Originally presented as a workshop for the League City Stake Relief Society in League City, Texas 30 January 2016.
A few years ago, I was walking in downtown Salt Lake City. As I came to the Relief Society Building, I decided to go in. In the basement were displays and resources for the women-led organizations – the Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society. On the wall in the Relief Society area, I found “Essential, Necessary, and Nice to Do” by Julie Beck, former Relief Society General President. It read:
Essential
The things that must be taken care of and if I don’t take care of them, the blessings of eternal life won’t be mine nor will they be the blessings of my family.
Essential personal preparation that strengthens family and home:
–Revelation
–Pray always
–Daily scripture study
–Time to ponder and fast
–Making and keeping covenants (sacrament meeting, temple)
–Love one another
Necessary
The things we have to do as a part of mortal life in order to be self-reliant and be of service to our families and the Lord.
–Marriage and family relationships
–Homemaking (cooking, cleaning, working)
–Self-reliance and provident living
–Compassionate service
–Temple and family history
–Sharing the gospel
–Church service
Nice to Do
These add variety to our lives, but they won’t save us.
–Crafts
–Hobbies
–Recreational reading
–Lunches with friends
–Movies
–Travel
–Blogging and recreational computer time
What is on your list?
As you think about what is on your list, it’s good to review the 4 areas of self-reliance found in the General Handbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, section 22. Self-reliance and provident living is preparedness. Provident living is being “wise, frugal, prudent, making provision for the future while attending to immediate needs.”1 As members of the Church, we are responsible for our own spiritual and temporal well-being in the areas of education and employment, physical and emotional health, temporal preparedness (finances and home storage), and spiritual strength.
Education and Employment (22.1.3)
“The Savior taught that ‘the glory of God is intelligence’ (Doctrine and Covenants 93:36). He also taught, ‘Seek learning, even by study and also by faith’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118; see also 130:18). Education or vocational training can lead to better employment so members can provide for personal and family needs.
Developing the capacity to work will help members contribute to their families, the Church, and the world. Members are counseled to work hard and be honest in all they do.”
Elder Marion G. Romney made a great promise in 1980. He said “I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.”2 This is true. It works.
In April 2012 General Conference, Elder Richard G. Scott taught “Inspiration carefully recorded shows God that His communications are sacred to us. Recording will also enhance our ability to recall revelation.”3 How can we recall spiritual strength gained from these experiences if we do not know how to write well enough to record them?
Elder Robert D. Hales, in the same conference, said “All of us have an “imperative duty” to assist our youth in preparing for lifelong service by helping them become self-reliant. In addition to …spiritual self-reliance …., there is temporal self-reliance, which includes getting a postsecondary education or vocational training, learning to work, and living within our means.”4
Physical and Emotional Health (22.1.2)
“Heavenly Father wants His children to develop physical and emotional strength. This includes doing the following:
- Obey the Word of Wisdom (see Doctrine and Covenants 89).
- Strive to eat nutritious food, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and maintain a healthy weight.
- Avoid substances and behaviors that are harmful or addictive.
- Practice good hygiene and receive proper medical care.
- Develop and strengthen healthy relationships with family and others.
- Learn to manage stress.
- Seek help for mental or emotional challenges as needed.”
In the Word of Wisdom, the Lord promises “And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures…”5
Elder Scott also taught that “spiritual communication can be enhanced by good health practices. Exercise, reasonable amounts of sleep, and good eating habits increase our capacity to receive and understand revelation.”6
Temporal Preparedness (22.1.4)
“The scriptures teach the importance of being prepared (see Ezekiel 38:7; Doctrine and Covenants 38:30). Members are counseled to become prepared so they can care for themselves, their families, and others in times of need.
“Members increase their financial preparedness by:
- Paying tithes and offerings (see Malachi 3:8–12).
- Eliminating and avoiding debt to the extent possible.
- Preparing and living within a budget.
- Saving for the future.
- Obtaining an appropriate education to help them provide for themselves and their families.
“Preparedness also includes developing a plan for how to take care of basic needs during an emergency. Members are encouraged to build both a short-term and longer-term supply of food, water, and other necessities.”
The Church has a pamphlet – One for the Money – and a Personal Finances for Self-Reliance course available to help families with their finances. They are available on providentliving.churchofjesuschrist.org or they can be purchased from store.churchofjesuschrist.org. There are also 15 financial calculators in the Finances section of providentliving.churchofjesuschrist.org. One is a calculator for emergency savings. Financial experts recommend 3 to 6 months’ worth of salary for emergencies. Saving 3 to 4 months of salary will allow you to pay your bills for about 1 year IF you have food storage and are not in a lot of debt.
