(2) Readings thus far...

After starting the Mindful Writing book, I have learned more about what it means to be a writer. It takes skill and it's a process that we go through in order to make it effective. We are all writers and we write everyday. It's an art that we all do, but some do it better than others. I consider myself a writer, but I do have a lot to improve on. Brian Jackson teaches, in his textbook Mindful Writing, that if we want to be an exceptional writer, we must be mindful as it says in the title. Being mindful of our purpose in writing, our audience, and other various strategies. Strategy is a perfect word to use when talking about a great writer. They know what they want to do with their words and they think about how they want to write them.

I also really enjoyed reading the Family: A Proclamation To the World with a new perspective. The First Presidency had great use of rhetoric: ethos, pathos, and logos. They were so influential when this was published to the world in 1995. Their logic about the family just makes sense to anyone - religious or not. It's obvious they knew who their audience was and they were smart with how they presented the information.

(1) Rendering vs. Reality

Elder Bednar, in his talks titled “Things as They Really Are” and “To Sweep the Earth as With a Flood,” compared and contrasted two very important uses of technology. We can become so consumed in a the virtual reality of social media that we fail to love and appreciate things that really matter: friends, family, and the gospel. Building lasting relationships in this life can be so valuable. If we live in a world that ignores that, we aren’t really living; rather, we are only existing. When he shared the scripture in Jacob 2:3 that states, “I this day am weighed down with much...desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls,” it told me just how crucial the message was that Elder Bednar was about to relay. He and other general authorities all know and are aware of our daily struggles with temptation and do a great job of opening my eyes to the reality vs. the rendering that the adversary tries to blur our minds with.

Satan’s number one goal is to deceive us. He does this in many ways: wasting time on meaningless video games, negatively using social media, consuming our time with “cyberspace interactions,” and luring us into disobeying God’s commandments, breaking sacred covenants, and ultimately slowing our progress toward eternal life. He does this in very deceitful ways that sneak into our daily lives through the technology we often use daily.

On the other hand, “the spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be” (Jacob 4:13). The Holy Ghost is always there and never wavers. Heavenly Father is undoubtedly reaching out to us mercifully. In this life, we will experience the good and the bad. However, the reality is we are literal, spirit children of God. That is our identity and it will not change. Elder Bednar said, “Our Heavenly Father’s plan is to make us happy.” I believe this is true. If we submit to Him and trust His plan, we will be happy in this life and the life hereafter.

We must not become distracted by digital worlds, but rather we must realize that this life is precious. We came to earth with a body and spirit that were a gift from God. There are so many instantly gratifying temptations that were mentioned in this address, but none of them compare to the eternally gratifying blessings that come as we righteously live the gospel. Eternal relationships are priceless and vastly more important. After pondering these talks, I was able to gain a better understanding of truly how important life is to me and my Heavenly Father.