Tonight I was blessed to be able to go to the CES fireside given by Elder Ballard. I haven't gone to the last few CES firesides for one reason or another but its seniors week for high schools students to come visit the Singles branch and my little sister is a senior so I thought it was a great time to go.
Elder Ballard was a joy to listen to. I got a kick out of him saying they were broadcasting from San Fransisco, when really it was San Diego. All of his little jokes were pretty funny but his talk really got to me.
When he first started out by talking about the leaders of the church and how they actually do not live under rocks. They actually do know what goes on in the world, they travel from some of the most rich places in the world to the most poor parts of the world to give aid and meet with other leaders. They live more of a life than most people get to, by serving the Lord. He also spoke about how their age is a benefit to us. As a group each person in the quorum have lived through many difficulties in their lives. They have dealt with many of the same trials we have to go through everyday and their wisdom and experience is there to help us.
Then he started to speak about technology. I was slightly offended by his words and talking about how many people spend way too much time on their smart phones and tablets and such. Then I remembered this scripture from 1 Nephi 16:2 "And it came to pass that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things
against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I
justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day;
wherefore, the guilty taketh the ctruth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center." So obviously I am guilty in this department so I decided I probably should listen to what he had to say.
I loved that he did say that we should use technology for good. I have to agree. Technology helps to get things out to people all over the world that normally could never get the chance to hear what you have to say. Most of the social media he mentioned I use daily. I had to think if I was using them for good though. Sadly I was not so much. Not that I post inappropriate on these pages but I usually complain about things and what good does complaining do? Not very much. This has shown me to post things that are only good. Even though things are not always so peachy you can always look for the silver lining.
When he started to compare modern days to the days of ancient prophets and the days of Joseph Smith and the differences between them. They were able to look at the night sky every night, now days that is not always possible. Not that we can change that but things do change and the world is not the same as it was only 200 years ago. Their days and nights were quiet making it much easier to find peace and time to meditate in silence. They were able to enjoy solitude that now days is such a rare thing. As he talked about this I thought about this last week when my job took me to some ponds to watch over a fishing class. I was only a few miles away from subdivisions and could see the nearby church from where I was but being in such a place of nature gave me a little solitude to think about things a little bit. I wasn't able to rely on my phone to keep me company because my battery was pretty much dead and thought it was best to save the last of the juice just in case of an emergency. Since I did not know many of the people there I ended up by my self. I actually enjoyed it. I was able to see animals I had never seen before and had the ability to listen to my own thoughts with minimal distractions. I was entertained by meditaion and quiet time. As I get to continue to watch over this fishing class I am looking forward to enjoying the time away form the world. Even The Savior took time out of his life to go alone and pray and meditate.
When Elder Ballard said something about making our technology be our servants and not letting them be our masters. I wanted to like clap for him, but that may have been inappropriate for a devotional, but he is so right! We have so many apps and games, and everything else that grabs our attention and we are on them so much. They are things that are not really that necessary. I am so guilty of this. I am always checking twitter, Facebook, and instagram. Yet I am not talking to anyone. I can be in the same room as Nixxon, my mom, or someone else and not even talking to someone there. I am too busy looking and reading about things that probably are not going to help me in the future. Bonding with those who I spend so much time with is so much more beneficial to me. Nixxon is growing up so fast and it scares me to think about how much I have missed and what I can continue to miss by spending more time with people who are not within miles of me rather than my own daughter. Him talking about all of the time spent has really made me want to dramatically cut down on my time on these kinds of things.
Then he started to talk about being on these devices during church. I have to say I am kinda guilty of this also. I usually do pretty good until someone sends me a text and honestly they are sitting a seat in front of me so I feel the need to respond or else they will get mad at me. I really should only use my phone for scriptures and hymn book during the sacrament meeting. Then when the Sacrament is being given putting my phone away for those few minutes and actually thinking about the Savior and the Atonement. The Savior gave it all for me, why cant I give up my phone for those few minutes to think of his sacrifice and pray about it? I will definitely be using my phone so much more differently now on during church.
