The Chocolate Bar

Earlier in the week I was asked to give a brief message for our Primary board meeting this morning. I was stumped on what I could say that might be beneficial, that might inspire our teachers a little, that might be uplifting. Then I remembered a seminary devotional given when I was in high school. It was based on a talk by Elder Monte J. Brough titled, "The Message: The Chocolate Bar" and I knew I had my little thought.

He told of an experience he had with his 12-year-old son while visiting Africa. He gave his son a chocolate bar to share with the children. They immediately shunned it and wanted nothing to do with it until he took a piece and ate it himself. They were suspicious but agreed to try it, one nibble at a time. Joy overcame their faces as they tasted chocolate for the first time and tasted how sweet and good it was.

Elder Brough compared "the taste of that chocolate bar to the taste of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although the gospel tastes sweet and wonderful and good, sometimes other people don't understand it, and it's hard to get them to take just a tiny nibble. But it they'll take that nibble, and then a larger nibble, they will arrive at a marvelous moment when they place it in their mouths and taste the wonderful sweetness."

"We have something wonderful and sweet, something much more vital than a chocolate bar, something that affects everyone for all eternity. We have tasted the gospel, and we know it is good. We cannot and we must not ignore the opportunity to help others taste it, too."

I then handed out some chocolate to go with the above quote. It was short, it was "sweet", it was "good", and it was just what I wanted to say to go along with our Primary theme for the year: "I Know My Savior Lives".