LDS General Conference that was held March 31 and April 1. Several talks stood out to me, and many had a deep impact. For this reason, I will highlight a few of the talks that deal with a topic that is constantly on my mind.
President Thomas S. Monson, prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints said in his talk The Race of Life, "Everywhere people are in a hurry...In this fast-paced life, do we ever pause for moments of meditation—even thoughts of timeless truths?
Said the Savior:
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
I want to focus on the importance of families, a topic heavily emphasized in conference. "In family relationships love is really spelled T.I.M.E." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
In his talk That the Lost May be Found Elder M. Russell Ballard of the quorum of the twelve apostles said that “Societies at large are strengthened as families grow stronger. Commitments to family and values are the basic cause. So what can we do to not become lost? First, may I suggest that we prioritize. Put everything you do outside the home in subjection to and in support of what happens inside your home. Remember President Harold B. Lee’s counsel that “the most important … work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes” and President David O. McKay’s timeless “No other success can compensate for failure in the home”
I believe this. My dad did many amazing things. He was successful in athletics and his career. Many people knew him. Awards and recognition followed many of his efforts. Seven years ago he passed away and sadly, people don’t mention him as much as they did when he was alive and soon after he passed. A lot of people have forgotten about him. But I will never forget.
What is a priority? It is so very easy to make to-do lists, write out our goals, or even think about what matters most to us. But are we really prioritizing? A good test I have for myself is to ask the question, “Where am I spending the most of my time?” That can be a scary question to ask because I believe the answer to that question is invariably our first prioity. I believe our priorities are determined by where we choose to place our thoughts, desires and actions. Yikes!
Elder Boyd K. Packer gave a talk titled And a Little Child Shall Lead Them in which he said, “One of the great discoveries of parenthood is that we learn far more about what really matters from our children than we ever did from our parents. We come to recognize the truth in Isaiah’s prophecy that “a little child shall lead them.”
Family time is sacred time and should be protected and respected."
I have learned so much from my children. Being their mom is my greatest blessing and responsibility. Limiting television, Internet, and other distractions can be a challenge, but it’s worth it. Going for a walk, playing at the park or getting down on their level to play My Little Ponies makes all the difference to these little kiddos! This is something I continually need and want to work on: putting my children first!
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LDS Writer Blogfest:
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Charity Bradford
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Thanks for pulling out all the points about families. I noticed that theme as well. And it is so desperately needed in the world today. Headlines and research studies leave families on questionable footing at best, sometimes. Thanks for the post and great to meet you!
ReplyDeleteYou brought up sooo many wonderful points!! I feel like a much better person for having read this and will feel like an even better person if I can implement it :) Good luck with your writing!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like our thoughts were running parallel today! I really enjoyed your post. It was fun to meet a new cyber-friend!
ReplyDeleteGreat messages. It is scary to think about where most of my time goes. I think we will never regret having spent too much time with family :)
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you, Lo, and thanks for sharing this. I have struggled with this one, and every day I have to make adjustments and assessments and reminders to myself to apend real, actual time with my kids, not just breath the same air as them. I think you're right- we invariably spend the most time on the things that are most important to us!
ReplyDeleteThank you, my cute friend. I've been so busy and distracted. My cute 5yo held up a book the other day and looked at me with those big blue eyes, honestly I almost said no then wondered where my priorities are. We read the book. I'm going to play and read more with them today. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great reminder! I love the way you tied all of those together to emphasize this incredibly important message. Thanks for stopping by my blog and it's been a pleasure to visit yours! If you haven't already come to visit us at Mormon Mommy Writers, please be sure to stop by (www.mormonmommywriters.blogspot.com). :-)
ReplyDeleteLovely thoughts. Family is so important!
ReplyDeleteYou gave so many important and great quotes through your post,I feel like I need to put them on sticky notes or something so I can remember them! Great post. It's always good for me to be reminded that family comes first. I know I put them first most of the time, but its easy for other things to get in the way.
ReplyDeleteI love that you're blogging about this. It's a great way to spread the word!
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