Elder Hales in April 2009 stated “Some of us feel embarrassed, ashamed, less worthwhile if our family does not have everything the neighbors have. As a result, we go into debt to buy things we can’t afford—and things we do not really need. Whenever we do this, we become poor temporally and spiritually. We give away some of our precious, priceless agency and put ourselves in self-imposed servitude. Money we could have used to care for ourselves and others must now be used to pay our debts. What remains is often only enough to meet our most basic physical needs. Living at the subsistence level, we become depressed, our self-worth is affected, and our relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and the Lord are weakened. We do not have the time, energy, or interest to seek spiritual things.”7
He went on to say “The foundation of provident living is the law of the tithe. The primary purpose of this law is to help us develop faith in our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Tithing helps us overcome our desires for the things of this world and willingly make sacrifices for others. Tithing is the great equitable law, for no matter how rich or poor we are, all of us pay the same one-tenth of our increase annually (see D&C 119:4), and all of us receive blessings so great “that there shall not be room enough to receive [them]” (Malachi 3:10).”
In the April 2012 conference, he said “By avoiding debt and saving money now, we are prepared for full-time Church service in the years to come.”8
The First Presidency in the pamphlet “All is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage” wrote:
“Our Heavenly Father …. has lovingly commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.
We encourage Church members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. …. We encourage you to store as much as circumstances allow.”9
Mark E. Peterson said, “…the most important storehouses in the entire welfare plan are those that are within the walls of our own homes. We must provide our own storehouses for our own families in our own homes as far as possible to meet any rainy days that may come our way.”
“…[God] teaches us to be self-reliant and industrious, to plan ahead, to provide for possible hard times, to avoid obligations unless we are sure we can handle them, and then to serve him with such devotion that He will be pleased to augment all of our own earnest efforts.”10 That’s a great blessing but requires that we do our part.
Home storage actually contributes to a better way of life. It:
- Saves time
- Saves money
- Provides a healthy way of eating
- Teaches our children the importance of self-reliance
- Contributes to more freedom in our life
- Contributes to the development of our celestial natures11
These 3 areas of physical and temporal preparedness – Education and Employment, Physical and Emotional Health, and Temporal Preparedness – help us achieve the 4th area.
Spiritual Strength (22.1.1)
“The Savior taught that “all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal” (Doctrine and Covenants 29:34). Members develop spiritual strength as they do the following:
- Exercise faith in Christ.
- Pray.
- Fast.
- Study the scriptures and the words of the living prophets.
- Obey the commandments.
- Attend sacrament meeting and other Church meetings.
- Provide service to others.
- Participate in sacred ordinances and strive to keep the associated covenants.
As members do these things, they receive guidance from the Holy Spirit on how to solve their problems and minister effectively to others.”
The four areas of self-reliance are interconnected. President Spencer W. Kimball, said “Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden spectacular program.”12
How does self-reliance and provident living help with the other Necessary areas of our lives?
- Marriage and family relationships are strengthened by emotional health, financial preparedness, spiritual strength, and good employment.
- Homemaking skills are enhanced by education (reading instructions, recipes, measuring, home repair, nutrition); they help with physical health (eating properly, good hygiene, proper sanitation); and contribute to and are assisted by financial preparedness and home storage.
- Compassionate service is easier to give when you have home storage, are spiritually prepared, and have good physical health.
- Temple and family history work becomes easier when you can read and write well, have learned computer skills, and can be assisted by the Spirit.
- Sharing the gospel becomes easier with the same skills of reading, writing, knowledge of computers, and spiritual strength.
- Church service is enhanced by reading, writing, computer skills, spiritual strength, occupational skills, good financial health, good physical and emotional health, and food storage.
As you can see, self-reliance and provident living, or preparedness, really is a way of life and they contribute to spiritual growth. To think of preparedness and self-reliance only as principles of emergency preparedness is like leaving the higher law on top of Mount Sinai. In actuality, food storage and preparedness contribute to a better way of life and help us be more celestial in nature. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said “Industry, thrift, and self-respect are essential to salvation.”13 Marion G. Romney stated “Let us work for what we need. Let us be self-reliant and independent. Salvation can be obtained on no other principle. Salvation is an individual matter, and we must work out our own salvation, in temporal as well as in spiritual things.”14
Victor L. Brown of the Presiding Bishopric taught about the place that preparedness should have in our daily lives. He said “Some people have reacted to the theme of preparedness as if it were a doomsday matter…Our emphasis on this subject is not grounds for crisis thinking or panic. Quite the contrary, personal and family preparedness should be a way of provident living, an orderly approach to using the resources, gifts, and talents the Lord shares with us. So the first step is to teach our people to be self-reliant and independent through proper preparation for daily life.”15
How does self-reliance and provident living help us with the Essentials?
Education definitely helps with scripture study as does spiritual strength.
