My Talk
Good afternoon brother’s and sisters. As much as I’d love to say that I am glad to be hear speaking to you today, I don’t won’t to tell a lie from the pulpit. Last week, I was sitting next to Brother Tolley and we had a little discussion about Sacrament Meeting talks. We came to the conclusion that as a speaker, you shouldn’t be nervous because the reality is most of us don’t remember the talks shortly after sacrament meeting anyway. Well I’m sorry to say, it doesn’t work I’m still nervous.
I was given a topic that is in my opinion, one of the most important topics there is. The topic is “Finding peace in the Savior.” In my studies and moments……I mean moments of deep thought I can’t think of many things more important than finding peace in the Savior. Obviously you need to have some sort of testimony of the gospel in order to do so, but as an everyday action it is of extreme importance to be able to have that peace and comfort. Why do I think that it is so important? Well here is an example of what I mean. For those of you that know me pretty well, sometimes I think that I am the center of the universe and that I am in my own words “Awesome.” Now before you start clapping or giving me thumbs up, let me tell you what conclusion I came to about my sheer awesomeness. I was sitting in my basement surrounded by my friends and family two weeks ago when I witnessed something that took my breath away….the Green Bay Packers had successfully beat my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. But it wasn’t the loss that took my breath away, it was the realization that filled my mind while I sat there. I wasn’t overly upset, mad, or even dejected. I was at peace. Why? What was wrong with me? Well, it all came down to a moment of deep thought. I had been thinking about how many people have come before us, and how many are still too come. With that thought in my mind I started to think how really small we individually really are. I mean I might be something awesome in my house, maybe on my street, or possibly even neighborhood but in the spectrum of life…..I’m a speck in time. I started to think of some of the big names in our society right now after I came to this realization, and here are a few I thought of. Donald Trump, Bill Gates, & Jay-Z, and Oprah. These four people, are at the top of their games, but in 100-200 years will anyone even know who they were? What does this have to do with Finding peace you ask? It boils down to a few things.
First of all, when you look at life like that, it really humbles you quickly. This is what we need to begin the journey to having peace in our Savior. When we realize that life is a gift that has been given to us from our Heavenly Father, and that it isn’t just fun and games; but as one of the Primary Children put it last Sunday it’s a Test. We have an allotted amount of time in this test, but we don’t know how long we each have, so time is of the essence. We need to focus on why we are really here, and put our efforts into earning an A+ in this test. How do we keep from being overwhelmed by the task at hand? We need to study the scriptures, attend our meetings, attend the Temple, and do as we have been commanded. That will certainly help us find some peace. But I think there is more to it than just that. We need to find a way to have what I would consider a personal relationship with our Savior. Everyone will have a different way of accomplishing that, but for me it is during my moments of deep thought. While I am in deep thought, it might seem that I am “tuning out” the world, or day dreaming. But in reality I feel I am for a moment really in tune with the spirit. Now, don’t get me wrong it kind of freaks me out a little bit. I’m not used to being what I would call an extremely spiritual person, so having that kind of connection is a bit out of my comfort zone. It is also, why I remember these moments more so then something I experience on a regular basis. These are the experiences that help keep us on the straight and narrow, and act as a reminder of the reality of why we are here.
So first off we must be humble, in order to have peace in our Savior. Second of all, I feel we must understand the sheer magnitude of what our Savior has done and continues to do for each and every one of us. We all know the story about the war in heaven and how we have all followed Christ’s plan, in order to be here. So by following Christ in the initial test, we earned the opportunity to be here to prove ourselves worthy of all our Heavenly Father has for us. Now as I mentioned before this is a test where we don’t get a day off, or summer break, but day in and day out we are being tested. Satan bombards us on a consistent basis to try and sway us from righteousness and peace. This is why finding Peace in the Savior is so important. We will battle daily with Satan, and even the people that we see as extremely spiritual have battles too. In fact sometimes their battles are even more challenging then the battles that some of us that feel spiritually weak, will face. We are bound to fail and fall to temptation, because we have weaknesses and faults, that Satan knows and will exploit. But knowing that the Savior came to earth and endured all things, we can have peace. We hear that saying a lot, that he endured all things, but have we really thought deeply about what that carries in itself? When we think of what the Savior did for us, we usually think of him suffering for our sins, and allowing us to repent so we can return to our Heavenly family. But, it isn’t just sin that he endured. It is everything that any of us will encounter in life. Be it sorrow, pain, sadness, depression, love, happiness, hurt, insecurity, and the list goes on. When you look at it that way, how can we not have the peace that is offered to us from our Savior? If we have a testimony of the atonement, then we know that any challenge thrown our way is for our benefit and spiritual growth. We are bound to waiver sometimes, but through repentance we can become clean again. That knowledge is something each and every one of us has to come to understand and really truly have a testimony of in order for us to have peace in this life.
