Elder Hans T. Boom: 3 Principles for Balancing Eternal and Temporal Priorities

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By Kaitlyn Bancroft, Church News

Latter-day Saints know they can do “all things through Christ which strengtheneth [them]” (Philippians 4:13).

But they might wonder what, exactly, is expected of them — and if they need to do “all things” at the same time, said Elder Hans T. Boom, General Authority Seventy.

“We live in an interesting world with so much information coming our way ... that we, at times, might find ourselves in a situation [in which] we don’t know what to do first or last,” he said. “This even might result in doing nothing at all and [becoming] discouraged and depressed. So let’s take a good look at what we could do to function well and accomplish what we need to.”

During a BYU–Idaho campus devotional on Tuesday, November 12, in Rexburg, Idaho, Elder Boom taught three ways to balance life’s eternal and temporal priorities.

He was joined by his wife, Ariena, who spoke about how even good things can become distractions if individuals don’t make time for spiritual stillness.

“Satan knows that we connect better to heaven during the quiet times of our lives,” she said. “So he will do everything to disturb those times of peace, and he is very good at it. ... So focus on the essential things in your life. Keep Christ at the center.”

Elder Boom built on his wife’s remarks, emphasizing the significance of eternal priorities while acknowledging that each person juggles a variety of important demands.

“Life cannot be all about work, and it cannot be all about play either. There needs to be a certain balance,” he said.

Elder Boom shared three ways individuals can accomplish all that’s required of them within their circumstances.

1. Develop a Relationship With Jesus Christ

First and foremost, each person should develop his or her relationship with Jesus Christ, he said. In coming to know the Savior, the promised strengthening will happen “immediately.”

“You will get to know yourself better in that process and come to be more confident about yourself,” Elder Boom said. “You will have more self-esteem because of your special relationship with Christ. As a result of this relationship, you will want to do better and be better.”

This relationship will also help individuals navigate when and where they should make sacrifices, he continued. For instance, Elder Boom recalled a time when his wife attended the temple weekly. He would have loved to join her each week, he said, but his service at that time as an Area Seventy made it infeasible.

“Let us heed King Benjamin’s counsel not to run faster than we have strength,” Elder Boom said. “Don’t compare yourself with others and their performance. This is between you and your Heavenly Father, and He just wants us to do the best we can.”

2. Keep the Commandments

Second, to accomplish all that’s required of them, Latter-day Saints should stay close to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ by keeping the commandments, Elder Boom said. He cited President Russell M. Nelson’s teachings that immorality is one of the quickest ways to lose a testimony, and that many of the adversary’s most relentless temptations involve the violation of moral purity.

But President Nelson has also taught that nothing opens the heavens quite like a combination of increased purity, exact obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon and regular time committed to temple and family history work.

“Never allow yourself to go into the desert without enough water, and never go through life without a sufficient supply of living water,” Elder Boom said.

3. Cultivate the Holy Ghost

Finally, Elder Boom counseled Latter-day Saints to cultivate the Holy Ghost’s influence in their lives. It is through the Holy Ghost that individuals access Jesus Christ’s sanctifying power, he said, and the Spirit can also strengthen spiritual, emotional, physical and intellectual capacities.

“How can we know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is working in our lives?” Elder Boom asked. “The answer is simple. If you have felt the influence of the Holy Ghost during this day, you may take that as an evidence that the Atonement is working in your life.”

Elder Boom also testified that Heavenly Father wants each person to be successful and return to Him. The Atonement not only cleanses and heals but gives power that “enables us to do what we could never imagine doing. ... Please know that you can do all things through Christ, and let that knowledge bless you and your lives forever.”

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