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 two and I would like to share some highlights while I was reading the Devotional.
Elder Hansen has mentioned the following;
"Family
A very important part of achieving balance is having a good family life. We all have the responsibility to be dutiful children, and as we find our life’s companion, to be a good spouse and a good parent. We will never be released from these responsibilities. ...
It is so important to realize that children need both a dad and a mom. It’s pretty hard for one to do both. And we shouldn’t try to justify our absence or neglect by reasoning that we’re doing all this for a spouse or children. Often our time is the most precious and valuable gift we can give our children.
... I have one other important suggestion with respect to the family. I always tried to let the children feel their father’s testimony and know how important the gospel was in my life.
Prayer was an important part of our family life. We had a rule in our home that none of our children left the house in the morning without having family prayer. We defined family prayer as a kneel-down prayer with both of the parents depending on availability or with at least one if the other was gone. Sometimes it was necessary to have more than one family prayer in the morning, as we would not wake up the youngest children to have prayer when others were leaving for early morning meetings, classes, or seminary activity.
We also followed the custom of giving father’s blessings each year as school began and at such times during the year as there was need for comfort, direction, guidance, or healing, as the case might be.
You may also want to dedicate your home when you are fortunate enough to have one. I believe it was eight years before we were able to extricate ourselves from the rental game and purchase our first home. And remember, it’s not necessary to have it all paid for before you dedicate it.
Now, an important tip: ... We enjoyed traveling, and consequently we took some trips during the early years of our marriage. Not long ones. Usually less than a week. Often members of our extended family were able to help with the children.
Church
We have always accepted Church calls and assignments as they have come. It seemed we found a way to take care of those responsibilities and yet felt we were not neglecting our family or professional obligations. As you do the Lord’s work, you receive blessings in so many ways blessings that make up for the extra time and effort that go into fulfilling a Church calling with a “well done, thou good and faithful servant” result (Matthew 25:21).
And it goes without saying, we should keep the commandments, attend our meetings, pay our tithes and offerings, read the scriptures, show respect for parents and Church leaders, and always be conscious of the importance of example.
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| "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." |
One of the greatest challenges is balancing work and family responsibilities in order that neither go wanting. Of course the family must have sufficient money to take care of needs, but, beyond that, money has very little to do with happiness. ...
Remember the counsel in Jacob 2:18–19: But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.
As we continue to lead busier lives, it seems we never have time to do all the things we would like to do or perhaps even need to do. My father gave me some helpful advice as a young man. It has application to both men and women: “Do the most important thing first.” That rule along with setting sound priorities is the best way I know of balancing work with the other aspects of living. ...
Maintaining Spirituality
Now a few words concerning spirituality. If we who have received the greater light the gospel gives are to be true to the faith and effective in our various fields of endeavor, we must be ever sensitive to our level of spirituality.
We should be constantly providing nourishment to our spiritual side. Scriptures, conference reports, counsel given by the Brethren, lesson manuals, and gospel texts provide excellent sources for “treasuring up” the word.
Fasting and prayer also provide nourishment for the soul.
In addition to seeking the positive, we should also avoid the negative. ... We don’t need to view R-rated movies to know that they are not good for us. Nor do we need to become familiar with the ways of the world in order to know that certain conduct or practices are demeaning and offensive to the Spirit.
If those who have been endowed in the temple live worthy of and have a current temple recommend in their possession, high levels of spirituality will be maintained. In summary then, if we are to achieve balance in our lives, we must have our priorities in order.
And my priorities go something like this:
Wife
Family
Church
Work
I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ that has been restored upon the earth in these, the latter days. I’m thankful that the Lord has provided us the pattern that will see us safely home to dwell with him. And if we will but follow the Lord’s prophets here on earth, there will be joy, happiness, and success in this life and the greatest of all the gifts of God the gift of eternal life.
... Real life is response to the best within us. To be alive only to appetite, pleasure, pride, money-making, and not to goodness and kindness, purity and love, poetry, music, flowers, stars, God and eternal hopes, is to deprive one’s self of the real joy of living. [CR, October 1963, p. 7]
May you develop qualities of courage, faith, and self-control. Use your background and experience in analyzing the choices that are constantly before you. Draw on the Holy Ghost that you are privileged to have and your decisions will be much wiser.
Don’t let habits and excuses interfere with proper choices. Those who rely on excuses at best have only the excuse and not the blessing.
Hear Elder Richard L. Evans on this subject: No matter how good an excuse may be, no reason for failure or defection is ever so satisfying to ourselves or to anyone else as is actually doing what we should do, or delivering on the date that something is due. Excuses are at best a second-choice substitute.
It is a surpassing quality in life to follow through, to keep commitments, to keep the commandments, and no matter how ingenious our excuses are, they don’t cancel commitments, or justify our failures, or relieve us from answering before the highest bar, unless they are founded on real, valid reasons—and not merely on our comfort or convenience. [Richard L. Evans, From the Crossroads [New York: Harper, 1955], p. 20]
... President Spencer W. Kimball provides us with an appropriate reminder: The Lord’s program is unchangeable. His laws are immutable. They will not be modified. Your opinion or mine does not alter the laws. Many in the world, and even some in the Church, seem to think that eventually the Lord will be merciful and give them the unearned blessing. But the Lord cannot be merciful at the expense of justice. [The Miracle of Forgiveness (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969), p. 249]
... May we be wise enough and valiant enough to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ; may we cleanse the inner vessel; may we come unto Christ and be perfected in him and deny ourselves of all ungodliness. And may we strive to achieve the balance that will bring everlasting peace and happiness into our lives. ..."
If you would like to read the whole Devotional either now or in your own time, here's the link below.
Stay Tuned until next time.
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