Elder Jack N. Gerard of the Seventy said in October 2018 General Conference: “….The Savior cautioned us to “take heed … lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with … cares of this life” (Luke 21:34). Modern revelation reminds us that many are called, but few are chosen. They are not chosen “because their hearts are set … upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:35; see also verse 34). Assessing our lives gives us an opportunity to step back from the world, reflect on where we stand on the covenant path, and, if necessary, make adjustments to ensure a firm grip and a forward gaze.
….Recently, in a worldwide youth devotional, President Russell M. Nelson invited the youth to step back from the world, disengaging from social media by holding a seven-day fast. And just last evening, he made a similar invitation to the sisters as part of the women’s session of conference. He then asked the youth to notice any differences in how they feel, what they think, or even how they think. He then invited them “to do a thorough life assessment with the Lord … to ensure that your feet are firmly planted on the covenant path.” He encouraged them that if there were things in their lives that needed changing, “today is the perfect time to change.”1
In assessing things in our lives that need to change, we might ask ourselves a practical question: How do we rise above the distractions of this world and stay fixed on the vision of eternity before us?
In a 2007 conference address entitled “Good, Better, Best,” President Dallin H. Oaks taught how to prioritize choices among our many conflicting worldly demands. He counseled, “We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.”2
May I suggest that the best things in this life are centered on Jesus Christ and understanding the eternal truths of who He is and who we are in our relationship with Him.
Seek Truth
As we seek to know the Savior, we should not overlook the fundamental truth of who we are and why we are here. Amulek reminds us that “this life is the time … to prepare to meet God,” the time “which is given us to prepare for eternity” (Alma 34:32–33). As the well-known axiom reminds us, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”3 (Often attributed to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.)
Understanding our divine origins is essential to our eternal progress and can free us from the distractions of this life. The Savior taught: “If ye continue in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32).
President Joseph F. Smith proclaimed, “The greatest achievement mankind can make in this world is to familiarize themselves with divine truth, so thoroughly, so perfectly, that the example or conduct of no creature living in the world can ever turn them away from the knowledge that they have obtained.”4
In the world today, the debate over truth has reached a fevered pitch, with all sides claiming truth as if it were a relative concept open to individual interpretation. The young boy Joseph Smith found that “so great were the confusion and strife” in his life “that it was impossible … to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong” (Joseph Smith—History 1:8). It was “in the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions” that he sought divine guidance by seeking truth (Joseph Smith—History 1:10).
In April conference, President Nelson taught, “If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation.”5 We must learn to rely on the Spirit of Truth, which “the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him” (John 14:17).
As this world moves swiftly to alternative realities, we must remember the words of Jacob that “the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls” (Jacob 4:13).
As we step back from the world and assess our lives, now is the time to consider what changes we need to make. We can take great hope in knowing that our Exemplar, Jesus Christ, has once again led the way. Prior to His death and Resurrection, as He was laboring to help those around Him understand His divine role, He reminded them “that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Of Him I bear witness in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
