My Mormon Third Eye: I See… When Almost Perfect is Enough

Sunday, June 30, 2013

I See… When Almost Perfect is Enough

WARNING: THE STORY YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ IS TRUE. NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO PROTECT THE BLESSINGS OF THE PARTICIPANTS

Cute little blonde-haired 4th-grader Suzi Beewhyyew skipped home from school one bright sunny spring afternoon with a telltale spring in her step and a budding excitement bubbling in her 10-year old heart. She proudly held in her dainty corn chip-stained right hand a semi-crumpled sheet of white paper with a red circled “100” emblazoned across the front. She had achieved 100% on her spelling test! She was justifiably excited, for she knew what 100% meant in her family. The Beewhyyew family had a standing tradition that when anyone earned 100% on a school exam, Dad took the winning son or daughter out for ice cream. She could almost taste the double chocolate ice cream slurping past her tiny taste buds.

When she arrived home, she burst into the kitchen shouting “Mommy! Mommy! Look! I got 100% on my spelling test!” Mom rewarded her with a big hug and a hearty “that’s great Susie! I’m so proud of you!” Susie then turned around and raced back to her bedroom to prepare for her ice cream date. Dad would be home from work in a few hours, and she knew that he too would be just as excited as Mom was for her accomplishments.

Susie sat on the edge of her bed and spent a quick minute reviewing her test one more time, perhaps to instinctively relive the glory of her success. She had worked and studied so hard to prepare for this one, and it had paid off. Her eyes raced to the bottom of the page and to her alarm, she saw that the teacher had made a mistake; she had overlooked a word that Susie had misspelled. Susie knew what she had to do.

The next day she met the teacher at her desk between class periods and pointed out her oversight. Her teacher smiled slightly, casually drew a line through the “100” and replaced it with a “92,” and then handed it back to her. She returned home again that afternoon not nearly as excited as the day before. She met Mom in the kitchen and sullenly revealed her new revised score “92.” Mom paused for a moment, then rewarded her again with an even bigger hug and a hearty “that’s great Susie! I’m so proud of you!

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The Mormon Third Eye Quote of the Week

"As men of the priesthood, we have an essential role to play in society, at home, and in the Church. But we must be men that women can trust, that children can trust, and that God can trust. In the Church and kingdom of God in these latter days, we cannot afford to have boys and men who are drifting. We cannot afford young men who lack self-discipline and live only to be entertained. We cannot afford young adult men who are going nowhere in life, who are not serious about forming families and making a real contribution in this world. We cannot afford husbands and fathers who fail to provide spiritual leadership in the home."

Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Priesthood Session Conference, October 2012

Why My Mormon Third Eye?

When I politely excused myself in the middle of dinner to make a bathroom stop, how did Mom know that I had uneaten peas in my pocket to flush down the toilet? When I came home late from a youth dance and slid quietly into bed to avoid waking parental units, how did Dad know, without looking at the car, that I smashed in the front bumper? When I watch my daughter play a video game, how do I know that she's not ready for her Geometry final?

Its the Third Eye. The notorious eye in the back of the head, the extra view of life that God blesses parents striving to do the right thing so they can see more of life than the children they chase after.

Our third eye also permits us to see things and feel emotions that are too refined, too far on the edge of our standard two-eyed peripheral vision to enjoy in its fullness. I've learned that I have a Mormon Third Eye; that is, as a life-long, fully-dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have unique perspective on how the doctrines of the gospel and the demands of my faith in them intersect every other part of my mortal existence to create the entertaining, self-deprecating kaleidoscope of my life.

So... for those of you bold and bored enough to read this far, every so often I'll be sharing here what my Mormon third eye sees. Third eyes are relatively huge; they see the humorous, the entertaining, the embarrassing, the beautiful, the inspirational, and even the moral and political; however, they tend to ignore the evil, depressing and destructive: there is enough of that in world already!

The Four Secrets to Successful Living

Always Go Where There is Free Food - This includes ward and work parties, wedding receptions and missionary open houses; the money you spend to buy the ingredients for the world-famous triple chocolate cake you bring doesn’t count.
Never Pay Full Price for Anything – See my posts on Black Friday escapades for more information on this.
Never, Ever Press the Red Button - Usually, if you are faced with a red button somewhere, don’t press it – it usually means trouble. For example, the red button launches the missiles. Do yourself a favor and don’t press it.
Any Problem You Face Can Be Solved With Bungee Cords and Duct Tape - Bungee cord and duct tape technology has saved many marriages and ward parties. I’m not just talking about problems with plumbing or keeping groceries from bouncing around the trunk; I know of relationship and family issues that have been solved with creative applications of these two substances.