The Importance of Balance ~ Part One

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish. 

This post focuses on a Brigham Young University (BYU) Devotional in June 1998, and it is called "The Importance of Balance" by Elder W Eugene Hansen. This post is part one and I would like to share some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Elder Hansen has mentioned the following; 

"... There is a sense of enthusiasm and industry, a sense of respect and determination, a sense of confidence and spirituality all of which inspires confidence by the visitors, in you the student body, the faculty, and the Church. That should be reassurance to you of how the world needs a generation of young people who know why they are here and where they are going and the direction they need to take to get there.

... It has been my experience that balance is sometimes very elusive as we struggle to meet the pressures and challenges that are ever present. So I hope I can share some thoughts that will be useful in the challenging experience we call life. I think of the definition someone coined: “Life is what happens while you are making other plans.” 

... I commend you for having exhibited the mental and physical discipline that brings you to this point in your life. ... As you continue to make the right choices, you will have tremendous opportunities for continued growth and development.

It is so sad to see poor choices being made at critical times, choices that have very seriously limited the options a person has for future opportunity. No doubt you will continue to see the “poor-choices” factor operating all the days of your life. 

Consider it ongoing evidence for you to make good choices and to be consciously striving to improve yourself each day. I recall a motivational speaker during my teenage years making the statement, “I know of no one to be pitied more than one whose future is in the past.” 

What a sobering thought bad choices seriously compromising opportunities of the future. So if you are tempted to take that dare or to get involved in activities that may appear exciting, give it careful thought. ... Is the potential thrill worth the risks and the baggage that accompany questionable conduct? You have come so far. 

Don’t let bad choices put a ceiling on your upward mobility and, even more important, bring heartache and sorrow and loss of self-respect into your life. I continue to be amazed at the frivolous way in which choices are made by some, both young and old alike decisions that have eternal and everlasting consequences.

... I refer to conduct that leads to loss of virtue or harm or injury to self or other people. ... What a price to pay for such a moment of abandonment, a moment of thoughtlessness. Of course, not every case of addiction or promiscuity or a wasted lifestyle results from just one experiment or just one drink or just one immoral encounter, but unfortunately we are not able to determine just how strong we will be in a given situation or what effect harmful substances will have on us.

I am reminded of a wise father’s counsel: “If you never take the first one, you’ll never need to worry about the second one.” We should all keep in mind that there is no neutral ground between where the Lord’s boundary ends and the adversary’s begins. The safe rule to remember is to stay on the Lord’s side of the line.

Well, you might keep that in mind as a motivator while you are striving for excellence in whatever pursuit you follow.

Personal

With balance comes happiness and inner peace. How unfortunate it is that some work a lifetime on a goal like making money or attaining social status, only to find that these things do not bring real happiness.

Too often we conjure up thoughts in our minds of things we imagine will make us happy. To some extent we may even become jealous or covetous: If only we could afford the nicer clothes that others have or a better house or new furniture or perhaps a different car. If we had just been blessed with a beautiful singing voice or smaller feet or a more perfect profile or athletic prowess, then we could be happy.

... I had other talents and many other opportunities. But for a period of time I almost lost my effectiveness and made myself miserable worrying about something that really was not indispensable to my progression and happiness.

Sometimes we let reverses or unpleasant experiences undermine our confidence and create more turbulence in our lives than they should. Here I don’t mean to imply that all you need to do is keep a smile on your face and everything will be all right. 

Many have had those experiences in life when it hurts so badly inside that, for a short time at least, it may seem hard to go on. If you ever commence feeling that way, you might try quietly humming the hymn “Count Your Blessings” and reviewing the words in your mind. 

.. Think of the problems and difficulties of others who have been required to bear so much. You might also think in terms of “What could I do to be of greater service to others?” I believe it was the legendary jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes who said, “I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving” (The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table [1858], ch. 4). 

... At any given time in a person’s life we may have feelings of inadequacy or ineptness or lack of confidence or ability. But that will fade as you conscientiously stretch and put forth the effort to become a better student or better at whatever you’re doing, or being a more loving husband, wife, and parent. As we hold fast to correct principles, we will continue to move in the right direction.

I hope I go to my grave never having “peaked out,” but rather striving to improve, to do better, to be better, to enhance my ability to serve, and to learn something worthwhile each day.

... I still remember one occasion, as we were leaving, asking if President Romney had any counsel for us as his stake presidency. President Romney paused and then gave us a sermon in a sentence: “Live a little better each day.”

It has always been my belief that a keen sense of personal accountability is necessary to keep a person in balance. Our moral compass needs to be operating efficiently and accurately. Often I sense an individual is tempted to make bad choices through the urging of the adversary. 

He quietly suggests, “No one will ever know.” But we should constantly keep in mind that our Heavenly Father always knows. And he is saddened when we do not live up to what we are capable of. We all know how important prayer is in maintaining balance. 

If you have trouble remembering, here’s a suggestion. Years ago I read about Brigham Young following the practice of never taking any food or drink in the morning before he had his personal prayer. I have followed that practice for more than 20 years now in fact, ever since I was called as a bishop. I commend that practice to you, and I guarantee you won’t forget your prayers.

... Read your patriarchal blessing from time to time. I received mine when I was just about 12 years of age, and it has been a source of inspired direction my entire life. In fact, one of the reasons I stayed active in the army reserve for 30 years was largely because of counsel given in my patriarchal blessing.

Recognize the difference between pleasure and happiness, and then pattern your lives in such a way that you will seek happiness as opposed to mere pleasure. If adversity strikes, don’t succumb to the temptation to counsel the Lord. Pray for strength to get you through. 

President Harold B. Lee used to say: “Never put a question mark where the Lord has put a period.” Wise counsel is also helpful. ... Work at developing self-control. ..." 

Stay Tuned until next time.