Preparedness helps us keep covenants. Baptismal covenants include bearing one another’s burdens, mourning with those who mourn and comforting those in need of comfort. (Mosiah 18:8-10) Marion G. Romney taught “Can we see how critical self-reliance becomes when looked upon as the prerequisite to service…? Without self-reliance one cannot exercise these innate desires to serve. How can we give if there is nothing there? Food for the hungry cannot come from empty shelves. Money to assist the needy cannot come from an empty purse. Support and understanding cannot come from the emotionally starved. Teaching cannot come from the unlearned. And most important of all, spiritual guidance cannot come from the spiritually weak.”16
When a man is ordained to the priesthood, he covenants to magnify his calling in the priesthood. (D&C 84:33) Part of magnifying the priesthood is serving those in need. To repeat Marion G. Romney “Without self-reliance one cannot exercise these … desires to serve.”17 So to be able to fully keep the priesthood covenant, a man must be self-reliant.
Temple covenants include the “covenant and promise….to be charitable, benevolent, tolerant and pure; to devote both talent and material means to the spread of truth and the uplifting of the [human] race; to maintain devotion to the cause of truth; and to seek in every way to contribute to the great preparation that the earth may be made ready to receive…Jesus Christ”18 Think how much easier it is to be “charitable, benevolent, tolerant and pure” and “to devote both talent and material means” when we are self-reliant in all areas of our lives, temporal and spiritual. Brigham Young stated “If you are without bread, how much wisdom can you boast, and of what real utility are your talents, if you cannot procure for yourselves and save against a day of scarcity those substances designed to sustain your natural lives? … If you cannot provide for your natural lives, how can you expect to have wisdom to obtain eternal lives?”19
Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated “Man has been placed on earth to work out his salvation both temporally and spiritually. If all that had been needed for his eternal progression was spiritual in nature, this earth life would not have been necessary.”20
Pres. Romney taught that “Doctrine and Covenants 29:34–35 tells us there is no such thing as a temporal commandment, that all commandments are spiritual. It also tells us that man is to be “an agent unto himself.” Man cannot be an agent unto himself if he is not self-reliant. Herein we see that independence and self-reliance are critical keys to our spiritual growth.”21
D&C 72:3,4 states “ … for it is required of the Lord, at the hand of every steward, to render an account of his stewardship, both in time and in eternity. For he who is faithful and wise in time [meaning this earth life] is accounted worthy to inherit the mansions prepared for him of my Father.”
Pres. Henry D. Moyle taught “We have been given direction, sometimes thought of as temporal in its nature, such as tithing, fast offerings, the welfare program, the Word of Wisdom, chastity, obedience to the law of the land, and others. Whatever their temporal aspect may be, they are given to us to build us up spiritually. We can draw no hard and fast line between temporal and spiritual. All that is good is spiritual.”22
In Alma 60:21 we read, “…do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us?”
2 Nephi 25:23 teaches “…we know it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” That’s both spiritually and temporally.
Referring to the statements above by apostles and prophets, some of the spiritual blessings we can receive through temporal preparedness are:
- reverence
- respect
- greater love in families and for others
- wisdom
- obedience
- righteousness
- faith
- hope
- charity
- peace
- joy
- happiness
- the ability to recall revelation
- hidden treasures of knowledge
- enhanced spiritual communications
- the ability to serve better
- the ability to keep covenants
- spiritual growth
- eternal salvation
From this view, why would we not want to be more prepared and self-reliant?
1 Barbara B. Smith, “Teach LDS Women Self-Sufficiency” Ensign, May 1976.
2 Marion G. Romney, “The Book of Mormon,” Ensign, May 1980.
3 Richard G. Scott, “How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life,” Ensign, May 2012.
4 Robert D. Hales, “Coming to Ourselves: The Sacrament, the Temple, and Sacrifice in Service,” Ensign, May 2012
5 Doctrine and Covenants 89:18-19
6 Scott, ibid.
7 Robert D. Hales, “Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually,” Ensign, May 2009.
8 Robert D. Hales, “Coming to Ourselves: The Sacrament, the Temple, and Sacrifice in Service,” Ensign, May 2012
9 All is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage, April 2007
10 Mark E. Peterson, “Blessings in Self-Reliance,” Ensign, May 1981
11 Cheryl F. Driggs, “Food Storage as a Way of Life”
12 Spencer W. Kimball, Regional Representatives’ Seminar, 30 September 1976.
13 Bruce R. McConkie, “Stand Independent Above All Other Creatures,” Ensign, May 1979.
14 Marion G. Romney, “In Mine Own Way,” Ensign, November 1976.
15 Victor L. Brown, “Welfare Services Essentials: The Bishop’s Storehouse,” Ensign, November 1976.
16 Marion G. Romney, “The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance,” Ensign, June 1984.
17 Romney, ibid.
18 James E. Talmage, House of the Lord, p. 100.
19 Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 8, p. 68.
20 Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 141-142.
21 Romney, ibid.
22 Henry D. Moyle, “The Peace That Comes Through Righteousness,” October 1960 General Conference