Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president, spoke on a number of topics to nearly 10,000 women and priesthood leaders in southeastern Idaho in February 2011. The following is some of what she taught about finding balance.
“The Lord says, ‘Do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy’ (2 Nephi 9:51). So much of the time we spend our efforts on are things that are of no worth and cannot satisfy. We neglect the weightier things the Lord has asked us to take care of, and we think that busyness and competition are better than consecration and personal best efforts. …
“When we make covenants, we promise that everything belongs to the Lord—our time, our abilities, everything we have is His. That means we have to go to Him to know how to balance all that.”
“We know that there are some essential things that must be taken care of if we are going to achieve eternal life. Those things are making and keeping covenants and doing the things the Lord expects us to do. … Every day we start by doing those essential things. It’s not a long list; it’s a few things that tell the Lord we’re aligned with Him. …
“We have a long list of necessary things. These are the things that help keep life moving. Then we have the list of things that are nice to do. But if we spend our time on that list, and essentials haven’t been taken care of first, then we’re not lined up with our Heavenly Father. [The "nice" things] won’t save us.”
You can prioritize our lives very simply, understanding that your personal best efforts the Lord accepts and your righteous offering he loves. And the only way you’re going to know is at the end of the day when you get on your knees and ask Him. Some days you are going to feel guilty, and that’s OK because then you’ll change. …
“No woman ever has enough time, enough energy, and enough strength to do all the good things that are in her mind to do. We have to have the help of the Holy Ghost to take care of the most essential, and then the necessary, and fill in the nice-to-do things around that.
