I loved this talk by Elder Oaks. He laid out an excellent framework of the connection between our desires, our choices and our actions. It made me take a good look at what I really want and how well those priorities are reflected in the life I live. It’s a real thought-provoking message.
“Desire” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks
What did you learn from this talk? Share your thoughts and conversation in the comment thread below. If you’re new to GCBC, check out the club here.
Diapers and Divinity 
I remember trying to take notes on his talk and trying to quickly write, “Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions.” This statement alone is worthy of further study and thought; even a journal entry. I may frame it….I KNOW I’ll use it some time while serving in YW.
~Shari
This talk is an expansion of something my dad has told me all my life — “You do what’s important to you.” There are lots of things that we might like, want or wish to do, but in the end the things we actually end up doing show what is important to us. We set our priorities, whether consciously or unconsciously, and those are the things we do. Elder Oaks takes this back to its roots, DESIRE. The things we really want in our life we will make the time for and find a way to make happen. It’s something we can work at every day.
I love the 3 essentials that precede blessings: desire, labor, and faith. I have such high hopes for myself and others that are in my life and I do have righteous desires. My problem is really focusing on how I can make those desires become actions. I need to labor (get to work and make it a priority), and have faith. “If our righteous desires are sufficiently intense, they will motivate us to cut and carve ourselves free from addictions and other sinful pressures and priorities that prevent our eternal progress.” What more could you want then to free yourselves from addictions and sinful pressures and priorities. I like that Oaks says in that message that the desires will cut and carve ourselves free. It doesnt come easily but little by little we can cut and carve and eventually free ourselves.
Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape out choices, and choices determine our actions. I have been thinking about this quite a bit over the last few months Trying to decide what my true desires are, and how to align those with the things of the Lord and in molding my children into stalwart members of the church. This will be one of the talks that I continue to study and ponder.
I actually wrote a post on this. I had intended to back when I first heard it. You inspired me to just explore my thoughts and feelings on it….here is the link.
http://www.condiffclan.com/blog/?p=1850
I want to tell you that even though I haven’t been commenting, i have been keeping up with the talks that are selected…Life has been pretty crazy…I haven’t even kept my blog up the last few days and that is very unusual.
I have a request however….unless you already have the talks selected for the coming weeks….would you consider Paul V. Johnson’s talk for this next week? I have been asked to speak in Sacrament on the the 26th…would love others insights as I prepare. This was actually one of my favorite talks from conference,so I am glad for the opportunity to discuss it. (not necessarily in sacrament…but I will manage!).
I am incredibly slow in responding, but such is my life. I kept this post on my email so I could respond when I got a chance to read it.
I have read many things recently that are along this same line. I must mean that I really need to work on this. I have a lot of “desires” but I have so much on my plate, that it is so easy to put off for one more day something I ought to be doing regularly–exercise, cleaning my room, getting in better habits in my scripture reading, prayers, family prayers and scriptures and FHE, and of course, temple attendance and exercise–I should do more family history, I should vacuum my poor house more often—you get the point. I have meandered through years of some of the same resolutions and never feeling that I’m improving, at least not conquering.
So, what do I desire???? I hope the Lord will forgive my weaknesses and shortcomings, especially in light some of the challenging children I have been blessed with. Some times I feel like I am just plugging along, almost stationary. I just hope it’s good enough!
I particularly liked the following thought – “When we have a vision of what we can become, our desire and our power to act increase enormously.” I also loved the quote from Elder Maxwell – “When people are described as ‘having lost their desire for sin,’ it is they, and they only, who deliberately decided to lose those wrong desires by being willing to ‘give away all [their] sins’ in order to know God. Therefore, what we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity.”
One of the blessings of the gospel is the eternal perspective it gives us. I’m always trying to find the right balance for all of the demands and responsibilities that are mine. Keeping the vision of what I want to become helps me focus on proper priorities. I appreciated this reminder that we can cultivate righteous desires and thus become more like the Savior, even in this life.
I’m a week late once again… but I loved this talk and I shared it when I went VT last month. Such a good talk. I am still in the process of figuring out what my desires are and in some cases what they should be. I am actually making a list and will hopefully align my time better to fit my desires and in the process I may have to create a little desire to get my priorities straight. I am in the process of simplifying life and will be getting rid of some good but not essential items so that the desires that matter most can float to the top of my life and things will be more in order.
late again…but I did it! I like when he talks about becoming an eternal being!
I’m probably the latest of all for this –
“One of my favorite scriptures is in Alma 32 when Alma promises the people listening to him that if they “can no more than desire to believe” they can receive a testimony as well. It reminds me of the father who brought his crippled son to the Savior, and upon the Savior’s questioning of his faith, the Father said, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” This part of the gospel is one of the most hopeful to me, because I want to believe and do so many things that are so hard. But I know that if I can but desire to believe them and desire to to do them, then the Lord will help my unbelief and will help faith and a testimony develop and grown in my heart.”
You can read the rest here.