Wow! Time has passed so quickly! I had to get my temple recommend re-instated for the first time already. Has it really already been 2 years? That's insane!
My sister-in-law is going through the temple on Saturday for the first time and I am so proud of her. It's been a long time in the making and I've encouraged her many times to go even if her husband wasn't ready. And she knows I speak from experience! I'm so honored that she invited me to go with her! I'm not her escort but still - that's very nice. I didn't invite ANYONE to go with me the first time. It was too nerve-wracking.
Anyway, when my recommend expired at the end of December, I had the bishop issue me another one but never had the stake president sign it and wasn't too worried about it because I knew with an infant, that my chances of getting to the temple in the first 6 months were pretty nil. But this new development necessitated that I get it signed...pronto!
So I sat in the stake president's office again tonight and went through the interview. I cringed over some questions and figure that if I don't feel an element of guilt during that interview over some of the questions then I am not being humble enough. That's alright. I can deal with that.
However, for the fourth time during a temple recommend interview (with bishops and stake presidents, etc.) I've had to explain my battle with decaf! Oh my gosh people! I LOVE COFFEE okay? I've given up the caffeinated stuff but decaf has been just so hard. When I am really feeling picked upon or extra cold or just need a treat, I get a decaf latte at the drive-through coffee shop - and I absolutely RELISH it. It's far better to me than any dessert I could possibly have. Isn't that stupid?
And for the fourth time, I've had them tell me that I need to just stay away from it. Easier said than done, I say! This time though, my stake president said, "you should avoid it - the price is just too high!" I was intrigued by what he said. "the price is just too high". It's true. I asked him what the deal was with decaf and why some people say it's okay. He said of course it's between me and the Lord, and where I'm at in my spiritual progress but that the Word of Wisdom is an obedience law - not necessarily a health law although he can't be entirely sure that tea and coffee aren't bad for our health on a large scale. Anyway, he said it's just better to be obedient than to have to pay the price later.
I'm tired of having to have this discussion time after time over a stupid drink. I'm going to make it a priority that in my next temple interview, I will not have to bring it up again. It's not like there aren't alternatives.
I also felt mildly bad about my "addiction" which is actually not coffee. But, I am dealing with it a day at a time and it's going well I think. Satan definitely has his claws in me on this one but I can tell you...I'm going to win :).
Ciao.
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8 comments:
Hi
I stumbled across your blog on LDS BLOGS. I thought you mighe be interested in a site my wife and I just built called MormonsMadeSimple.com, which uses simple, explanatory videos to explain the Mormon faith. Feel free to feature any of these videos on your blog, or just share them with non-member friends. We're hoping these videos will be missionary tools to help members share their beliefs. Anyway, sorry to spam your comments section. I couldn't find any contact information for you on your blog.
- Doug & Laurel
Just found your blog. Glad to see that you are still active. The church is such a great blessing in my life, as I'm sure it is for you. Good luck with the coffee thing.
Hey, what's up with you lately?
Good for you! Hang in there. You will do it. The thought occurred to me that members who are obese should have the same thing stressed to them during the temple reccommend interview. I think their weight problem I think is far worse health wise than the decaf.
I have a question. Maybe you can answer this for me. I know many LDS folks who enjoy hot chocolate. I do not understand why hot chocolate is considered "OK" by the LDS church, but not decaf. Especially since chocolate contains caffeine. Also, the WOW says no "hot drinks" but does not specify which hot drinks are not acceptable. Also, the WOW says to eat meat only sparingly and yet I am not aware of any TR questions pertaining to one's consumption of meat, are there?
Hi Everyone! Thanks for your comments. While everyone deserves a shout-out "hi!", I wanted to address Jessica's question.
Jessica, thank you for your comment and for your question. We (LDS'ers) enjoy the clarification process. Only those who care will question. A lot of people think that Mormons are mindless drones because we follow "obedience" laws such as the WOW. No one will give you the same answer to this question because no one really knows why some things are included specifically and why others are excluded such as chocolate, etc. However we are quite the opposite of mindless drones because each person struggles with their own weaknesses and so the WOW discusses moderation in all things, not taking advantage of meat resources, and over-indulgence of any kind. The WOW does not specifically include decaf nor does it specifically include hot chocolate. And our leaders will give us guidance as to what their particular interpretation of the WOW is. However, if I felt like it, I could sidestep my leaders and go directly to the Lord with my question about whether or not decaf was okay for me. I choose not to because there's a reason why leader after leader tells me to stay away from it. The Lord is answering my prayers that way so why go to him about it after all that? Decaf may be acceptable to other members and the reason is what I mentioned in the post about each person being at a different place in their spiritual progression. For whatever reason, perhaps they need to stay away from soda instead and decaf is okay - but they will know from the Lord what is okay for them. The LDS church has its values and "rules" as it were, but when it comes right down to it, our salvation is strictly between us and the Lord and what he said for us, and how we respond. I hope that answers your question. I can be sort of long winded :)
thanks again!
Hi Amy!
Thanks for your response! I certainly don't think Mormons are mindless drones. I have very interesting, engaging conversations with LDS over on my blog as well as the ones I know "in real life." As a Bible-believing Christian, though, it's hard for me to relate to the paradigm of accepting extra-Biblical "rules" for my life just because a human being tells me to. That sort of doesn't sit very well with me and seems legalistic. But then I believe the Bible is my authority and when it says "let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink" (Col. 2:16) I take that quite literally. :) Further, I take that right from the Lord and I don't let other human beings judge me about non-essential stuff like food. Colossians goes on to say that these things are "a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ" (v. 17). Since Christ fulfilled the law and made a final and complete sacrifice for sin "blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us" (Col. 1:14), it seems odd that the LDS church reverts back to "food laws" that existed under the old covenant.
Just some thoughts.
Have a great day! :)
Jessica,
You seem well versed in your scripture and I won't pretend to match you verse for verse because I'll definitely wind up on the losing end of that one, lol! And I would whole-heartedly agree with you if I felt that the WOW was handed down to us from just another human-being. But, we have accepted our prophet as a living prophet of God such as Abraham, Moses, Isaiah etc. and we don't feel he is just another human being. The WOW was given to us through Joseph Smith and is set out in the Doctrine & Covenants and anything that is included in that is scripture to us. I too agree with you that some of the LDS "customs" seem antiquated, and I'm not particularly familiar with the the food laws in existence under the Law of Moses. What I do know is that the Lord has put these guiding laws into place for our peace and safety. I feel that the line between good and evil is a very faint gray line and by following these guidelines, I stay far to the right of where I want to be. :)
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