Spit and Revelation

Last week in Relief Society we had the lesson that tells the story of the revelation we know as the Word of Wisdom. I spent a few minutes imagining possible conversations between Emma and Joseph on the topic of the tobacco spit on the floor.

Did Emma say, "I wish they wouldn't do that." Did she say, "Can you get them to stop spitting on the floor." Did she say, "Joseph this is gross" Did she fight back her gag reflex everytime she cleaned it up? How long did she do it before she complained? Did she ask meekly, forcefully? Did she draw "a line in the sand" and say, "This needs to stop or else...."

How did Joseph reply? Did he say, "You know it would be rude to ask them to stop." Did he say, "I'll help you clean it up." Did he say, "I don't know what you expect me to do about it." How long did it take before he thought of praying about it?

Do I take the my own complaints or the complaints of family members to the Lord promptly or do I mutter about or figure there is nothing I can do about this or that. Do I butt my head against the wall when I could have divine help? I feel that I am too often too slow to seek the Lord for help about things that seem pretty temporal. This seems like a little thing but the response of the Lord wasn't just a little thing. He found in the little problem of tobacco spit on the floor an opportunity to teach things that would more than clean up the floor. Following principles of the Word of Wisdom cleans our minds and bodies and prepares us to hear the voice of the Lord and to act with strength upon those promptings.

What opportunities for divine tuition do I miss by trying to do too much by myself?