Hold your peace: falling fluff

Posted May 27, 2018

Hey there chickadees …. Do we really need all that fluff?

These pretty little creatures, flying with all they can manage to carry, back and forth, back and forth, have captured our attention. They’re preparing a home, so yes, sometimes the fluff is essential. We need supplies to build, to fortify, to add on, to change our surroundings and our heart …

And then sometimes, what we’re carrying is just fluff. Excess. That dispensable, nonessential stuff that soaks up space. We only have so much space in our minds and so many minutes in our day. Do we really need more fluff? How much more can we carry? Is the nest already full? Will that piece of fluff even fit through the front door? And just because we can squeeze in one more thing – should we?

Gains don’t always gain us what we want.
Oftentimes, the magic word isn’t “gain,” it’s “maintain.”

Maintain what matters most. Hold fast to the flickers of faith that light up our soul – the experiences with hope, holiness, charity and mercy.

In the scriptures, it talks about certain years ancient civilizations dedicated to building, preparing and fortifying their cities. These building years were essential to survival against battles with the adversary’s attacks. At this time, the fluff fortified. They needed building.

But let us not overlook the years and years after the building, that were focused on maintaining. Protecting that which they fought for was also essential, or they’d slip backwards – perhaps even further into the depths of despair than before.

Remember the great army leader, Captain Moroni? He knows that maintaining is key to success:

“…and knowing that it was easier to keep the city from falling into the hands of the Lamanites than to retake it from them, he supposed that they would easily maintain that city. Therefore he retained all his force to maintain those places which he had recovered.” – Alma 59:10

Maintaining means maintenance. It takes work to hold fast to the best things. Hold fast to our homes, to our families, to our faith. Hold onto what brings peace and comfort and kindness.

Any extra fluff that doesn’t build us up, that doesn’t maintain our triumphs for Truth – those testimonies and righteous experiences we’ve worked and fought for – can fall to the floor. Let them go. We don’t have room for that which just adds to our weight. Those birds’ beaks can only hold so much … can’t we all relate to that?

Fluffy stuff, I’m letting go. I’d rather hold holiness … hold Christ’s hand … hold my peace.