This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Morning Session of the October 2009 Conference.
I really liked Elder Eyring's talk from this conference. Abe sent it to me to study together once while he was on his mission, so I have read it recently, but I notice new things each time I read it.
One quote from this talk is something I've had around for years in a note on my phone, because I feel like I need to read it often:
Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion.
Of course I want to just naturally BE this type of person and have this type of love, but sometimes I forget that it doesn't happen automatically for anyone (even very nice people, haha). Anyone who has this sort of love in a relationship has prayed for it and practiced it. I can too.
I have also loved this for a long time:
…Any believing Latter-day Saint is an optimist about what lies ahead for him or her, however difficult the present may be. We believe that through living the gospel of Jesus Christ we can become like the Savior, who is perfect. Considering the attributes of Jesus Christ should quash the pride of the self-satisfied person who thinks he or she has no need to improve. And even the most humble person can take hope in the invitation to become like the Savior.
The quote I have been thinking about most, though, is this one:
Love is the motivating principle by which the Lord leads us along the way towards becoming like Him, our perfect example. Our way of life, hour by hour, must be filled with the love of God and love for others.
I wonder how, exactly, one sets up a life that, "hour by hour," is filled with the love of God? How can we arrange our days and our weeks so there is room for attention and service? So many parts of life require worrying about ourselves—what will we eat, how will we pay for things, where will we go to find fulfillment? You can quite easily get caught up those things and never notice the people around you at all! Families, of course, help jolt us out of our self-focus. Motherhood is almost guaranteed to do so. It makes you a little more unselfish whether you like it or not! :) But there are still so many ways I could work on that "hour by hour" type of focus on loving God. Can I really remember Him so frequently in my day? Could I set up pictures, habits, routines, reminders that keep me constantly looking outward and bringing me back to Him—even while I'm driving, cleaning, cooking, making phone calls, organizing, keeping track of schedules, and so forth? Interesting to think about.
Other posts in this series:
"The -ity virtues"—by Rozy
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