President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, apostle and counselor to the prophet President Thomas S. Monson gave a very tender and compassionate address to the women of the Church. In this address, he told of the legend surrounding the Forget Me Not flower:
"There is a
German legend that just as God had finished naming all the plants, one
was left unnamed. A tiny voice spoke out, “Forget me not, O Lord!” And
God replied that this would be its name.
"Tonight
I would like to use this little flower as a metaphor. The five petals
of the little forget-me-not flower prompt me to consider five things we
would be wise never to forget."
Those five things are:
First, forget not to be patient with yourself.
He taught, "many of
you are endlessly compassionate and patient with the weaknesses of
others. Please remember also to be compassionate and patient with
yourself.
In the meantime, be thankful for all [your] small successes."
Second, forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice.
"There are so many good things to do, but we can’t do all of them. Our
Heavenly Father is most pleased when we sacrifice something good for
something far greater with an eternal perspective. Sometimes, that may
even mean nurturing small but beautiful forget-me-not flowers instead of
a large garden of exotic blooms."
Third, forget not to be happy now.
"The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket;
they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and
treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments."
Fourth, forget not the "why" of the gospel.
"While understanding the “what” and the “how” of the gospel is necessary,
the eternal fire and majesty of the gospel springs from the “why.” When
we understand why our Heavenly Father has given us this pattern for living, when we remember why
we committed to making it a foundational part of our lives, the gospel
ceases to become a burden and, instead, becomes a joy and a delight. It
becomes precious and sweet."
Fifth, forget not that the Lord loves you.
"Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not
forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how
insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may
be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you
with an infinite love."
Read President Uchtdorf's entire address, "Forget Me Not." While President Uchtdorf was addressing the women of the Church, each of us, male and female, member of the Church and those who are not yet members of the Church, can apply these principles of happiness to our own lives. We would all do well to remember the love the Lord has for us and be patient with our own shortcomings as we strive to be perfected in Him. We would do well to prioritize and make the necessary sacrifices that we may be happy now as we experience this great gift of life. And we would do well to remember why we are here and why the Lord has given us His gospel to live.
Our Father in Heaven loves us. He knows each one of us personally and desires our success and eternal happiness. Remember who you are and who is helping you succeed as the daily stressors of life bear down upon you. All things work together for good to them that love God.
Jeremy
So my mom and I are working on a book to help those struggling with eating disorders-- both the victims and the families. A lot of the book talks about what Elder Uchtdorf mentioned in his talk and all I could think while I was listening was, "You know, he says the same things in 20 minutes... why are we taking an entire book??"
ReplyDeleteIt's just another reason why he is an apostle!
I haven't heard a talk that poignantly directed at me since Elder Holland's talk in 2005 entitled, "To the Young Women." Also a VERY good talk about what's really important and how to calm the heck down!
I hope everyone reads/listens to this talk :)