As I read through the talk by Elder Oaks from this past General Conference, I was really struck by one of the questions asked in the talk.
Are we truly ready to have our Maker judge our desires?
This got me thinking, what are the greatest desires in my heart? Are they pure? Are they truly mine? Are they in line with the teachings of the Gospel? Are they achievable?
When asking such questions, I am overwhelmed with the idea that our greatest desires can be accomplished when we put our Heavenly Father and His commandments as the first priority in our lives. I can actually fulfill those desires because they are part of the Plan of Happiness. Furthermore, my Heavenly Father knows what those desires are and the corners of my heart that possess those desires. Our greatest desire should be to ultimately gain life eternal. There are other, but equally important desires that allow us to achieve this ultimate goal. They must be righteous, and they must be stepping stones to fulfilling that ultimate desire. Desires, priorities, and actions build upon each other. I remember learning the story of a wise man building his house upon a rock. The rock in this scenario is our desires. That builds a foundation for all other things to come to pass, and to whether the storms that come our way.
Elder Oaks talks about that foundation in the following quote.
"Let us remember that desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. In addition, it is our actions and our desires that cause us to become something, whether a true friend, a gifted teacher, or one who has qualified for eternal life."
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Each day, as I study the scriptures and pray I come to learn more about my own spirituality and purpose. I am deeply grateful for these little morsels of enrichment and the blessing of personal revelation as I continue my adventure here on Earth.
Where do we obtain the guidance we need? We turn to Him who knows us best—our Creator. He allowed us to come to earth with freedom to choose our own course. In His great love, He did not leave us alone. He provided a guide—a spiritual road map—to help us achieve success in our journey. We call that guide the standard works, so named because they—the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price—constitute the standard by which we should live. They serve as a standard of reference, as are standards of time, weights, and measures that are kept in national bureaus of standards.
To reach our objective of eternal life, we need to follow teachings in the standard works and other revelations received from prophets of God. Our loving Lord foresaw our need for guidance: “For strait is the gate,” He said, “and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it. -Russell M. Nelson
1 comment:
It is interesting to ponder how our desires link to our actions. I would say in tough times, I can only manage to key in on my actions but as Elder Oaks reminds us, we need to consider the thought process that results in our actions. Giving focus on our desires should serve to draw us closer to the Lord and as a result closer to that goal of eternal life.
Post a Comment