He then hit me again when he started talking about going to the temple. I have not been in the temple since I was probably 15 years old and was doing baptisms for the dead with my ward. I started to think about how much I loved doing baptisms for the dead, and the feelings and comfort I had while doing them. I have lately been thinking about going through the temple and taking out my endowments if its possible but I do not feel like it is the right time. I am worthy for a temple recommend though and I think soon I need to actually get an interview to get mine again and make time to go to the temple and perform baptisms. I look forward to the day that I can do this and feel the comfort and blessing the temple has to offer. Until then I may be taking his advice and simply visiting the temple grounds. I let my mind wander and thought it would actually be a pretty cool date if a guy took me to do baptisms one day. I was pulled back into the talk when he started to say that Satan wants to keep us as far away from the temple as possible because it is the Lords house. I cant wait to get back to the temple and hear the still small voice of the Lord and get answers to the prayers that I say.
Then he started to talk about the war, the war we have been in since the pre-mortal existence. He said that we need to put the whole armor of God NOW. It is not a time to stand and watch others fight the war, but we need to do it now and not wait any longer.
Then he started to talk about the plague of pornography. This is often such an awkward topic for people but it a much needed topic to be talked about. It is such a dangerous thing to get tangled up in and it seems to be more common than ever. I have had close friends deal with this kind of addiction and the only way they could get over it was to get professional help. I loved how Elder Ballard talked about it like it is tobacco and how the Lord gave us the Word of Wisdom to protect us, and how we all know the negative effects of tobacco use now because of scientific test done in the last 50 years or so. He said that we don't have to wait years to find results of the effects of the use of pornography. It is such a nasty habit that can ruin relationships with family, friends and spouses. He used the word "crippled" and said something about it brings on obsessive behaviors and rewires how we think. When he said this I thought of something I had been told either in my psychology class or somewhere that many serial killers and rapists first started off with an addiction to pornography and it slowly became not good enough so other acts had to take over that slowly ended up in killing or raping. It is such a scary thing to think about. He talked about how its a secret activity and how that it makes them do things that they are not proud of and causes things like depression, anxiety and low self esteem. He talked about how it tears apart families. I have had people confide in me about their addiction to pornography and when those they cared about found out about it how much it heart them. The friends who have talked to me about this often say it was not something they meant to get into but some how it wedged itself into their live and slowly took over their thoughts and actions. He said that if this is something you have to deal with that it is the time to get help with now.
I remembered my process of repentance after I found out I was pregnant. It was absolutely terrifying to walk into the bishops office and tell him things I was too ashamed to tell my own parents, but once I did I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and that I had literally taken the first step on the road to redemption. Even though I was confessing something other than pornography I can only imagine the feelings and guilt are quite similar. I hope Elder Ballards talk inspired at least a few people to get the help they so desperately are looking for and themselves can take a step on the path to redemption.
The last thing he spoke about is such a touchy subject lately. He wanted to talk about marriage and the same sex marriage debate that is such a hot topic lately. I was able to pull more out of this than just what he was talking about. When he mentioned The Family A Proclamation To The World and how children should be born into a family of a mother and a father who are married, I couldn't help but to tear up a little. Yes I have failed on that, but I am working on making that possible for my little girl who does deserve an eternal family. I can only hope that the way I live my life and they way I have chosen to do with Nixxon help me to make it up and give her an eternal family with a loving father someday.
When he really got into the same sex marriage/ attraction part of his talk I thought he handled the topic well. It is a very touchy subject for many people. I really liked how he said something about those who promote same sex marriage have the right to but so do those who oppose it. I myself do not support same sex marriage, but just because I do not support it does not mean that I think of less of those who choose not to believe the way I do. I do not love them any less because they are still a Child of God. I will stand for the Lords plan for happiness, but I will not judge those who do not live the way I do. I am not perfect so who I am to judge? I have talked to those who are okay with same sex marriage and they often say they don't understand the churches stand on it because it is not a choice to be attracted to the same sex. Elder Ballard nailed it by saying that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints understands that is not a choice, but acting upon it is. I can't imagine the amount of stress and hardships of those who have to deal with this. I can only imagine those who have to deal with that attraction, but fight the want to act on it will be oh so rewarded for their choice to be faithful in the words of the Lord. I am so glad that he said that we should not shun or act unChrist-like to those who feel differently. Loving them and being Christlike is the best way to handle those situations.
He also had a quick comment about those who do abuse their families and fail to take on the responsibility of their families will be held accountable for that one day. I could help but to think of the many kids who their parents abuse them or neglect them, and it breaks my heart. Just because they may not be punished for what they have done in this life, that one day they will.
I took so much from this talk and hope that I can continue to remember the things that I felt and that I want to change in my life from this talk. I am so blessed that I get to hear the words of one of the Lords faithful servants today and they are so in-tune with what so many of us need to hear to make our lives better and strengthen their relationship with God.
