Today in Relief Society, we had a wonderful lesson on President Uchtdorf's talk from this past General Conference entitled "Of Regrets and Resolutions." The link to the talk can be found here. This is a talk that I have read often since it was given.
In the first part of the talk, he discusses regrets. He recounts a conversation with a nurse who often treats patients who are terminally ill and on the brink between this life and the next. She often asks them if they have any regrets. There are a few common answers that patients give. The first is that they wish they would have spent more time with their loved ones. I started to think about all of the people in my life that I love. My family were the first people that came to mind. They are everything to me; my best friends, my confidantes, my cheerleaders, my eternal family. The distance between us is no excuse for me to not show them how important they are to me. I make time to talk with them on the phone, text them, write letters, and Skype on Sundays. I know I'm not perfect in this regard, but I do my best! I also thought of my friends. I don't know what I would do without them, especially my friends at BYU. They've become my family away from home! Making those we love a priority in ourlives is crucial. They are what matters most!
Another common regret is not living up to one's full potential. Heavenly Father sent each one of us here to Earth with a mission and a purpose. If we trust in him, he will let us know what our purpose is here. That is so comforting to me, as I am in the midst of making a pretty big decision right now. I am trying to decide whether or not serving a mission is part of the Lord's plan for me. I know in my heart that I want more than anything to be a wife and a mother. What I am trying to figure out is if the Lord needs me to stay here at BYU and work towards that goal, or serve a mission first. I know that in his own time and in his own way he will answer my prayers, because he truly does have a plan. I love what President Uchtdorf said about this. "Let us resolve to follow the Savior and work with diligence to become the person we were designed to become. Let us listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. As we do so, Heavenly Father will reveal to us things we never knew about ourselves. He will illuminate the path ahead and open our eyes to see our unknown and perhaps unimagined talents."
President Uchtdorf challenged each of us to resolve to be happy now. He said, "The older we get, the more we look back and realize that external circumstances don't really matter or determine our happiness. We do matter. We determine our happiness." Sometimes it is so easy to let life and all of the challenges that it brings get us down. Life was never meant to be easy. The Lord sent us to Earth to be tested and tried. However, he did not send us here to be miserable. In fact, it's quite the opposite. He sent us here to experience joy. He wants us to be happy. That is why he has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Atonement, and the ability to pray, so that we can seek guidance in our trials and find happiness along the journey that is this mortal life. We must all apply President Uchtdorf's profound advice, "I pray that we will not wait until we are ready to die before we truly learn to live."
In the first part of the talk, he discusses regrets. He recounts a conversation with a nurse who often treats patients who are terminally ill and on the brink between this life and the next. She often asks them if they have any regrets. There are a few common answers that patients give. The first is that they wish they would have spent more time with their loved ones. I started to think about all of the people in my life that I love. My family were the first people that came to mind. They are everything to me; my best friends, my confidantes, my cheerleaders, my eternal family. The distance between us is no excuse for me to not show them how important they are to me. I make time to talk with them on the phone, text them, write letters, and Skype on Sundays. I know I'm not perfect in this regard, but I do my best! I also thought of my friends. I don't know what I would do without them, especially my friends at BYU. They've become my family away from home! Making those we love a priority in ourlives is crucial. They are what matters most!
Another common regret is not living up to one's full potential. Heavenly Father sent each one of us here to Earth with a mission and a purpose. If we trust in him, he will let us know what our purpose is here. That is so comforting to me, as I am in the midst of making a pretty big decision right now. I am trying to decide whether or not serving a mission is part of the Lord's plan for me. I know in my heart that I want more than anything to be a wife and a mother. What I am trying to figure out is if the Lord needs me to stay here at BYU and work towards that goal, or serve a mission first. I know that in his own time and in his own way he will answer my prayers, because he truly does have a plan. I love what President Uchtdorf said about this. "Let us resolve to follow the Savior and work with diligence to become the person we were designed to become. Let us listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. As we do so, Heavenly Father will reveal to us things we never knew about ourselves. He will illuminate the path ahead and open our eyes to see our unknown and perhaps unimagined talents."
President Uchtdorf challenged each of us to resolve to be happy now. He said, "The older we get, the more we look back and realize that external circumstances don't really matter or determine our happiness. We do matter. We determine our happiness." Sometimes it is so easy to let life and all of the challenges that it brings get us down. Life was never meant to be easy. The Lord sent us to Earth to be tested and tried. However, he did not send us here to be miserable. In fact, it's quite the opposite. He sent us here to experience joy. He wants us to be happy. That is why he has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Atonement, and the ability to pray, so that we can seek guidance in our trials and find happiness along the journey that is this mortal life. We must all apply President Uchtdorf's profound advice, "I pray that we will not wait until we are ready to die before we truly learn to live."
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