outside third parties with their own disagreeable agendas. kdm

Bad Behavior has blocked 101 access attempts in the last 7 days.