Elder Robbins teaches, "Trying to please others before pleasing God is inverting the first and second great commandments (Matthew 22:37-39). It is forgetting which way we face. And yet, we have all made that mistake because of the fear of men."
Sis. Harman asked two questions throughout her lesson:
1) How easy is it for you to please God? and
2) What are the ways that I try to please others?
Sis. Harman points out that pleasing God doesn't have to be hard, in fact, most times it is easy. Reading our scriptures, communicating with God in prayer, attending the temple regularly, holding Family Home Evening; these are things that we do to please God, but we oftentimes put them on the back-burner because we are focusing too much attention on pleasing those around us. Elder Robbins says, "While it certainly takes courage to face perils, the true badge of courage is overcoming the fear of men." He continues in his talk showing example after example of courageous men and women from the scriptures that were courageous and overcame the fear of men by putting God first in their lives.
Pres. Uchtdorf talked about the way we can overcome the fear of men in his message at the last General Women's Session. He reminds us that we are each a daughter of God. "My dear sisters in the gospel, whether you are 8 or 108, there is one thing that I hope you truly understand and know. You are loved. You are dear loved. You are dear to your heavenly parents. The infinite and eternal Creator of light and life knows you! He is mindful of you. Yes, God loves you this very day and always....He is not waiting to love you until you have overcome your weaknesses and bad habits. He loves you today with a full understanding of your struggles. He is aware that you reach up to Him in heartfelt and hopeful prayer....More than you could ever imagine, He wants you to achieve your destiny - to return to your heavenly home in honor. I testify that the way to accomplish this is to place selfish desires and unworthy ambitions on the altar of sacrifice and service. I promise that as you do so, you will discover your best self - your real self. You will discover what it truly means to be a daughter of the everlasting God."
As you ponder Elder Robbin's talk, Which Way Do You Face, remember that your Savior is the perfect example of how to put God first in our lives. He was the only perfect one who did so, and if we follow His example, we will be able to follow the first great commandment of loving the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind. "He is the only person who never once forgot which way He faced."
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