Corrine Schram/Maridee Weston

This is a podcast episode titled "Think Celestial" where Corinne Schramm interviews Sister Meridy Weston from the University of Utah Institute of Religion. They discuss how thinking celestial can help prioritize and manage time better. They reference quotes from President Nelson and Stephen Covey about prioritizing and using time wisely. They also talk about the importance of having a temple-focused mindset and seeking guidance from the Holy Ghost in managing time. They share personal experiences and examples of how prioritizing and acting on promptings can have a positive impact. That guy. Okay, and that should be recording. Hello, this is Corinne Schramm from the University of Utah Institute of Religion. This is the podcast series entitled Think Celestial. During this episode we will discuss how thinking celestial can help us to prioritize and manage our time better, even with crazy schedules. Today, I'm joined by sister Meridy Weston, who is a faculty member at the Institute. She's an assistant advisor to the student council here at the Institute, and she is especially loved by our summit sisterhood. Thank you so much for being with us today, sister Weston. Thanks for having me, Corinne. I'm so excited to do this with you. I love doing it with you, too. It's gonna be great. Okay, so to start out today, I'd like to share a quote from President Nelson from his talk, Think Celestial. He said, Okay, so I'm reading that as a young adult, and the first thought that comes to mind for me is how do I prioritize, right? I have so many different things that are good that I could spend my time on. Where do I even start? Great question, and first off, thank you for bringing this lens, as we've talked about, or this perspective to this talk, because my initial response was not to think at all about time management, but reading it with these eyes has totally changed the way I view this talk, and the way I do view priorities, and so one quote that I just absolutely love is from Stephen Covey, who is a time management guru, right? Absolutely. But he said, And I love that in connection with Elder Nelson talking about Heavenly Father's plan, and it's fabulous, and time is such a gift, and so starting there was like, this is God's plan for me, and a huge part of this plan is how I use my time, and how I become more like Him, and how I learn, and grow, and progress, and so what's most important, and what matters the most? What else do we want to talk about that, Corinne? I don't remember everything we want to say about that. So much, so much to go over. I guess a good follow-up to that would be, what should those priorities be? If we have good, better, best, I mean, a lot of us are students, or we're working, or we're going through, like, trying to build relationships, we're trying to study, we're trying to be involved in the gospel, what should be the priority? Because everything can't be a priority. Just because something's good, it can't be a priority. Really good. Yeah, and I love, a lot of people listening may have heard this quote from Elder Bednar, but Elder Bednar first was asked a question about, he was asked, how to find balance in life, and I love his response, because he said, we can only do one thing in any given moment. The key is focusing one's limited time and energy on the priorities that really matter most. Well, that kind of leads us to your question, like, well, what does matter most? And Elder Bednar then shared an experience he had with talking with Elder Robert D. Hells before he passed away, and he said, he asked this to Brother Hells, what have you learned from going from an active, physically robust life, to spending your latter years in a wheelchair, and with limited physical capabilities? And Elder Hells looked at Elder Bednar and said, when you cannot do what you have always done, then you only do what matters most. And that's where I think thinking celestial is such a brilliant mindset and priority, because that celestial thinking, or spiritually minded, helps us to understand what does matter most, and it gives us that bigger perspective. I don't know, what would you add to that? I love, I love that you mentioned the bigger perspective, because if we're looking at things from this perspective of where we're at in life, the day-to-day, like, hey, I'm worried about school, I'm worried about work, these are things that are important, but the bigger perspective that President Nelson shares is all about the celestial kingdom. It's about the next life. And he especially has a temple focused mindset, and I think that's where a lot of our priorities can be set, and where they come from. I love one of the thoughts that he actually ends his talk with. He says, spending more time in the temple builds faith, and your service and worship in the temple will help you to think celestial. The temple is a place of revelation. There you are shown how to progress toward a celestial life. There you are drawn closer to the Savior and given greater access to his power. There you are guided in solving the problems in your life, even your most perplexing problems. So that, that I think is the the grounds, the the safe place of refuge where we can set priorities, where where things are not not distracting, not as distracting. Yeah, it's such a gift, right? To be able to sit in a temple, and for it to be quiet and calm, and to let to let