Saturday, August 16, 2008

Doing Something Today

http://www.centcov.org/images/serving.jpg
The following is an excerpt from Pres. Thomas Monson's recent discourse, "May We So Live." I thought I'd share it here, despite the fact that most of you who visit our little blog have likely read it. The idea behind this particular excerpt is the age old adage, "Carpe Diem."

I think it's safe to say that this is something most of us need to work on. I know, for example, if I don't get out and visit the families whom I home teach when I know I have time, it doesn't end up happening. Fortunately, my home teaching has gone quite well for the past few years--I have Sarah to thank for this in a big way due to her support and willingness to let me go in the evenings, especially despite how busy I've been with school previously on other nights)--but there are so many other areas in my/our lives where we could apply this principle better.

"How fragile life, how certain death. We do not know when we will be required to leave this mortal existence. And so I ask, “What are we doing with today?” If we live only for tomorrow, we’ll eventually have a lot of empty yesterdays. Have we been guilty of declaring, “I’ve been thinking about making some course corrections in my life. I plan to take the first step—tomorrow”? With such thinking, tomorrow is forever. Such tomorrows rarely come unless we do something about them today. As the familiar hymn teaches:

There are chances for work all around just now,
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something today.

In the big scheme (and I mean the BIG scheme) of things, this principle is truly paramount.


2 comments:

c said...

amen. good reminder to us all.

Lisa Brown said...

First of all- beautiful thought! I love our Prophet. Second- Sarah, here's the quote, "Some days your mother and me loved each other. Other days we had to work at it. You never see the hard days in a photo album... but those are the ones that get you from one happy snapshot to the next," from "Just Married". I've loved it since I first heard it. Something we can all relate to! It was so good to see you as well. I wish I could have seen your CUTEST ever kids! So cute! But I've enjoyed seeing them on your blog. What a beautiful family!