"Rise up, O men of God! Have done with lesser things." This hymn was recently sung during the Priesthood session of General Conference. It stirred my heart, and I wrote down the following question for myself: What are the "lesser things" I should put away that I might effectively "rise up" as a man of God? Today, the Spirit helped me identify one of those lesser things.
I realized today that I spend excessive amounts of time in online activities. Most of the time I waste online is spent playing Settlers of Catan, browsing Facebook, reconciling my bank account, searching for recipes, and watching YouTube videos. While none of these are spiritually damaging activities, they take time away from things that matter most.
Joseph Smith, Lehi, Nephi, and many other prophets received visions and revelation during their personal time because they didn't spend it idly. They instead used spare time to draw nearer to God. As I studied my scriptures this morning, the Spirit reminded me of rich spiritual moments that I have experienced while seeking to know the mysteries of God. I'm excited to recommit myself to a more diligent feasting on the word of God because I'm confident there are more of those "mountain-top" spiritual experiences to be had.
I will no longer play online games. If I have time to spend alone, I shouldn't be wasting it. I will instead use spare time to "seek out of the best books words of wisdom".
I will no longer browse Facebook for leisure. I will only log onto Facebook only after my study, and I will do so to share what I learned.
I will also stop spending excessive amounts of time reconciling my bank account, searching for recipes, and watching YouTube videos. While these activities may continue, I will seek the Spirit's help in identifying "wasted" time and reminding me to use my time more wisely.
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2 comments:
Wow - I feel the same about the internet, it can be a complete time waster, and I don't really see a purpose to FB except to read how great everyone pretends their lives are, but I do like to keep up with family who is far away from me (the only reason I haven't cancelled my fb account MANY times) but the internet is also a great resource for many things.... I love looking for recipes, getting ideas on ways to improve my home, activities to do with my kids, ways to save money, etc. I save time and stress by shopping online, so I don't have to drag everyone to the store. There are many benefits.... and there's nothing wrong with balancing your check book.
I guess it goes back to all things in moderation. Are you on when you could be spending time with your family, reading to the kids, etc. I guess it's a very personal thing.... but a good reminder that I'm sure we could ALL use less time "plugged in". Elder Bednar wrote a great article about all this.... I'm sure you've read it.
Great thoughts Ian....and Megan.
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