Christmas Past

Dec. 8, 1992 Journal Entry

A few weeks ago, Nile Leatham announced in sacrament meeting that our ward had the opportunity to participate in the New Toy  Drive at Deseret Industries.  It's something our family has enjoyed doing in previous years.

That night after church, we sat down as a family to discuss with the boys the opportunity we had to go and buy a gift for someone else.

To help with this concept of giving to others, Jared opened up the Book of Mormon to Mosiah where King Benjamin is teaching his people.  We read together a few verses where King Benjamin tells the people that they are indebted to Heavenly Father because first, he created them and gave them life, and secondly, that all they have is given to them from Heavenly Father.  King Bemjamin tells the Nephites that they should impart of their substance one to another.

Jared explained these things to the boys and told them that they have been greatly blessed with many things and that all they have is from Heavenly Father.  We then suggested that it would be more meaningful to them if they spent some of their own money for a present for someone else.  I wasn't sure how they would react to this advice.  They had really worked hard for the last few months to earn money, and not only earn it but to save it also.  Something practically impossible for Brandon to do!  The few dollars they had earned seemed like hundreds to them.   They were both saving up for a "Game Geanie" for their Ninetendo set.

But after asking the boys how they felt about this,  Derrick's reply was an answer to my own personal struggle with service.  He said in a very happy, understanding way, that he'd be glad to spend his money to buy someone else a present.  After all it really wasn't his money anyway - it was Heavenly Father's.  His childlike acceptance of what King Benjamin had taught the Nephites was such a great lesson to me.