Prayerfully communicating with the Lord on how we can be more careful in our gospel worship leads to lasting happiness.
As I finish my senior year in college, life feels overwhelmingly busy. A few months ago, I was juggling jobs, classes, assignments, applications, and everything in between, and prioritizing gospel activities became difficult for me. I tried to always remember to study the scriptures, pray, minister, and attend the temple, but because these activities were not intentional priorities, they tended to stay near the end of my to-do list.
As a result, I began to notice a shift in the sense of fulfillment I once felt in my life. In her general conference talk “Careful versus Casual,” Sister Becky Craven shares that “deep and lasting happiness comes by intentionally and carefully living the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Because the busyness of my schedule led me to make casual choices concerning the gospel, I was unknowingly straying away from lasting happiness.
Sister Craven reminds us that while we shouldn’t expect to be perfect, we do need to strive to be worthy. She invites us to listen to the voice of the Holy Ghost to know what adjustments we need to make in our lives to become more careful in our worship. Everyone will need to make different changes, and the Spirit will individually illuminate our paths.
I followed her invitation and sought the Spirit’s guidance as I reflected on my personal worship. I prayerfully communicated with God about the changes that should be made in my life. As I acted on impressions I received from the Spirit, I began to experience the peace that comes by choosing to follow the Savior on his covenant path. I was filled with an assurance that the gospel is what brings eternal blessings and happiness.
While it is not wrong to wholeheartedly engage in school, work, and other responsibilities, we should not allow these things to replace our gospel worship. Trying to find lasting joy in temporal means is insufficient; it simply cannot bring us the eternal happiness the Lord offers us through his gospel. The Lord will be with us every step of the way and help us obtain this happiness as we choose to be more careful in our gospel worship.
Discover more ways to be attentive in your gospel worship by reading the general conference address “Careful versus Casual” by Sister Becky Craven.
Source: General Conference
—Aundrea Esplin, Latter-day Saint Insights
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Read the general conference talk “My Love for the Savior Is My ‘Why’” given by Elder Ricardo P. Giménez to learn about how to show our love for the Savior through our goals and activities.
Take a look at the general conference talk “True Disciples of the Savior” by Elder Terence M. Vinson to understand how to build our lives around the Savior.