Desire

General conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints this Spring was in early April.  One of the talks that I enjoyed was a talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  He spoke on Desire.  Right at the beginning of his address, he said something that stuck with me.  He said “Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming.”

Elder Oaks gave examples of desires that dictate our actions.  Some basic desires we have are a desire for food, shelter, and sleep.  These desires can be overridden by stronger desires.  Like the desire to fast can override our desire to eat, the desire to fulfill a Boy Scout requirement can override the desire for shelter, and the desire to fulfill our duty can override our desire to sleep. 

Elder Oaks tells a story about a man in the Korean War to illustrate his point of overriding the desire to sleep.  I can think of many other desires that have overridden my desire for sleep.  In high school I pulled an all nighter to finish a project for my English class.  My desire to keep my job overrides my desire to sleep every weekday.

 Elder Oaks’ quote makes sense.  “Desires dictate our priorities…”  It’s easy to see how we naturally shift our priorities according to our desires.  “…priorities shape our choices…”  We make choices depending on our priorities.  Whatever priority is higher, we choose.  When the weather is nice, my desire to go for a run usually overrides my desire to clean my house.  That shifts my priorities and shapes my choice.  “…choices determine our actions.”  When I make the choice to go running, then I get out the door and hit the trail.  That choice determines my actions.

Elder Oaks says “We should remember that righteous desires cannot be superficial, impulsive, or temporary.  They must be heartfelt, unwavering, and permanent.  So motivated, we will seek for that condition described by the Prophet Joseph Smith, where we have ‘overcome the evils of [our lives] and lost every desire for sin.’”

The stronger our desires for righteousness are, the less we desire to sin.  King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon asked his people if they believed the words he taught them about the coming of The Savior and the Atonement.  In Mosiah 5:2 they respond saying “…Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”

At the end of his address, Elder Oaks adds on to his previous statement.  He says “Let us remember that desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. In addition, it is our actions and our desires that cause us to become something, whether a true friend, a gifted teacher, or one who has qualified for eternal life.”