Talk #4-President Uchtdorf, Saturday morning session
Of Things That Matter Most
We improve our relationship with our Heavenly Father by learning of Him, by communing with Him, by repenting of our sins, and by actively following Jesus Christ, for “no man cometh unto the Father, but by [Christ].”10
Hello Ladies
ReplyDeletethis is the first time for me on the blog.I'm sure you knew it was going to take time for me...haha. I LOVE IT!!!! What a sweet uplifting feeling I get when reading the talks as well as the comments. I feel so blessed to have such powerful friends!!! I love hearing all your comments, some of them I think are so interesting about what you need to work on - (now don't "inhale" this - haha) but they are interesting because I find you guys pretty-darn-near close to perfect. Of course I know that you are not, but I LOVE that you are all trying to be. Which means you're all trying to do whats right. My sweet good friends and examples!
Okay, so I have to give a lesson on this talk in RS in two weeks! Tam - way to be inspired, I would LOVE to hear all you ladies have to say! So I need to go over the talk again before I make any comments on it- so I'll write soon! But might I add that I miss all of you!!!! And Emily, if I knew you, I'm sure I would miss you too! Hope you guys are all doing great!
I have listened to this talk over and over again. I use phrases from it daily. Simplify, slow down while I'm going through turbulence. When tough times come, knowing the natural tendency is to speed through it. That is why i feel so stressed. I find when i stop is when i feel and connect. This talk reminds me to chill, play with my kids, go sit in the hot tub at the gym and skip the workout, if all I do today is get my scriptures read and pray to my Father, it has been a successful day, the rest is just stuff. One of my favorite quotes that I heard last year is... When priorities are in place, one can more easily tolerate unfinished business. Elder Nelson.
ReplyDelete"When stress levels rise, when distress appears, when tragedy strikes, too often we attempt to keep up the same frantic pace or even accelerate, thinking somehow that the more rushed our pace, the better off we will be."
ReplyDeleteI love it when someone tells me to slow down. :) The nice thing is, right now we are adjusting to a new place...which means our schedule isn't as full and we get to spend a lot of time together. Elder Uchtdorf is so inspired to give this talk (especially for young moms).
I like the idea of breaking up our relationships into the four categories that he outlined, and evaluating how we are doing with each one. It is a great reminder of how important it is to maintain that personal relationship with our Heavenly Father.
I also love getting back to the basics...
"The reason we return to these foundational principles, to the pure doctrines, is because they are the gateway to truths of profound meaning. They are the door to experiences of sublime importance that would otherwise be beyond our capacity to comprehend. These simple, basic principles are the key to living in harmony with God and man. They are the keys to opening the windows of heaven. They lead us to the peace, joy, and understanding that Heavenly Father has promised to His children who hear and obey Him."
We are promised that the basics will always bring us joy. If life ever gets hard, we know exactly where to turn. I was able to get up and go to the temple last Saturday (on a whim). It was so amazing to be able to drive 7 miles and be at the temple. I started to cry as soon as I saw the angel Moroni off in the distance. I knew EXACTLY what kind of experience I would have in the temple. I knew the peace and joy I would feel, and the understanding from my Heavenly Father.
We are SOOO lucky, and I am so grateful.
Hello Alll--
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed reading your comments. Hopefully you will be hearing from me more often. I am going to be more open with my feelings because I love you ladies and know you love spiritual things. Even you kindred spirit Emily! I loved this talk. I love the parable of the tree. I've been thinking a lot about how the tree slows down when conditions are not good.
Life has been tough recently with awaiting for a job offer. I feel like when we as a family are trying to do something good or we are doing something good the advisary hits us hard. I feel like I am constantly pushing him out. I feel like this is our trial in life to know how to combat him and be on the Lords side constantly. When we are going through hard times it seems like I do step back and look at what is really important. I become very humble and submissive to the Lord, pleading for relief and comfort. It is always there. Which is so wonderful.
I love this part.
"Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from placing our attention and efforts on the basics of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most."
I want to be a FIRM TREE with an immovable foundation. I was thinking my rings inside of my tree are my basics. I need to slow down and look at my basics: Relationship with my Savior, Relationship with my spouse and children, Relationship with others, self and the other major basics of the gospel. I feel like Heavenly Father wants my tree to learn and grow.
I have had callings that make me stretch and trials that have moved me in a different direction that I needed. I look back at those times when I have learned so much about the Savior and I yearn to be that close again.
Okay, so I am kind of stuck on the this Tree Parable. It has come to me before about the tree being like myself. Jessica and I (Oh and our husbands too) went to Hawaii together. They had these amazing trees called Banyan Trees. (Google it and you can see it)They have these roots growing off of their tree limbs.The seeds germinate and send down roots towards the ground making the tree very firm. When I studied this tree, when I came back from our trip, I read that it stands firm in storms because of it's many roots.
I thought of how I am the tree trunk and my limbs are the things I do in life and depending on how I do with these things is how strong my roots are firm in the path to eternal life.
I also thought of my mother who is the trunk and us children (11) are her branches and what we do with our lives and how we make our roots will be how our family tree will be in the eternities. Our Tree doesn't have perfect straight limbs deep into the ground but they are in the ground solid in the gospel sod.
