Considering Priorities

Given in Ridgeland Ward 11/20/2022


I would like to preface my talk today with a few comments and maybe an apology. First, as you might recall President Francom in our last Stake Conference invited us to fast and pray about our Patriarchal Blessing and if we did not have one to fast and pray about when would be the right time for us to get a blessing. As I accepted that challenge, I read through my Patriarchal Blessing to see what stood out to me and what I thought the Lord would want me to remember and focus on. There was one line that stood out to me. It says, “Develop your ability to communicate in the powers of expression, for you will have many opportunities to teach in the church and kingdom, and to communicate important ideas as a leader in the community in which you live.”

I have given many talks in my life. I have become better over time, but I still feel that I don’t have the eloquence that I wish for. I often feel like I have not adequately expressed the feelings that I want to express. At times of my life, I have tried to speak from a few notes and let the spirit guide my speaking. That never really went very well! In more recent years I tend to write out my talks word for word so I can spend a lot of time trying to phrase things in just the right way. But then I found I lost all expression in my voice and my reading did not come across well either.

So, I have considered that advice from my blessing to develop my ability to communicate in the powers of expression. One of the beautiful things about Patriarchal blessings and living up to your covenants is that there is always something we can be learning and striving to do better. As I have prepared this talk, I have taken a slightly different approach that I have been prompted to try. My apology is that if this does not go well, I am sorry and I will know one more thing that doesn’t work and I will try something new next time!

Considering invitations from our leaders, Elder Bednar in this past conference invited us to “evaluate our temporal and spiritual priorities sincerely and prayerfully to identify the things in our lives that may impede the bounteous blessings that Heavenly Father and the Savior are willing to bestow upon us.”

He taught us in depth about the parable of the royal marriage feast and those that were willing and prepared to accept the invitation. This parable teaches us about considering the priorities in our lives and if they qualify us to partake of the wedding feast. Initially many that received the invitation could not be bothered. They were much more interested in going about farming, or gardening, or going work, or pursuing business interests. I think it is important to consider if these things were wrong or if they just had the wrong priority in their hearts. We can look to many of our church leaders and acknowledge that they have been very successful in their work and careers. You don’t become a world-famous heart surgeon or a Supreme Court justice without a lot of time an energy devoted to your work and education. I think the things the parable wants us to consider is where our heart is.

This reminds me of a story that Elder Renlund once told. During the time that he was in training as a surgeon he worked many long hours and often came home very tired and in need of some sleep. On one particular Sunday when he was ready to leave the hospital he knew if he hurried, he could get home in time to go to church with his family. But he had worked all night and he was very tired. If he waited just a few more minutes before leaving he would miss his family and he could get a well-deserved nap while they were at church. He opted for the nap. But the desired sleep didn’t come. He was tormented by the decision he had made. As he prayed and reflected, he discovered that there were things in his life that had slipped from their proper priority. Reading, studying, and praying had become more casual. He recommitted his priorities to those items and he reports that “Over the course of a few weeks, the zeal returned and the fire of testimony burned fiercely again.”

I find it worth noting that Eldar Bednar invited us to evaluate both our temporal and spiritual priorities. Maybe it is hobbies or other ways we spend our time that can be impeding us. These can be some of the most difficult decisions to make or recognize. For many years I had a hobby that I enjoyed quite a lot. I participated in a trap shooting league that met every Thursday evening. I shot on a team with some great members of our stake that I got to know quite well. We had a wonderful time associating with one another. We would often stop and get a shake on the way home from shooting. It was just a great time. After having done this for many years, I was called to be the Bishop of the Heritage Ward. Thursday nights were still fairly free so I continued to participate. In time, my scores began to drop, and I was not shooting as well as I once had. I grew frustrated and wondered why I wasn’t getting any better but getting worse. As anyone who has ever participated in a sport knows, there is just as much of a mental aspect to performing well as a physical aspect. I found that as I stood at the firing line waiting for my turn in the rotation my mind was wandering to people in my ward, to my duties as the Bishop, to how to conduct effective Bishopric and Ward Council meetings, and all kinds of things. Simply put, my mind wasn’t in the game. I had a very hard decision to make. Was it time to give up something I loved doing? Was shooting hindering my ability to receive the blessings I needed to effectively fulfill my calling? I eventually came to the decision to quit. I then found my mind much more settled. Without the worry of letting down my friends with low shooting scores, and agonizing over my performance, I was able to concentrate better on the things the Lord wanted me to concentrate on. I received bounteous blessing during that time of my life. The decision was hard because there is nothing wrong with what I was doing. It was just a matter of where my priorities should be at that time of my life. I still hope to be able to return to that hobby again some day and will do so when and if I feel it won’t impede my ability to receive the blessings I need in order to serve the Lord.

So, sometimes it is difficult to see things in our life that may be impeding the bounteous blessings that Heavenly Father wants to bestow on us. As I have studied, I have concluded that many times it isn’t about avoiding the pitfalls and temptations of life as much as it is striving to do more and be more. One of my wife’s favorite quotes is that “it isn’t enough to be good, you have to be good for something.” She reminds me of that when I need it. I think it is safe to say that we are all good people. You are here today on the Sabbath Day partaking of the sacrament and worshipping our Heavenly Father. What more can you become? As you pray and ponder over all your priorities in life, the Holy Ghost will help you see yourselves as you really are and as you can really become. Having eyes to see is a spiritual gift from our Heavenly Father. As we seek this gift, the Lord will help us to make wise decisions, and strengthen our connection with Him.

Elder Uchtdorf offers another perspective that may be useful. He suggests that when we are trying to find balance in our lives we think this means dividing our time equally among competing interests. Viewed this way, our commitment to Jesus Christ would be one of many things we need to fit into our busy schedules.

But trying to find balance in our lives is much like riding a bicycle. We maintain balance when we ride a bicycle by moving forward. As we move forward and look at what is ahead of us, keeping balance is more simple.

Similar principles apply when it comes to finding balance in our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ. How to distribute your time and energy among your many important tasks will vary from person to person and from one season of life to another. (When Elder Uchtdorf says we distribute our time and energy among many tasks is very similar to Elder Bednar asking us to evaluate our temporal and spiritual priorities.). But our common, overall objective is to follow the Way of our Master, Jesus Christ, and return to the presence of our beloved Father in Heaven. This objective must remain constant and consistent, whoever we are and whatever else is happening in our lives.

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not just one of many things we do. The Savior is the motivating power behind all that we do. He is not a rest stop in our journey. He is not a scenic byway or even a major landmark. He is “the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by [Jesus Christ].” That is the Way and our ultimate destination.

Let me give you Elder Bednar’s invitation again to evaluate your temporal and spiritual priorities sincerely and prayerfully to identify the things in your lives that may impede the bounteous blessings that Heavenly Father and the Savior are willing to bestow upon you.

As you continue your Sabbath Day observance today, I hope that you will consider seeking guidance and direction from the Holy Ghost to have eyes to see what you may really become. As I said when I began today, our Patriarchal Blessings may be a good place to look for things that could use our time and energy.

I am grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ. When I was first called as a Bishop 7 years ago, I was overwhelmed at the responsibility and the accountability. I have served in callings my whole life but at that time I committed that for the next several years I would give my calling everything I had. As I really committed myself, I found that I was even more dependent upon the Savior than I ever imagined. I learned things about allowing the Savior to guide your life that I wished I had learned 30 years earlier. I know that there are bounteous blessings in store for us and as we focus on becoming better disciples of Jesus Christ we will come to realize these miracles in our life.



ITNOJC,A