"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." - 1 John 4:18

Sunday, March 24, 2013

My Biggest Regret Being at BYU

My biggest regret at BYU is making myself too busy for people. The reason I felt so crappy my sophomore year of college was that I tried pushing myself by taking the hardest classes that I could. I devoted all of my time to school that I never gave myself time for others. President Uchtdorf says how I feel so eloquently below. This is a passage from his talk "Of Regrets and Resolutions" from this past General Conference:

"Men in particular sang this universal lament: they “deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the [daily] treadmill of … work.” Many had lost out on choice memories that come from spending time with family and friends. They missed developing a deep connection with those who meant the most to them.
Isn’t it true that we often get so busy? And, sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life.
Is it?
I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished.
I can’t see it.
Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day. When He interacted with those around Him, they felt important and loved. He knew the infinite value of the people He met. He blessed them, ministered to them. He lifted them up, healed them. He gave them the precious gift of His time."

For me, this is probably the biggest deal breaker for a future spouse. I cannot marry a guy who does not have his priorities straight. I cannot marry a guy who always sacrifices spending time with others for work or school. As important as work and school are, people trump work and school. 
I had to learn this the hard way. For me, I did not learn this lesson until I had to say goodbye.

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