Sorry for the long comment. haha But this was a beautiful message (and I hope you're feeling better!) Thank you for the reminder to seek stillness, and the reminder of Bishop Budge's conference talk. I struggle to find time every day for the Lord. President Nelson said in Conference that we need to make our discipleship our HIGHEST priority. I find that I make it my very highest priority - in my "me" time. So when my paid employment is done for the day, and I'm caught up on the housework, and all of the other pressing temporal needs are done - then I have me time, and I prioritize the Lord. The trouble is, some days, I never get that me time. And even when I do, it's not much - certainly not enough for stillness and communion with the Spirit. It reminds me of something Elder Christofferson said in a recent interview. It starts with a question from Sister Dew: Sheri Dew: What worries you the most for [the youth], in behalf of them, when you look at everything they’re dealing with that we probably didn’t deal with at their age? Elder D. Todd Christofferson: One aspect of it, I guess you could say, is distraction. There is so much at their fingertips, literally and figuratively, that can draw their attention, so many voices, so many competing voices, so much that would draw them or anyone away from the Spirit, away from that personal, individual spiritual guidance that comes quietly and in quiet moments. And so, such a cacophony of voices around them that they have to learn to intentionally find time to be with God, so to speak. I was thinking of an interview I heard years ago on the radio of Bishop Desmond Tutu, the Anglican archbishop in South Africa, and the interviewer asked a very perceptive question. He says, “Has anything changed in the way you pray over the years?” And he said, “Yes. As a matter of fact, it has. Earlier in my life, my prayers were a list, long list of things I needed or problems I wanted to have solved. And now more often, I am quiet.” And he said, “Sit with the Lord.” He said, “It is like a fire in winter. It warms you. You don’t have to be anybody special. It just warms you.” And I thought, “What a beautiful metaphor.” The quiet time in prayer or meditation and studying the scriptures in seminaries, in institute classes and in conversations with friends, but times where you really shut the world out, so to speak, or at least concentrate on what the Lord is trying to communicate to you.” It is more and more of an effort, I think, to find that in your life or create it consistently in your life. President Nelson spoke about this. His very first message as President of the Church was about personal revelation, and he talked about finding a sacred grove kind of place for yourself where you can go often. He said when you can just focus on communication and getting what the Lord would have you receive, that is still valid instruction, and it is just harder now for people of any age, but young adults especially, who have less experience. So his counsel is good. I think we just have to keep emphasizing and helping them learn how to do that.
I love your thoughts! Thank you for sharing! (and don't worry I love long comments like this!) I love the idea of sitting in stillness during prayers. I also am a big fan now of sitting in prayers with my scriptures close to see if the Lord has anything He wants to say to me there in that moment. And it's true, it's often hard when you have responsibilities demanding attention right away, to have stillness. I think of President Nelsons words "the Lord loves effort," as we are all in different circumstances and varying demands pulling on us. Especially young mothers who feel they don't have the sleep to even function let alone find time for stillness. You are right I think, if we just keep teaching, emphasizing to take that time to hear Him, that we we will remember to do it better and each find simple ways to implement it.
Sorry for the long comment. haha But this was a beautiful message (and I hope you're feeling better!)
Thank you for the reminder to seek stillness, and the reminder of Bishop Budge's conference talk. I struggle to find time every day for the Lord. President Nelson said in Conference that we need to make our discipleship our HIGHEST priority. I find that I make it my very highest priority - in my "me" time. So when my paid employment is done for the day, and I'm caught up on the housework, and all of the other pressing temporal needs are done - then I have me time, and I prioritize the Lord.
The trouble is, some days, I never get that me time. And even when I do, it's not much - certainly not enough for stillness and communion with the Spirit. It reminds me of something Elder Christofferson said in a recent interview. It starts with a question from Sister Dew:
Sheri Dew: What worries you the most for [the youth], in behalf of them, when you look at everything they’re dealing with that we probably didn’t deal with at their age?
Elder D. Todd Christofferson: One aspect of it, I guess you could say, is distraction. There is so much at their fingertips, literally and figuratively, that can draw their attention, so many voices, so many competing voices, so much that would draw them or anyone away from the Spirit, away from that personal, individual spiritual guidance that comes quietly and in quiet moments. And so, such a cacophony of voices around them that they have to learn to intentionally find time to be with God, so to speak.
I was thinking of an interview I heard years ago on the radio of Bishop Desmond Tutu, the Anglican archbishop in South Africa, and the interviewer asked a very perceptive question. He says, “Has anything changed in the way you pray over the years?” And he said, “Yes. As a matter of fact, it has. Earlier in my life, my prayers were a list, long list of things I needed or problems I wanted to have solved. And now more often, I am quiet.”
And he said, “Sit with the Lord.” He said, “It is like a fire in winter. It warms you. You don’t have to be anybody special. It just warms you.” And I thought, “What a beautiful metaphor.” The quiet time in prayer or meditation and studying the scriptures in seminaries, in institute classes and in conversations with friends, but times where you really shut the world out, so to speak, or at least concentrate on what the Lord is trying to communicate to you.”
It is more and more of an effort, I think, to find that in your life or create it consistently in your life. President Nelson spoke about this. His very first message as President of the Church was about personal revelation, and he talked about finding a sacred grove kind of place for yourself where you can go often. He said when you can just focus on communication and getting what the Lord would have you receive, that is still valid instruction, and it is just harder now for people of any age, but young adults especially, who have less experience. So his counsel is good. I think we just have to keep emphasizing and helping them learn how to do that.
I love your thoughts! Thank you for sharing! (and don't worry I love long comments like this!) I love the idea of sitting in stillness during prayers. I also am a big fan now of sitting in prayers with my scriptures close to see if the Lord has anything He wants to say to me there in that moment.
And it's true, it's often hard when you have responsibilities demanding attention right away, to have stillness. I think of President Nelsons words "the Lord loves effort," as we are all in different circumstances and varying demands pulling on us. Especially young mothers who feel they don't have the sleep to even function let alone find time for stillness. You are right I think, if we just keep teaching, emphasizing to take that time to hear Him, that we we will remember to do it better and each find simple ways to implement it.