your mind ponder on those things, and to identify your priorities, and what matters most. And I, with that quote that you just shared, I love so much that he doesn't say spend all day in the temple, or he doesn't say you need to be there every day, or whatever, but he says spending more time. So whatever I'm spending, maybe I can just up that a little bit, and spend more time. And I, I think we can apply that principle to so many things. Especially when we're thinking about thinking celestial and managing our time. In the beginning of the talk, he says thinking celestial means spiritually minded. And so I'm like, okay, spiritually minded, I need help from the Holy Ghost. I want the Spirit to help me organize my day. I have to go to work, right? I have to, I have to make a living. Students have to go to class. They have to do homework. They have to include social. We have to include rest. We have to include physical health, all those things. And I don't think God's asking us not to do those when we're making priority, when we're making a prioritized list. But God wants us to be, wants us to include Him, to be spiritually minded, include Him. And so when I'm in the temple, when I'm saying my prayers, when I'm searching my scriptures, what am I, what is the Holy Ghost prompting me to do with my time? So maybe, maybe I'm gonna extend, maybe, maybe I don't have a ton of time to read my scriptures, but I can spend two minutes there. Maybe I can counsel more with Him in my morning prayers on how He wants me to use my time. Maybe I can ask for the gift of eyes to see, oh, I can, I can maybe reach out to this fellow student in class or this other co-worker. How do I be an instrument of God's hand in my day-to-day living? I think that's an excellent use of managing our time. Does that make sense? Absolutely, absolutely. I think one of the, one of the lies that the adversary tells us is that we need to be doing more. We see, we see the more part of that, but we're forgetting that the more, sometimes it's not putting more things on the schedule, but it's just doing better with what we have already on the schedule. We're inviting the Lord to be a part of that process. Excellent. Yeah, exactly. So well said, Corinne. We all have 24 hours in the day. Yes. And, and if I include the Lord and the Holy Ghost in managing those 24 hours, then He's going, He's going to consecrate our efforts, right? Like we consecrate all of our time. Well, I still have to do all of these things, but if I'm doing it with the Lord and under the guidance of the Holy Ghost, He's going to, He's going to empower me and, and enable me to do more than I can do on my own. Absolutely, absolutely. What, what has that looked like for you in your life? It sounds like you're speaking from, from personal experience. You know what, I am 100% on this journey with all of the Holy Ghosts, and there's some days that it looks better than others, and I, and I, I'm okay with that. Sometimes I do better than I do on other days, but I always kind of just want to have that hope, enough hope that I don't feel guilty, but hope to keep trying. Yes. And because I don't think, I don't think thinking celestial should make us feel guilty. It should help us to, to think higher and just keep trying and have hope and, and doing a little bit better every day. But some things that I have observed, and I need to do better personally on some of these things, but I love the idea when I'll, I'll share quickly a few examples. I, a story of a really exciting president that called and she's super busy like everybody else. She has teenage children and here she's given the responsibility to be the really exciting president of a ward, and she's trying to juggle children and schedules and athletics and running around. And so every day she would start with a prayer and she would counsel with the Lord. These are my responsibilities that I have to get done today. Please help me to know which sister in the ward I should send a text to today. And for three years, every single day of her her time as a really exciting president, she sent at least one text a day. And it, it could be in those cracks of time. Of our busy schedules. And it was so cool because the relationship that she developed with the sisters in her ward. And it's just this little tiny effort, but that's how he consecrates our time, right? Is that we pay attention to those promptings of the Holy Ghost and and we act on those and he really empowers us to accomplish great things and blesses us. So that's just something that I really, as we've been studying this talk and thinking about it, that's what's been on the forefront of my mind is how much am I counseling with the Lord in my daily activities and and what are the little things that I can do to incorporate paying attention to those promptings and acting on them. I love that. I love that. As you were, as you were speaking, I love the words that you use because I think they they teach us a really amazing truth. Going back to the temple, teaching about how to help us prioritize our time. In the temple we we make different covenants and they're in the order that they are for the reason for a reason. I think the the law of consecration comes last for a reason because he does ask us to do all kinds of different things and we have all of these demands on our time. But then the last invitation is to consecrate it and to counsel with him. And