Tag Archive for: Time

Fleeting Visit

Yesterday, I had the briefest of opportunities to meet up with one of our returned missionaries Libby Wilcox, whilst she was visiting in Scotland for a couple of days with her mum and sisters.
It was the first of what I’m sure will be many visits from our missionaries who we served with in Belgium and the Netherlands.
We kept our visit simple. We only had 2 hours!
It was great fun to reminisce.
Visiting the Wallace Monument in Stirling and chatting over lunch, was special.

Life

We shared a few life updates.
Sharing feelings about our stories together was memorable.
But just being able to be close and hold tightly to those who matter most, was best of all.
Life is one of those precious fleeting gifts, and everything can change in a heartbeat.
It really helps to slow things down.
Simplify things.
Enjoy the moment.
Take one step, one piece, one chunk, one bite at a time.
And remember, loving one another is so supremely important.
“๐‘ญ๐’๐’†๐’†๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ” – something that happens really fast, or something that doesnโ€™t last as long as youโ€™d like.
Hans Christian Andersen, a great story writer, said this: โ€œTime is so fleeting that if we do not remember God in our youth, age may find us incapable of thinking of him.โ€
And in the Book of Mormon, the Prophet Alma said: “… learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God. ” Alma: 37:35.
Working with 300+ youthful (18 โ€“ 26 year old) missionaries has taught me that we have to be present and always enjoy the moments we have together, as life is fleeting.
In hindsight, I can so relate to Jacob 7:26 โ€œ…the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dreamโ€ฆโ€
Jacob describes the fleeting moments and hours of our life so well.
Moments simply blend into hours, hours into days, days into years, years into decades.
Being with Libby yesterday, was real, I know it wasnโ€™t a dream.
How can you slow down those fleeting moments today?

Life is a Book

Life is a book made up of days;
Each one of us writes one;
Its opened when we come to earth
And closed when life is done.
No pen but ours ere touches it,
In our own way we write,
Whether we fall or we succeed,
Turns with the page at night.
And there is no erasing it
To add or take away,
The yesterday’s account is closed,
Sealed within white or grey.
The morning gives another sheet
That’s broad and very white,
And oh, how glorious to have
Another chance to write!
No bad is there too small to show,
No good that’s ever lost,
All that we do goes into Life’s Book
In black and white embossed.
– Zelda Davis Howard

Time Heals

Our time on earth is limited, yet the things to be done with our time are limitless.
Itโ€™s been six months today, since I broke my collar bone playing silly games at Zone Conference in Breda.
Actually, it feels just like yesterdayโ€ฆ
That time has come and gone.
Physical tests come to us because of our mortality.
Iโ€™d never broken any bones before, and that day I became aware of so many different things.
I discovered lots about new physical aches, discomfort and pain.
In the first few days, time passed slowly and each day I had many ups and downs.

Healing

At times, I literally had to ๐’๐’†๐’‚๐’ on others to help me.
The miracle of the human body is that it went to work and self-repaired itself.
Today, I have healed.
Healing happens through the process of living and taking action.
Yet, the timeline of healing is different for everyone, one day at a time.
We cannot save time.
We cannot call it back.
We cannot re-use it.
We simply spend time and then itโ€™s gone.
Yet, time does much โ€“ ๐’Š๐’• ๐’‰๐’†๐’‚๐’๐’” โ€“ it softens pain and sorrows too.

Enduring

We donโ€™t know what we can endure until we have to.
Yet there is one who truly endured all things.
It is through developing faith in Jesus Christ that accelerates and magnifies all healing.
He took upon Himself all โ€œour infirmitiesโ€ (see Alma 7:11-13/Luke 5:15) so that He can come to us โ€œwith healing in his wings.โ€ โ€“ 2 Nephi 25:13.
Jesus Christ always stands ready to save us from the pain and sorrows of our wounded souls, no matter how much time it may take.
He places His healing balm on our wounds and binds them up.
๐‘ณ๐’†๐’‚๐’ on ๐‡๐ข๐ฆ.
Jesus Christ heals all wounds, and He can heal yours too, through time in small and simple ways.
He has for me.
And He can for you too.

Maturity

I am a witness to the power of missionary service.
Serving in a foreign land, learning a new language and adjusting to a different culture makes a tremendous difference in the life of every young missionary.
Departing from home, they arrive in the mission with many childish characteristics and behaviours.
Itโ€™s time to grow up!
Time passes.
Change happens.
Far from home, they become adults.
โ€œWhen I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became an adult, I put away childish things ” (1 Cor. 13:11).
Unlike childlike, childish suggests irresponsibility, being self-centred and immature.
Each of us will not mature spiritually until we choose, as the Apostle Paul phrased it, to โ€œput away childish things.โ€
Missionary service is intense, demanding and frequently filled with hardship.
Yet, filled with a new purpose, each young man or woman, learns about being credible, reliable, accountable, disciplined and builds relationships of trust with God and others.
They develop their faith in God, they acquire wisdom through experience, they understand how to serve and love others.
They work hard, recognising that obedience, consistency, and endurance are all keys to success.
As they also learn to lead others, they must first master themselves and be steadfast in their service.
They choose to become Christlike and follow in His ways.
Over and over again, I watch each of them mature into adulthood.
How have you chosen to โ€œput away childish thingsโ€?

