Seek for the things of a better world- LDS Blogs

Every so often, while reading along in my scriptures, I find a verse that really talks to me. This particular scripture comes from modern revelation (modern meaning post 1880 A.D.) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) published a collection of revelations from God which were given to Joseph Smith between 1820 and 1846. He is the first prophet of our modern dispensation and regarded these messages from God as important for the early members of the Church to read and ponder. This book of revelations is called The Doctrine and Covenants and is divided into sections. In section 25 verse 10, we read these profound words “And verily I say unto thee, that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world and seek for the things of a better.” This particular section was written for Emma Smith, Joseph’s wife. But as a people of God we can benefit from this message as well. The world is right in our faces telling us we need to make more money, buy more stuff, obtain more prestige. But would we really be happy if we attained all of this stuff and prestige? I don’t think so. We don’t need to compete with the Jones across the street. We don’t need to feel that we are better than others because of what we do or have.

There is always opposition pulling us down toward priorities which are less than favorable for a happy life. Remembering the messages of those passengers on the planes and towers during the 9-11 tragedy, we learn that families and those we love are what truly is important. How we treat others in our day to day living is ultimately what makes us better. Kindness many times is pushed aside and our selfish selves move ahead.

James Faust (LDS Church Leader) has said: “A poor man can be selfish and a rich man generous, but a person obsessed only with getting will have a hard time finding peace in this life.”

The decisions we make each day have an effect on us as well. From a BYU fireside in November of 2005, President Thomas Monson, LDS Church President, gave us these words of wisdom:

“That evil one too has placed road signs to frustrate your progress and to lead you from the path of truth into detours of sin. His detours all lead to a dead end. Have you noticed his markers?

Now we see coming into focus the responsibility to choose, that inevitable crisis at the crossroads of life. He who would lead you down waits patiently for a dark night, a wavering will, a confused conscience, a mixed-up mind. Are you prepared to make the decisions at the crossroads?

I can’t stress too strongly that decisions determine destiny. You can’t make eternal decisions without eternal consequences.”

A good example of this was shown to me as a teacher. Recently I had the chance to help in a classroom with students who were abused or simply chose not to behave. After a long line of suspensions and expelling from their base school this classroom was their last chance at success. For the most part these teens came from dysfunctional families where their parents were either in jail or didn’t care about them. Both the teacher and the aid had to help them understand that they had to make good decisions to be successful. It was measured in fifteen minute increments as they were marked on their behavior in a report. This was teaching them in baby steps how each decision they make builds on the next one.

Regardless of what had happened to them in their life, they knew they had to be successful in these baby steps to improve their life and eventually work their way out of this classroom. It was very structured and most of them didn’t like it. Those who were successful had to do their school work, treat others kindly and prove that they could handle responsibility. I tried to teach them that being kind to each other was important and if they wanted to be treated well, they had to treat others well too. It was such a basic, easy concept for most anyone to understand but by the end of my time with them, some students just didn’t get it or they didn’t think it was worth the effort. It’s a sad commentary for those who have not been taught to be kind or to decide to live a better life.

Let us follow the Lord’s counsel and seek for the things of a better world. Inspiring ourselves to live unselfishly can help us find peace. It will take a thousand tiny, daily decisions. We may not like it- like those kids didn’t like it. But in the end it will be worth it. And we will be able to stand proudly at that last day knowing we followed the Lord, and weren’t distracted by the Adversary’s road signs.

About Valerie Steimle
Valerie Steimle has been writing as a family advocate for over 25 years. As a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she promotes Christian living in her writings and is the mother of nine children and grandmother to twelve. Mrs. Steimle authored six books and is a contributing writer to several online websites. To her, time is the most precious commodity we have and knows we should spend it wisely. To read more of Valerie's work, visit her at her website, The Blessings of Family Life.