Elder Dallin H. Oaks: Desire
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181st Annual General Conference — Church News coverage
"Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions," Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve said during the Saturday afternoon session of general conference. "The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving and our becoming."
Elder Oaks spoke of the importance of properly prioritizing one's desires by putting the things of eternal importance before the desires of the world.
"Readjusting our desires to give highest priority to the things of eternity is not easy," he said. "We are all tempted to desire that worldly quartet of property, prominence, pride and power. We might desire these, but we should not fix them as our highest priorities."
It is through learning how to develop eternal, righteous desires that individuals are able to progress.
Elder Oaks told a story of a hiker who became stuck after an 800 pound rock shifted suddenly, trapping his right arm. The man struggled to get loose, only resulting in failed attempts and five lonely days in a remote canyon in Southern Utah. When he was about to give up and accept death, he had a vision of a young boy running toward him and being scooped up with his left arm. Understanding the vision as a scene with his future son, the hiker felt an assurance that he could still live, and mustered the courage it took to take drastic action to save his life. Using his knife he amputated his own arm, relieving his body from the boulder and then hiked five miles for help.
"What an example of the power of an overwhelming desire," Elder Oaks said. "When we have a vision of what we can become, our desire and our power to act increase enormously.
"Most of us will never face such an extreme crisis, but all of us face potential traps that will prevent progress toward our eternal destiny. If our righteous desires are sufficiently intense, they will motivate us to cut and carve ourselves free from addictions and other sinful pressures and priorities that prevent our eternal progress."
Righteous desires cannot be superficial, impulsive or temporary, Elder Oaks said. Righteous desires must be heartfelt, unwavering and permanent. What individuals desire over time is what they will eventually become and receive in the eternity, he said.
"As important as it is to lose every desire for sin, eternal life requires more," he said. "To achieve our eternal destiny we will desire and work for the qualities required to become an eternal being."
Elder Oaks shared examples of "eternal beings" as individuals who forgive all who have wronged them, who put the welfare of others ahead of themselves and who love all of God's children.
"If this seems too difficult — and surely it is not easy for any of us — then we should begin with a desire for such qualities, and call upon our loving Heavenly Father for help with our feelings. ...
"Let us remember that desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions," he said. "In addition, it is our actions and our desires that cause us to become something, whether a true friend, a gifted teacher, or one who has qualified for eternal life."
