“A prophet of God has said: ‘Men are that they might have joy’—a joy that includes a fullness of life, a life dedicated to service, to love and harmony in the home, and the fruits of honest toil—an acceptance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—of its requirements and commandments.
“Only in these will you find true happiness, the happiness which doesn’t fade with the lights and the music and the crowds.” 1
This last sentence really brings to mind the student life style. Students are supposedly happy when they are out, dancing to loud music, meeting the opposite sex, sitting in pubs (enjoying the 'atmosphere'). But that sort of happiness fades.
Recently, I've felt sort of dissatisfied. I haven't given priority to the things that really matter, and have paid much more attention to temporal matters. Elder Christofferson says that a consecrated life is a pure life, a life of labour.
I am a student, and have written off sleeping till ten or later every day, or skipping meals in favour of candy, or just being lazy (or out until early morning on school nights), off to the fact that these are my student years, my best years. But it feels empty. I don't feel my best.
I am endeavouring to change all of this. I recently learned from a close friend what a missionary schedule is like. This is something I want to emulate. So, I am going to wake up at 6:30 and do spiritual things for the first 40 minutes of my day. I was meant to start that today, but I'm afraid that didn't work out quite as planned. But I did wake up at 8:30 (albeit, because the plumber called), and I got up and have been pretty productive. I have the teensiest washer imaginable, and almost all of my clothing is dirty. I'm fairly certain I have at least eight loads or something ridiculous to do before my laundry is finished. But I'll take 8:30 as progress, and get up at 6:30 tomorrow.
The recent world events (namely, earthquakes EVERYWHERE), has also got me thinking of my own mortality. That coupled with a lie I discovered someone told me yesterday, has me thinking, that if I were to die today, or tomorrow, there are some things that I have on my conscience that only my own hubris has prevented me from setting right. Discovering the evidence of the lie I was told, something I had taken for truth, really washed away pride that I have for things that are truly so insignificant. So what did I do? I emailed everyone I had been dishonest to about something silly years and years ago. So far the responses have been comical, and just pleasant. As for the person who lied to me, I felt sick about it. But I'm thankful that it inspired me to straighten out even one small area of my life. And, I can't judge this person.
"Hypocrisy is terribly destructive...It is faith destroying, whereas honor is the rich soil in which the seed of faith thrives."
I can empathise, and only hope that they will approach me one day with the truth.
I guess the lesson I've learned here is: don't let the little things stand in the way of the bigger picture. And forgive those who do.
Oh, and I've cancelled Facebook for awhile. Its standing in my way towards time management!
