Illinois Peoria Mission
1994
How is it possible to gain control of one’s mind to become a better missionary?
The first step is to be able to control our power of attention. We cannot control ourselves until we bring our power of attention under our own will. Then we can concentrate.
Control comes through exercising will power over what we think about.
Some Examples of Opportunities to Control Our Minds:
- Focus intently on every word when another person is offering a public prayer. If you can support everything said, say a genuine “Amen”. Your attention and “Amen” lend great strength, all of your strength, to the prayer. So, don’t let your mind wander during prayers.
- Focus on the words and messages of the hymns sung during church meetings. Hymns are a form of prayer, and to give full attention to every line of the hymn will greatly strengthen your power of attention and enhance the spirituality of your singing.
- Focus when you read scriptures. Read slowly enough to let each verse sink fully into your consciousness. Ask questions when issues arise in your mind. Wrestle with difficult passages until you understand them. Practice until you can read a full half-hour at a time without mind-wandering.
- Focus on your relationship with the Savior during the passing of the sacrament. Listen intently to the prayers of consecration, then ponder upon your feelings for the Savior and how well you are keeping the promises you are making by partaking. Let this time be some of the sacred moments of your week as you concentrate.
- Focus on each talk you hear in church meetings. You can think twice as fast as another person can talk, so parallel what they say with what you would say if you were giving the talk. As you pay this close attention, the Holy Spirit will bring many ideas to your attention, things not said by the speaker nor hitherto understood by you. Then listening to every talk will be a spiritual feast.
- Focus when any person who has priesthood authority over you speaks or writes to you. Remember that you must evaluate everything said to see how it should affect what you do. We are all bound by our covenants to support those who preside over us. If we make careful plans as to how to implement every instruction, we are showing true faith in Jesus Christ and the authority He has placed on earth. This will prepare you then to focus on the implementation of your instruction. Hearing without obeying is spiritual death, but we obey unto life eternal.
- Focus when you are teaching a discussion, especially when you are not doing the teaching. Follow every comment of the person who is speaking, but observe carefully what the investigators are feeling and how they are reacting. Read the body language. Notice the emotional overtones of their comments and conversation. Be conscious of what your companion is saying and doing and fit into the discussion; support and bear testimony as is appropriate. Never let your mind wander. Your attention and loving contribution greatly strengthen the teaching situation.
You may find that you cannot focus attention for more than a few seconds at first. But if you pray for help and try hard in each of the above situations to gain control of your mind, you will get better and better at it until you have control. Control means that you can concentrate for 30 minutes or longer any time you desire.
If you do all of these focus exercises until you are able to do each of them without diversion of attention, you will have won the battle. Using such power of attention will lead you to be able to exercise great faith in our Savior. And that faith will lead you to every other good thing: like a firm mind in every form of godliness.
Elder Riddle (at the request of President Udall.)