Conversation Buddies

At our recent zone conferences, we held a communication activity.
We created a safe space to talk out loud and recreate a companionship council.
It was fun to observe, as each missionary verbalised their thinking.
They each taught one another something they didnโ€™t know!
I noticed too, sometimes, we donโ€™t listen to each other at all.
We may speak at each other, or past each other, rather than with each other.
Part of the exercise was to learn how to talk with one another in honest and effective ways.
Communication is an essential part of daily life, itโ€™s like a lubricant for all our relationships.
Entering a conversation, we join with our own opinions, feelings, and experiences.
Conversations can hold immense power, create connection, and help us to grow.
With their conversation buddies, missionaries learned how to communicate more effectively, in turn leading to the need for some change.

Change

Change is hard.
Weโ€™re all human, and we all have our struggles, right?
Your biggest rival to change is most likely some internal obstacle that is going on in your head!
– A lack of confidence
– Laziness
– Procrastination
– Stubbornness
When we attempt to change, sometimes we may apply the wrong tactics.
Yet, daily, seemingly small decisions, can all add up to make a big difference.

Time

As I watch each missionary arrive at the start of their mission, over time, I see them develop, and change.
As each of them humbly turns to one another, and then ultimately turn to Jesus Christโ€™s great example, He increaseโ€™s their capacity to change.
Exercising their faith in Jesus Christ, it is only through Him, that they are all given the strength to make lasting changes in their lives.
He literally changes their hearts, because of His great love and empathy for the people He served.
He can and will do the same for each of us, as we accept His invitation to โ€œCome Follow Himโ€.
Week in, week out, I am a witness to many, who have experienced a โ€œchange of heartโ€ (Alma 5:26) as they learn more about divine communication.
Why not seek out a new conversation buddy, and speak with a missionary todayโ€ฆ
How can faith in Jesus Christ help you to change?

Tick Tock

๐“๐ข๐ฆ๐ž โ€“ itโ€™s always running out for someone.
My assistants and I regularly talk about time.
We plan with exactness each 6-week transfer, 42 days to be precise.
Often, we specify minutes for planned events.
Growing older, my notion of time is that it goes faster and faster.
In the mission, there is always someone running out of time.
It focuses minds on the present.
How a watch measures time and how we as humans perceive it, are seemingly quite different.
Our ancestors measured time in days, weeks, months, seasons, and years.
Unlike our ancestors, our measurement of time is different.
Today, we measure time in milliseconds, seconds, minutes, and hours.
Blink, and weeks have gone.

Hymn

I love these words penned by Robert Baird.
โ€œTime flies on wings of lightning;
We cannot call it back.
It comes, then passes forward
Along its onward track.
And if we are not mindful,
The chance will fade away,
For life is quick in passing.
โ€™Tis as a single day.โ€
(โ€œImprove the Shining Moments,โ€ Hymns, no. 226)
Time is lightning paced.
Each of us are stewards of our time.
Each day counts.

Today

Commenting on world conditions this week UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, โ€œOur world is becoming unhinged.โ€
In 2019, President Russell M. Nelson said, โ€œI plead with you who have distanced yourselves from the Church and with you who have not yet really sought to know that the Saviourโ€™s Church has been restored. Do the spiritual work to find out for yourselves, and please do it ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ. ๐‘ป๐’Š๐’Ž๐’† ๐’Š๐’” ๐’“๐’–๐’๐’๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐’๐’–๐’•.โ€
Itโ€™s never too early or never too late to learn about Jesus Christ.
Take time today and speak to a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Itโ€™ll be the best time you spend today.
Are you doing everything that you should be doing with your one precious life?

