One fine Saturday, my family and I went to have my favourite food, momos. I eat around 6-7 plates whenever I go to the shop. That day, I had seven plates and was still hungry. My wife suggested we go to another place where we had other food, but I was still hungry. My wife looked at me and said, “Are you okay?” I said to her that I was still hungry. It was around midnight, and we went home. I searched the refrigerator to find some apples. I had around two apples, finding myself still hungry. I had never felt that much hunger; while going to sleep, I pondered this incident. Later, my wife and daughter asked me to connect this incident to spiritual teaching. So, I pondered, and I came across three Principles.
The first one is Families. I thought, what if we hunger for future generations as a family? Three months back, I was going through church news. Almost 34,000 full-time volunteers went to Hill Cumorah with sticks. They cleaned the entire hill and planted berries, walnuts, and many other plants for the next generation to enjoy the fruits. Being full-time volunteers, they paved the way for the next generation by planting berries and many other plants so they would not go hungry. As a family, what are we providing for the future generations? I realised that as a parent, my wife and I helped my daughter to learn the Gospel Standards through our example. We encouraged her to participate in the choir for the Stake Conference. She is the only primary child to participate in the adult choir. Then, I realised that the support we provide to our children to participate in programs like Seminary, Music, Development programmes and other activities will help them to stay hungry for the blessings and the fruits of the Gospel.
The second one is serving our Lord as a full-time volunteer. I am grateful to the full-time volunteers who taught me the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their efforts helped me to understand the Gospel in this generation. I know full-time volunteers have different objectives to achieve. They would not have found me if they thought their goals were finished for that month. I am grateful for the full-time volunteers who hungered to find me; just like them, if we stay hungry to find the souls, we will find many people like me, you and many others. When we do so, the joy of our Heavenly Father is so great in Heaven.1
“How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish”.2
From these scriptures, we learn the importance of One Lost Sheep; that is my final point. The lord worries about the one sheep because he knows the real hunger. So, when we stay hungry and focus on the lost one through ministering and other efforts, we can have all the 100 sheep together in the Lord’s presence.
Are you, “Still hungry to learn the Gospel of Jesus Christ”
Are you, “Still hungry to help my future generation”?
Are you, “Still hungry to find the souls seeking to know about God”
Are you, “Still hungry to find and bring back the lost sheep”
I am still hungry and would like to remain so to enjoy the blessings of our Father in Heaven.
Notes:
- Doctrine and covenants 8: 15-16
- Matthew 18:1-14