Every morning we begin our seminary class with a “devotional,” which is a scripture and thought shared by one of my students. It’s a way for the kids to dig into the scriptures and share what they know and is, in my opinion, always the best part of the lesson. Since today was our first day back after spring break, I had no one assigned for the devotional and decided to mix things up and do it myself. I thought it would be nice for them to hear from me as a fellow learner, not lecturer. What a great chance to open up and share a bit of my softer, non-lecturer heart.
I thought all week about which scripture I’d choose, how I would present it, what personal experiences I’d share to underscore my appreciation for it. I thought about the kind of devotional I wanted to give my students on our first day together after a week apart. I thought about it a lot.
Until, um, I forgot about it. (In my defense, please see my Standard Line of Defense: It’s Really Not My Fault.) But it worked out, because guess what I remembered at 11:30 last night? It flew across my groggy, grateful mind like a yellow bumper sticker on a crowded freeway:
No preparation? No problem. Just push play.
And so I did.
I found this fun little Mormon Message about how we can open ourselves up to blessings if we just understand the process. I loved it, the kids loved it, and I know you’ll love it too. (Because it’s also really short, and we can spend only so much of our day in deep thought.) But this clip, cute as it is, is only the tip of the lazy teacher/leader/mother/father iceberg:
Don’t feel planning your youth lesson? Push play.
Don’t feel like planning family home evening? Push play.
Don’t feel like having that talking-to with the kiddos? Push play.
And then, for a really good one, push play again.
These videos are engaging and encouraging; they explain who we are and who I am. They are perfect to share with my kids, my students, and my friends—both of and not of my faith.
But that’s not really the point, is it?
The real point is that when you’ve committed to be: Insightful, Prayerful, Inspired, Prepared, and generally the Best Version Of Yourself, you…well, you can try that.
But if that seems like too much work, you can always just push play.
p.s. bringing donuts doesn’t hurt either.