This is a General Conference Odyssey post for the Sunday morning session of April 1981.
What makes Self-Reliance a spiritual law? I’ve asked myself this a lot over the years, mostly because every time Self Reliance is mentioned in church, people tend to roll their eyes.
I’ve been a Self-Reliance Consultant before, as well as Family History Consultant, and both are those eye-rolling callings that make people feel very uneasy, guilty and cause avoidance issues. Mark E. Petersen speaks, during this conference session, about Self Reliance and his words really resonate. He says,
“We must be industrious, we must be frugal, we must seek a proper balance between our needs and our desires, and especially we must reestablish our lives upon a spiritual foundation.”
Maybe there’s a deeper connection to this statement than meets the eye? Is it possible that we preserve our spirituality (desires to be obedient to God) by temporally preparing for the future? Does our attitude about general obedience stay in check spiritually when we are concerned with our temporal situation? These are questions that deserve some serious contemplation.
Regarding Self-Reliance, most people immediately think one-year storage, gardening, and savings in the bank. But as time has passed since this talk was given, our country has seen a few economic downturns, yet it has also seen an explosion of affluence and security. Wars have always been distant to Americans. Where homelessness grows, so do government welfare households. And each year the idea of entitlement increases.
America is not the enemy here, but attitudes of Americans are rising to a level of aggrandizement that cannot be sustained. Is it possible to continue on this road and maintain our spiritual nature?
The reality is if any of us gets hit with a personal downturn, what are our chances of spiritual survival?
Elder Petersen clearly connects the two in his talk.
“Let us never forget that our greatest resource is the Lord our God.” Stating this point, he clarifies, “Labor while it is called today” (D&C 64:25)—obey Him, serve Him, walk in righteousness before Him, and “be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord” (D&C 38:42). That’s the law!”
God has given us suggestions in being Self-Reliant, on a temporal level, but He has commanded us to choose righteousness in order to receive His everlasting aid in a world full of daily wickedness.
The spiritual side of Self-Reliance far outweighs the temporal, yet by obeying the temporal perhaps we keep a humble perspective, with ears to hear, in order to be safe on the spiritual side.
Check your spiritual Self-Reliance levels today.
- Am I reading your scriptures?
- Am I praying regularly?
- Am I obeying the prophet?
- Am I sacrificing something in order to please the Lord?
I’ve been called to be a Facilitator for the Self-Reliance class Personal Finance, in our Branch. Being financial self-reliant allows us to serve better in the Lord’s Kingdom. We can’t feed the hungry out of an empty pantry; we can’t clothe the naked out of an empty closet; we can’t give in any way if our own stores are empty, including emotionally and spiritually. These classes are just another blessing from the resources of the church to aid in the building of God’s Kingdom!
Tonight is our Branch’s second Self Reliance-Personal Finance class, and I’m the facilitator. It is deeply gratifying to be part of a church that teaches self-reliance with a firm foundation of faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to the commandments. I love what Pres. Nelson said in the last conference about the combination of things that unlocks the heavens for revelation to us. When taking care of the temporal needs of a family we need all the help from heaven we can get! Thanks for your insights and thoughts.
It’s so great you have this opportunity. My husband and I facilitated one of these Self Reliance classes for growing a business. The class formats are great when working in a council situation as well, and all of the classes focus on an Interdependent reliance where we can accomplish anything with help from the Lord. These classes really help us put into action all that the spirit reveals to us when we ask for help.