Preparation Brings Blessings
President Thomas S. Monson
This talk was given in the priesthood session, and was mainly addressed to young men preparing for missions and temple marriage. However, I have learned that we can take meaning and guidance from prophets and the scriptures from just about any topic if we open our minds and hearts, and liken it to ourselves.
We are not preparing ourselves to obtain the priesthood, but we may be preparing our children/ grandchildren, and we may be readying ourselves for the temple, missions, and many other things in our lives. Preparing is a continuous cycle in our lives; we don't ever want to stop preparing or progressing.
“We cannot progress without attending to our own personal and family preparedness on a regular basis. Preparedness is not something that is static; it is ever changing. I know of no situation in life where it is not necessary. May we all become involved in it for the blessing of our families. There is precious little time to waste in preparing for the eternities.”
H. Burke Peterson, “Attending to Personal and Family Preparedness,” Ensign, Nov 1978, 83
Question: We should all be preparing for the next step in our lives, whatever it may be. What are some things you're preparing for?
-Temporal things: academic, financial, emergency preparedness
-Callings/ Responsibilities
-Marriage/ missions/ helping children prepare
-Temple sealing/ attendance
-Starting families/ parenthood
-Meet God/ Exaltation
Earlier this week we were having a nice visit with family members, when the conversation turned to phishing scams and identity theft. We talked about an online banking scam that my mother in law had come across a few days before and had fortunately come away unscathed. We talked about ways to avoid being scammed through email and on the telephone. Specifically mentioned was being wary of seemingly legitimate solicitations for personal information like account numbers. I didn't think too much of it, but the next morning I received a call claiming to be from my bank, saying that my account had been temporarily deactivated, and that I needed to press some buttons and give them some information so that it could be reactivated. I panicked at first, because earlier in the week I had lost my purse for an hour or so before finding it at a restaurant we had been to. All of the contents were still there, but we had wondered if any of the account information had been compromised. I thought this call might mean that someone had tried to use my credit card number. I nearly started entering my information over the phone, and then stopped as I remembered what we had talked about the previous night, and realized that the phone call was rather suspicious. I realized that I could call the bank back if there were really a problem with my account. So I hung up without doing anything, and we called our bank back. They told us the call I had received was a scam and that there were others who had reported the same kind of thing. We were reassured that there was no hold on our bank account nor any suspicious activity showing up. I was so grateful that because of the conversations we had, which I felt was no coincidence, I was prepared to avoid a situation that would have been very difficult to repair. I truly felt like that was a blessing to us.
Similarly, in life, we are faced with counterfeits which are designed to keep us from returning to our Heavenly Father. There are countless temptations and distractions which on the surface may appear to be good, but would just scam us and leave us in difficult situations. We can avoid these kinds of situations by preparing ourselves spiritually.
Question: What blessings have you personally received from being prepared?
-Avoiding pitfalls/ temptation
-Safety
-Peace of mind: D&C 38: 30 “...if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.” -That is a great promise from Heavenly Father.
Spiritual Preparation
President Monson said “Our Heavenly Father has counseled us to seek after “anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.” Whatever you read, listen to, or watch makes an impression on you.” So if we want to be open to the promptings of the Spirit, we have to be careful of the things we are surrounding ourselves with.
"Be careful to go to places where there is a good environment, where you won’t be faced with temptation. A wise father said to his son, “If you ever find yourself in a place where you shouldn’t ought to be, get out!” Good advice for all of us.
Don’t be afraid to walk out of a movie, turn off a television set, or change a radio station if what’s being presented does not meet your Heavenly Father’s standards. In short, if you have any question about whether a particular movie, book, or other form of entertainment is appropriate, don’t see it, don’t read it, don’t participate.
Music can help you draw closer to your Heavenly Father. It can be used to educate, edify, inspire, and unite. However, music can, by its tempo, beat, intensity, and lyrics, dull your spiritual sensitivity. You cannot afford to fill your minds with unworthy music."
Similarly to being selective with what we surround ourselves with, we need to take care in the way we act and present ourselves so that by our actions we invite the Spirit to be with us always.
"Servants of the Lord have always counseled us to dress appropriately to show respect for our Heavenly Father and for ourselves. The way you dress sends messages about yourself to others and often influences the way you and others act. Dress in such a way as to bring out the best in yourself and those around you.
How you speak and the words you use tell much about the image you choose to portray. Use language to build and uplift those around you. Profane, vulgar, or crude language and inappropriate or off-color jokes are offensive to the Lord. Never misuse the name of God or Jesus Christ. The Lord said, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”"
Doing these things will prepare us to receive blessings that come from heeding the promptings of the Spirit. The ultimate goal we are preparing for of course is eternal life and exaltation. There is no complicated formula to obtain eternal life and exaltation. The Gospel itself is simple, and in fact we return to the “Sunday School answers” to know how to prepare for the blessings of exaltation. It becomes a matter of gaining a testimony of what we are taught and then putting into action the principles we know to be true!
Scripture Study
One “Sunday school answer” that will prepare us for eternal life is diligent scripture study.
President Spencer W. Kimball said: “I find that when I get casual in my relationships with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far, far away. If I immerse myself in the scriptures the distance narrows and the spirituality returns” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 135). Prayer
Another “Sunday school answer” is sincere and regular prayer. As president Monson stated, “Prayer is the passport to spiritual power”(Thomas S. Monson Ensign, Nov. 1990 p.47).
