I DON'T REMEMBER WHERE I SAW IT FIRST, BUT SOMEWHERE IN THIS WIDE WORLD OF READILY-AVAILABLE MERCHANDISE THERE IS AN ELF YOU CAN BUY TO REMIND YOUR CHILDREN TO BEHAVE WITH CAUTION DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON.
THE ELF SITS QUIETLY IN YOUR HOME- LOCATION DETERMINED BY YOU- TO TAKE VIGIL DURING THE DAY, MENTALLY NOTING EVERY MOVE EACH PASSERBY MAKES. AT NIGHT THE ELF QUICKLY DISSAPEARS TO THE NORTH POLE TO REPORT TO THE BIG MAN HOW WE ARE DOING DOWN HERE... NAUGHTY OR NICE.
ONE OF THESE ELVES TAKES PERMANENT LODGING INSIDE ME- CAREFULLY KEEPING TALLY MARKS OF THE GOOD THINGS I DO, AND ALSO, UNFORTUNATELY, THE BAD.
MAKE A STUDENT CRY, 1 BAD TALLY. MAKE A CLASS OF FIRST GRADERS LAUGH HYSTERICALLY, 1 GOOD TALLY. MAKE DINNER HAPPILY FOR MY HUSBAND, 1 GOOD TALLY. MAKE DINNER IN A HUFF FOR MY HUSBAND, 1 BAD. MURMUR AT THE CHRISTMAS TRAFFIC, 1 BAD TALLY. REJOICE IN THE CONSTANT BLESSINGS I'VE BEEN GIVEN, 1 GOOD.
MY DAYS RUN LIKE THIS BACK AND FORTH, BACK AND FORTH. GOOD TALLY, BAD TALLY, GOOD TALLY, BAD TALLY. -TRUTHFULLY, IF THIS ELF REALLY DOES REPORT TO THE BIG MAN, THAN MR. CLAUS IS GETTING MIXED SIGNALS ABOUT ME.
I REMEMBER WHEN I USED TO READ ABOUT KING BEJAMIN'S PEOPLE IN THE BOOK OF MORMON AND HOW THEY HAD NO MORE DESIRE OR DISPOSITION TO DO EVIL, AND I USED TO THINK... " HOW DO I GET THERE?" "HOW COULD I HONESTLY COME TO THAT PLACE WHERE I NO LONGER DESIRED TO EVER EVER EVER DO SOMETHING BAD?"
WELL LAST NIGHT I RAN INTO AN OLD FRIEND WHO ISN'T IN THE BEST PLACE IN HIS LIFE. JUST SEEING HIM PUT A PIT IN MY STOMACH- ABSOLUTELY NO LIGHT IN HIM- NOT AN OUNCE. I THOUGHT ABOUT HIM ON MY DRIVE TO WORK THIS MORNING, WONDERING HOW HE GOT TO WHERE HE IS TODAY. I THOUGHT ABOUT STEPS HE'S TAKEN IN HIS LIFE THAT HAVE LED HIM FURTHER AND FURTHER INTO THE DARK. AND THAT'S WHEN IT HIT ME...
I'M WHERE KING BENJAMIN'S PEOPLE WERE. I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THE TRANSFORMATION HAS BEEN TAKING PLACE INSIDE ME, BUT I CAN TRUTHFULLY SAY THAT I HAVE NO DESIRE WITHIN ME TO DO EVIL.
I DO SLIP UP. THE ELF IN MY HEAD COULD EASILY TELL YOU THAT. I MAKE STUPID MISTAKES AND I CATCH MYSELF AT TIMES PRACTICING SELFISH THOUGHTS AND ACTS- BUT WHENEVER THOSE TIMES COME ALONG- AND COME ALONG THEY DO-
I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT I RECOGNIZE IT. I HAVE THAT ELF IN MY HEAD TO SHAKE ME BACK TO REALITY AND MAKE ME UTTER A PRAYER OF APOLOGY AND A PLEAD FOR HELP TO ASSIST ME TO FIX IT. I GUESS THE CHANGE OCCURED IN ME BECAUSE MY FATHER IN HEAVEN KNEW THAT RIGHTEOUS DESIRE WAS IN MY HEART.
I KNOW THAT THE MORE WE FEED THE NICE SIDE IN US- THE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT THE NAUGHTY SIDE WILL BEGIN TO DISSAPEAR. I SAY THIS WITH CAUTION, BECAUSE THE NAUGHTY SIDE IS A LOT MORE STUBBORN THAN THE NICE. JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT A HANDLE ON HIM HE CREEPS UP AGAIN TO BITE YA. BUT THE GREAT THING IS, THE LIGHT AND THE GOOD AND THE NICE ARE MUCH, MUCH STRONGER THAN THE NAUGHTY. BECAUSE WHEN WE'RE DOING GOOD, WE FEEL GOOD.
"(THE SPIRIT) HAS WROUGHT A MIGHTY CHANGE IN US, OR IN OUR HEARTS, THAT WE HAVE NO MORE DISPOSITION TO DO EVIL, BUT TO DO GOOD CONTINUALLY."
-MOSIAH 5:2
MAKE YOUR INNER ELF HAPPY, DO GOOD AND BE NICE.
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