The Restoration of the Gospel

I find it increasingly amazing how God can teach us all so much in such a simple way. Earlier this year I was teaching the four year old class about the restoration of the gospel (something that could be compared to the complexity of the human body or American tax code). It struck me by the Holy Ghost through inspiration that I should use something physical to explain something so diverse and broad. I wanted to desperately to say that the restoration was necessary and that only God could do it through chosen servants but how?

It was then that I realize that we, the children of Adam, love restoration. We rebuild stuff all the time; cars, buildings, antiques, etc. There is nothing that we have attempted to really figure out how it was built in the first place. The inspiration continued by telling me that I should use the car as my chief example. One the day of the class I drew a busted up car on the chalk board and explained to the children that at one time the gospel was like this car. I then asked them if this car could be driven. They looked at the drawn car with its trunk smoking, tires flat, and busted up ends and with smiles on their faces coyly said no... I then asked them to explain why I could not go to the store in the car. They then began to show piece by piece why I could not go to the store.

After redrawing the car to a more perfect form I then asked them to tell me if I could then travel. There was headlights and taillights and good tires and again I asked them If I could go. The good children asked if there was gas in the car and I told them no. They immediately said that the car needed gas. I then showed them that that the Holy Ghost is like fuel in a car. Even if every aspect of the gospel is restored it means nothing if men and women are pushing the gospel to their destination. The fuel of the gospel needed to be part of the restoration.

When I was done with my lesson, I could not believe my mind. I had taught with the spirit a lesson that I finally understood. I had taught the lesson of the broken mirror for many years on my mission but the way that it had been taught, all things could be done with a tiny mirror as with a bigger mirror, it just might of taken longer. This has been a frustration though still a good tool with teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Taking a step back and looking at it, it has become different and new and fresh to me.

The week that followed, I heard complements of the lesson as my four year old class had told their parents about the restored gospel and how important it was to be fully functional and working so that we all could understand Jesus and his message to the church. Some parents were very impressed that their child could understand such a concept that was sometimes vague or overwhelming. I could only give credit where it was due and thanked my Heavenly Father for teaching me the restoration.

The image is located here.