he can help us know how to do the rest of the things that that comes first and that's what brings us back to the presence of our father is the consecration and doing it with him. Doing it with him. I love that because I feel like even when you're explaining that that process it takes off some of the pressure, right? Like this is a process. Yes, but knowing through the whole process God's with us and he's just he's raising us up in godliness, right? Like that's the purpose of the temple is to raise us up in godliness and and He's going to help us step by step. He's very patient. Yes, very forgiving And he's a really really good teacher. He is he is he is I love it. This is this is so good okay, but my mind is definitely going to some of the The distractions and worries like we can talk all day long about hey, it's great to be in the temple It's great to study scriptures But if i'm honest I struggle doing some of those things because I get distracted and real demands come up and And struggles with my friends and my family and my schooling come up Um, I think of this morning from president nelson actually that stood out in this talk He said as you think celestial you will find yourself avoiding anything that robs you of your agency any addiction be it gaming gambling debt drugs alcohol anger pornography sex or even food Offends god why because your obsession becomes your god you look to it rather to than to him for solace If you struggle with an addiction seek the spiritual and professional help you need Please do not let an obsession rob you of your freedom to follow god's fabulous plan My question with that is How have you seen young adults struggle with addictions And how have you seen them overcome addiction so they use their time celestially? Wow, that's a great question and and I I don't always see all the details, right? But I do I do see Number one, it's fascinating to me how many of the addictions that he listed involve time And how they rob us of time and they they they take away time that we could be Using to Do better things or I don't know if better is even the right word But most of these addictions bottom line rob us of time And that's the greatest gift that god has given us is time in his plan to grow and develop and to become and and to learn and so It goes back to agency And and how we are choosing to use our time now, I I would say um number one I think it's powerful having a prophet First identify this because sometimes I wouldn't even think about I would never associate I would never associate an addiction with time. Yes, but thinking celestial and and Thinking about it as his plan of salvation and what has he given us? He's given us time And so number one I think in helping us overcome some of these challenges Is to realize oh, this is the tactic of the adversary To to rob me of my agency by robbing me of my time by turning me to Some of these addictions that can rob me of my time and so number one Identifying that and going. Oh, this is what's happening because we have to understand the problem before we can change, right? Yes, and and then I don't know if I have any profound answers here as far as if it's what typically we do for any any sort of repentance It's turning to god, right that reorienting ourself to i'm really focused on the world or this addiction And now I need to first off Realize, okay I'm not as happy doing that is what i'm following god and then um I think being wise I think What resources are available? and Is this something I can do on my own or is this something that I need? a bishop or a family or a professional to help me overcome and And it could be any or all or none. Um, I would caution about keeping something secret Because the secrecy gives it power And even just verbalizing it and having somebody help you with accountability You think is powerful? Um, and so I I will say I have seen the agony of of somebody that is captured in sin or addiction And I have seen the the relief and the joy and the peace Of somebody that's been relieved of that and and I think the savior is just We talk about the savior standing at the door waiting for us to knock And I can't think of a of a knock. He was more Welcome Than somebody that's like I got a problem With this abcrd and I need you to help me boy. Oh boy. He's gonna open that door. It's gonna take work, right? But he's gonna open that door Absolutely, absolutely, it makes me think about I know when you're talking about time as a gift and the adversary's trying to take that gift It's important to remember that like this life was a time and a space granted for the purpose of repentance So that the gift is that we get to have our time back as we turn towards the savior I love I love that the lord does that I love that the lord does that On that same note I see a lot of young adults and this is something I've struggled with as well part of the reason why we Don't seek the kingdom of god first or we're not thinking celestial in our time is because we're legitimately afraid of having Like having enough for our future like can I finish college and get good grades? Am I doing well enough in work? Will I have enough to pay rent? Um with with those kinds of fears specifically related to finances, do you have any counsel for us? That's a great question because it's real right? And we live in a time where there are these demands and you do have to have uh, you do have to have a