Are you a Success

This past weekend was so amazing to me.  I am sure most of you thought I was taking a vacation from blogging. I wasn't really.  I was actually in Phoenix AZ attending a Time Out For Women event.  It was Amazing!  Seriously!!  I left feeling so uplifted and filled.  I want to share a little with you.  There is no way that I can do the entire conference justice, but I can and will try to give you my favorite talks from it.

The first speaker was Virginia Hinckley Pierce.  Let me just say that no matter what you have heard about her, it wasn't nearly good enough.  I loved her talk.  She talked about success and how good women always have a desire to know if they are succeeding in life.  She talked about using two questions to determine success.  The first is:  Have I trusted Christ?  And the second question is:  Have I used the atoning sacrifice enough to help build His kingdom?
"Growth comes as we constantly try to achieve that that is just slightly out of reach".  Gordon B Hinckley
We can tell if we are achieving success in our lives because of two things.  This is the part of the talk that I loved because it gave me hope that I might be on the right track.
The first way is that we are beginning to lose our disposition to do evil.  This means, as we become more successful, that our very desires change.  We desire to be less like the world, and more like Him.
The second way to tell if we are starting to become successful is:  Are we beginning to see things as heavenly Father and Jesus Christ see them?  Are we beginning to hear His voice instead of the voice of the world?
So, when we look at the world around us, are we looking with eyes of judgement, or eyes of love?  Are we seeing the world at it's best, or our worst?  
Peace, Joy and hope are available to all those who learn to measure success properly.  
She also talked about our propensity to compare ourselves to each other.  We need to get completely out of the business of comparison.  When you are comparing, you can always find somebody that has it better than you do, and somebody else that has it worse.  Comparison doesn't make sense.  It is a way of distorting the "facts" and highlighting the fiction.  
Success is not about how many children you have, how much money you make, whether you are a stay at home mom or whether you need to hold down a job to help support your family.  Success is not measured by what callings you have held, or how many of your children went through the temple.  In the manual "Preach my Gospel" the missionaries are counseled to "Avoid comparing yourself to other missionaries and comparing their outward results to yours".  Your success is measured more accurately by your commitment.  Your willingness to teach people, and your willingness to love people.  
When we go to the Temple to make covenants, we don't ever answer for our children, we don't answer for our husbands.  We only answer for ourselves.  At some point we are all accountable for our own decisions.  
She told of a conference that she was speaking at.  One of the sisters was driving her to the airport and they had a wonderful visit.  Partway there, the sister turned to her and said, "I feel so bad that the Lord doesn't trust me".  When asked what she meant by that, this good sister replied, "I have never been in a presidency"
Sister Pierce than said, 
"A bishop is not more valued over a Sunday school teacher".
A primary president is not more valued than a nursery leader".
"Callings are not a marker of success".
Whoa, I really had to think about that one for a minute.  But my heart was singing and knew the answer long before I really heard the question.  I have learned that the promptings of the Holy Ghost will tell you how you stand before God.  You will know where you are and what you need to do.  


Success is trusting Christ and using His atoning sacrifice to become more like Him.  


Sister Pierce ended by quoting a couple of verses from the hymn,"Come Let Us Anew"


O that each in the day of His coming may say,
I have fought my way through;
I have finished the work 
Thou didst give me to do!
O that each from his Lord 
may receive the glad word,
Well and faithfully done!
Enter into My joy, 
and sit down on My throne!
Enter into My joy, 
and sit down on My throne !


Isaiah 49:13 
Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.