John 7:17 and chopsticks

I have a bizarre gift at finding similarities between simple everyday things and the way we are to understand things on a deeper spiritual plane.  This week, it came as I watched my children attempt to use chopsticks for the first time.

Let it be said now that I am no master of chopsticks.  I have marveled that anyone is able to make regular use of them, and I would love to be better at using them, but I simply have not put in the time and effort to learn, and the learning curve has never really been worth it to me, when a fork, spoon, and knife are so readily available most of the time.

I was reading in the Bible this week, and came upon John 7:17 (again.) "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself."  I have been familiar with this verse for many years, but it hit me in a new way as I compared it to chopsticks.  My oldest son was trying to show my other children how simple chopsticks would be, based on the instructions on the outside of the package.  A few simple steps, right?  I smiled to myself, knowing that the results are not as easy to achieve as they are to read about.  And then it hit me.

Results in life are not nearly as easy to achieve as they are to read about.  It's not really too hard to read scriptures, to hear words of counsel from someone, but it's a whole new game when you have to put them into action and get good at them.  You can't know understand how chopsticks work just by looking at a package, or by googling the instructions, or by watching someone else use them, anymore than you can learn to play the piano by reading about it or watching an accomplished concert pianist perform. 

Putting it into action is what yields understanding, but not always immediately.  There is a learning curve, and sometimes we grow impatient with that learning curve and decide it isn't really worth it, and go back to our proverbial knife, fork, and spoon.  We like familiarity, even if it doesn't always lend itself to our skill set and broaden our horizons.

I am probably not going to spend the required amount of time to become an amazing chopstick user.  I may give it a more honest shot on occasion, but it's truly not a high priority to me.  However, I am going to try to be more dedicated to putting God's word to the test in my life, rather than giving up after a few futile attempts and deciding I just wasn't meant to obey those commandments.  Gaining a testimony of his love, of his knowledge of me, and that his plan for his children brings happiness is probably worth a lot more to me than the use of chopsticks is, and consequently, the learning curve will probably be a little harder.  Skills and knowledge don't come without a learning curve, without time and effort, and persistence.

I think it's time to put down the fork, and take more leaps of faith.