The waitress brought out a sandwich and placed it in front of me.
It wasn’t until she walked away that I realized… this was not what I had ordered.
I had ordered a burger.
Ugh. I knew what this meant.
I sat there and silently gave myself the pep talk that I knew I needed.
I saw the waitress serving a few tables away, and she wasn’t walking anywhere near me.
Finally she got close enough and I waved her over.
“Excuse me! I am so sorry, but I ordered a burger, so I think I got the wrong order.”
I seriously felt so rude, even though I knew I was technically saying nice words.
I was just so uncomfortable about asking for something and disrupting the normal flow of a server/customer dynamic.
“Oh, you are totally right!” She quickly said.
“You can actually go ahead and keep that sandwich, and I’ll be out with your burger in just a minute.”
In D&C 90:1, the Lord is giving a revelation to Joseph Smith, and he starts by saying:
“Verily, verily I say unto you my son, thy sins are forgiven thee, according to thy petition, for thy prayers and the prayers of thy brethren have come up into my ears.”
Did you catch what the Lord said that Joseph had been doing?
Joseph had been petitioning the Lord in prayer for forgiveness from his sins.
I know that I fall victim to sinning, feeling remorse, and wanting to improve without ever actually asking my Father in Heaven for forgiveness.
But it’s not rude to ask.
It’s not pretentious.
It’s just good communication and a necessary part of creating a good, honest relationship.
When we need something, we have to ask.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
2 Responses
I’ve caught myself wondering if this makes me just plain stubborn in prayer. Like, I don’t ask forgiveness for speeding because, let’s be honest, I know I’ll probably do it again. It feels kind of silly to apologize when I already know I’ll repeat it. But it only just dawned on me—I’ve never thought to ask for help with it instead. And then I wonder… am I even ready for the help?
~Susie
That is a good question to ponder for yourself!