Delicious Rolls and Apostasy

My mom is a really good cook.  While I was growing up she would make lots of good stuff.  Every holiday, she would make crescent rolls.  They are SO good.  As a young tot, I would often volunteer to help in the afore-mentioned rollmaking.  Now, when I say "help" I mean grabbing stuff out of the cupboards (sometimes with the help of a chair for the higher pantry space), melting butter, or rolling up the crescent rolls; just menial tasks suited to my limited ability.  My mother would lovingly prepare the dinner and let me help and learn how to make my way around a kitchen.  This has helped me tremendously in life.  Especially on my mission, I have surprised myself with my limited but adequate cooking skills.  I have taught myself how to fry fish, make omelets and once I even made a bread pudding, which was quite yummy. 

I would like to relate this concept of learning how to cook with the way God teaches us.  We are given a lot of freedom in our lives.  But, like my mother in the kitchen, Our Heavenly Father is ultimately running the show.  Every success we have in life is because of His loving mercy.  When we help others, attend church, and read the scriptures, we are "helping" Him fulfill His eternal purposes.  He even sent His son Jesus Christ as a perfect example to do this.  Through this we grow and learn to be more like Him.

But back to the rolls.  Everybody loved those flaky little morsels of buttery goodness.  And they made it known, mostly by devouring them from off the face of the table.  I would then let the rest of the family (or other house guests) know just who made those rolls.  "I made those rolls" I would say with a grin fixed firmly on my smug little kisser.  I didn't really make those rolls, but I wanted all the credit for myself.  If I had been in charge of making those rolls, dinner wouldn't have been nearly as good.  But my heart "swelled with great pride unto boasting" (Helaman 13:22).

I think it's really easy for us to fall into this same trap in the way God helps us.  When we follow God, we see success.  Many people, and even entire civilizations, take that success for granted and attribute it to their own hard work and labors.  This is how apostasy begins.  When we don't acknowledge God's hand in our lives we start to move away from Him.  While our efforts definitely help, and we can see the difference they have made, without God, none of the joy we have would be of much worth..

I pray that we can all be wiser than I was as a young child.  I hope we can recognize God's hand in our lives and accept His divine assistance.  I know as we do this with faith in Christ we will see increased blessings and heightened joy in our daily, menial tasks.