I was asked to give a talk in sacrament meeting at church and thought maybe my family might like to read what I prepared and shared this last Sunday since they didn't get to be there. It went really well, though I did get a little teary at one point and felt a little shaky in my voice, maybe other people couldn't tell - I got a lot of nice compliments and felt like it was a good experience for me.
Here is the transcript of my talk:
(I may have said the opening a little differently, but this is how it went for the most part)
I haven't
been asked to give a talk in a really long time. This is my first time getting
up in front of you all here. I'm OK with that because I don't exactly enjoy
public speaking. I get kind of tongue tied when I'm put on the spot and I
prefer to avoid the spotlight! ..But I also want to serve our Father in Heaven,
and I want to set an example for my kids so that they will also try to do
things that are hard and also good for them.
...So
partly because of the shy side of my personality I wouldn't say I have really
felt missionary-minded in some time. .. but, wouldn't you know it? -- Last week
I was driving to my daughter's field trip with a friend of mine who is not a
member of our church. As we were driving along she was telling me about a young
man who one of her older daughters is friends with. He is LDS and now serving a
mission -- she was very impressed with him and his family and how open they are
about sharing their faith. I began to explain a little bit about our church
organization, about how our bishops are volunteers and how each week members of
the church take turns speaking to the congregation... and also about fast
Sundays and our testimony meetings and how these opportunities helped us to get
better at sharing what we believe, and that bearing our testimonies out loud helps
our testimonies grow. As I shared this with her ...I felt the Spirit really
strong! - like I haven't in kind of awhile...it brought tears to my eyes. --I know that there is a power in saying
what we know to be true out loud, and that it strengthens our faith. ...a couple of days later I got a message
from Brother Hull on behalf of the Bishop asking me to speak today!
I don't
feel like that call was a coincidence. It is pretty wonderful to have this
confirmation from the Spirit that God's hand is in my life! I do feel like he is directing our church leaders.
I still
wasn't excited to be asked to speak...
I accepted
the assignment -- and as I sat down to read the resource talks they give you to help you prepare -- I realized that
one of them... a talk from a couple of years ago was by my former Stake
President from California, Allen D. Haynie who is now a member of the Seventy... It contains a
story I've heard him share in person several times that had a profound impact
on me, and has helped shape my viewpoint on our journey through life. I was
asked to speak about What really matters
and is lasting?
So first
I'll share that story with you from Elder Haynie:
When I was nine years old,
my white-haired, four-foot-eleven-inch grandmother came to spend a few weeks
with us at our home. One afternoon while she was there, my two older brothers
and I decided to dig a hole in a field across the street from our house. I
don’t know why we did it; sometimes boys dig holes. We got a little dirty, but
nothing that would get us into too much trouble. Other boys in the neighborhood
saw just how exciting it was to dig a hole and started to help. We all got
dirtier together. The ground was hard, so we dragged a hose over and put a
little water in the bottom of the hole to soften up the ground. We got some mud
on us as we dug, but the hole got deeper.
Someone decided we should
turn our hole into a swimming pool, so we filled it with water. Being the
youngest and wanting to fit in, I was persuaded to jump in and try it out. Now
I was really dirty. I didn’t start
out planning to be covered in mud, but that’s where I ended up.
When it started to get cold,
I crossed the street, intending to walk into my house. My grandmother met me at
the front door and refused to let me in. She told me that if she let me in, I
would track mud into the house that she had just cleaned. So I did what any
nine-year-old would do under the circumstances and ran to the back door. She
was quicker than I thought! I got mad, stomped my feet, and demanded to come
into the house, but the door remained closed.
I was wet, muddy, cold, and,
in my childhood imagination, thought I might die in my own backyard. Finally, I
asked her what I had to do to come into the house. Before I knew it, I found
myself standing in the backyard while my grandmother sprayed me off with a
hose. After what seemed like an eternity, my grandmother pronounced me clean
and let me come into the house. It was warm in the house, and I was able to put
on dry, clean clothes.
