Hair Vaccuum Consequences

 Elder Quentin L. Cook shared this on his social media pages yesterday:
 

The challenge for you young friends of mine is to find the time for spiritual growth while acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in a very competitive world. My counsel to you is to first prioritize your faith in Jesus Christ as you make important life choices.

Faith and acquiring skills and knowledge require equal effort and commitment. We cannot expect to have faith at the center of our lives if all of our efforts are expended on skills, knowledge, making money, sports, hobbies, or other pursuits.

My mission president, Elder Marion D. Hanks, taught me that it is the small, daily choices that are important. He introduced me to some wonderful advice by Harry Emerson Fosdick, the famous Protestant pastor of the Riverside Church in New York City.

He taught: “Ah, my soul, look to the road you are walking on! He who picks up one end of a stick picks up the other. He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determines the end.”

The choices you will make are the key to your future and your happiness. Remember, you are the sum total of every decision you make. I want you to know, and I testify to you, that you will receive guidance from the Lord if you walk in His paths and live His commandments.

It was a perfect day to post it as the lesson for YW and Aaronic Priesthood was why do the choices I make matter.  And there are consequences for each choice we make.

It brought to mind a memory of when I was a child.  I remember that I had to vacuum.  It seems like several times when I was supposed to vacuum my sisters would be playing or would be in my way and wouldn't really cooperate with me to clean up their toys/move out of my way.  One day, I told my sister (I think it was Suzy, but I honestly can't remember for sure) to move or I would vacuum up her hair.  She was on the floor, lying down, and she wouldn't move.  I asked a couple of times and then got closer...really meaning to scare her and get her to move.  Except that I got too close and I really did catch the corner of her hair and it got sucked into the vacuum.  She cried.  I felt terrible.  I think we both learned a lesson that day.  

LESSONS LEARNED:   Our choices have consequences.  Even if we don't realize it, when we make a choice, we are choosing the connected consequence also.  She chose not to move off the floor and got the painful consequence of having some of her hair sucked into the vacuum.  I chose to get frustrated and angry and do something foolish and it led to hurting my sister and feeling guilty about what I had done.