The Tradition of a Balanced, Righteous Life. . . Among Other Things
First item of business --
You know Hostess cupcakes? The little brown cake-like things with the swirly white frosting line on top? I'm not gonna lie, they taste like cardboard. Gross cardboard. I tried eating one just a moment ago (thinking that they may have somehow changed over the years) and was sorely disappointed. I'm way bummed now because I really wanted something sweet. Durn. Oh, well. There's life after the Hostess cupcake. Even if I have to raid my chocolate chip supplyagain.
And I just have to tell you guys how wonderful life seems to me lately. Now, I'm talkin' a full blown 'riding on unicorns across a rainbow' sort of wonderful. And it's not because everything is peachy and I have no worries or problems. But it's because the Lord has made me aware of all the amazing people around me and I feel lifted by their examples. It never ceases to floor me that there are people in this world who never let anything get them down, and it floors me that they would be my friends! :)
Life gets hard for everyone. Everyone has their good days and their bad days. But it's those folks who somehow make a good day out of their bad one that inspire me to be better. I'm truly honored to have these wonderful people in my life.
Now, without further ado, I want to share some random ramblings on a talk given in the August Ensign titled "The Tradition of a Balanced, Righteous Life" by Elder L. Tom Perry. I think there are some quotes in there that are just too good to leave alone.
President Spencer W. Kimball said, "In proper sequence, first comes the knowledge of God and his program, which is the way to eternal life, and then comes the knowledge of the secular things, which is also very important. . . Secular knowledge, important as it may be, can never save a soul nor open the celestial kingdom nor create a world nor make a man a god, but it can be most helpful to that man who, placing first things first, has found the way to eternal life and who can now bring into play all knowledge to be his tool and servant."
I had never really thought of it like that before. So much emphasis is placed on gaining a higher education these days, and rightfully so. But what good is knowing all that stuff if you've no place to apply it? We know that we take all of our knowledge with us when we die, right? Well, then, what are we going to do with it all on the other side? We're going to use it, of course! But if we get to the other side and we haven't qualified for the greatest blessings our Heavenly Father has offered us because we were busy learning the sum of KE1 + PE1 + W = KE2 + PE2, then that knowledge will be stagnant. It's important that we put first things first (meaning learning of a spiritual nature before secular learning) if we mean to get anywhere worth going.
Elder Perry said, "A good character is something you must make for yourself. It cannot be inherited from parents. It cannot be created by having extraordinary advantages. It isn't a gift of birth, wealth, talent, or station. It is the end result of your own endeavor. It is the reward that comes from living good principles and manifesting a virtuous and honorable life."
I wish I could tell you what all that quote means to me! It's so true! We all know people who act one way in public and another way entirely once they're out of the public eye. We cannot hide our actions and our attitude from the Lord or from ourselves, though we may be very good at duping our neighbors. Building character is not something you can skimp on and expect full results. There is no 'fast forward' button on building a "virtuous and honorable life'. It takes hard work and dedication; perhaps some sweat and a fair amount of tears. But name one thing that will pay greater dividends. I dare ya :)
I understand that life gets busy. There's always something clamoring for our attention, whether it be the dog waiting to be fed, the yard waiting to be weeded, the kids waiting to be bathed, the dishes waiting to be done. . . the list is indeed long and intimidating. And it's different for every individual. But the point is is that we're all confronted every second of every day with things that want or need to be done. I bear my meager testimony to you that if you prioritize what things are truly important and get them done first, everything else will fall into place. It may not make your list any smaller, but, somehow, you'll be able to accomplish more. At least it seems that way to me.
Don't ever give up and don't ever put yourself down. Don't ever put OTHERS down, either. We're all fighting a battle, here, and we could use all the help we can get!
You know Hostess cupcakes? The little brown cake-like things with the swirly white frosting line on top? I'm not gonna lie, they taste like cardboard. Gross cardboard. I tried eating one just a moment ago (thinking that they may have somehow changed over the years) and was sorely disappointed. I'm way bummed now because I really wanted something sweet. Durn. Oh, well. There's life after the Hostess cupcake. Even if I have to raid my chocolate chip supply
And I just have to tell you guys how wonderful life seems to me lately. Now, I'm talkin' a full blown 'riding on unicorns across a rainbow' sort of wonderful. And it's not because everything is peachy and I have no worries or problems. But it's because the Lord has made me aware of all the amazing people around me and I feel lifted by their examples. It never ceases to floor me that there are people in this world who never let anything get them down, and it floors me that they would be my friends! :)
Life gets hard for everyone. Everyone has their good days and their bad days. But it's those folks who somehow make a good day out of their bad one that inspire me to be better. I'm truly honored to have these wonderful people in my life.
Now, without further ado, I want to share some random ramblings on a talk given in the August Ensign titled "The Tradition of a Balanced, Righteous Life" by Elder L. Tom Perry. I think there are some quotes in there that are just too good to leave alone.
President Spencer W. Kimball said, "In proper sequence, first comes the knowledge of God and his program, which is the way to eternal life, and then comes the knowledge of the secular things, which is also very important. . . Secular knowledge, important as it may be, can never save a soul nor open the celestial kingdom nor create a world nor make a man a god, but it can be most helpful to that man who, placing first things first, has found the way to eternal life and who can now bring into play all knowledge to be his tool and servant."
I had never really thought of it like that before. So much emphasis is placed on gaining a higher education these days, and rightfully so. But what good is knowing all that stuff if you've no place to apply it? We know that we take all of our knowledge with us when we die, right? Well, then, what are we going to do with it all on the other side? We're going to use it, of course! But if we get to the other side and we haven't qualified for the greatest blessings our Heavenly Father has offered us because we were busy learning the sum of KE1 + PE1 + W = KE2 + PE2, then that knowledge will be stagnant. It's important that we put first things first (meaning learning of a spiritual nature before secular learning) if we mean to get anywhere worth going.
Elder Perry said, "A good character is something you must make for yourself. It cannot be inherited from parents. It cannot be created by having extraordinary advantages. It isn't a gift of birth, wealth, talent, or station. It is the end result of your own endeavor. It is the reward that comes from living good principles and manifesting a virtuous and honorable life."
I wish I could tell you what all that quote means to me! It's so true! We all know people who act one way in public and another way entirely once they're out of the public eye. We cannot hide our actions and our attitude from the Lord or from ourselves, though we may be very good at duping our neighbors. Building character is not something you can skimp on and expect full results. There is no 'fast forward' button on building a "virtuous and honorable life'. It takes hard work and dedication; perhaps some sweat and a fair amount of tears. But name one thing that will pay greater dividends. I dare ya :)
I understand that life gets busy. There's always something clamoring for our attention, whether it be the dog waiting to be fed, the yard waiting to be weeded, the kids waiting to be bathed, the dishes waiting to be done. . . the list is indeed long and intimidating. And it's different for every individual. But the point is is that we're all confronted every second of every day with things that want or need to be done. I bear my meager testimony to you that if you prioritize what things are truly important and get them done first, everything else will fall into place. It may not make your list any smaller, but, somehow, you'll be able to accomplish more. At least it seems that way to me.
Don't ever give up and don't ever put yourself down. Don't ever put OTHERS down, either. We're all fighting a battle, here, and we could use all the help we can get!
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