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The Parable of the Blue Microwave • followHIM Favorites • April 21 - 27 • Come Follow Me
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- [00:03]
A
Hello. Welcome to Follow Him. Favorites. This is where John and I are sharing a single story to go with each week's lesson. John, we are in sections 37 through 40 today, and I have a story for you. I hesitate, John, to tell you this story because it is going to be a display of my own humanness. Just bear with me, John, when people say, oh, you work with John, by the way, is he really that good? He is. He's really that good. But when people say, john, you work with Hank, is he really that bad? He really is that bad. All right. In Section 38 of the Doctrine Covenants, the Lord tells the saints, it's time to move. To quote the Ohio. As I saw that, John, I remember a move that Sarah and I had to make years and years ago. It was when we had three children. We have five now. We were moving from West Jordan, Utah, down to Mapleton, Utah, because I had been hired to teach at byu. John, you've moved before. Moving is stressful.
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B
It's rough.
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A
You're leaving this house, you're trying to get that house all cleaned out and ready, and you're trying to have a system so you're, you know, labeling each box. But then people come over to help, and they don't care about the system. They're just throwing things in. Then your dad comes over to help, and he treats you like you're 12. In fact, I remember my dad telling me what to do. Like, you move that there. And I said, dad, this is my stuff. This is my house. And he said, you just do what I tell you to do. And I did it, John. It's like. I'm like, yes, sir. And I started to do it. My sons are saying, do it again. Grandpa, how'd you do that? How'd you get him? How'd you get him to do what you said? So we finally get the house in West Jordan all done, we say goodbye to our life there, which we loved, and we move down here to Mapleton. Well, John, you know how unpacking is also very stressful. Packing it up and moving it, that was stressful. Well, getting it into the house is also a little bit stressful. And then you have people coming over to help, and they mean well, but they don't know where to put stuff. It's just stuff is everywhere. And then kids, when you know it, they get hungry. This is not a time to get hungry. You need to stop getting hungry. It's very selfish. We're in the middle of moving this stuff in. You're trying to be gentle. You can hear some things breaking. I'm just trying to get everybody on board here that. That. My life was hard, so my children wanted to eat, and they said, can we get pizza? I said, no, we're not going to get pizza. That's not healthy. We'll cook up some hot dogs. I went to find the microwave, and I couldn't find it. I asked Sarah, did someone bring the microwave in? And she said, it's in the garage. Yeah, bring it in and use it. But then put it back in the garage because we're not going to use it. We're going to get a new microwave. And I said, is this one broken? And she said, no, it doesn't match. I got to be honest with you. I was tired, I was stressed, and I did not know what she was talking about. I thought she meant, like a match.
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B
Oh, I can't light it.
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A
Yeah, like you can't light the microwave. I was thinking, I don't think you have to light a microwave. I'm pretty sure electric. Yeah. I've never had to light one before. She's tired, and I'm tired. And I said, what do you mean it doesn't match? It doesn't light. And she said, no, it doesn't match. And I said, sarah, I. And. And my wonderful wife, we adore each other. John. I think she looked at me like, oh, what? What did I marry? She says, we just describe for me the exterior of the stove. And I'm like, what? She's like, just tell me. And I'm like, it's stainless steel. And she said, okay, describe for me the exterior of the refrigerator. It come with the house? I said, it is also stainless steel. And she said, and our microwave. I said, it's white. And I'm still. John, not clued in.
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B
Yeah.
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A
And she kind of looked at matter. Yeah. Like, how is this. How is this about lighting a microwave? All of a sudden, it clicked. I'm like, oh, it doesn't match. Oh, you want. Oh, you want them all to be the same, like color? Oh. I said, we're not getting him a new microwave because that doesn't matter. John, I don't know if you and your wife have ever disagreed on something, but that started a little bit of a war because she wanted to get a new microwave so all the appliances would match. I was not one of those people who thought that all the appliances need to match. I'm. I'm someone who thinks they all need to function.
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B
Yeah. Does it work, then? It matches.
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A
It works. Does it work? It matches the other ones?
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B
Because the other ones work.
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The kids were like, are you guys fighting? We're like, no, no. Mom and dad love each other. Eventually, John, we decided to compromise and get a new microwave.
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B
Now, I know, Hank, that's not a compromise.
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A
Yeah, I know that's not a compromise. Yeah, yeah, it is when you're married.
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B
But that's a. That's when you're married. That's a compromise.
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A
That's right. That's a compromise. So I stopped by the store to pick up this microwave. I go all the way in. It's too expensive, in my opinion, but I go to the front. I'm a little bit ornery. I'm tired. I am buying something I don't think I should have to buy. I get it, John. I know right now that this was probably a bad attitude, but welcome to our store. I'm like, just. Just ring up the microwave. I get the microwave. I put it in the back of the car. It would barely fit. I took it home, I loaded it up the stairs. I almost fell. And I set it on the counter with, hey, here's the new microwave. She, of course, was, thank you. You know, sweetie, I'm. I went into a different room to do my very important things. I can hear her open up the microwave, and she says to me in the other room, what did you buy? And I said, a microwave. And she said, well, yeah, but this one's blue. And I said, no, it's not. Look at the box. And she said, it doesn't matter what it says in the box. The microwave is blue. I came out and looked at it, and sure enough, you only. Only saw the top of it, and sure enough, it's blue. I kind of looked at her like, I know what's coming. She said, can you take it back? And I said, no, I. No, I don't want to take it back. I will tomorrow. She said, we need it tonight. I said, let's just use the old one. And she said, I sold it.
