Saving Lives

There was a blood drive on campus yesterday. As I rushed back to my apartment for a faster-than-a-sub-2-hour-marathon lunch before I ran off to my internship, I saw the sign announcing an opportunity to save three lives and get a free t-shirt while I was at it. 

Words cannot describe the conflict my soul felt in that moment.

"It won't take that long," I argued to myself, "It just barely started--I bet there's not even a line."

"But you haven't even had lunch yet," myself argued back. "Also, you most certainly did not sleep enough last night...or did you? I can't remember. Well, if you can't remember how much you slept, it's only safe to assume that the memory loss can be attributed to sleep deprivation."

"What if I just grab a quick and oh-so-delicious pork barbacoa wrap, eat it on my way, and then save three lives?"

"The lines might have appeared by then. So then you'd have to wait in line, answer all of those dumb but important questions, actually give blood, recover, walk back to your apartment, make yourself dinner to eat in your Book of Mormon class, walk back to your car and drive to your internship. Honey, I guarantee there is not enough time for that today."

Whoops, apparently I got a little sassy with myself there.

In the end, myself won. The self that wanted me to forgo the blood-giving, that is. Despite the fact that I rarely pass up the opportunity to kill three birds with one stone (that may not have been the best phrase to use in conjunction with life-saving), my selfish self did have an incredibly valid and influential set of points.

Regardless, I may not have saved three lives through the giving of my very own [here is where I google a synonym for "blood" and come up with the result "mass murder"--you can fill in this blank as you please] but I was repeatedly told that I am a life-saver for loaning a poor soul a pen for about three seconds.

One life saved, two to go.

In other news, I found a most glorious quote from a most inspired man of God which falls splendidly in line with this whole life-saving business.

"The Savior taught His disciples, 'For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it' (Luke 9:24). 

I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish--and in effect save their lives."
-President Thomas S. Monson, "What Have I Done for Someone Today?"

How grateful I am to have living prophets and apostles to turn to for guidance in this day. What a blessing it is to have their words to add to the words of the prophets of old.

Well, I best be off to conquer the world, one college assignment at a time. Check back for January quotes--coming soon to a Dani Girl Days blog near you.

Happy Friday!