HAPPY 500TH POST! Today's Spiritual Message: Things as They Really Are

"Time flies on wings of lightning, we cannot call it back."  I've written on this subject a few times and it's still something I greatly struggle with -- and I lived two years on a rigid schedule, absent TV, email, friends, dating etc., waking up early and going to bed by 10:30.

As I imagine some of you might also be having similar struggles with prioritizing your time, I'm confident you'll enjoy this brief video, incorporating words from Elder David A. Bednar, as well as the full video of Elder Ian S. Ardern's recent general conference talk, A Time to Prepare.

Today's Spiritual Message: Flecks of Gold

We often fail to appreciate how much the small things in life can add up.  Enjoy.

Busy-ness

This morning, I'd like to share some thoughts from my reading in the Book of Mormon.

In 1 Nephi 17:45, Nephi chastises his brethren because of their wickedness and accompanying insensitivity to spiritual things.

The late Elder Joseph B. Wirtlin observed, "This is a noisy and busy world that we live in. Remember that being busy is not necessarily being spiritual. If we are not careful, the things of this world can crowd out the things of the Spirit."  Book of Mormon Study Manual, page 39 or The Unspeakable Gift, April 2003 General Conference.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf echoed this sentiment and recently remarked,

Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives.

It is said that any virtue when taken to an extreme can become a vice. Overscheduling our days would certainly qualify for this. There comes a point where milestones can become millstones and ambitions, albatrosses around our necks.

Of Things That Matter Most, April 2011 General Conference.

I recognize I often fall pray to this syndrome, myself, and I invite us all to take some time for quiet reflection, communing with God, and focusing on the things that matter most, especially our family.

Today's Spiritual Message: The Sting of the Scorpion

Our actions all have consequences.  Some of them really sting.

 

The Savior Jesus Christ reaches out to all of us who have felt the stinging consequences of sin, pleading, "[W]ill ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?"

Click here to read more of the message behind the video.

Today's Spiritual Message: I Choose to be Pure

In an age where "anything goes" and, so many "call evil good" (Isaiah 5:20), I'm delighted to see six young people stand up and declare that they can control their sexual appetites and that they are happy because of that decision.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Today's Spiritual Message: Watch Your Step

In today's world, so many of us want to justify our actions by saying, "It doesn't hurt anyone else."  I suggest we take a step back and ponder how accurate that defense really is, if ever.

Does any one of us live in a vacuum?  Who can doubt the verity that our actions affect others, our children, future generations, and the world.  Ever heard of the butterfly effect?