The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
Sister Tracy Y. Browning was struck recently by the word “preserve” while studying her scriptures.
“A small seed was planted in my mind,” related Sister Browning, Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency, during the Tuesday, February 14, Brigham Young University devotional. “Subsequently, I felt like I was encountering this word everywhere.”
She noticed it when reading other things, heard it in casual conversations and even found it when walking down an aisle at the grocery store. Feeling impressed to study the word, Sister Browning learned that “to preserve” means: to keep safe from injury or harm; to protect, to keep alive or intact; and to safeguard, secure, defend, shelter, shield and give sanctuary.
As she pondered those definitions, she thought about what she was trying to preserve or defend or keep alive in her own life and from this exercise came a few observations.
“First, our desire to preserve something indicates its value in our lives,” she said. “Second, we want to preserve these precious things because we know they are susceptible to harm, decay, erosion or even destruction. And third, just wanting to preserve something isn’t enough. We have to take observable steps to protect the things we value and prevent any harmful corruption.”
With this understanding, she said she was able to discern what the Spirit was trying to teach her: “He wanted me to assess, before all else, how can I preserve my faith in Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ and my relationship with Them?”
Considering the observable steps God takes to preserve His relationship with her, Sister Browning said she can discern a pattern teaching her how to preserve her relationship reciprocally with Him.
She shared four ways God works to preserve His relationship with His children — and included questions to prompt listeners in their efforts of preserving reciprocal relationships.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
