https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2017/04/the-beauty-of-holiness?lang=eng
Sisters (& Brethren), if we would be holy, we must learn to sit at the feet of the Holy One of Israel and give time to holiness. Do we set aside the phone, the never-ending to-do list, and the cares of worldliness? Prayer, study, and heeding the word of God invite His cleansing and healing love into our souls. Let us take time to be holy, that we may be filled with His sacred and sanctifying Spirit. With the Holy Ghost as our guide, we will be prepared to receive the Savior in the beauty of holiness.
I also liked this talk. Em, Susan and I sat in the conference center while she gave this one. This world runs at such a fast pace that we do have to set time to be Holy. Before I served any missions I did not study the gospel everyday. I love setting at our kitchen table for 1/2 hour a day and studying with Dad. It puts me in a good frame of mind each day and helps me balance my life with what is really important. I have so many opportunities now to do holy things. Each Sunday I can go to Music and the Spoken Word. Twice each day I walk in the shadows of the temple. Dennis and I try to go to the temple each week. We try to attend lectures and programs that we would not be able to if we were not living next to temple square. I will never have such an opportunity so I need to enjoy it now. My favorite quote from Sister McConkie is "Holiness is a gift of the Spirit. We accept that gift when we choose to do those things that will increase the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost in our lives."
ReplyDeleteThis is basic and simple, but the thing that jumped out at me is that it takes the Holy Ghost to feel holiness. There is so much going on in the world and so much that we choose to put into our lives that we often don't hear or notice promptings we receive.
ReplyDeleteIt takes time to hear thr Holy Ghost, it takes effort, it's also a choice.
Since today is Mother's Day I was reflecting on the role our wonderful, precious Mother has played in the holiness each of us have had the chance to experience in our lives. She has a gift for that, and now as a mother I realize how much work she and dad put in to helping us know, understand, and live the gospel. I think women especially have a certain type of divine nature that helps them do this task for their families, while men have the priesthood. Recently I wrote a letter to Bree expressing how sorry I was that I didn't do a better job of this for her as she and Britt were growing up. I got tired of trying to get people in my family to pray, read scriptures, come to family home evening, serve others, feed the missionaries, etc. I didn't have a lot of support, mostly complaints and resistance. Bree told me I should have tried harder. I failed her and I failed my family. I'm about to send her out into the world to live on her own, and I should have prepared her with a spiritual armor of holiness and the only thing she's got is a pair of holey socks.
Once again you can look to the example of our parents and then see how I did things in my family. Then you can decide how you want to have things go in your own family. Don't mess up like I did in mine. If nothing else comes from my mistakes, learn from them. Holiness, having the spirit, feeling the spirit- it's all important and something you can't afford not to make time for or get lazy about.
This is a big beautiful world and it is filled with many distractions. Holiness just doesn't happen. It has to be nurtured. Who better than Moms to do this nurturing? It is a challenge to force the world aside and seek the holiness Sister McConkie speaks off. It is not easy and especially for mothers. She is the busiest person in any family. But nonetheless, holiness can be generated in the teaching moments mothers have each day. When it would be easy to get angry, slip away and hide, or just complain, mothers invite holiness through their every action. I am grateful for each of you and the holiness that you generate just by the ways you live your lives. Thanks for teaching me about Holiness in Daily Actions.
ReplyDeleteI want to do this before I forget and this talk was very good and I felt the spirit so much too. I hope you all wished your Mother's a happy Mother's Day to them and I love all the women in my life and I love all of you so much ! Have a great week !
ReplyDeleteMariah sparrow