Tracting on Sesame Street

Sometimes, sister missionaries have one of those days when no one wants to talk or can give you rides or can't let you in their home for... whatever reason. Two days ago was one of those days. After another dose of rejection, I admit, I kind of turned into this guy: 

 And as you can imagine, turning into Oscar the Grouch gets you nowhere when you want to teach someone about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was around this point that we decided to stop in and see one of our favorite families. I love this family. They remind me of....

Elmo! Always happy, and always wanting to share their happiness with others. They give out copies of the Book of Mormon like CrAzY! We love it! We are always anxious to hear about how their friends are interested in parts of the Gospel. So, in the midst of my Oscar the Grouch moment, the kids were coming home from school. One of them had a T-shirt on with the face of....

Cookie Monster. Yep. And THAT reminded me of a story that was once told by Bruce C. Hafen and his wife:

"[O]ur family once watched a segment of the children’s television program “Sesame Street” in which the Cookie Monster won a quiz show. What a moment it was! After Mrs. Monster joined her spouse on the stage, the emcee congratulated the couple and offered them their choice among three big prizes—a $200,000 dream home next month, a $20,000 new car next week, or a cookie right now. Mr. and Mrs. Monster furrowed their furry brows and carefully weighed the pros and cons. As the timer buzzed, a big smile broke across Mr. Monster’s face, and he greedily announced his choice: 'Cookie!'

Now, there is nothing wrong with a good cookie. The problem is not that the cookie is bad, but that its satisfaction cannot last. Not should not, or might not, but cannot last. Yet, whether the subject is love, education, or investing scarce resources, Satan deludes us into believing that a cookie is more valuable than a dream home—because we can have it right now."

Sometimes, much like Cookie Monster, we want what is called "Instant Gratification." In many cases, as human beings we feel somewhat entitled to certain privileges. We wonder why we aren't receiving certain blessings when we are living a righteous life, or in the same circumstances we wonder why life and trials are so hard when you feel like you are doing the very best you can. You know that your mansion in Heaven is being prepared, but want the taste of the cookie NOW.

Like Elder Hafen said, there is nothing wrong with a "good cookie." However, is there something more? What are you willing to sacrifice in order to follow the Savior?

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." -Matthew 13:45-46

Later that day, Sister Anderson and I kept trudging through the work. It did get better, not perfect, but better. And patience... is something I am continually learning.

Have an action-packed day!

-Sister Franson