Elder Hales further explained how we must prepare:
“...Get on your knees each day and express to God the desires of your heart. He is the source of all wisdom and will give you answers to your prayers. Be humble and willing to listen to the whisperings of the Spirit. Read the scriptures daily. Strengthen your testimony. Pay tithes and fast offerings. Remember and keep the covenants you made when you were baptized, and renew those covenants each week when you partake of the sacrament. Keeping your baptismal covenants now will help you prepare for the temple covenants you will make in the future... By fulfilling your duty to God, you will bring blessings not only to your own life but to the lives of others.”Robert D. Hales, “Fulfilling Our Duty to God,” Ensign, Nov 2001, 38
When we read the scriptures and pray regularly, we are blessed by being fortified against temptation, sadness, and despair in the face of adversity, and we receive comfort and strength.
Temple Preparation
“Because a temple is sacred, the Lord asks that it be protected from desecration. Anyone may enter who is willing to prepare well for that privilege...We prepare physically, intellectually, and spiritually. Eligibility is determined individually for each person applying for a recommend... How do you prepare for a temple recommend? ...The requirements are simple. Succinctly stated, an individual is required to keep the commandments of Him whose house it is. He has set the standards. We enter the temple as His guests.
Service in the temple brings blessings to us in this life as well as in eternity. Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that “temple work is not an escape from the world but a reinforcing of our need to better the world while preparing ourselves for another and far better world. Thus, being in the Lord’s house can help us to be different from the world in order to make more difference in the world.”
If we are true and faithful in this life, we may obtain eternal life. Immortality is to live forever. Eternal life means more than simply being immortal. Eternal life is to gain exaltation in the highest heaven and live in the family unit. God declared that His grand mission statement—“my work and my glory”—is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” His gift of immortality is unconditional—a free gift of salvation to all humankind. The possibility of eternal life—even exaltation—is available to us through our obedience to covenants made and ordinances received in holy temples of God.
Russell M. Nelson, “Prepare for Blessings of the Temple,” Ensign, Mar 2002, 17
Obeying the Commandments
Obeying the commandments can certainly be considered preparation.
D&C 78:7 For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you.
Service
President Monson also states that we can obtain spiritual strength by giving selfless service. He relates a story....
(Paraphrase the following story):
“Spiritual strength frequently comes through selfless service. Some years ago I visited what was then called the California Mission, where I interviewed a young missionary from Georgia. I recall saying to him, “Do you send a letter home to your parents every week?”He replied, “Yes, Brother Monson.”
Then I asked, “Do you enjoy receiving letters from home?”
He didn’t answer. At length I inquired, “When was the last time you had a letter from home?”
With a quavering voice, he responded, “I’ve never had a letter from home. Father’s just a deacon, and Mother’s not a member of the Church. They pleaded with me not to come. They said that if I left on a mission, they would not be writing to me. What shall I do, Brother Monson?”
I offered a silent prayer to my Heavenly Father: “What should I tell this young servant of Thine, who has sacrificed everything to serve Thee?” And the inspiration came. I said, “Elder, you send a letter home to your mother and father every week of your mission. Tell them what you are doing. Tell them how much you love them and then bear your testimony to them.”
He asked, “Will they then write to me?”
I responded, “Then they will write to you.”
We parted and I went on my way. Months later I was attending a stake conference in Southern California when a young missionary came up to me and said, “Brother Monson, do you remember me? I’m the missionary who had not received a letter from my mother or my father during my first nine months in the mission field. You told me, ‘Send a letter home every week, Elder, and your parents will write to you.’” Then he asked, “Do you remember that promise, Elder Monson?”
I remembered. I inquired, “Have you heard from your parents?”
He reached into his pocket and took out a sheaf of letters with an elastic band around them, took a letter from the top of the stack, and said, “Have I heard from my parents! Listen to this letter from my mother: ‘Son, we so much enjoy your letters. We’re proud of you, our missionary. Guess what? Dad has been ordained a priest. He’s preparing to baptize me. I’m meeting with the missionaries; and one year from now we want to come to California as you complete your mission, for we, with you, would like to become a forever family by entering the temple of the Lord.’” This young missionary asked, “Brother Monson, does Heavenly Father always answer prayers and fulfill Apostles’ promises?”
I replied, “When one has faith as you have demonstrated, our Heavenly Father hears such prayers and answers in His own way.”
Clean hands, a pure heart, and a willing mind had touched heaven. A blessing, heaven-sent, had answered the fervent prayer of a missionary’s humble heart.”
Don't Procrastinate!
Alma 34:32 For behold, this alife is the time for men to bprepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of cthis life is the day for men to perform their dlabors. 33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many awitnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not bprocrastinate the day of your crepentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the dnight of edarkness wherein there can be no labor performed.
Ponder this Question: What can you change in your own life to become more prepared to meet God?
My hope is that you will leave Relief Society today not feeling overwhelmed by all the different things we talked about today but that you will be able to ponder what things you can do in your own life to feel more prepared to meet God, and have a good idea of specific things that will help you with your own preparation.
I have a testimony of this Gospel and I know that when we put forth the effort to obey Heavenly Father's commandments, and we prepare ourselves both temporally and spiritually, that we will be blessed, and be able to bless the lives of others. I have a testimony that Heavenly Father knows each of us personally, and he is aware of what goes on in our lives, and He will guide us and assist us when we need help.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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