Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I got into rowing because I had a few friends on the rowing team at my high school. In order to make the boat go fast, you have to make sure that the boat is balanced. So you can't be leaning towards the left a little too much or the right a little too much. You have to make sure that you're seated. That in itself makes the boat go fast, and it enables you to win the race. [MUSIC PLAYING] I think the hardest part is having a very strong foundation and core. That's a huge part of keeping stable. And I think in terms of spirituality, keeping a spiritual balance, that is also having a very strong foundation in the gospel. You want to be able to have that strong foundation in order to keep balance. We are surrounded by media influences and cultural deteriorations that will carry us downstream in our values if we are not continually resisting. To move upstream toward our eternal goal, we must constantly keep paddling. It helps if we're part of a team who are paddling together, like a rowing crew in action. Teammates are a huge part of rowing. You need to be in sync. You need to be in time and basically of one mind in order to be able to row that boat really fast and so be able to keep going towards that finish line. That corresponds to life in so many ways. If you're not on the same page with other people in your life, and if they're not on the same page with you--if they're not respecting the values that you uphold or the standards that you have--that's not a very good relationship, I think. But if you're surrounding yourself with people who are in sync with you, who have the same values and standards as you, who support you and love you, they're people that I want to keep. And they're people that I want to row with. They're people that I want to have as teammates. They're people that I want to have as friends, because when you're surrounding yourself with people who have the same standards and values as you, that is when you're able to become the person that Heavenly Father wants you to become. The cultural currents are so strong, if we ever stop paddling, we will be carried downstream toward a destination we do not seek but which becomes inevitable if we do not constantly try to move forward. You really get out what you put in. So if you're putting in that time to get to know Heavenly Father and to really understand the scriptures and strengthen your relationship with Him, He will provide for you the answers that you need in your life in order to continue along that path. I have a very strong testimony of spiritual balance and knowing that even through the hard times, through the adversity that comes your way, you can really achieve what you want to if you keep spiritually strong. I believe we all desire to follow President Russell M. Nelson's challenge to press forward on the covenant path. Our commitment to do so is strengthened by consistently following the small things we are taught by the gospel of Jesus Christ and the leaders of His Church. [MUSIC PLAYING]

Spiritual Balance

Description
To move upstream toward our eternal goal, we must constantly keep paddling. It helps if we are part of a team that is paddling together, like a rowing crew in action. From a talk by President Oaks.
Tags

Related Collections