Brother Jan E. Newman, Second Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency, delivered the Tuesday morning devotional. He taught that making time for the most important things in our lives is essential no matter our stage in life.
"There are three things that need your utmost attention as you go through life: the Lord, your family and your work,” Brother Newman said. “The amount of time required by each of these important aspects of life will ebb and flow over time. Just make sure you keep the proper perspective on the important things. If you take care of those three things, usually everything else takes care of itself."
“Satan will do anything he can to monopolize our time and misdirect our efforts away from the things of greatest importance. He tempts us to displace our most important blessings with a mess — and I emphasize mess — of pottage.”
Brother Newman urged those in attendance to take the time to know what’s important to the Lord and make those things important to them. He said that it is another way to follow President Russell M. Nelson’s straightforward counsel to “think celestial!”
“As you make time for the Lord, your ability to discern and understand the things of the Spirit will increase substantially. This will enable you to know the things of most worth to you and your family. Knowing the voice of the Spirit will help you as you seek to know the will of the Lord for your life.”
According to Brother Newman, there is no such thing as perfect balance in life. He believes that the concept of balance implies giving equal attention to all aspects, which he finds unrealistic.
“Not all aspects of our lives deserve an equal amount. And at different times and seasons, some aspects will need more attention than others.”
Brother Newman suggested a different approach: rather than pursuing balance, focus on identifying the most important priorities and ensure they always come first, without letting less significant matters take precedence over them.
Highlighting the possible responsibilities a college student may encounter, such as academic pursuits, spiritual commitments, relationships, work and family obligations, Brother Newman encouraged the audience to ask themselves, "Can you balance all of that all the time?”
“It’s not possible. But you can protect blocks of your available time and attention for the most important things. You can and you must! It just means that something will have to give. You will have to determine what that will be.”
Brother Newman testified that as individuals rely on the Lord, they will be able to manage life's demands more effectively. As life becomes busier and more demanding, God will cause their capacity to handle life's complexities to grow.
In Brother Newman's experience, the Lord provides His children with just enough to handle, along with a little extra, enabling them to bolster their faith and strength.
“Just like all of Heavenly Father’s creations, you were designed to grow and progress. You were not meant to stay the way you are. Change and improvement is built into your eternal DNA.”
But change won’t happen without any effort on our part. “Have you ever tried to turn the steering wheel of a parked car?” He said just like it is very difficult to get a stalled vehicle to move, course corrections in our lives are easier when there is some forward momentum.
Brother Newman has frequently advised people who are seeking divine guidance but are hesitant to move forward without clear instructions from the Lord. He expressed his belief that revelation doesn't always work so straightforwardly.
“I am a firm believer that once we have prayed and sought the Lord’s help, we need to get up and get moving.”
Brother Newman encouraged action even in uncertainty, drawing from Nephi's experience in retrieving the brass plates. Just as Nephi moved forward despite uncertainty, Brother Newman urged all to do the same.