So with humility, and understanding of the atonement we can come closer to our Heavenly Father and have the peace that is offered to us by our Savior. This becomes even more important as you progress in life. What I mean by that is that once you get married and have children, you want to know that there is a plan in place that offers us the ability to be with them forever. Speaking of children, it is amazing the feeling that overcomes you when they finally arrive. They truly are blessings from our Heavenly Father, but even the process of having a child can have it’s ups and downs. A year and a half ago, we had some tests thrown our way in the form of a miscarriage, and a tubal pregnancy. It sometimes feels that we are thrown more challenges then we think we can handle. It is during those times, that we turn to our Savior for peace, and ask for his help in getting us through. We are all different, and the Savior knows how to comfort us in times of trial. Speaking of being different, our children are no exception, right from the beginning. For example, Kyler is daring and really into sports, Addie is Funny, and Wild, and Stella….well right now she is super cute, but also wants people around and if you’re not, she will let you know what she thinks. Our Heavenly Father has created us all with different likes, dislikes, and challenges. This is what makes life such an adventure, and keeps it fresh. Imagine if we were all alike, and we all were programmed to only do what is right. It would be a very stale and I’d imagine pretty boring life. So even though we are here with a small knowledge of where we came from and the plan for us, life is worth every challenge that it throws at us. I find happiness and peace in the fact that we are here to rise above adversity, and prove our eternal worth. It’s not only my job to accomplish that for myself, but it is important that we teach our children to grab hold of the iron rod and press forward in faith so we can be together as a family forever. I look at my parents/grandparents, and they are now in their 80’s. Their health seems to be staying pretty even, but both of them have memory loss and can’t think straight. It’s a struggle sometimes to go and visit them because they don’t always remember who we are, or what’s going on for that matter. But through the plan of salvation I know that they will be restored to their full capacity and I can find comfort in that knowledge. What greater gift is there then living eternally with our Heavenly Father, and our Heavenly Family.
In this day and age, we are blessed with so many advances in our society. We have greater knowledge of medicine, that can help people overcome illness. We have the ability to keep in touch with our families regardless of where in the world they are. We also can buy just about anything and have it delivered to our door. The list of accomplishments that have been made in the last 100 years is amazing, and each achievement big or small affects our society in some way. One of the main things that has happened in my life is the internet. Back in the olden days when I was a youngster, we didn’t have internet. Now it has become a social lifeline for our society. I mean, now days even missionaries can send an email home instead of having to write on paper, put it in an envelope, lick the gross sticky goo and send it home, taking days or even weeks to get home to their families. Now it’s instant, regardless of where they are. An example of how powerful these things are, comes from a video I have posted on my blog. 80% of companies use some form of social media for recruitment. 24 of the 25 major newspapers are experiencing record declines in circulation. Here is a kicker, 1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. met by social media. Facebook added over 200 million users in less than a year. iPod app downloads hit 1 billion in 9 months. These are just a few examples of how the internet has changed our lives. Now, as powerful as the internet is for allowing us to keep in contact with family and friends, get the news, or in my case order car parts, etc. there is also a danger involved. Satan knows how to use things to his benefit and the internet is no different. But we can also use this powerful tool to strengthen our testimonies and come closer to our Heavenly Father. There are so many spiritual resources to be found online, and the amount of information grows daily. I really enjoy being able to find information that I need by using the computer or my phone instead of reading a book. I’m not much of a bookworm, Christie would tell you that. But to my rescue, cell phones have become so integrated into our society and lives that grabbing my phone feels just as important as putting on a shirt. I’m sure you are asking yourselves right now, what does this have to do with anything? Well, with the amazing Scriptures App on my phone I now have my scriptures, hymn book, manuals for teaching, and General Conference talks all at my fingertips, and since my phone is pretty much always with me….so are my scriptures. Isn’t that amazing? Imagine me walking around all the time with all of those books in tow. That would be crazy; but with the advances in technology I can just carry my little phone and they’re all there. Now that I have gone off on a tangent, mainly to take up more time! On to the point I’m trying to make. We have so many options now days on how we choose to grow spiritually and I feel, that is a blessing that has been given to us. We have the tools to help us grow in the gospel, it’s just a matter of finding what ones work best for our own personalities.
The knowledge that we can gain through studying the scriptures, attending meetings, searching talks on LDS.ORG, talking in sacrament meeting, etc. will benefit us throughout our lives. Having moments of reflection and taking a personal inventory helps bring us back in line with what we should really be focusing on. It is so easy to get out of the habit of scripture reading, prayer, and even attending church, but these are necessities in our spiritual progression and we must strive to do all we can to keep us in top spiritual shape. Some of us go to the gym, run or bike to keep our physical bodies in shape, and our spirit is no different. We need to workout spiritually to keep ourselves in shape for the battles that we face on a regular basis. Scripture study is one of those things that I have always struggled with, and continue to struggle with. So is going to the gym or eating right. When I sit down and take a look at myself in my personal inventory, that is bound to come up. How do you think I feel when I am keeping up with my reading and feeding myself spiritually? Or how do I feel when I get a good workout in? I feel AWESOME! Also, I think we should be consistently striving to do a little bit better than we did the day before. I’m not just talking about scriptures, or working out but in general striving daily to be a better follower of Christ. Keeping life in perspective, and always having Christ in the center of it will help us stay on the path to happiness and peace. Our goal is eternal life with our Heavenly Father, Christ, and our Families. Let us keep these things in the forefront of our minds and our lives will be blessed.
