The Parable of the Curling Iron

I have naturally wavy hair. This means that when I want to wear my hair straight, I have to use a curling iron to tame my wild locks. I've been doing it for years and have got it down to quite a simple science. However, no matter my years of experience with the all-mighty curling iron there are those times that I end up burning myself with it because I am not paying attention to what I am doing. This usually seems to happen right before I have to teach a lesson in church. Why not add some extra details to my face that can raise all sorts of questions? I wouldn't want to look good or anything.

Yesterday as I was getting ready for church, I had the misfortune of burning myself with the curling iron. I was busy thinking about something and wasn't focusing on what I was doing. I still have slight marks from my last burn and now a new one to add to the collection. It amazes me because the hot iron only touched my skin for a split second before I pulled it away in pain. It's not like I held it there and let it singe my skin. But it didn't matter, the mark was still left. How annoying and painful!

Now I don't know if it was because I was in a pondering mood for my Relief Society lesson that day or what, but I thought about how my little curling iron experience is comparable to life. Often we are faced with decisions that can have long lasting consequences. Even the smallest deviation from the path can cause us pain and mar our spirits. The choice to let down our standards and view an inappropriate movie or listen to a spiritually destructive music. Deciding to take a quick look at something pornographic just to see what all the hype is about. Slacking off in a calling because we just don't have the energy to do it today. Forgoing scripture study or prayer because the day was just too busy. Letting our visiting or home teaching slide for a month or so because we think no one will really notice or care. Not paying tithing for a little because the budget is too tight. Or skipping going to the temple because we think we just don't have the time at this point in life. Avoiding Family Home Evening because it seems like our small children don't seem to listen or care about what is being taught. All these are little decisions, but they can have lasting effects on our lives.

In church yesterday there was a lot of doctrine taught by our bishop about how Satan tries to deceive us. He will use lies mixed with truth, outright lies, or try to redefine the Savior in the world's view. How often have we heard "I don't think Jesus would do that. It's too mean."? I've heard this often in reference to Proposition 8 and there are members who have been sucked in by this lie and gone against the prophet. It doesn't matter what trips up a person in regard to following the truth, what tempts a person to deviate from the straight and narrow, the point is that we will suffer from our choice whether the consequences are big or small. We cannot afford to let the adversary think for even a minute that he has the possibility of getting a hold of us. Repentance is a wonderful thing, but how much better would our lives be if we didn't let ourselves be tempted and fall in the first place?

So learn from my curling iron experience. Pay attention to what you are doing every day to keep the Spirit in your life. Are you slacking off in some way? Are you letting yourself be tempted? Pay attention to your surroundings. Are you trying to justify sin because it's only for a "short" while that you plan to stray? It doesn't matter the excuse you use, your choice for taking a spiritual vacation will have lasting consequences. Perhaps the marks won't be as obvious as my curling iron burns, but they will be far more destructive and painful. In this day and age we cannot afford to take the slightest deviation from the Spirit. Be wise and choose the right.