This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Afternoon Session of the April 2011 Conference.
Lots of good stuff in this session. I have always liked President Oaks' talk on Desire. But what stuck out to me this week was President Ballard's comments on finding joy. He told the story of the young man who was looking for gold and couldn't find any for years and years. He was about to give up in despair when an old man gave him some advice:
The old prospector said, “Son, it seems to me you are so busy looking for large nuggets that you’re missing filling your pouch with these precious flecks of gold. The patient accumulation of these little flecks has brought me great wealth.”…
Then Elder Ballard says:
What are the precious, simple things of the gospel that bring clarity and purpose to our lives? What are the flecks of gospel gold whose patient accumulation over the course of our lifetime will reward us with the ultimate treasure—the precious gift of eternal life?
I think fairly often about the paradox of the mundane vs. the eternal in our lives. Sometimes I feel kind of resentful that the things of mortality talk SO much time and attention. It seems if I had to spend less time just getting people from here to there, and figuring out how to make our money stretch to cover all our needs, and attending to food and clothing and every little immediate demand each new day brings— (and acknowledging, of course, that I have to worry about those things much less than most people have had to throughout history)—anyway, if I could spend less time on "mortal life" and more time in contemplation and service and things of the divine and eternal—it seems like I would progress so quickly! And I'd be such a good person!
But this story just reminded me again that it's not productive to always be waiting for the "gold nuggets" of unbroken study time and uncontentious family togetherness and beautifully complete gospel discussions. I should be content gathering the little flecks—a quick moment of insight during a hasty home church, two children giggling happily together at bedtime, a snatch of unaccountable happiness looking at the Fall leaves at a time my heart is heavy with worry. It is the accumulation of those things (and the deliberate gathering of those things) that will fill my life with joy.
Great things are wrought through simple and small things. Like the small flecks of gold that accumulate over time into a large treasure, our small and simple acts of kindness and service will accumulate into a life filled with love for Heavenly Father, devotion to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sense of peace and joy each time we reach out to one another.
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