Of Things That Matter Most

This last SUNDAY i had the privilege to teach Relief Society.  This, by the way, is my first time teaching in an actual lesson setting.  You could say I was a little nervous.  Luckily my lovely sister Brittany was up visiting and I don't know a better person to help me prepare.  My lesson was on the talk by Elder Uchtdorf called "Of Things That Matter Most"... for those of you who HAVEN'T read or heard that talk...I recommend it. 

                                                       So in the midst of my day of planning my lesson I ALSO had to study for a CHEM TEST (which i was nowhere near prepared for), and make homemade pizzas for "family dinner".  It was one of those days where I felt like there weren't enough hours in the day to get everything done that I needed to finish.  I felt like I could never take a breath...

"One of the characteristics of modern life seems to be that we are moving at an ever-increasing rate, regardless of turbulence or obstacles.

Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives." 

All day long I kept thinking to myself ....I am not even following the counsel given in this talk. I need to SLOW DOWN! I was rushing, I was overloading my plate.. so that night after my lesson went smoothly, homemade pizzas were a huge hit, and I had studied chemistry and felt prepared for it MIRACULOUSLY I climbed in bed with knots in my head from my rushed day so i pulled out my phone to shoot bryce a quick e-mail... get it off my mind and send it off to him :).  If he was here i would have dialed his number and talked so the e-mail was the next best thing.  I basically vented for a couple paragraphs and thank goodness his p-day is Monday so that next morning after my chem test i got a response...

so aubri i love you and don't you worry when i get home i will "help you study"
haha you know what that mean haha but no aubri about the talk thing about
setting time aside for yourself don't worry about that think about it when you
were preparing your lesson you learned a lot about the gospel right there and
when you where making the pizza stuff you where making it so you could go
to a dinner night and hangout with your friend and that they could enjoy the
great cooking you made haha but ya just think about that just because you don't like do other stuff you always have time to yourself

This boy-if you don't know him I feel bad for you.  And if you know him I'm sure that you can see just from this short paragraph-how much he has changed and grown.  He wouldn't have known to say that before he left but now-made me feel so much better. and it turns out .. 100% on my chem test! like for real?! that's possible in college? so I'm sorry my posts always turn to Bryce.  When I write about my feelings.. He just comes to my fingertips onto the keyboard.  I try not to overload my friends by talking about him 24/7.. so I tend to overload my blog.  so here.... my favorite section of Uchtdorf's talk. It is pretty incredible.

First, our relationship with God is most sacred and vital. We are His spirit children. He is our Father. He desires our happiness. As we seek Him, as we learn of His Son, Jesus Christ, as we open our hearts to the influence of the Holy Spirit, our lives become more stable and secure. We experience greater peace, joy, and fulfillment as we give our best to live according to God’s eternal plan and keep His commandments.

We improve our relationship with our Heavenly Father by learning of Him, by communing with Him, by repenting of our sins, and by actively following Jesus Christ, for “no man cometh unto the Father, but by [Christ].” ¹⁰ To strengthen our relationship with God, we need some meaningful time alone with Him. Quietly focusing on daily personal prayer and scripture study, always aiming to be worthy of a current temple recommend—these will be some wise investments of our time and efforts to draw closer to our Heavenly Father. Let us heed the invitation in Psalms: “Be still, and know that I am God.” ¹¹

Our second key relationship is with our families. Since “no other success can compensate for failure” ¹² here, we must place high priority on our families. We build deep and loving family relationships by doing simple things together, like family dinner and family home evening and by just having fun together. In family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time. Taking time for each other is the key for harmony at home. We talk with, rather than about, each other. We learn from each other, and we appreciate our differences as well as our commonalities. We establish a divine bond with each other as we approach God together through family prayer, gospel study, and Sunday worship.
                       

The third key relationship we have is with our fellowman. We build this relationship one person at a time—by being sensitive to the needs of others, serving them, and giving of our time and talents. I was deeply impressed by one sister who was burdened with the challenges of age and illness but decided that although she couldn’t do much, she could listen. And so each week she watched for people who looked troubled or discouraged, and she spent time with them, listening. What a blessing she was in the lives of so many people.

The fourth key relationship is with ourselves. It may seem odd to think of having a relationship with ourselves, but we do. Some people can’t get along with themselves. They criticize and belittle themselves all day long until they begin to hate themselves. May I suggest that you reduce the rush and take a little extra time to get to know yourself better. Walk in nature, watch a sunrise, enjoy God’s creations, ponder the truths of the restored gospel, and find out what they mean for you personally. Learn to see yourself as Heavenly Father sees you—as His precious daughter or son with divine potential.

whether you are religious or not... this should hit you... this is how simple the gospel is... this is how simple life is! we need to stop complicating things! I'm so grateful for the people in my life and for the relationships that I have.