Too Busy?

by Rebecca Talley


I always love General Conference. It's such a fun weekend hanging out with the family and listening to talks by those who've been called of God to lead us in these latter-days.

President Uchtdorf touched on a subject that I think is important. His talk during the Saturday morning session was about being busy. In the world we live in, we tend to be very busy. We schedule so many activities, meetings, and things we have to get done that sometimes we neglect that which is most important. We give up the better for the good.

What is most important in our lives? I would say that our relationship with our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ would rank at the top. I would also add in our service to Him in building up His kingdom. We can build our relationship with God by reading and studying His words and by communicating with Him through prayer.

Next, I would say is our spouse and children. After all, if we don't enjoy being with them in mortality, Heavenly Father certainly isn't going to make us suffer with them throughout eternity. Are we doing all we can to create strong, loving bonds within our families? Do we spend time with our spouses and our children? We have been given counsel on how to strengthen our families by having family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, family dinners, and wholesome family activities. 

It is good to involve our children in wholesome activities such as sports, music, dance, theater, and other activities to help them develop their talents. However, we should use caution when scheduling these activities to make sure we don't infringe too much on our family time or the time we need to be close to the Lord.

In this day and age, it's easy to over schedule. We want our kids to experience all sorts of activities, prepare for college, and do as much as they can. As community members we want to serve our community, be active in politics, go to PTA meetings, volunteer with other organizations, and do our best to fully live our lives. Oh, and for those of us infected with this writing virus, we also want to share our words with the world.


As we seek to do these good and worthwhile things, it's important to evaluate them and how they affect our lives. Being busy for the sake of being busy doesn't mean we're being successful, only that we're being busy. Of course, I'd love to produce multiple books each year because that's the only way I'll ever write all the stories in my head, but is that the best choice  for me and for my family?

I don't want to be so busy with activities, including writing, that I don't have time to enjoy blowing bubbles with my son, reading a book with my daughter, or listening to an older child's problems at college. I want to soak in every moment with my family and I'm confident, that as I build my relationships with my Heavenly Father and my Savior and as I seek to focus on my family, that Heavenly Father will provide time enough for me to write. I may never produce very many books, but if the books that I do produce are pleasing unto my Father, then that is enough for me.