I traveled this week to Salt Lake City, Utah, to attend the wedding of my charming and talented nephew Matt and his sweet and wonderful bride, Rachelle.  I almost didn't come because I am so busy at home!  But after examining the things that I was busy with, I determined that my kind of busy could wait a few days, while spending this special time with my family could and should not be missed.  So off to Utah I drove with my daughter Megan.  What a fun time we have had.  We went different directions, but got together for all the family gatherings.  I am so happy to be in SLC with my family and have even been able to include friends in the rounds. 

Friday afternoon, after running a few errands, Megan and I decided to go downtown to plaza down by temple square.  It is freezing here!  We loaded the parking meter and gave ourselves about an hour and a half limit.  It was fun to take pictures of the beautiful Salt Lake Temple where Scott and I were married, then Christie and Matt two years ago, and then Matt (my nephew) and Rachelle on Thursday. 

It was nice not to be too rushed.  We walked around the plaza and came to a building familiar to me.  When I was nineteen and working downtown, I remember standing in front of the big world map on the Church Office building and thinking " Somewhere, out there, is the man I am going to marry" …and he was, and I found him and I married him and got 6 wonderful children and oodles of great in-laws in the bargain. 

Every time I go to the temple for a wedding I am reminded of the promises made there to those that are sealed for time and all eternity.  It is a wonderful promise, but one that will not be fulfilled without a lot of hard work and that little other thing we have to do…endure to the end.  This is no small task.

My scripture today comes from The Book of Mormon, Moroni 7:16 – 19:

16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.

18 And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.

19 Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.

This is another promise from our Heavenly Father and a tool for our use as we journey through our life.  We have a formula that help us to determine how we can spend our energies.  There are so many things in life that entice us to waste our time.  I won't even start judging anyone else's "wastes" as I have more than enough of my own.  But it would behoove us to consider how we spend our moments and put our energies into things that will bring us, and those around us, long lasting or eternal joy and not just momentary pleasure.  If we consider what the end result of our labors will be, then we can know the source from which it comes.  It all comes down to how we exercise our free agency and in the end, the responsibility is ours.  It is so important to choose wisely.