job and you do have to have an income and Like there's a lot of pressures And I think it does require us to have faith and But i'm really confident that We keep god's commandment that he's going to bless us with what we need We keep his law of tithing we keep his law of the sabbath day and keep it holy to the best of our ability Right with what our occupations will allow but I am 100 confident if I put in first and focus on These priorities that we're talking about and I let the holy ghost guide me I am 100 confident that um, our needs will be met. Am I going to be in Like sometimes my expectations might be A little out there, but but he's he's gonna get us where we need to be. In fact um I think I think it might not meet my expectations, but it will exceed my expectations in other ways Right, like yes, you know sometimes sometimes we we talk about that verse and I think it's in isaiah 55 where god's ways are higher and You know, I thought they're higher. Yeah and it's interesting because That's not an excuse For us to go. Well god's ways are higher. Yes. Yes. You still have the responsibility to figure out god's way Yes, we do and and so there's there it there it is again Like we have an obligation to wrestle with him in prayer and figuring out his will for us and and acknowledging Yeah, i'm gonna have to work and do all of these things and get where I need to be but god will get me there and I think you were talking about pay the spiritual price president. Nelson asks us to pay that spiritual price Yes. Yes. In fact while while you're speaking several phrases from his talk Came to mind. Um he He did talk about paying the spiritual price He says please do the spiritual work to increase your capacity to receive personal revelation Then he said as you think celestial your faith will increase and he goes on to share A really a really simple example about paying his tithing, you know when he's living off of fifteen dollars a month. I can't imagine that'd be That'd be terrifying. Um, but he said as I became a full tithe payer the windows of heaven began to open for me. I Attribute several subsequent professional opportunities to our faithful payment of tithes that that super simple super simple statement and then he also talked about putting the temple first and He said a professional colleague criticized me for having too much temple in me And more than one supervisor penalized me because of my faith. I am convinced. However that thinking celestial enhanced my career It's it's exactly that it's we We obey And the lord blesses us and he's he's faithful. He's consistent and we don't have to we don't have to doubt that We don't have to doubt that. Um I I don't know if this is a good time corinne, but I when you're saying that faithful and um, I I love the direction that we receive in second nephi chapter 32 and For a lot of our listeners, it's going to sound familiar because scripture mastery was involved with some of these verses But just starting in verse three, it says angels speak by the power of the holy ghost Wherefore they speak the words of christ Wherefore I say unto you feast upon the words of christ For behold the words of christ will tell you all things what you should do and now with our topic i'm like They they tell me all things that I should do with my time Right, like if i'm if i'm Doing the spiritual work that president elson has asked us to do to be led and guided by the holy ghost He's going to help me manage my time and he's going to help me do it in a way that prioritizes the things that matter most And and then he goes on and says in verse five Behold again, I say unto you that if you will enter in by the way and receive the holy ghost It will show unto you all things that you should do with your time And then the last verse nine, I just love but behold I say unto you that you must pray always And not faint that you must not perform anything unto the lord save in the first place. You shall pray unto the father in the name of christ That he will consecrate thy performance unto thee that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul So if i'm asking him How do you need me to To serve you today In my work in my school in my homework. He's going to consecrate those performances for us. He's going to help us He'll lead us He will he will consider the lilies like god knows god knows what we have need of and if we're willing to serve him he He can take care of the rest. He can take care of the rest that That brings me to to one last thought from president nelson He said here's the great news of god's plan The very things that will make your mortal life the best it can be are exactly the same things that will make your life throughout All eternity the best it can be And it is a fabulous plan if we're making room to receive the holy ghost and to to serve He is going to help us in our work. He is going to help us in our schooling He is going to help us with our relationships and it will be good. In fact, it will be fabulous. It will be great It will be great and The firm testimony of that well before before we end I have one last question for you um This is this is a question that we are asking all of the guests in our podcast series And it's what specifically are you doing right now in your own life that is working to help you think celestial? Okay, so i'm i'm gonna borrow From the widow of zarephath and I I one of the courses I teach here