Plug In to the Source of Power

In his talk, The Choice Generation, Elder Randall L. Ridd created a link between spirituality and the use of cell phones. Of course, he wasn't the first one to do this. There's an image floating around Facebook that asks the questions:

What if we began to treat our Bibles the way we treat our cell phones?
What if we...
...carried it with us everywhere?
...turned back to get it if we forgot it?
...checked it for messages throughout the day?
...used it in case of emergency?
...spent on hour or more using it each day?

While I think that last one is a bit extreme, I think the rest of those ideas are fairly reasonable, especially since many of us have phones that can hold the words of the scriptures on them. Elder Ridd took this idea a step further when he related plugging our cell phones in to keep them charged to "plugging in" to the source of spiritual power through prayer and scripture study to keep ourselves spiritually charged.

Right in the palm of your hand you have the wisdom of the ages—more importantly, the words of the prophets, from Old Testament days to President Thomas S. Monson. But if you don’t regularly recharge your cell phone, it is useless, and you feel lost and out of touch. You wouldn’t think of going a single day without charging your battery. 

As important as it is to leave home every day with a full charge on your cell phone, it is far more important to be fully charged spiritually. Every time you plug in your phone, use it as a reminder to ask yourself if you have plugged in to the most important source of spiritual power—prayer and scripture study, which will charge you with inspiration through the Holy Ghost. It will help you know the mind and will of the Lord to make the small but important daily choices that determine your direction. Many of us immediately stop whatever we are doing to read a text message—should we not place even more importance on messages from the Lord? Neglecting to connect to this power should be unthinkable to us.

 I don't often go far without my cell phone. It's my calendar, my calculator, my timepiece, and the way I keep in touch with everyone else, especially while I'm on the go. With my cell phone in my pocket, I'm not afraid to bike long distances, because I know I can call for help if I need to.

While we're here on Earth, we've gone an awfully long distance from God, physically, and sometimes spiritually. We can talk to God through prayer, and He can talk to us through the scriptures, but only if we read them. As with charging our cell phones, it takes a bit of time to keep the channel of communication open, and we have to put in the effort every day in order to keep ourselves fully charged. But as Elder Ridd said, "It will help you know the mind and will of the Lord to make the small but important daily choices that determine your direction." When we're spiritually charged, God can send us "instant messages" to give us counsel and guidance and to warn us of danger. These messages can give us vital assistance as we face the trials and temptations of mortality. It's a good idea to put in the effort to keep our spirits fully charged and frequently check for messages from God.