Step by Step

The dictionary says that to walk means to move along on foot or advance by steps.
In life, people take many kinds of walks.
As we walk, we advance ๐’”๐’•๐’†๐’‘ ๐’ƒ๐’š ๐’”๐’•๐’†๐’‘.
The greatest of lifeโ€™s rewards coming from walking along the right paths.
Jesus Christ recommended the strait and narrow way that leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14).
We are encouraged to become like Him, โ€œto walk, even as he walkedโ€ (1 John 2:6).
Becoming like Jesus Christ will not happen in an instant, it happens gradually, ๐’”๐’•๐’†๐’‘ ๐’ƒ๐’š ๐’”๐’•๐’†๐’‘.
He will guide us in our walk, at the right speed, in the right direction.
As we walk, we learn to control our thoughts and behaviour.
It takes time, maybe even an entire lifetime and beyond.
It requires daily work and daily effort.
Small steps in the right direction can sometimes turn out to be the biggest steps in our life.
All it takes, is one small step.
Becoming like Him is a slow, steady, and sure process.
The Apostle Paul taught, โ€œFor we walk by faith, not by sightโ€ (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Having faith in Jesus Christ will help us move forward, even if we’re unsure of the next step.
Step by step, inspiration will come.
Step 1, say to yourself, โ€œI can follow Him.โ€
Step 2, speak to a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It is a process you can start today, one step at a time.
Answers are only one step away.

Looking for answers?

Missionaries receive lots of questions โ€“ daily!
Iโ€™ve also found that missionaries have many questions of their own.
Serving as a mission leader, I receive questions all the time!
In life, difficulties can be encountered everywhere.
Christians and those who follow other religious traditions can sometimes have doubts and fears, but it’s been my experience that those of no faith have more doubts and greater fears.
Life has taught me that almost everyone has questions or experiences concerns at one time or another about life or even the gospel.
โ€œSome might feel embarrassed or unworthy because they have searching questions regarding the gospel, but they neednโ€™t feel that way. Asking questions isnโ€™t a sign of weakness; itโ€™s a precursor of growth.โ€ Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Searching for answers in the scriptures is a powerful way to study.
It also helps when you choose to study with someone else.
Thatโ€™s why missionary companion study is such a powerful way to learn.
I enjoyed discovering that again recently.
Finding answers together is really fun.
โ€œWe may know some of the answers; we may think we know many more; but there is still so much that no man knows, so much that all of — us together do not know so much for which we must venture forth in faith.โ€ โ€“ Henry D. Moyle.
Life has also taught me that the Lord will answer our questions as we exercise our faith through studying the scriptures, we just need to take the time to look and see.
โ€œAsk, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:โ€ โ€“ Matthew 7:7
So, the next time you find yourself struggling with a personal question and not finding any answers or any peace, remember to bring the question into your scripture study.
โ€œAs we read and ponder the scriptures, we will experience the sweet whisperings of the Spirit to our souls. We can find answers to our questions.โ€ โ€“ Thomas S. Monson.
Whatever problem youโ€™re struggling with, the scriptures have the answer!
โ€œWhen we want to speak to God, we pray. And when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures. ” – Robert D. Hales.
Open your scriptures and start reading.
Answers will come.

Anxious About Something?

Everyone will experience anxiety feelings from time to time – its a normal human emotion!
However – “too much anxious opening of the oven door and the cake falls instead of rising. So it is with us. If we are always selfishly taking our own temperatures to see if we are happy, we will not be.” – Neal A Maxwell.
So – what can I do to change?
In recent coaching discussions and from experience – its wise to slow down a little and pay close attention to what youโ€™re thinking!
Doubtful, fearful, negative, unrealistic, or self-critical thoughts can trigger anxiety.
Stop what you’re doing for a while, sit still, close your eyes, and breathe deeply.
Make a firm commitment to focus on healthy, positive, determined and realistic thinking.
What can you do to leave the oven door closed today?

Using time wisely

“๐‡๐จ๐ฐ ๐ž๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž?” I asked, in our Mission Leadership Council.
โ€œLets make a pie chart of the last 7 daysโ€ I said.
โ€œHow many hours are in a week?โ€ I asked.
A few seconds later, the response was โ€œ168.”
Then I asked them to consider several things that they did and to discuss their week together.
How long did you spendโ€ฆ
– sleeping?
– eating?
– exercising?
– in personal grooming?
– shopping?
– cleaning?
– travelling?
– in personal study?
– in companion study?
– in language study?
– in meetings?
– in planning?
– in finding?
– in teaching?
– relaxing?
The result?
There were a few audible gasps in the room when they discovered surprising patterns in how their time was spent.
Using a simple graphic to visualise a typical day or a typical week can be very helpful.
It can help you understand where your time goes and how you can make use of your time better.
Ultimately, the use of an effective time management chart, will help you understand how your time is spent on the many different things you do in life.
After completing the exercise, we turned from the past 7 days, to the next 7 days.
By using the results of their personal time management chart, a quick analysis, will help improve their way of getting things done, and become more productive.
With this approach everyone can make the most of their time and avoid mistakes that can happen.
In essence, time management is really self-management and discipline in how we manage ourselves.
Time flies, but just remember, youโ€™re the pilot!
How can you be more thoughtful and intentional about how you use your time, and make space for the things that matter most?