Sister Linda K. Burton: Prepared in a Manner That Never Had Been Known

I plan to do this in order, so I will start with the first speaker of the General Women's Broadcast. It was held on September 27th 2014.

Sister Linda K. Burton: Prepared in a Manner That Never Had Been Known

Read or watch the full talk here.

The focus of Sister Burton's talk is the need to be truly prepared for the future. To be prepared for temporal concerns like school and work, and to be prepared for eternal concerns like eternal marriage.

In her talk, Sister Burton references the parable of the 10 Virgins. This parable is one that Christ addressed directly to the members of the church. It was a reminder to his followers that they have to be truly converted. They have to continually build their reserve of spiritual oil, their testimony, so they will be prepared when the BrideGroom comes.

In order to explain this, Sister Dalton quoted one of our Latter Day Prophets. According to President Spencer W. Kimball, "the oil of spiritual preparedness cannot be shared." President Kimball was addressing an event in the parable when the 5 Wise Virgins refuse to share their oil with the 5 Foolish Virgins. It's not because they don't want to share, but because they can't.

I have to admit that one of my problems over the last year is that I was waiting for someone to help me. I didn't want to do it alone. I wanted someone to share their testimony and dedication with me. For those who don't know, I am not married. This is not horrible, but it is difficult. I am single in a church whose central beliefs are focused on the family. This is hard. And the older I get the harder it gets, especially because my family life is so important to me.

Being single, however, does not mean I can't strengthen my relationship with Heavenly Father. It does not mean I can't add to my personal oil reserve. While I struggled over the last year, I was forgetting that I need to, and can, help myself. I cannot rely on the testimonies of others. I have to strengthen and build my own testimony, one drop at a time. And I have to remember that I am not alone. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are both right there for me, waiting for me to open my scriptures and hear their voices speaking to me.

Ok, here are a few more things in Dalton's talk that I want to share.

First, when she quoted Spencer W. Kimball she also included his explanation about what we can do to add oil to our lamps, or to build our testimonies.
               "Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, home teaching, control of bodily appetites, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures- each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store."
President Kimball is right. It takes dedication and obedience, but we can do it. I can do it and so can you.

Second, another way that I can prepare myself is to (1) make my home a place where I can feel the spirit, and (2) be obedient and faithfully honor my covenants.

Remember people, life is not about being perfect, but it is about preparation. I know that as I strive to develop my relationship with my Heavenly Father, I will be happier. The most important way I can do that is spending time with Him. That means getting down on my knees to pray, and opening the scriptures to listen.

Ok, that's it for today. I would love to hear what you thought about Sister Dalton's talk.