Yesterday was my first day of American Literature. For a portion of the time, my professor talked about the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy by not doing homework. He promised us that if we did these things, we would have a more successful semester. Here is a story he told in regards to the matter:
"My brother was attending school to get his doctorate in chemistry He had a full-ride scholarship, but in order to keep the scholarship, he had to maintain a 4.0. Without the scholarship, he would be unable to provide for his family and complete school. Needless to say, the pressure was on.
"One of the hardest classes he took during this time was organic chemistry. He labeled it "the bane of his existence". He found out that in order to get an A in this class (and thus keep his 4.0 scholarship) he would have to get a 95% on the final exam. The final exam would be composed of 3 questions. This was problematic because normally, it took him 6-8 hours to complete just one question, and he only had 3 for the whole exam. He was in trouble.
"He went to work doing his best to prepare against very unkind odds. He went to a review session and watched the professor go over a problem with the students on the board. He went to the professors office and went over another problem one on one with him. Then, the weekend came. The test was to be given at 8am the following Monday morning, leaving only Saturday and Sunday to prepare for the exam. However, my brother had made a commitment to not study or do any homework on Sundays, so this left only Saturday. He kept his commitment. On Saturday, he picked one problem from the book and spent all day working on it. At midnight, he closed his book for the last time before the test.
"Monday morning came. At 8am, my brother went to take his test. The first problem on the test was the one the professor went over in the review. The second problem was the one the professor went over with my brother in his office. And the third problem--the third problem was the one problem out of
thousands that my brother had picked to work through on Saturday. My brother got a 95% on the test. Exactly. Not a 97%. Not a 96%. A 95%--exactly what he needed to keep his scholarship.
"If you ask him about the experience, he will testify that he only passed the test because the Lord blessed him for keeping the Sabbath day holy."
"The mechanic will be able to turn out more and better
products in six days than in seven. The doctor, the lawyer, the dentist, and
the scientist will accomplish more by trying to rest on the Sabbath than if he
tries to utilize every day of the week for his professional work. I would
counsel all students, if they can, to arrange their schedules so that they do
not study on the Sabbath. If students and other seekers after truth will do
this, their minds will be quickened and the infinite Spirit will lead them to
the verities they wish to learn. This is because God has hallowed his day and
blessed it as a perpetual covenant of faithfulness." -President James E. Faust
Let's all do better at keeping the Sabbath day holy. The Lord will bless us when we do.
