Thursday, April 09, 2009

dayenu

passover started last night. while i'm not Jewish, i did attend a lecture on passover this week, so now i'm naturally an expert. during the passover Seder, someone sings a song about all the things God has done for the the Jewish people. he sings about God bringing them out of Egpyt, parting the sea, giving them Shabbat, etc. and after every line the listeners shout, Dayenu! Meaning, it would have been enough! as in: if He'd done even just one of those things for us, we would have still been so grateful to Him. and then the singer continues to sing line after line of blessings the Lord gave the Jews. and they continue to sing, Dayenu! because the Lord just kept pourin' out the good stuff on em. what an amazing outlook. i don't know, maybe it's late and i'm feeling a little dramatic, but isn't that a beautiful thought?? like bring me to tears? yes, even more than The Sound of Music video?

it reminds me of Elder Oaks' talk and the idea that we aren't entitled to anything. everything we receive is a blessing from the Lord. and life isn't all about me me me. i know that isn't necessarily a new thought, but isn't it shocking to hear an apostle say it so plainly when the world is telling us that it IS about us? am i making sense here? my mind is just getting blown left and right thinking about these things and how far off track i am and how much i want to be better.

dayenu. it's kind of my new motto.



(if you read this whole post and sort of understand what i'm trying to say, then your prize is in the mail.)

11 comments:

Jill said...

Great motto! I love it! It's always nice to be reminded of that. Kinda like butt scotler.

Sarah said...

Yes, I like this way of thinking. I can't believe I won a prize! woo hoo.

Tara said...

Whoo-hoo! What do I get? :P
I love your thoughts in this post and I've always wanted to learn more about the passover.
By the way, thanks for the heads up on my blog. I didn't realize that it doesn't link from my profile. I think (?) I fixed it...

Sophia said...

Love this post Abby! Life is a gift every moment and breath is a blessing. How much better off would I be if I could remember this everyday?

Ashley Seil Smith said...

Thank you for that. Isn't it sad that we have to be reminded? Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever just get things right, like if I'll ever just be able to remember those things all the time. Probably not. That's why we need good friends to remind us, just as you have done.

Bon said...

i will be expecting my prize shortly ;)

amyegodfrey said...

I have shared this with 2 groups of people today. Thanks for writing about it.

Tiffany said...

I for sure needed that reminder! Thanks Abby!

Jarret M. Sharp, Ed. D. said...

a ha.

Brooke said...

It looks like you will have be sending out a lot of prizes! I bet leftover Easter candy would work! : ) I do appreciate what you shared and glad I could learn something new too.

Bethany said...

Thanks for this post. It's nice to get into your brain sometimes.... :)