Thoughts about Temperance

I am so grateful for the leadership of the church! I know that they are inspired and guided by the Holy Ghost to say the things that we need to hear and apply in our lives. Yesterday I read the conference talk by Elder Kent D. Watson, "Being Temperate in All Things," on the way home on the bus. Several points stuck out to me, and I was given the guidance and inspiration that I needed to help me with the things that I am struggling with right now.

Definitions

One of the things I appreciated was that he helped me to better understand what is meant by the word "temperance." Here are some definitions Elder Watson gives of temperance:

• "Being temperate is to use moderation in all things or to exercise self-control."
• "Being temperate means to carefully examine our expectations and desires, to be diligent and patient in seeking righteous goals."
• "A temperate soul--one who is humble and full of love--is also a person of increased spiritual strength. With increased spiritual strength, we are able to develop self-mastery and to live with moderation."
• "What better example do we have of temperance than our Savior, Jesus Christ?"

Using Self-control and Being Diligent

I already understood fairly well that temperance involved using self-control. Many people specifically use the word in reference to drinking or eating a lot of food, and I also extended that to self-control in other things. But I don't think I had thought of it in terms of goals before. Accomplishing the most important things involves hard work, careful planning and thought, and repentance. Our ultimate goal in this life is to return to our Father in Heaven and receive exaltation. There is no way we could do this without temperance. It takes hard work. I think much of the reason for this is that we all have weaknesses that we need to overcome--usually the reason I sin is because I give in to my weaknesses. If we are temperate, we can have the self-control and the will-power to resist temptation and the pull of our weaknesses, and if we keep trying to do this, our weaknesses can eventually become our strengths and we will have a greater desire to become righteous. We can all become purified and overcome our weaknesses--and that happens through the atonement and through temperance.

Spiritual Strength

Elder Watson told the story of a time when he was driving home on the freeway. A semi-truck lost one of its tires, and the tire bounced onto Elder Watson's windshield. He didn't suffer a single scratch, even though the glass broke and he was covered with beads of glass. The reason he was not cut is that the windshield was made of tempered glass. Tempered glass goes through a heating process that increases its strength, so it doesn't easily break into jagged shards.

He used this as an analogy for a temperate soul. If we are temperate, our soul is spiritually strong. I appreciated this comparison. It made me think of patience and the strength to resist the dangerous temptations of today's world. I want to become more temperate so that I will be better at saying sincere prayers and reading my scriptures with energy. I want to become more temperate so that I will be working with more zeal and diligence to obey God's commandments and doing my part to build His kingdom. I want to become more temperate so that I can be a valiant servant of God--resisting evil and standing up for righteousness courageously.

Peace of Mind and Security for our Families

Elder Watson pointed out that we all want our families to be secure and happy, and that many people have looked for those things in buying homes or incurring other debts that they couldn't afford to pay back. In reality, security and happiness will not come from accumulating things. As Elder Watson put it, " Security for our families comes from learning self-control, avoiding the excesses of this world, and being temperate in all things. Peace of mind comes from strengthened faith in Jesus Christ. Happiness comes from being diligent in keeping covenants made at baptism and in the holy temples of the Lord." If we use self-control and buy only the things that we need and also that satisfy our righteous desires, we can be secure and feel peace. Not only does having lots of stuff make us stressed and busy, but it also distracts us from the things that are most important--our family, the gospel, the temple, etc. If we carefully plan our budgets and base them on what we can afford, and if we bring into our lives the things that are most important, we will have peace because we are less selfish and more humble and we don't have to worry about the burdens of debt and trying to live up to a certain standard.

Real peace of mind will come from faith in our Savior. If we have faith in Him, we will recognize that much of this life is only temporary and does not have lasting value. If we have faith in Him, we will be obedient to the commandments and striving to return to our Father in Heaven because we recognize that there are eternal implications to what we do on this earth. We will feel peace because we know that there is great joy and happiness in store if we improve our time while in this life, and we will know that we can be with our families forever. Temperance is important for peace of mind because peace of mind can only be found if we are being diligent in keeping the commandments and working towards our eternal goals.

Jesus Christ

Our Savior is a great example of temperance. Elder Watson pointed out that when He was suffering in the garden and dying on the cross, Christ did not get angry or complain. He endured that great emotional, spiritual, and physical pain with love and patience. I am often not very patient with my trials. I know I am not as temperate as Christ is. I also know that I am not a failure because I am not what I should be. That's the point--Christ suffered so that I can repent and eventually have this quality of temperance. Because of Him, there is hope for me to change, and He provided a perfect example of what I should ultimately aim to be.

Becoming Temperate

Elder Watson gave a very good explanation of how we can become more temperate: "Learning to be temperate in all things is a spiritual gift available through the Holy Ghost." If we will pray for that gift and strive each day to be more temperate, this spiritual gift can be given to us. The Holy Ghost will enter into our hearts and minds, and if we allow it, he will purify our hearts and make us more temperate. It is certainly a gradual process. It requires hard work. But the more temperate we become, the more we will be inviting improvement.

I am grateful that I felt that I should read this particular talk yesterday. I feel more strongly the importance of being patient and diligently working to overcome my weaknesses and spend time on the things that matter most. And I am grateful that through the atonement I can repent and become better at being temperate in all things.

"Being Temperate in All Things" can be found by clicking here.