Good Conversations

Day seventeen

I woke up this morning feeling pretty good.  I had a really good time hanging with the youth and their families last night and was still feeling the affects of what I call a Spiritual Buzz.  I wish I had more Spiritual Buzz moments, it's like this incredible amount of energy running through my body.  (Note to self: find ways to have more Spiritual Buzz moments)

My prayers this morning were filled with gratitude and a desire to continue making a difference.  I have some  meetings today that could have some impact on my life and the lives of others, including some that I will never meet.  I prayed that I might know the words to say that would lead to the best outcome for everyone involved.  The type of words that would make the most difference.

I was hoping to find some inspiration in the scriptures to help me understand what type of words would make the most difference.  My search began in Section 107.  This section is filled with information about the different quorums in the priesthood and their duties.  I figure if it is counsel to the brethren with the priesthood, it is important, and is applicable to me too!

v 4 "But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient day, called that priesthood after Melchizedek..." (My take: Use words that would show respect or reverence to the Lord and the person I was dealing with.)

v 30 "The decisions ...are to be made in all righteousness, in holiness, and lowliness of heart, meekness and long suffering, and in faith, and virtue, and knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity" (My take: Before I respond, think things through, are my words going to reflect all these things listed.  If not, then I might need to rethink them.) Notice the word patience in this verse, I think He is trying to tell me something.

Section 108
 v 7 "Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doing."

Okay this verse is so perfect for my day today it is a little eerie! So I wanted to know more about the word strengthen and I followed the footnote to Luke 22:32 which led me to another footnote which read: Fellowshipping; Missionary work; Sustaining Church Leaders.  So in my conversations today it is my job to let people know I care about them (Fellowshipping), help them get closer to God (Missionary Work), and to make sure that what I say is in agreement with church leaders (Sustaining Church Leaders). 

I love that this verse goes on to explain what a conversation might be; prayer, exhortations, and doing. 

So am I strengthening my brethren in my prayers?  I hope so.  The majority of the time I pray is spent on the concern I have for others.  I'm sure I can improve on this, but I feel like I'm on the right path.

Am I strengthening my brethren in my exhortations?  Before I answer this let's define exhortations.  I went to the index: Entreat; Persuade; Preach; Urge; Warn.  I don't know if I always think about strengthening people when I am entreating them, persuading them, preaching to them, urging them, or warning them.  I know I shouldn't be doing it if that's not my purpose.  But while I'm doing the exhorting am I thinking about strengthening them, I never really thought about it.  This was good stuff, it gave me an opportunity to stop and really think about things.  The word persuade stood out to me.  If I am going to persuade others today I better know what I'm talking about and know the source of my desire to persuade them.  If my desire is not righteous then the source is not good.  I would need to pay more attention to that today.

Am I strengthening my brethren in all my doing?  To honestly answer this I would have to say sometimes.  I am guilty of doing things for selfish reasons. I can say that I find myself less inclined in that direction as I learn more, so I'm going to say this area is a work in progress.

My goal is to have good conversations today.  Conversations that are thought out and are beneficial to everyone involved.  Conversations I wouldn't mind the Lord eavesdropping on.  I think that last statement is my key phrase for self-talk to keep me on the right track! Conversations that make a difference. To top it all off, I really hope for some meaningful conversations with the Lord too!  Here's to hoping that all our conversations will be good today!