Preach-a-thon!
Kidding!
Well, at least I hope so! Contrary to what you might believe, I don't mean to sound preachy in anything that I post... I actually just put down my thoughts on the screen and hit publish. I never want to make anyone feel like I permanently reside on my soap box. Besides, it's too small to sleep on ;) hahahaha! Kidding! It's just that the gospel is an important part in my life and I try to learn everything I can about it. Then when I DO learn anything, I have a hard time keeping it to myself. I want to share it and this is the only way I know how!
This entry is actually stolen from my journal. I was a writin' fool today and I'd really like to be able to pass it along to all ya'll out there instead of having it shut up in my bookcase for years on end. Capeesh? Just don't hate me. If it seems like I'm pointing a finger at anyone, I'm really only pointing it at myself.
Onward.
I can hardly believe that it's already February! In a lot of ways, December and especially January just whizzed right on by. It's funny to me that when you're a kid, time seems to stand still. Summers last for what feels like 12 months. Friends and parents never age. Then at some point, you hit adulthood, and life speeds up. Maybe the earth starts spinning faster... who knows! At any rate, I guess the only solution to the problem is to enjoy each and every day to its fullest. Try not to wish away your time, waiting for your future to start. If you do, one day you'll wake up and life will have ended and you never really enjoyed what you had. And that, my friends, would be a shame!
I wanted to talk about something specific in this entry that has been on my mind a lot lately. The lesson in Relief Society to day was taken from Elder Bednar's talk titled "Things As They Really Are" and that really hit the nail on the head.
Technology is wonderful. It is also a tool that Satan uses to distract and deceive us. It all depends on how we manage it. I guess one question to ask is "Do I control technology or does it control me?" If we don't monitor how we spend our time, then we will waste it. I PROMISE! Time slips away no matter what we do. Why would we ever want to say, "Yeah, dude. I totally spend a total of 20 hours playing video games last week. It was totally wicked."
Ummmm.... yeah. Not so cool. Cyberspace, if abused, dulls our spirits. It numbs our minds. It literally takes over our lives. Why not sit down and read a good book- a book that edifies the mind by actually making it THINK instead of merely entertaining it? It's a novel idear, I know. And one that is rapidly becoming obsolete. Take the time to learn and implement the time-tested standards that will bring you happiness instead of rehearsing the morals of society until they, instead, become second nature.
Time is sufficient... even if it does seem to fly by. We each must cling to our divine natures as men and women-- literal children of God, if we are to spend it wisely.
I've also been thinking a lot about the early pioneers. The thought that kept popping up was something like this: "I wonder if I could have done what did in the name of the Kingdom of God. How did they do it?!? How did they sacrifice so much and leave so much behind? They sure must have had a valiant testimony of the word of God..." Then I would pose the question to myself again. Could I do the same if it was asked of me? Is my testimony strong enough?
Just recently, a new dimension to those questions has been brought to my attention. Currently, all truths have been restored. We know all that is necessary regarding our salvation and if we don't know it, we have access to be able to learn it. Did the early pioneers have that same blessing? They only had the beginnings because they were still waiting for it all to be revealed, but they still knew enough to give up every earthly possession, and oftentimes, their very lives. So why is it that now days, we sometimes aren't ready to sacrifice even just our time and resources?
It seems to me that the more we are given, the more we cultivate feelings of ownership over those things. In this society of instant gratification, we don't have to work hard (or at all, in some instances) to reap rewards. We live in elaborate homes, drive nice cars, eat over-sized meals... we have ever convenience imaginable! But would we be able to give it up if asked? I'm not talking about being required or forced, either. I'm talking about willfully give it up like the pioneers did in order to follow the prophet.
What is it about abundant resources that changes how we think? What is it that makes us feel entitled to receive what we didn't work for? 100 years ago, the idea of getting something that you couldn't immediately pay for was absurd and rarely exercised. Now? I don't think I even need to go there...
Living simply and within the means of our income is rarely seen. It's difficult, to be sure. We require much more in order to be 'content' and 'happy'. But, honestly, are those people who put a lot of stock in their possessions really happy and satisfied? I would vote no. There is always something new to covet.
The only thing we should be really, truly concerned about getting more of is revelation from heaven. And that, my friends, in at our fingertips, whether rich or poor, learned or otherwise.
Live simply-- sacrifice all you can-- and you won't be disappointed.