is women of the scriptures and I I just really love getting to know um these women through the scriptures and sometimes Sometimes they're in the background But when we study the scriptures through their perspective, it just kind of opens up some additional Insights and a lot of us are familiar with this account and I just love her Like I've grown to love the widow of zarephath so much and we see her story in first king chapter 17 and You know, this is where we're we're working with the prophet elijah And there's the great drought in the land and he's been fed by a crow For a few you know for an amount of time here, yes, and then he's going to be sent into zarephath and Uh, the lord told him you're going to go here and you're going to talk to this widow and we're familiar with this account Uh, so he goes and he enters this town and he sees this widow picking up sticks And he says to her Fetch me I pray thee a little water in a vessel that I may drink And as she was going to fetch it he called to her and said bring me I pray thee a morsel of bread in my hand and we're talking about time management, and I think it's interesting because She is out of time Right. Yeah, she she thinks well, this is it for me and she's going to explain that and she says She says to him as the lord Thy god liveth. I have not a cake. I don't have any bread But I have one last handful of meal in a barrel and a little oil And behold, I am gathering two sticks that I may go in and dress it for me and my son that we may eat it and die and I think It's one thing for her to be fixing a morsel of bread for her But he's asking the prophet elijah is asking her to take Bread out of the mouth of her son Yes, and sometimes I think does the lord ask too much? Right, and I and I really ponder that and i'm so grateful for a response of a student one day Because I asked that to a class and like does the lord ask too much of us? Is that possible? And the student said oh, yeah, he does But what a powerful way to to lead us to the savior Yes, because I can't do it by myself I can't do it all I can't do all that i'm asked to do But with the savior I can I can because he's gonna he's gonna Take over and he's gonna fill in the gap And so here She she tells that To elijah saying this is it for us And elijah said unto her fear not go and do as thou hast said But make me there of a little cake first And bring it to me and after make for thee and for thy son And I love this and this is what like going back to our topic She has been asked You put the prophet first or he's in time and shadow for the lord. You put the lord first And then you partake and i'm thinking if I put the lord first in my schedule Then look at the prophet from prophet from elijah He says for thus saith the lord of god is israel the barrel of milk shall not wait Neither shall the crews of oil until the day that the lord sendeth rain upon the earth. And so She puts the lord first and now she's going to have an unlimited supply of bread and oil and I think that a lot of times I want the miracle like I say lord You show me and then i'll believe And the lord time and time again is like no you believe and then i'll show you And he gives us that opportunity to exercise our faith first which grows our faith And I think one of the most powerful ways we can exercise and show our faith first is with our time i'm going to put him first and then he's going to magnify and just like this oil and Flower was magnified for this woman. I love her. I love her so much in her example of A prophet of god has asked me to do this and i'm going to do it and i'm going to do it first And we raise our hands to sustain the prophet and the great I say irony, but it really is just a huge blessing of the lord. I sustain the prophets and they sustain me Yes, right. Yes, and I you know corinne I don't know everything there's so many questions and there's so many things that I don't know But I do know That keeping god's commandment makes my life better And even if my life is pretty Rotten, is that right? If I keep god's commandment, my life is going to be better I can't keep them all perfectly But what I can do I i'm going to do and as I as I work on these different commandments then I just feel the fruit of god's blessings coming because of those and And one of his commandments is to repent Yes, it is. Okay, so I mess up and and I I don't keep a commandment perfectly and so I I try to repent I try to turn to god and And there's some commandments that are easier for me than others so let's start there But as I put god first in his commandments with his prophets with my time He makes my life better And that's one thing i'm sure of God makes my life better when I keep his commandments and his savior. Jesus christ helped me to do that Yes, and that that is the fabulous plan That is the fabulous plan is that we get to have a relationship with him And become more like him and we have helped the entire time. Yeah, we've helped the entire time Thank you so much for joining us today. This has been lovely Thank you. Thank you for your goodness and for your example and the hope that you bring into um Like like the young adults you're such an example of this powerful generation and everything that we have that's coming up and your willingness to to look to the savior and to Be one of his One of his disciples. It's just inspiring and so it's been a pleasure. So, thank you. Thank you