I remember flying kites at the beach when I was a kid.
My sisters and I all got brand new kites, and we spent the day flying them on the always-windy beaches in Northern California.
My dad would run and throw the kite up, and if it caught the wind correctly, I would have to dig my feet into the sand in order to hold the kite.
It always amazed me how tight I had to hold on to my handle.
As I would turn the handle and give the kite more string, the kite would fly higher and higher, until the string stopped.
And, as a kid, I would look up and think, “Man, this string is just holding the kite back from flying even higher.”
It seemed like that string was restrictive.
The kite could fly so much higher without me.
And so, one time, I let go.
The kite turned every possible way before nose-diving into the sand far down the beach.
It turns out, the string that I thought was so restrictive was actually the only thing helping the kite reach its highest point.
This is what the commandments look like to many people, right?
People are shocked when they find out we give 10% of our income as tithes. That we abstain from alcohol. That we don’t do playdates on Sundays.
What foolish ways to bind ourselves down! Just like a silly, restrictive kite string!
And yet, I have found that while these “restrictions” look like they would hold us back, they create the perfect amount of tension to let us reach our highest potential.
In D&C 95:11, the Lord promises the saints who didn’t think they could build a temple: “If you keep my commandments you shall have power to build it.”
The commandments were going to give them power.
And the commandments continue to create power in our lives.
So to me, this “restrictive” religion is actually creating the greatest freedom I can imagine!
And I’m grateful for the tension on the string, even if others view it as holding myself back.
Because I know that without it, my “freedom” wouldn’t help me get to become the person I know God wants me to be.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
