WE NEED MORE POWER!!

Do you need more energy?

We have limited resources when it comes to time, energy, and money.  I'm sure there are numerous other limitations I haven't listed but I want to focus on energy limitations.  First, I want to point out three truths:


1. God created us to have limitations
2. God has no limitations
3. God only gives us commandments that are designed to bless us in our limitations

With these three limitations, how does energy fit into the equation?

1. God has created us to feel pain, joy, hunger, satisfaction, fatigue, and exhaustion.
2. God never tires or slows down (Isaiah 40:28-31)
3. God has created us with a body that needs to be disciplined in order to function properly.  The commandment given to Joseph Smith in D&C 89 known as the Word of Wisdom is a blessing to all that follow it.

But not everything deals with tobacco, alcohol, drugs, coffee, and tea. How can we extrapolate the Word of Wisdom to judge for ourselves what we should avoid in this changing world?  The Word of Wisdom is a temporal law meant to bless us with "health in the navel and marrow in the bones." What about caffeine? What about large amounts of caffeine?  Energy drinks are everywhere and lend a quick pick-me-up to its consumers, but what about the drawbacks?

While some people claim energy drinks improve their concentration and performance which could enhance their ability to work harder to provide for their families.  A worthy aspiration, but the thought could have a faulty foundation.  Caffeine is a CNS stimulant that can lead to addiction.  Any addicting behavior can lead to a loss of spiritual health and freedom.  Medical conditions include jitteriness, agitation, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, dehydration, weight gain, depression, high blood pressure, and rapid heart rate.

Soft drinks contain 22-55 mg of caffeine whereas energy drinks can have from 80 to 500 mg in one can.  Caffeine-containing beverage consumption has been associated with low bone mass and increased fracture risk in some, but not most, observational studies. The effects of caffeine on bone metabolism are still controversial.  We might find more substantial evidence in the near future that there is a link between caffeine and "marrow in bone."

So how does the Lord want us to compensate for our limited energy?  How can we make ourselves work harder and keep up with the fast pace life we live?  I have received some of the best counsel from our beloved 2nd counselor in the First Presidency, Elder Uchtdorf.  In one of his recent general conference addresses he said, "We would do well to slow down a little, remember the significant, lift our eyes, and see what matters most."

Maybe we are going too fast.  We learn to live line upon line in a sustainable manner, not sporadically and spastically.  Satan wants our lives in chaos and imbalance, addiction and depression.  We can fight the adversary by listening to what the Lord says in the following scripture:

Isaiah 40:28-31
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

We wait upon the Lord to renew our strength.  We keep His commandments and do His work and He will bless us with the energy we need, people around us to lift us up, or possibly a different perspective to help us change something in our lives.  I believe the Lord's promise in Isaiah 40.  The Word of Wisdom has been a huge blessing in my life.  We can live in a successful and sustainable manner without the use of energy enhancements.