Relief Society

I went to the General Relief Society Broadcast on Saturday with my mom. It's one of those meetings I never like to miss. There's something powerful about knowing that you're part of a worldwide organization whose primary purpose is to do good; and knowing that women the world over are gathered together at that very moment in that common cause. As we sat singing the opening song, "There is Sunshine in My Soul," a capella (there was a technical difficulty with the sound transmission for a few minutes) I was touched by the realization of how much good we can do collectively as we each try to bless lives individually. My eyes watered, I choked up, and I couldn't sing the words, "Jesus listening can hear the songs I cannot sing." I sobbed and chuckled simultaneously at the irony of the words at that moment.

I left the meeting with renewed efforts to do more; not necessarily to do grand and extravagant things, but to something little, but meaningful every day. Because I believe the little things really matter.

At every meeting like this, there always seems to be one thing said that seems to have been said just for me. Julie Beck, the General Relief Society President said this, quoting President Deiter F. Uchdorf:

“A wise man once distinguished between the noble art of getting things done and the nobler art of leaving things undone. True wisdom in life consists in the elimination of non-essentials. What are the non-essential things that clutter your days and steal your time? What are the habits you may have developed that do not serve a useful purpose? What are the unfinished or un-started things that could add vigor, meaning, and joy to your life?”

I haven't finished thinking it through yet. I'm going to go print the quote off so I can stare at in for a few days. Since school started I've been running crazy trying to get everything done; but sometimes the faster I run the more complicated family life becomes. It's a gentle reminder that in family life efficient is not always effective, and that often less is more.

It brings me back to this quote from Dallin H. Oaks, which forever changed my perspective of the purpose of life:

"The prophet Nephi describes the Final Judgment in terms of what we have become. . .From such teachings we conclude that the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become."

The principle here is to do less of what doesn't matter, do those things that do matter with more sincerity, letting them seep through to our souls, to change our very nature.