There has been a lot in the news about how these economic times are going to be similar to the Great Depression. Instead of just bemoaning that, it is important that we look for 'lessons learned' from the experiences of our fore bearers. If we weather these times successfully, we can bless our posterity. These times can be a blessing, not a curse, for us and for those who follow us.
I speak to all whose freedom to choose has been diminished by the effects of ill-advised choices of the past. I speak specifically of choices that have led to excessive debt and addictions to food, drugs, pornography, and other patterns of thought and action that diminish one's sense of self-worth. All of these excesses affect us individually and undermine our family relationships.
Elder Hales makes an important connection here between bad past choices, lowered self-worth and the negative impact they have on our family relationships.
And for both debt and addiction, the hopeful solution is the same-we must turn to the Lord and follow His commandments. We must want more than anything else to change our lives so that we can break the cycle of debt and our uncontrolled wants. I pray that in the next few minutes, and throughout this conference, you will be filled with hope in our Savior, Jesus Christ, and find hope in the doctrines of His restored gospel.
The solution is to follow the commandments of the Lord. If we do that, we will break the cycle of 'debt and uncontrolled wants'. Those are the two main problems and the one solution.
We must remember that the adversary knows us extremely well. He knows where, when, and how to tempt us. If we are obedient to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we can learn to recognize the adversary's enticements. Before we yield to temptation, we must learn to say with unflinching resolve, "Get thee behind me, Satan" (Matt. 16:23)
Our success is never measured by how strongly we are tempted but by how faithfully we respond.
I really like this statement - in fact, the two statements - don't yield to temptations, with unflinching resolve, (unflinching) - "Get thee behind me, Satan", and - it's how we respond.
In both temporal and spiritual things, obtaining this divine assistance enables us to become provident providers for ourselves and others.
In both areas, temporal and spiritual, the key is divine assistance.
To provide providently, we must practice the principles of provident living: joyfully living within our means, being content with what we have, avoiding excessive debt, and diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies. When we live providently, we can provide for ourselves and our families and also follow the Savior's example to serve and bless others.
I like that thought, 'joyfully living within our means'. We shouldn't think that we are miserable or that we are missing out. It is actually a blessing to live within our means. And we are thankful for blessings. There are also key points too:
- being content with what we have
- avoiding excessive debt
- diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies
I am including this next paragraph because I think it does and excellent job of showing the negative effects of breaking one of the most basic of the ten commandments: "Thou shall not covet." It also shows what debt does to us. It has farther reaching effects than just a lack of money:
Being provident providers, we mush keep that most basic commandment, "Thou shalt not covet." Our world is fraught with feelings of entitlement. Some of us feel embarrassed, ashamed, less worthwhile if our family does not have everything the neighbors have. As a result, we go into debt to buy things we can't afford-and things we do not really need. Whenever we do this, we become poor temporally and spiritually. We give away some of our precious, priceless agency and put ourselves in self-imposed servitude. Money we could have used to care for ourselves and others must now be used to pay our debts. What remains is often only enough to meet our most basic physical needs. Living at the subsistence level, we become depressed, our self-worth is affected, and our relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and the Lord are weakened. We do not have the time, energy, or interest to seek spiritual things.
I have learned that the three most loving words are "I love you," and the four most caring words for those we love are "We can't afford it."
This quote came after two stories about Elder Hales and his wife and purchases he wanted to make for her. Her response was a loving, "we can't afford it." This ties in to the next quote that he calls "the essence of provident living":
When faced with the choice to buy, consume, or engage in worldly things and activities, we all need to learn to say to one another, "We can't afford it, even though we want it!" or "We can afford it, but we don't need it-and we really don't even want it!"
Whenever we want to experience or possess something that will impact us and our resources, we may want to ask ourselves, "Is the benefit temporary, or will it have eternal value and significance?" Truthfully answering these questions may help us avoid excessive debt and other addictive behavior.
This is the key. I need to memorize this and make it part of my natural evaluation process. I find it interesting that this applies not only to things we want to 'possess' but also to 'experiences' we have opportunities for.
The craving of the natural man . . . can never be satisfied. But as children of God, our deepest hunger and what we should be seeking is what the Lord alone can provide-
- His love
- His sense of worth
- His security
- His confidence
- His hope in the future
- The assurance of His love, which brings us eternal joy
That which is not of God can never satisfy, and yet we keep seeking satisfaction. Instead, we should seek those things that will satisfy, things that only God can provide. We must be willing to do anything, forgo the natural man, forgo worldly experiences and possessions, forgo our sins, to know God. I like this quote that President Uchtdorf uses from 2nd Nephi:
"Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted." (2 Nephi 9:51).
And finally,
The hunger of addiction can only be replaced by our love for Him.
