"Counsel To Youth"
I love reading the Ensign. I really do. Especially the conference edition.
But I have a confession to make. . . I'm not as diligent about it as I should be. I have this thing where I start reading one book, and then I start reading another. Then pretty soon I have 3 or 4 different books or magazines clamoring for my attention and I can't give them each the attention they deserve because there just aren't enough hours in the day.
For example, on the table next to my bed currently resides the following-- the November 2011 Conference Edition Ensign, Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights", and "Daughters In My Kingdom". Oh, and my scriptures, of course.
I want to read them all.
Do I?
Nope.
Usually it plays out with one winning out over the rest for a few days while the others collect dust. Then I switch it up and read another one. It's a vicious cycle, I tell ya.
And I have yet another confession. . . While reading novels such as "Wuthering Heights" is very necessary to my mental sanity (I would probably most definitely develop a twitch if I read nothing but non-fiction-church-related-stuff), it doesn't have quite the same effect on me as reading something spiritually-based.
Take this evening, for example. I had been reading my trusty novel for most of my 'down-time' throughout the day, but I decided to dust off the Ensign instead. Just for fun.I turned to the next article, which was Elder Boyd K. Packer's "Counsel to Youth", and I was immediately uplifted in an entirely different way than while reading my novel.
Am I making sense at all to anyone?! Does anybody else have attachments to different books/magazines for different reasons? It's almost like one feeds one part of my mind while another feeds an entirely different part.
Oh, well.
What I really started typing this post for was to talk about how profound I found a particular phrase Elder Packer used in his address. I really, really enjoyed the entire thing, but this sentence was awesome:
"Take hold of your life and order yourself to be valiant."
Huh.
Well, alrighty then. Maybe I will.
The first part-- "Take hold of your life" brings to my mind the accountability we all have for our actions. If I eat 90 pounds of chocolate in one sitting, I'm not going to be able to fit in my leopard print spandex jumpsuit. And on top of that, I'm not going to be able to blame anyone but myself. Cause and effect, baby. Tight spandex and mass amounts of chocolate don't mix, and that's a fact of nature.
"Order yourself to be valiant" was a real kicker. I often find myself praying that I might always strive to be valiant. I'm counseled in my patriarchal blessing to always remain valiant in everything I do. So naturally it's important to me. But it's also very hard. I get easily distracted by life. Right now I'm finding myself being just about everything but valiant. (But that's besides the point :D)
What I want to focus on is that he counsels the youth (and us) to ORDER ourselves. He doesn't say "Take hold of your life and suggest to yourself that you might want to consider being valiant." Being valiant doesn't just happen [at least not for me. . . if you find that you can be valiant without having to try, I don't think we can be friends anymore. ;) Tee hee! Just kidding]. We need to buckle down and tell ourselves how it's gonna be.
What a novel concept.
I haven't tried 'ordering' myself to be valiant, but I'm sure going to start. It takes hard work and dedication to carry out an order. I mean, think about it. If you're ordered to do something, for all intents and purposes, you don't really have a choice. You're honor-bound to fulfill the order. So if we are serious about sticking to our spiritual guns, we need to charge ourselves to do just that.
We can do it. I pinky swear. And so does Elder Packer.
He says: "As one of His special witnesses, I testify that the outcome of this battle that began in the premortal life is not in question. Lucifer will lose."
I don't know 'bout you, but that's awfully encouraging and acts as a really good motivator to be valiant.
"If you follow these principles, you will be watched over and protected and you yourself will know by the promptings of the Holy Ghost which way to go, for 'by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.'"
We each just need to remember to trust in God and do the little things every day that add up to being a valiant disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But I have a confession to make. . . I'm not as diligent about it as I should be. I have this thing where I start reading one book, and then I start reading another. Then pretty soon I have 3 or 4 different books or magazines clamoring for my attention and I can't give them each the attention they deserve because there just aren't enough hours in the day.
For example, on the table next to my bed currently resides the following-- the November 2011 Conference Edition Ensign, Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights", and "Daughters In My Kingdom". Oh, and my scriptures, of course.
I want to read them all.
Do I?
Nope.
Usually it plays out with one winning out over the rest for a few days while the others collect dust. Then I switch it up and read another one. It's a vicious cycle, I tell ya.
And I have yet another confession. . . While reading novels such as "Wuthering Heights" is very necessary to my mental sanity (I would probably most definitely develop a twitch if I read nothing but non-fiction-church-related-stuff), it doesn't have quite the same effect on me as reading something spiritually-based.
Take this evening, for example. I had been reading my trusty novel for most of my 'down-time' throughout the day, but I decided to dust off the Ensign instead. Just for fun.I turned to the next article, which was Elder Boyd K. Packer's "Counsel to Youth", and I was immediately uplifted in an entirely different way than while reading my novel.
Am I making sense at all to anyone?! Does anybody else have attachments to different books/magazines for different reasons? It's almost like one feeds one part of my mind while another feeds an entirely different part.
Oh, well.
What I really started typing this post for was to talk about how profound I found a particular phrase Elder Packer used in his address. I really, really enjoyed the entire thing, but this sentence was awesome:
"Take hold of your life and order yourself to be valiant."
Huh.
Well, alrighty then. Maybe I will.
The first part-- "Take hold of your life" brings to my mind the accountability we all have for our actions. If I eat 90 pounds of chocolate in one sitting, I'm not going to be able to fit in my leopard print spandex jumpsuit. And on top of that, I'm not going to be able to blame anyone but myself. Cause and effect, baby. Tight spandex and mass amounts of chocolate don't mix, and that's a fact of nature.
"Order yourself to be valiant" was a real kicker. I often find myself praying that I might always strive to be valiant. I'm counseled in my patriarchal blessing to always remain valiant in everything I do. So naturally it's important to me. But it's also very hard. I get easily distracted by life. Right now I'm finding myself being just about everything but valiant. (But that's besides the point :D)
What I want to focus on is that he counsels the youth (and us) to ORDER ourselves. He doesn't say "Take hold of your life and suggest to yourself that you might want to consider being valiant." Being valiant doesn't just happen [at least not for me. . . if you find that you can be valiant without having to try, I don't think we can be friends anymore. ;) Tee hee! Just kidding]. We need to buckle down and tell ourselves how it's gonna be.
What a novel concept.
I haven't tried 'ordering' myself to be valiant, but I'm sure going to start. It takes hard work and dedication to carry out an order. I mean, think about it. If you're ordered to do something, for all intents and purposes, you don't really have a choice. You're honor-bound to fulfill the order. So if we are serious about sticking to our spiritual guns, we need to charge ourselves to do just that.
We can do it. I pinky swear. And so does Elder Packer.
He says: "As one of His special witnesses, I testify that the outcome of this battle that began in the premortal life is not in question. Lucifer will lose."
I don't know 'bout you, but that's awfully encouraging and acts as a really good motivator to be valiant.
"If you follow these principles, you will be watched over and protected and you yourself will know by the promptings of the Holy Ghost which way to go, for 'by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.'"
We each just need to remember to trust in God and do the little things every day that add up to being a valiant disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I lOVED your insights on the "Counsel to Youth" talk! thanks so much!! You are great! :)
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