A couple of days ago I listened to my friend talk about how she was learning the lesson that if she put the Lord first, He would help her reach her other goals. Then, today, I read a talk from last General Conference, "True Disciples of the Savior" by Elder Terence Vinson. He quoted Haggai 1:4-7 and how the people, instead of building the Lord's temple, stayed in their houses, worked in their fields, ate and drank, but it brought little and not enough. Then he pointed out the "futility of prioritizing things of no eternal consequence above the things of God." We need to consider our ways.
So, how do we prioritize the things of God above the things of the world?
I usually do my scripture study in the mornings. It is when I have the least distractions. Occasionally, something comes up or I sleep longer than I planned and can't get to it in the morning because of other appointments that are set that day. So, I have to determine when I am going to do my scripture study somewhere in the remaining of the day or sometimes I forget about it until I am lying in bed. When something is important but not urgent it is easier to forget about it. It's the urgent things that seem to be forefront in our minds. That is why it is so important to make sure that if an obstacle gets in the way of the important things in our original plan that we schedule another time.
My friend shared an example from her life about not putting the things of most importance first. She really wanted to work on her book that she is getting ready to publish. There were some technical issues that she thought that she could figure out quickly. However, it wasn't a quick fix and she needed to attend to her kids. Her heart was not with them, though. Her heart was still on her book and the desire to get back to it and figure it out.
It seems that in the last several years there has been a lot of people talking about the importance of being present. The people that we are with can tell if we are really 'there' or if our mind is somewhere else.
How can we make sure that we are present with what we are doing, or who we are with at that moment? This includes when we are putting the Lord first. Is our mind wandering and thinking about our to-do list?
I am sure that there are many possibilities. Here is just one. When you have a plan when you will work on, or return to, a project or something you are working on, your mind can relax knowing that you will get to it because you have a plan. Then, stick with your plan. If something comes up that you absolutely need to attend to,
As we put the Lord first, He will help multiply our efforts and strengthen us to be able to do those things that are of most importance that day.
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