With that real-life parable
of sorts in mind, please consider the following words of Jesus Christ: “And no
unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his
rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of
their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto
the end.”1
Standing outside of my house
being sprayed off by my grandmother was unpleasant and uncomfortable. Being
denied the opportunity to return and be with our Father in Heaven because we
chose to remain dirtied by a mud hole of sin would be eternally tragic. We
should not deceive ourselves about what it takes to return and remain in the
presence of our Father in Heaven. We have to be clean.
Because our
Father in Heaven loves us and has as His purpose “to bring to pass [our]
immortality and eternal life,”3 His plan included the role of a Savior—someone who
could help us become clean no matter how dirty we have become."
The
first time I heard this story my husband and I were living with family, trying
to save to purchase a home of our own. We have lived with both my parents and
Mike's at different times during the course of our marriage. I can tell you
from experience the topic of cleanliness is a big one when two families live in
one house! It can be a big source of trial and contention. Even amongst the
members of one family living in one home. Each of us is a little different in
our standards of cleanliness- When it
comes to household chores, and also to what we watch and listen to - if we
aren't on the same page, but we are dwelling in the same place - someone is going
to be uncomfortable. Well, I can't imagine heaven being heaven if it isn't
comfortable! We have to be clean to be there, we have to respect the most pure
and sensitive of spirits with regard to our standards in order to dwell there --
or it just won't be heaven!...
So logically
at some point in our progression our standards will become more and more
similar, and I think we will also be more tolerant and forgiving. I think it is
really wonderful that our Father in Heaven made us each so unique and different
from each other in so many ways - yet made a way for us all to learn how to get
along with each other and become as one. I can't imagine heaven being heaven if
it is boring and everyone is the same either!
Our Father in Heaven created the earth and us with many different kinds of
beauty and variety to keep things interesting, and to teach us to rely on each
other --each of us are important and have talents and qualities that add to the
whole.
So back to
my topic - What Really Matters?
My first
thought when I heard this topic was to think of times when I have really
struggled in life --like literally been knocked off my feet. When I was
adjusting to being a mom for the first time ...and all that goes along with
that!! Times when I've been really ill
and weak. At times like these, suddenly the tasks on my to do list that I
reference daily - don't seem like such a big deal as they did before.... I am
often surprised to discover that when it came down to it almost all those
things I was trying to urgently to complete were non-essentials. In Survival Mode, as I call it - all that I
really needed was food and rest -
taking care of my body, and my family's basic needs. All of us have basic
physical needs, but we are more than just physical beings. Being stuck in bed
gets boring! Having to wait for others to do things you are used to doing for
yourself can be very frustrating. Lack of sleep and depression can bring us
very low. To live a happy life and have a desire to continue on and endure to
the end despite the struggles we have to go through in this earthly experience
we have to have an inner strength and commitment to hope and goodness - to God,
and to our families.
I feel like
those are the things that really matter and are lasting. Those are the things
that will help us to endure: Our
testimonies, our hope in and commitment to God, and the relationships we
cultivate with our loved ones.
Life can
feel really hard at times. The more we focus on the negatives -- the worse it
gets. When I think of my family and others, when I serve in my community, and
try to do the things I believe God would want me to do - I feel an increased
sense of my own value and ability to do good in the world. When I feel the sense
of self worth that comes with believing that I am a daughter of God and He
really knows and cares about me, and has an important work for me to do - it
makes all the difference! As we bear our testimonies and do little things to
invite the Spirit into our lives I believe we will feel the increased presence
and power of God in our lives.