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B
That didn't take long.
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A
I blowed it back up. And my wife knows how difficult it is to take kids to the store. She says, hey, kids, you want to go with dad to the store? I'm like, you are doing this on purpose. And of course, my kids, you know, they're little at the time, are three, and Josh here. Let's go to the store. Now. I load the microwave back in the car with the kids, and I'm taking the microwave back to the store. And it's long Drive. And I was using my kids as therapists. Right. I'm telling them how hard it is to be a dad and to buy microwaves, and they're juror dad. It sounds really hard. And we get to the store, John, now I'm really upset. This is what made me think of it. Section 38, verse 39. The Lord says, beware of pride. Beware of pride. And, John, I was not bewaring of pride. I was just pride. There was no bewearing going on.
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B
Yeah.
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A
I am now frustrated, and I'm frustrated enough that I can get a little bit ornery. I put this microwave on the customer service desk, and this girl that was there said, hi, what can I do for you? And I said, the microwave's blue. And she said, what? And I said, the microwave's blue. It says stainless steel on the box. The microwave's blue. Okay. I just need to get a new microwave. And she's, oh, okay. Yes. Do you have your receipt? And I'm holding up my receipt for. She starts ringing it up. And I think I was ornery enough that it brought her supervisor over. I know. I know. Everyone, I know you're judging me. John, by the way, would never be this way, I promise.
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B
You were also tending. You are also.
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Yeah, I was tending and I was moving, and I've been there. Thank you for validating me. The supervisor, I guess he comes walking over and he said, what's the problem here, sir? And, you know, I'm not even going to look at it because I am a disgruntled customer, and I do not want to have this conversation again. She kind of looks around and goes, oh, well, he bought this microwave. It's supposed to be stainless steel, but it's not. It's blue. So we're gonna get him a. A new microwave. And he looks at me, oh, I'm so sorry, sir. And I was like, yeah, I bet. I'm really Henri. He goes about 10 steps, John, and he turns around, he said, sir, did you take the blue cellophane off the microwave? And I said. I said, the. The what?
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B
The what, John?
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We hadn't bought new appliances. It's just not something we had done in our little family, right. That bought new things. And he said, the stainless steel appliances, they come with a blue cellophane wrap on them. And he opened up the box and he said, oh, yeah. And he pulled the blue off of the microwave, and he held it right there in front of me. John, I don't know if you've ever seen someone who is trying desperately not to laugh. It wasn't him. It was the girl. It was the girl who I'd. I'd been so abrupt with. She is over there making faces because she just does not want to laugh. You can tell she's. He's looking away. She's, you know, crying. And he's staring at me with this blue cellophane. I'm just looking up at him. And John, you know me. I talk for a living. I had nothing to say. I had absolutely nothing to say. I'm just staring at this guy. One of my children chimes in. My oldest boy, Mason. He says, wait, the microwave's not blue. And I'm like, shush, shush, dad. You said these people were so dumb. I'm like, yeah, I know. I know what I said. I know what I said. Just go over there. I didn't know what to say, John. So all I did was pick up the microwave and turn around and walked out. I walked out of the store. I got about 20ft, I think, from the customer service desk, and I hear it erupt in laughter. Come here. Come here. You gotta hear this. You gotta hear what this guy just did. No, that guy. That guy leaving with the kids.
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B
He pulled up. Pull the hat down.
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A
Yeah. I think my daughter was saying, dad, they're laughing at you. I'm like, at us. They're laughing at us. So we put the microwave back in the car and we're driving home. And john, I don't think I need to tell you this, but guess who else thought it was the funniest story she had ever heard in her life?
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B
Sarah.
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A
Yeah. About a half hour later, I'm at home telling this story, and she is crying. She is crying. And she said. Said. She said, tell me again. Tell me again. And I said, and he. She said, and then he just held it up for you? And I'm like, yeah, he just held it up for me. And she said, you must have felt so dumb. And I said, I did. I felt so dumb. She said, I can't believe you thought it was blue. I said, sarah, you thought it was blue. And she said, yeah, but I'm not the one that took it back. We still talk about that story to this day. It has been a long time. I think it's been 15 years since that happened. But we still talk. Talk about it today. And as I'm reading section 38 with the Lord saying, hey, you're going to move. This is going to be really hard. But remember, if you're not one you are not mine. And beware of pride. I was not reading Section 38, apparently, when we moved.
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B
If you're feeling blue, pull off the cellophane. In fact, this. This laptop I'm using is blue.
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A
Hey, how long has this been blue?
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B
How long has this been here?
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A
After I told that story once, John, a woman came up to me and she said, it's okay. I thought my washer and dryer were blue for two years. Like, okay. I'm not the only one. Beware of pride. The Lord says thank you for staying with us for the entire story. We hope you'll join us on our full podcast. It's called Follow Him. You can get it wherever you get your podcast. Where, like I said, in section 37 through 40 this week. And we're going to talk about this man, James Covel, who I'm sure is smarter than me, at least when it comes to appliances.
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Your telling this story shows that you were aware of pride. And because now you're sharing it with.
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Us, I am aware now. And guess what, John? Today I can go upstairs and I can see the matching appliances.
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B
Oh, what a feeling.
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A
And she's right. It does look good.
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B
Not only do they work, but they match.
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A
Come back and join us next week for another following of favorites.