Well, at least I hope so! Contrary to what you might believe, I don't mean to sound preachy in anything that I post... I actually just put down my thoughts on the screen and hit publish. I never want to make anyone feel like I permanently reside on my soap box. Besides, it's too small to sleep on ;) hahahaha! Kidding! It's just that the gospel is an important part in my life and I try to learn everything I can about it. Then when I DO learn anything, I have a hard time keeping it to myself. I want to share it and this is the only way I know how!
This entry is actually stolen from my journal. I was a writin' fool today and I'd really like to be able to pass it along to all ya'll out there instead of having it shut up in my bookcase for years on end. Capeesh? Just don't hate me. If it seems like I'm pointing a finger at anyone, I'm really only pointing it at myself.
Onward.
I can hardly believe that it's already February! In a lot of ways, December and especially January just whizzed right on by. It's funny to me that when you're a kid, time seems to stand still. Summers last for what feels like 12 months. Friends and parents never age. Then at some point, you hit adulthood, and life speeds up. Maybe the earth starts spinning faster... who knows! At any rate, I guess the only solution to the problem is to enjoy each and every day to its fullest. Try not to wish away your time, waiting for your future to start. If you do, one day you'll wake up and life will have ended and you never really enjoyed what you had. And that, my friends, would be a shame!
I wanted to talk about something specific in this entry that has been on my mind a lot lately. The lesson in Relief Society to day was taken from Elder Bednar's talk titled "Things As They Really Are" and that really hit the nail on the head.
Technology is wonderful. It is also a tool that Satan uses to distract and deceive us. It all depends on how we manage it. I guess one question to ask is "Do I control technology or does it control me?" If we don't monitor how we spend our time, then we will waste it. I PROMISE! Time slips away no matter what we do. Why would we ever want to say, "Yeah, dude. I totally spend a total of 20 hours playing video games last week. It was totally wicked."
Ummmm.... yeah. Not so cool. Cyberspace, if abused, dulls our spirits. It numbs our minds. It literally takes over our lives. Why not sit down and read a good book- a book that edifies the mind by actually making it THINK instead of merely entertaining it? It's a novel idear, I know. And one that is rapidly becoming obsolete. Take the time to learn and implement the time-tested standards that will bring you happiness instead of rehearsing the morals of society until they, instead, become second nature.
Time is sufficient... even if it does seem to fly by. We each must cling to our divine natures as men and women-- literal children of God, if we are to spend it wisely.
I've also been thinking a lot about the early pioneers. The thought that kept popping up was something like this: "I wonder if I could have done what did in the name of the Kingdom of God. How did they do it?!? How did they sacrifice so much and leave so much behind? They sure must have had a valiant testimony of the word of God..." Then I would pose the question to myself again. Could I do the same if it was asked of me? Is my testimony strong enough?
Just recently, a new dimension to those questions has been brought to my attention. Currently, all truths have been restored. We know all that is necessary regarding our salvation and if we don't know it, we have access to be able to learn it. Did the early pioneers have that same blessing? They only had the beginnings because they were still waiting for it all to be revealed, but they still knew enough to give up every earthly possession, and oftentimes, their very lives. So why is it that now days, we sometimes aren't ready to sacrifice even just our time and resources?
It seems to me that the more we are given, the more we cultivate feelings of ownership over those things. In this society of instant gratification, we don't have to work hard (or at all, in some instances) to reap rewards. We live in elaborate homes, drive nice cars, eat over-sized meals... we have ever convenience imaginable! But would we be able to give it up if asked? I'm not talking about being required or forced, either. I'm talking about willfully give it up like the pioneers did in order to follow the prophet.
What is it about abundant resources that changes how we think? What is it that makes us feel entitled to receive what we didn't work for? 100 years ago, the idea of getting something that you couldn't immediately pay for was absurd and rarely exercised. Now? I don't think I even need to go there...
Living simply and within the means of our income is rarely seen. It's difficult, to be sure. We require much more in order to be 'content' and 'happy'. But, honestly, are those people who put a lot of stock in their possessions really happy and satisfied? I would vote no. There is always something new to covet.
The only thing we should be really, truly concerned about getting more of is revelation from heaven. And that, my friends, in at our fingertips, whether rich or poor, learned or otherwise.
Live simply-- sacrifice all you can-- and you won't be disappointed.
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