If you could see the normal way I write blog posts, it may make you laugh or cringe depending on the sort of person you are. Let me try to illustrate my methodology. I use my iPad mini for blogging 95% of the time. I use an app designed for blogging which will automatically send it off to my blog site with a push of a button. Most of my blogs are written while in bed during a bout of insomnia. Picture this. Me lying in bed holding the iPad mini with the right hand. Me typing the blog with the left INDEX FINGER! Yep, with only one finger. I haven't mastered the iPad keyboard as a normal keyboard. My reasons are that it's just too small of a keyboard to type "normally". Plus the fact is, I just can't get used to the feel of a keyboard with no physical keys. It's just plain awkward for me. So I adapt the best I can using my left index finger.

If you are a blog regular reader, you will have noticed some of my blog posts that have misspellings, punctuation errors, grammatical errors, missing words, duplicated words, or the wrong word used. These are truly unintentional on my part. With this blog app, it just let's me type and type without flagging any errors. It has no spell checker.The only thing that occasionally is flagged for me is the actual iPad device autocorrect feature. It makes a best guess on what I was trying to type, many times it is correct, but sometimes it is not. And sometimes, it just thinks it's smarter than the person holding/controlling it. Case in point, I'm sure you have seen in my past blog posts, if I type 'the Lord' (I overrode this one), the iPad automatically corrects it to 'The Lord' (capitalized 'the'). It flashes up the suggested spelling and, while I find no problems with that, I allow it to pass on.

Now, I pride myself on being a spelling "perfectionist". As a matter of fact, I can walk past a coworkers desk, glance at a paper drawing or the computer screen and spelling errors seems to jump out at me. Yet, I can stare at my own paper drawings, computer screens, or iPad mini and not catch the error! Why is this? The answer is quite simple: a fresh set of eyes. The punctuation and grammatical errors, as well as the missing, duplicated, or wrong words (with correct spelling) can all still go unnoticed unless I'm physically putting all my efforts and concentration into what I am doing.

By now (if you've read this far), you're wondering how I can possibly find spiritual parallels in this! Well, here we go! :)

We have been blessed in our day and age with tools to assist us in not only studying the gospel, but proclaiming it, and redeeming the dead. In short, I have a firm belief that technology, when used correctly can influence, spiritually uplift, testify to others about the gospel of Jesus Christ. On all devices, whether it's a desktop computer or a tablet, there is a keyboard to assist us. It is a tool - whether we choose to utilize our full hands in typing, or one finger, it's up to us to decide. The typing, or work of The Lord (see?)  continues no matter if we utilize our full hands in the work, or just one single digit.  It just goes faster if we embrace and utilize the full keyboard. We can make one excuse after another to self-justify why we are not willing to use all the tools The Lord has given to us - whether we just don't have have time, we don't share the same feelings about sharing the gospel because it's awkward for us or we are afraid that we will lose good friends if we attempt to share the gospel. In any case, perhaps the real reason is because we don't have a physical firm testimony in that area of  the gospel.

Just as the app I use on my iPad doesn't have a spell checker and I have to exert more of myself into making sure that what the final blog post will be correct; the same can be said of the Holy Ghost in our lives. When the Holy Ghost is present and we allow it to, it can find mistakes in our lives and give us suggestions for improvement in that area. They are only suggestions - unlike autocorrect, the Holy Ghost cannot physically make those changes in our lives. We must be the ones to recognize, repent, and make corrections. And sometimes, when we tune the Holy Ghost out or are engrossed in things that draw the Spirit away, we are left on our own to try to decipher what is going on. I would liken this to giving a 6 month old child an iPad with a document (such as a blog post :) ). The document is there, but the child (unless they are Mensa candidates) cannot possibly decipher what the document says let alone correct the document of errors. I learned (well I already knew, but it was brought to my attention), last week in Sunday School that if we petition The Lord long enough over something that He knows is not really good for us, we may get what we have been praying over - but we must face the consequences of them, learning the hard way that The Lord was right in the first place and knew better than us. But, He loves us so much that sometimes He allows these things to happen to us (because we have prayed and prayed about them). 

When the Savior ended his talk with the multitude regarding the Surmon on the Mount, he ended with one sentence: ".. Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in Heaven is perfect." To the person whose life is filled with challenges, this final statement can seem to be insurmountable. It may make some give up with the thought that perfection for me will not be found, therefore I may as well just give up. Perfection is a goal. It is a lifetime and beyond pursuit. What gifts we lack, we can find in others, and what gifts others lack, they can find in you. We all have gifts given to us. Just as one of my "gifts" is the ability to see spelling errors in others drawings, there are many more gifts that I do not have, will never have, but rely on others to share those gifts with me. 

I have blogged a lot about this, but once again it bears repeating. If we can see those around us, even those that curse us, cut us off the road, and despise us - if we can all just see them "with a fresh set of "eternal" eyes, we will see them as brothers and sisters just trying to get through life as we we are. We can share our gifts with them, and in turn help them realize the gifts they have that they can share with others. We can share the gospel, in a non-obtrusive way - by being a friend. By smiling at them. By lending a helping hand.

We all make mistakes in life. Some that we just don't even realize until it is brought to our attention. By utilizing all the tools, gifts, and blessings which The Lord has given to us, we can word by word, deed by deed, make necessary corrections in our lives. And slowly but surely, our blog posts, or our lives can become perfect - one word, one act at a time.

Yes, the title is not spelled correctly. I did that to make a point with this blog post. :) The correct title (if you haven't figured it out already) is "The Spelling Checkers of Life".

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