for the opportunity to speak

I will be giving a talk in Sacrament Meeting later this afternoon. As nervous as that makes me, and as much as I wish it was already over, I am thankful for the opportunity. It has given me time to study and ponder on some things, and has helped to strengthen my testimony.

I wanted to share just a bit of what I plan to say. My topic is how increasing my temple attendance has improved my life. As I thought about the changes I have seen in myself, Elder Richard J. Maynes' talk from our most recent general conference, entitled "The Joy of Living a Christ-Centered Life" kept coming to mind. In it, he spoke of Elder Aoba, a japanese potter and member of the Seventy. Elder Aoba was asked to participate in a youth conference in his area. As part of his presentation, he invited the youth to his pottery studio and demonstrated his ability to shape bowls and cups out of clay on his potter's wheel. He had the youth who were attending the conference give it a try, and without exception, all failed. They assumed they didn't have the talent for it, or that they didn't have enough experience. But, as Elder Aoba showed them, the problem was that their clay was not perfectly centered on the wheel, thus causing their failure. If the clay is not precisely in the center, it can never be shaped into something sturdy and long-lasting. Elder Aoba gave the youth another chance, this time placing the clay on their wheels for them, directly in the center, and this time each youth was successful.

Elder Maynes said, "The wold in which we live is similar to the potter's spinning wheel, and the speed of that wheel is increasing. Like the clay on the potter's wheel, we must be centered as well. Our core, the center of our lives, must be Jesus Christ and His gospel. Living a Christ-centered life means we learn about Jesus Christ and His gospel and then we follow His example and keep His commandments with exactness. The joy we experience in this life will be in direct proportion to how well our lives are centered on the teachings, example, and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ."