The Power of Early Preparation
Once upon a time, I was patiently waiting on my couch as my husband dutifully installed new doorknobs for my mother-in-law upstairs. After convincing Zoe that she wouldn't die if she wasn't laying on my lap 24/7, I picked up the February issue of the Ensign.
I started reading "The Power of Early Preparation" by Ronald Errol Bartholomew, and I was surprised at how much of the message actually applied to me, despite my lack of children to raise. He addresses a common problem: life gets enormously busy for each of us. But he also explained how it is still important (essential!) to make time for scripture study, family prayer, and temple attendance.
"Remember, eternity is now, not a vague, distant future. We prepare each day, right now, for eternal life. If we are not preparing for eternal life, we are preparing for something else, perhaps something far less." M. Russell Ballard sure knew what he was talking out there! I guess up until I read that, I hadn't ever really thought about eternity that way. Sure, I knew that making correct decisions each day was important, but I never stopped and thought, "Gee, wiz. The time will come when my life on this earth will be over. I won't have any more time to prepare. I won't be able to say 'Whoops! I wasn't ready. Can I try again?'. Every day here is part of my eternity. It's all weaved together. They are not separate moments in time hot glued together after we pass on. They are literally the same thing! I am shaping my eternity with each choice I make."
Another point Brother Bartholomew mentioned that I really enjoyed was when he spoke of 'truth'. There are some facts that are, in all actuality, true but hold little importance to other truths... truths of infinitely greater importance. He used the example of babies. Babies are an inconvenience. They put an oftentimes huge dent in our finances. Those are both true facts. But a truth that trumps both of those is that babies are a part of Heavenly Father's eternal plan. They are extremely important! We can't let some facts of life distract us from those of eternal importance.
I must admit that Brother Bartholomew explained this much more eloquently than I ever could-- "One of the challenges Satan places in our paths is to distract us from gospel truths by causing us to focus on things that may be true but not important. That can lead to a myriad of problems, including frustrations with oneself, family, friends, and even the gospel."
This has happened to me many times throughout my life! I get sidetracked and forget what I'm supposed to be focusing on. It's so easy when there are 837,645 things clamoring for attention every moment of every day. I mean, face it. Life is crazy-busy for all of us. But that's no reason why we can't weed out some of the things that might not matter so much and simplify our lives. In fact, that's an excellent reason why we SHOULD do some "assignment gardening" and throw out those tasks that take over!
I don't know about all ya'll, but when I get done cleaning my house or reorganizing something, I feel SO. GOOD. I feel like I could tackle a heard of charging rhinos and teach them to dance Swan Lake and bake iced peppermint cookies. I get the same feeling when I take back the control of my life. When I can prioritize my time and accomplish what I set out to do-- things of actual importance-- I feel awesome and empowered. Don't get me wrong. There are things that must be done that don't fall into the "eternal consequence" basket. We must brush our teeth; we must mow the lawn; we must take the dog out to go potty; we must do the dishes; we must comb our hair. But I think you get the point I'm trying to make, here. :]
I know we can stay focused on things of true, perpetual importance. I know it! And I also know that we can shape our eternities into something glorious and wonderful beyond imagining as we do so :]
I started reading "The Power of Early Preparation" by Ronald Errol Bartholomew, and I was surprised at how much of the message actually applied to me, despite my lack of children to raise. He addresses a common problem: life gets enormously busy for each of us. But he also explained how it is still important (essential!) to make time for scripture study, family prayer, and temple attendance.
"Remember, eternity is now, not a vague, distant future. We prepare each day, right now, for eternal life. If we are not preparing for eternal life, we are preparing for something else, perhaps something far less." M. Russell Ballard sure knew what he was talking out there! I guess up until I read that, I hadn't ever really thought about eternity that way. Sure, I knew that making correct decisions each day was important, but I never stopped and thought, "Gee, wiz. The time will come when my life on this earth will be over. I won't have any more time to prepare. I won't be able to say 'Whoops! I wasn't ready. Can I try again?'. Every day here is part of my eternity. It's all weaved together. They are not separate moments in time hot glued together after we pass on. They are literally the same thing! I am shaping my eternity with each choice I make."
Another point Brother Bartholomew mentioned that I really enjoyed was when he spoke of 'truth'. There are some facts that are, in all actuality, true but hold little importance to other truths... truths of infinitely greater importance. He used the example of babies. Babies are an inconvenience. They put an oftentimes huge dent in our finances. Those are both true facts. But a truth that trumps both of those is that babies are a part of Heavenly Father's eternal plan. They are extremely important! We can't let some facts of life distract us from those of eternal importance.
I must admit that Brother Bartholomew explained this much more eloquently than I ever could-- "One of the challenges Satan places in our paths is to distract us from gospel truths by causing us to focus on things that may be true but not important. That can lead to a myriad of problems, including frustrations with oneself, family, friends, and even the gospel."
This has happened to me many times throughout my life! I get sidetracked and forget what I'm supposed to be focusing on. It's so easy when there are 837,645 things clamoring for attention every moment of every day. I mean, face it. Life is crazy-busy for all of us. But that's no reason why we can't weed out some of the things that might not matter so much and simplify our lives. In fact, that's an excellent reason why we SHOULD do some "assignment gardening" and throw out those tasks that take over!
I don't know about all ya'll, but when I get done cleaning my house or reorganizing something, I feel SO. GOOD. I feel like I could tackle a heard of charging rhinos and teach them to dance Swan Lake and bake iced peppermint cookies. I get the same feeling when I take back the control of my life. When I can prioritize my time and accomplish what I set out to do-- things of actual importance-- I feel awesome and empowered. Don't get me wrong. There are things that must be done that don't fall into the "eternal consequence" basket. We must brush our teeth; we must mow the lawn; we must take the dog out to go potty; we must do the dishes; we must comb our hair. But I think you get the point I'm trying to make, here. :]
I know we can stay focused on things of true, perpetual importance. I know it! And I also know that we can shape our eternities into something glorious and wonderful beyond imagining as we do so :]
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