Sabbath Devotional :: Things We Want But Already Have

Many years ago my family got on the want/need/wear/read Christmas bandwagon. In short, each child would get four gifts: something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read. The four gifts simplified the season, reduced our kids’ expectations, and made me a happier mama. This system has worked extremely well for us, but as the kids got bigger, the asks have, too. And suddenly, we risk losing our reasonable Christmas.

This year, to stave off the gimmies we asked everyone to start the season by producing a list of 25 things they want but already have. It took my boys a while to get their heads around that. Once we fulfill a want, it disappears off our mental list, only to be instantly replaced by the next thing we must crave and chase. I was asking them to pull items and blessings back out of the black hole of satisfied wishes and examine them in the fresh light of urgent desire. The exercise turns out to be a tricky one.

Fortunately for all of us, they themselves were the key to unlocking the concept. My husband and I married in our mid-20s and had to work through infertility to get all of our babies here. There was a long period of my life during which I wanted children so very badly, and that unmet desire was both all consuming and deeply unsettling. The pain and the struggle made me entirely rethink my relationship with my Heavenly Father, and as we walked that hard road together we had to build a new bond based in a more humble faith.

Now, almost 25 years later I have four wonderful boys. But teen boys are actually something that when you have them, it is fairly easy to forget you ever wanted them. They know they tax me, but as I described what I was asking them to do, I could look them in the face and sincerely say that I still wanted them so very badly, and that they are each an answer to fervent prayers.

My example worked for them, and they each ended up making lists that I will cherish forever. These lists are remarkable windows into the individual souls in my care. Making these lists turned into a process of profound introspection and gratitude. We’ve discovered which things were worth wanting and waiting for, which are still worth having, and which wants weren’t worth the time we wasted on them. We have a surfeit of gifts we have wanted and been given.

Given what swirls around us, it is easy to hunger for an environment that seem beyond our grasp: We want peace, stability, and ethical government. But this process helped me to focus back on the things that have been freely given in that regard. I’m sharing four of my 25 that I think would resonate with you as we work together to bring peace and healing to God’s children.

1. The Book of Mormon

My love of the Book of Mormon started early, and it was foundational to the growth of my testimony. During each phase of my spiritual development it has helped broaden my understanding of Christ, the gift of his Atonement, and my responsibility to use and share that gift. Over the last few years the book has become something more — a window into a just and good society. I find myself turning to it daily for inspiration and hope. I want a set of guiding civic principles, and I already have them

2. MWEG

We are all so fortunate to be a part of this remarkable sisterhood! Over the last decade I have been increasingly worried about our body politic. I wanted to find a group of people who shared those concerns and were willing to sacrifice to solve some emerging problems. And now we have all been given a team! But it isn’t an average one. The challenge at hand calls for a dream team of the individuals perfectly prepared to do the work of repairing our rent civil fabric. And it turns out we have one. We have what we want.

3. Government that works

It feels sometimes like it doesn’t, and there is no question that good government is under assault. But last week I was able to get a driver’s license renewed and a building permit approved and an estate situation resolved without resorting to bribes. The civil servants with whom I interacted were honest and fair, and they followed the law. I want good government, and in many ways I am blessed to already have it.

4. A community of saints

The possibility of Zion is a doctrine that resonates in my soul. Were I not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I still think I would ache for a meaningful articulation of its possibility and its reality. I would want that. And I have it. I have been given a rich understanding of its possibility, the means by which it could be achieved and a group of covenant people to work with to bring it about.

This week I spent some time reading Doctrine & Covenants 59. It is a beautiful promise from the Lord that he is aware of our needs and will fulfill them as we choose to live according to his principles and commandments. He knows what we lack and often gives it freely to us before we are even aware of our desires. I was grateful for the reminder to “confess his hand in all things” that I might not offend God.

What do you want that you already have? What are the tools that our Heavenly Parents have put at our disposal? What visions have they shared with us? What is the deepest need that has already been met?