Genuine Fake Watches for sale!

Today, I'm typing from the Kirkwood Highway Library, over in Newark.  It's a cool mid-size structure, with big plate-glass windows and a fancy decorative facade.  It's got a good selection of books, too, so it's not too bad.

I'm on an exchange with Elder Hidalgo, a cool elder from Chile.  About 5'5", he's a good elder with a good testimony.  Strappy little guy, too.  He is the smallest of the four spanish elders in our district, but he's always good for anything.  Little by little, he's overcoming his fears, and becoming stronger.  Just last friday, we had a wrestling match.  (A little uneven, I think:  Me, at 6'3" and 270 pounds, against him at 5'5" and maybe 170.)  I won, but in the course of the match, I shattered the crystal on my watch. 

So, here in Newark, I went to the Farmer's Market.  It's a nice little warehouse-ish thing, and has a jewelery kiosk where they sell cheap watches.  Now, I sport a  ten-dollar watch, and am feeling slightly guilty for supporting people who make cheap stuff in China.  Because I was actually able to inspect the watches, and check that they actually work, I was able to avoid buying a cheap, imitation product. (To read more about fake watches, click here and here.)

There was one watch that I really admired.  It was nice, shiny, had three dials, and I could see myself wearing something like that.  But, when I asked to see it, I took a nice close look at it.  Those three dials for date, month, and year?  Painted on.  Total fake.

In life, we need to check out what we do.  Really, that's all that we ask anyone to do.  We have a message.  As in all things, we need to check whether something is real or not.



A plastic hat is probably a good sign of a fake.

 Imagine that you're walking down the streets of New York city, and a stereotypical guy in a trenchcoat walks up and spreads his coat wide.  Inside, there's row after row of glittering watches: Rolex, Breitling, TAG Heuer, all in gold, leather, silver, and of course very expensive.  The man rubs his unshaved cheeks, and says, "$40 bucks. Take your pick."

Now, it's possible that the watches are real Rolex watches.  But, how can you be sure? 

The only way is to compare it with the genuine product.  That's really all that we ask people to do:  Look at what we have.  Compare it with the Bible, always having an open mind.  Most important, ask God.  I'm sure He knows what's true and what's not.  If you ask him, you can be confident that he will answer your questions.

On watches and fish hooks

So, yesterday, I found myself in need of a new watch.  Rather, say not that I needed a new one, but that I rather desired a new one.  While we were in Family Dollar yesterday, to buy my companion a desk lamp, one of the watches at the front desk caught my eye.  It looked good.  Stainless steel, with three dials, month, date, and one dial that I still don't know what it's for.  I checked out the price tag, and was shocked to see that it was only $8.00.  Snag that one, I said.  Picking it up and congratulating myself on being such a savvy businessman, I bought it and took it home.

It looks something like that.  Now, that's a mighty handsome watch, I thought as I cut through the packaging.  Pulling off the bit of plastic that held the crown away from the body, I began to adjust it, to try to move the date hand to the 1st of September.  However, after about thirty seconds of watching the hands go around the face, I realized that I had been taken in.  This watch, almost too good to be true, had turned out to be just that.  My desire to get something good for less led me to get just what I paid for:  a normal, good looking watch, with three extra dials glued onto the face.

So, not so savvy.

Sometimes, we do the same thing in life.  We look at something, and say to ourselves, "Now that's nice."  Whether it's a car, or a nice house, a boat, for me it might be a good set of books or a computer, we say, "Dang.  If I had that, I would be happy."  It begins to occupy our thoughts, and we begin to obsess.  When we get it, we open it with relish, only to find out that this package doesn't contain happiness.  It only contains a product of the world.

You see, Satan doesn't want us to be happy.  He's bitter that he lost the war, and I believe that he knows he'll eventually lose the war with God.  However, he and all his followers have dedicated themselves to taking down as many as they can with them.  Like the old proverb says, "Misery loves Company."  He tricks us, promising us happiness if we do what he says.  When we, like a fish entertained by the promise of an easy meal, go after Satan's worm, he sets the hook.

The best things in life are never easy.  I'm trying to lose weight by eating less, because I believe the end goal to be worth it.  My companion and I teach people every day a message that is radically different from the world and its standards.  Obeying these rules would place most people out of their comfort zones.  In this world, it is not popular for people to not drink coffee.  It's not popular for young men to just give up two years of their life and about ten thousand dollars to serve God.  It's not easy.

It's not meant to be.

The greatest gift that God has for us is eternal life.  As a friend of mine once said, "There's only one thing that  we need to change in order to go to heaven:  Everything."  It made me laugh then, but it's true.  If we truly expect to be in God's kingdom, we must give up everything and trust in Christ.  He has paid the price for us, and is willing to help us.  If only we would allow him to help us, we could be happy.  And this is the kind of happiness that lasts, joy.

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." ~2 Nephi 2: 25

I know this is true.  Although I am a bit disappointed at myself for buying what I should have known would be an inferior product, I am happy because I am doing what is right.  God loves us.  He's made a way for us.  If we, as disciples of Christ, hope to follow his example, we must be prepared for our own small moments in Gethsemane.  It's difficult.  But it is oh so worth it.