ONCE AGAIN. . . a review.
What happened to time for day dreaming? Cloud watching? Spontaneous fun? Leisurely meals together? A real meal together at all?
Choosing good versus evil is obvious. Choosing good versus good is not.
Can too much of a good thing become a bad thing?
Have we become caught up in the thick of thin things?
Can we slow down before we stretch ourselves to the breaking point?
Are our priorities in order?
While the answers are most likely apparent and elementary, the how-to's of slowing down may seem impossible.
In spite of what we know of the unimaginable hardships of those of previous generations, it has been said that we, in our time, are facing much greater challenges. Our battles are not of enduring physical labors and trials. Our battles are much more insidious, much more horrendous. Battles for our families. Battles for our very souls.
Good – Better – Best
The following are excerpts from an article in the youth section of the September 2011 Ensign magazine. Mary-Celeste Lewis related her situation of finding herself over-scheduled four years ago.
“I knew I was doing too much. I was in school plays, taking challenging classes in school, and was involved in several other activities. . .practicing music and editing the school newspaper had lost their element of fun and had become work.
“My activities were good, but there were too many of them. I had to choose the best ones. As I tried to decide which activities to forsake, I realized that the gospel of Jesus Christ was the best priority anyone can have. I put prayer and scripture study at the top of my list, and since then, my life has run more smoothly. . .If I study my scriptures before I play games or even before I do my homework, everything important will get done.
“When I base my life around the Lord, instead of adding Him in as an afterthought, my life has an added measure of peace and success.”
But what about families and homemakers?
An effective way to begin prioritizing all the necessities of daily life---when there is more than self involved--- is basically just another way of determining between Good - Better - Best. Take a serious look at all you have to do and work towards placing each in their correct place or order.
Essentials: Time spent with the scriptures, in prayer; and in building family relationships.
Necessities: It is important to know how to live and how to take care of each other. These things include cooking skills, proper nutrition, exercise, raising families, provident living, care and cleanliness of our homes, self-reliance, and service.
Niceties: Such things as hobbies, sewing, reading a good book, sports, crafts, etc. It is nice to have time for these things but if we are not careful, they can infringe on the time that should be spent on the essentials and necessities.
When you prioritize and do the important things first, it is amazing how many of the “nice-to-do things” get done. And, as just as Mary-Celeste discovered, your life will have an added measure of peace and success.
Hopefully, I have given you some food for thought. I wish I had exact and automatically successful how-to’s for you but I don’t. As I said in yesterday's post, there are no one-size-fits-all answers. I do know where to search however, and so do you.
Remember, with God nothing is impossible.
Portions from parts 1 and 2 were taken from a previous Desert Saints Magazine article.
http://www.desertsaintsmagazine.com/magazine_articles/Sep2005/DSM%20Sep%202005.pdf
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