“I think sometimes as we are seeking to find and understand better our eternal identity that we ought to continue to be asking ourselves, “What am I doing that I should stop doing that doesn’t help me understand my identity better and what am I not doing that I should start doing that will help me understand my identity in such a way that I can be of more service to our Savior, especially when it comes to connecting with His children?” I think introspection is a really big part of that answer to your question. Introspection is not an examination that happens quickly. It’s one that I think we ought to be pondering on and being really thoughtful on consistently and constantly.
I want to share an experience that I had recently where I was listening to a conference talk and I remember listening to the words of this brother, who was sharing these eternal truths over the pulpit and I thought, “Wow this is amazing! Someone’s really gonna need this,” and then I walked away and went about my day. Doesn’t that happen like “This is an amazing talk! Someone should listen to this,” and maybe a name of someone popped up in my head. “I need to give this talk to so and so.” and I walked away and went about my day, and then something miraculous happened that I was so grateful for that occurred during the Spirit. I remember being in my kitchen, washing my dishes and the Spirit, reminding me of that talk and pricking my heart going, “Tracy, Tracy, Tracy. Girl, girl, girl. You are that person. There are things in your life that could be refined to be in more alignment with this truth that you so quickly dismissed. I need you to be more introspective. Take a bit longer when you’re hearing words that are the truths that will help you reach the salvation and the exaltation that you desire. Take the time to really be introspective. It is not a message that can be quickly dismissed.”
I think what we suffer from that because we hear something and we go, “I’m not like that. I don’t do that. Let’s move on. They’re talking about someone else,” and we don’t always examine, “What am I doing that I should stop doing? What am I not doing that I should start doing?” If we were continuing to be that introspective when we are engaging with doctrine, when we’re engaging with counsel that comes from the brethren over the pulpit, when we’re reading messages from our leaders, when we’re interacting with God’s children, when we’re on our knees and trying to hear the voice of the Lord, when we’re trying to listen to the invitation from the prophet that says, “Let the Lord prevail in our lives,” if we can but ask ourselves that question and then slow down and really seek to have that answer come, and come at it’s own speed, and come in it’s own way, for us to pinpoint those areas. Because they’re not always glaring like the example that was given in the message. You might go, “Well I’m not doing that so that must be, it’s the only use case.” We go to the extreme, right? “It’s the only use case that we’re talking about,” but that’s not correct. I was so grateful for that moment at my kitchen sink when the Lord said, “Mmmmm, I got some news for you. There is an area here that we can work on and I’m willing to help you, and we’ll be more aligned if you’re willing to do that work. We’re gonna be closer when you put the effort in to do that work.”