A Briefcase of Distractions by Orlando Mora

            One of my biggest struggles in life has to be distractions. Even when I was a small child I had trouble focusing on the important things like school. Fifty years later I still struggle with the ability to give my undivided attention. For example, during the winter months of 2012 and most of 2013, I visited prisoners in our local jail; it was one of my callings as a member of the Mormon Church. I was already nervous, but after several visits, and meeting some of the prisoners, I became extremely nervous. Many of the prisoners had shaved and tattooed heads, tattoos on their faces, foreheads, and even on their eyelids; needless to say, I felt somewhat intimidated. Since I have associated with and have known people like this from my past, I found it very difficult to incorporate the love and light of our Savior with such a scary looking bunch. I remember thinking, “How in the world are we going to get the spirit of the Lord into these guys?”

When I was a little kid I used to watch a cartoon called “Felix the Cat.” Felix always carried a little bag around with him, similar to a doctor’s bag, and he called it his bag of tricks. Whenever he got into a fix, he would reach into his bag of tricks, which saved him every time and never failed him. Felix gave me a brilliant idea! I took my old leather briefcase, and I filled it with all sorts of religious stuff, most of which I found at our local library. I made copies and filled my briefcase. It is important to note that the material in my briefcase came from books I checked out at the library, including, but not limited to, material written by popular and famous television pastors.

My plan (not God’s plan) was that the prisoners could relate better to this “best seller list stuff” than the New and Old Testaments. (I thought these books might be too old-fashioned for these prisoners). I was ready to enter the jail with my bag of tricks, and I felt confident that I could now make a positive contribution. I also thought that by being in some form of control…briefcase full of stuff, I could conquer my fear. But that’s not what the Lord had intended for me. Interestingly enough, for the following weeks nothing happened. I had very little interaction with the prisoners, and while my missionary companions were involved, I sat there holding and staring into my bag of stuff. Now realizing that my stuff was useless, I would go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him why my brilliant idea was not working. The answer did not come right away, but it did come. It was very simple, and it was the most valuable lesson I have ever learned as a member of the true Church of God.

I remember sometime later we met with several women prisoners. We were teaching them about Moses and why he had to climb the mountain to receive instruction from the Lord (the Ten Commandments). I personally believe that the Lord’s message for Moses was so important that he had to make sure Moses was completely focused (hence the reason for climbing the mountain away from all distractions). One of the women testified that she loves church, and she loves coming to church, but that her boyfriend keeps her from coming to church because he feels church members are all hypocrites. She knows her boyfriend is wrong, yet she chooses to follow and obey her boyfriend. She also said she is afraid of the boyfriend leaving her if she doesn’t obey his wishes. We went on to teach her how distractions temporarily separate us from God, and we testified to her that her boyfriend was keeping her from worshiping God, that he was a distraction in her life, causing a temporary separation between her and her Father in Heaven.

It was at this very moment that I realized my briefcase had become a distraction, For those few weeks that I relied (solely) on my briefcase, the Lord would leave me alone (no promptings, no impressions), so I could learn this valuable lesson.

            There are many beautiful things I learned because of this calling. First, the Lord loves prisoners...tattooed and shaved heads, scary looking and scar-faced. He loves all of his children, and just because their sins are different from my sins or your sins doesn’t disqualify them from God’s love.

Second, the bag of tricks did not work, simply because it was exactly that…a bag of tricks or a bag of temporary stuff. In addition, I did not involve the Lord in my plan. In Philippians 4:13 it says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Third, there is no child of God that the Lord’s Spirit cannot penetrate. Fourth, through the power of prayer and a great desire to bring hope and the light of Christ to others, the Lord made His presence known to all who were in the room with us. Everyone we met with and read scriptures with, knew the Lord’s Spirit was present, knew that the book of Mormon comes with God’s power, and knew that we missionaries represented Heavenly Father and no one else. We also learned that we have no control over what the prisoners choose to do with this knowledge…our job was only to deliver the message that God loves them.

            Obedience is a beautiful and powerful principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our church is committed to the miraculous. By and through obedience I have experienced numerous miracles in my personal life and the lives of my wife and children. Even though obedience is a simple principle of the gospel, it is not always easy to master. The devil has a new and improved campaign to distract us, especially our youth from the basic principles of the gospel. Remember--Grace did not save Noah…Obedience did.