I love the spirit speaking to me through His servants. The basics are so important. It's the daily scripture reading and talking one on one to my Heavenly Father that really makes my day. I feel So very blessed to be in His gospel.
Does anyone know how to put a picture up on here?
ReplyDeleteWahoo! Welcome Janis! So good to hear from you...you are awesome. :)
ReplyDeleteI thought of something else...Elder Uchtdorf points out that if we slow down, we "minimize negative effects" of trials. This made me think about what lessons I may have missed because I tried to rush through a trial. If we slow down and focus on what is really important, it allows our Savior to teach us what we need to learn and help us to come out on the other side of each trial without any "negative effects" lingering in our lives. "As we seek Him, as we learn of His Son, Jesus Christ, as we open our hearts to the influence of the Holy Spirit, our lives become more stable and secure. We experience greater peace, joy, and fulfillment as we give our best to live according to God’s eternal plan and keep His commandments."
He also mentions that we can't become great at life until we master the fundamentals. I decided that I want to focus on prayer and improve my communication with my Heavenly Father. That is a fundamental that I need to work on right now.
Finally, he sayd that we need to "proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances". We are expected to function at different speeds depending on what we are going through. Sometimes there is more expected of us, but we just need to be in tune with what HE wants us to do with our lives, and fight the impulse to fill our lives with things that are just a distraction.
I have listened to this talk many times over the last 2 weeks and Scott and I listened to it together and applied it to our family. Each time I listen to it something new jumps out at me.
ReplyDeleteI feel like so many things in this talk are pertinent to me in my life right now. Strangely I don't feel like I need to slow down but just refocus on things that matter most.
this quote I really like
"Let us be mindful of the foundational precepts our Heavenly Father has given to His children that will establish the basis of a rich and fruitful mortal life with promises of eternal happiness. They will teach us to do “all these things … in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that [we] should run faster than [we have] strength. [But] it is expedient that [we] should be diligent, [and] thereby … win the prize.”7
Brothers and sisters, diligently doing the things that matter most will lead us to the Savior of the world. That is why “we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, … that [we] may know to what source [we] may look for a remission of [our] sins.”8 In the complexity, confusion, and rush of modern living, this is the “more excellent way.”
I feel like I can do more to refocus my life on Christ.
I can do better to align my self with my Heavenly Father's will. To strengthen my relationship with my Heavenly father choosing to do the things that matter most so that I am more in tune with what my Heavenly Father wants me to do.
It was interesting how many times Pres. Uchtdorf asked us to be wise-
"let us be wise. Let us turn to the pure doctrinal waters of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us joyfully partake of them in their simplicity and plainness. The heavens are open again. The gospel of Jesus Christ is on earth once more, and its simple truths are a plentiful source of joy!"
The Gospel is simple and beautiful. I need to get back to the basics...do the little things, refocus on the best things. The things that matter most. Focus on the 4 relationships. these are things I can do. I can do them even better and I can help to teach my children to do them better.
What a great talk. It has been so helpful to me lately and so inspiration. It has reminded me of a professor I had at BYU for my Coaching classes. He would always use the Acronym K-I-S-S
Keep
It
Simple
Stupid
Christ just asks Come follow me...
Kenon-
ReplyDeletethank you-your last post was something I had thought about and forgotten and you reminded me.
Master the fundamentals.
Prayer and personal scripture study are what I truly need to master.
you guys are all Awesome!!!
I absolutely love you all and love watching these talks along side you ... sorry I am tardy on this one! But I definitely wanted to weigh in because it is a GREAT talk with a wonderful message!
ReplyDeleteThis quote from Dallin H. Oaks is definitely one that I have wanted to pick apart more ...
“We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best BECAUSE they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.”
... so if the outcome is we get greater faith in Jesus Christ and my family is strengthened ... well then of course I want to do it! .. so I go back and see WHAT DO I DO?? -> I must choose the Better and Best things in life not always just my comfortable 'this is the way I do it Cecia way'.
So what does that truly mean for me - it means I am open for change. It means that my desire is to be humble, to be submissive, and teachable - and be willing to change my ways to follow my Savior and better my family.
... is this always easy = oh no not easy ... but worth it - YES I know so!
So my charge is to have a desire to be at my BEST - not be the most accomplished or the busiest - but to fundamentally live my life to be close to the Holy Ghost - to invite wisdom through learning and study and submissive to correction and improvement daily.
Pres Uchtdorf says 'proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most.
As we evaluate our own lives with a willing mind, we will see where we have drifted from the more excellent way. The eyes of our understanding will be opened, and we will recognize what needs to be done to purify our heart and refocus our life.'
I have been reading the Doctrine & Covenants passionately this past week and LOVING IT!!! I have a renewed desire to a)desire my Savior b)keep the commandments c)be faithful ... it has been a great well for me to drink from every morning and truly I have been able to see things clearer each day - the truth/error is clearer - the dark is darker and the light is lighter. I am still learning as I walk forward .. but my hand is gripping the iron rod and my feet may be entangled in the mud or caught in a trap for a while but I am able to pray myself free and clean and proceed on!
Pres Uchtdorf says 'We improve our relationship with our Heavenly Father by learning of Him, by communing with Him, by repenting of our sins, and by actively following Jesus Christ, for “no man cometh unto the Father, but by [Christ].”'
Wow love those snippets of truth!!!