I
know that gaining an eternal perspective helps us to better weather the hard
things we have to face from day to day. If we put our trust in God and all his
promises we will be more positive and less shaken by troubles around us. I find
comfort and wisdom in the scriptures like:
Doctrine
& Covenants 121:7 which says
... peace be unto thy soul;
thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but
a small moment
and
Matthew 6:33 which says "But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
This world
feels increasingly crazy and stressful. If you read the news - it is very
alarming. It makes me wish for the days when we didn't know even what was going
on on the other side of the world! We have so much information at our
fingertips it is literally impossible for us to take it all in, and yet it seems
irresponsible to completely ignore it. ... Our times are crazy and complicated
and overwhelming! .. but I have a testimony that God is watching over all. That
His hand is in our lives as much as we invite it to be. And that makes all the
difference! That is What Really Matters. With God's help and the deeper purpose
doing His work can give our lives - we can make it through the hard times and
have peace knowing they will pass!
Sister Neill F. Marriott
said:
"Our challenges can
pull us off this course of happiness. We can lose our trusting connection to
God if trials drive us to distraction instead of sending us to our knees.
This simple couplet begs us
to do some priority sifting:
Some things matter; some things don’t.
A few things last, but most things won’t.5
... A matter of lasting
value to the Father is that we learn of Him, humble ourselves, and grow in
obedience to Him through earthly experiences. He wants us to change our
selfishness into service, our fears into faith. These lasting matters can test
us to our core."
"When
we give our heart to the Father and the Son, we change our world—even if
circumstances around us do not change. We draw closer to Heavenly Father and
feel His tender acceptance of our efforts to be true disciples of Christ. Our
discernment, confidence, and faith increase."
end quote
We have
more power over our own lives than we might think. There are some things going
on around the globe that we can't change, but if we focus on our immediate
surroundings we can make big changes with small steps. We can have a good life
where we are, we can rejoice in God's creations, in our beautiful surroundings,
we can lift others with our smiles and encouragement, and acts of service. We
can raise the next generation to do the same. We can make the world a better
place where we are, and let it spread. We don't have to do everything all at
once, we don't have to be perfect, we can start over as many times as we need
to. Get rid of the things right around us that shouldn't be there, and get joy
from the good things, from our families and people we can serve in our
communities.
Our
Father in heaven organized families to provide support for each child who comes
to earth. He gave us our bodies that can do so many things. Sometimes our
bodies or our families fail us, and that's why I think the church is organized
like it is. It is good for us to come and meet together, to have stewardship
over each other. Our Father in Heaven wants us to always have a place to go
where others who are also struggling and also wanting to do God's work can be
found to be our friends and helpers. He provided a Savior to help pay the price for the mistakes he knew we
would make. He doesn't want us to forget that!
Elder
Haynie said:
" I testify that the Savior will never turn away from us when we
humbly seek Him in order to repent; will never consider us to be a lost
cause; will never say, “Oh no, not you again”; will never reject us
because of a failure to understand how hard it is to avoid sin. He understands
it all perfectly, including the sense of sorrow, shame, and frustration that is
the inevitable consequence of sin.
Repentance is real and it
works. It is not a fictional experience or the product “of a frenzied mind.”17 It
has the power to lift burdens and replace them with hope. It can lead to a
mighty change of heart that results in our having “no more disposition to do
evil, but to do good continually.”18 Repentance,
of necessity, is not easy. Things of eternal significance rarely are. But the
result is worth it. " end
quote
When we
turn to God, he turns us to others. His plan is for us to learn things that
will help us be clean, and to be able to live peaceably together - to lift one
another along the path back home. Little by little gaining the good habits he
has mastered. Not allowing discouragement to stop our progress, or failures
along the way. To continually repent as we need to and use the gift of the
atonement as it was intended to be used!
As we go through life the items on
our nonessential TO DO list will change. Some things will get done without our
even realizing it, others will drop off and no longer be needed or wanted, but
our need to draw close to our Father in Heaven will never go away. We can't do
it all alone and He doesn't ask us to. I pray that we can utilize His built in
support system as we struggle to make it through the hardships of life. Turn to
Him in prayer, read the scriptures, come to church and turn to each other to
seek help, and to give it. Learn more about and follow the example of our
Savior, and make use of the gift of His Atonement to help us where we fall
short. I know our Father in Heaven loves us and wants us to be happy. I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Reference talks
