I have remembered those words throughout my life as I have noticed how casually they are often used. When someone says “I forgot,” what they are truly saying is that whatever they neglected to do did not hold a high enough priority for them that they wanted to ensure they remembered. “I forgot” is simply an excuse, words used to try and avoid taking full responsibility.

In like manner, think of the words “I’m too busy” and how often they are used. The person who uses them might very well be busy, but what is actually being expressed when someone says they are “too busy” to do something is that whatever they are “too busy” to do isn’t as important as whatever else they want to do.

With both these phrases, a conscious decision is made to prioritize certain activities above others. But we don’t want to admit that, so we say “I forgot” or “I’m too busy” as if we aren’t actually responsible for the decision and there’s nothing we could or can do about it.

These are all thoughts that came to my mind as I listened to the words shared by Bishop L. Todd Budge, second counselor in the presiding bishopric of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as he delivered his message during the October 2024 general conference of the church.

Ryan Comer, Standard-Examiner

In his talk, titled “Seek Him with All Your Heart,” Bishop Budge spoke of prioritizing quality time for the Lord, what exactly quality time means and the blessings that can be realized from it.

“Several years ago, my wife and I served as mission leaders in Tokyo, Japan,” Bishop Budge said. “During a visit to our mission by then-Elder Russell M. Nelson, one of the missionaries asked him how best to respond when a person tells them that they are too busy to listen to them. With little hesitation, Elder Nelson said, ‘I would ask if they were too busy to eat lunch that day and then teach them that they have both a body and a spirit, and just as their body will die if not nourished, so will their spirit if not nourished by the good word of God.’

“It is interesting to note that the Japanese word for ‘busy,’ isogashii, is made up of a character with two symbols. The one on the left means ‘heart’ or ‘spirit,’ and the one on the right means ‘death’ — suggesting perhaps, as President Nelson taught, that being too busy to nourish our spirits can lead us to die spiritually.” (Ether 2:14-15)

It’s fun for me to see certain Japanese characters because they are the same as Chinese characters that I learned on my mission to Taiwan. Of course, they are pronounced differently in Japanese, but I can look at them and know what they mean. The character Bishop Budge displayed for busy is one I knew in Chinese.

But returning to the point being made, just as we need food in order to survive physically, we need to be “nourished by the good word of God” in order to survive spiritually. We would not become too busy to eat because we would realize what would happen to us, and so we should not become too busy for the word of God because we should realize what would happen to us if we did. Perhaps you have noticed a difference in your spiritual well-being in times when you have focused on God compared to times when you have not. I can say with certainty that I have noticed that difference, and because of that, I know that making time to focus on God is absolutely essential, just as food and water are essential.

Bishop Budge continued: “The Lord knew — in this fast-paced world full of distractions and in commotion — that making quality time for him would be one of the major challenges of our day. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, he provided these words of counsel and caution, which can be likened unto the tumultuous days in which we live:

“‘In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

“‘But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.’ (Isaiah 30:15-16; emphasis added)

“In other words, even though our salvation depends on returning to him often and resting from the cares of the world, we do not. And even though our confidence will come from a strength developed in quiet times sitting with the Lord in meditation and reflection, we do not. Why not? Because we say, ‘No, we are busy with other things’ — fleeing upon our horses, so to speak. Therefore, we will get further and further away from God. We will insist on going faster and faster, and the faster we go, the swifter Satan will follow in pursuit.

“Perhaps this is why President Nelson has repeatedly pled with us to make time for the Lord in our lives — ‘each and every day.’ He reminds us that ‘quiet time is sacred time — time that will facilitate personal revelation and instill peace.’ But to hear the still voice of the Lord, he counseled, ‘you too must be still.'”

The thought that as we go faster and faster, the swifter Satan pursues us is interesting to me. Why is that? How come he pursues us with seemingly more urgency and speed the more we focus on the nonspiritual things in our lives? Perhaps it’s because he’s the ultimate opportunist, and when he sees a chance to exploit a weakness, he doesn’t miss it. When he sees us neglecting God, he senses greater opportunities to influence us, and nothing is more important to him than helping to keep us away from God. Do we realize when we are neglecting God that we are making it easier for Satan to realize his ultimate goal?

In addition to making time for the Lord, we have to make sure that time spent is as meaningful as possible. Just like a diet that is truly nutritious includes certain types of foods, we have to ensure that our spiritual diet includes certain types of time. Just like simply eating whatever is not the most healthful physically, simply going through the motions of certain practices is not the most healthful spiritually.

Like a math problem, making time for the Lord is only part of the equation that results in spiritual strength.

“Being still, however, requires more than just making time for the Lord — it requires letting go of our doubtful and fearful thoughts and focusing our hearts and minds on him,” Bishop Budge said. “Elder David A. Bednar taught, ‘The Lord’s admonition to “be still” entails much more than simply not talking or not moving.’ To be still, he suggested, ‘may be a way of reminding us to focus upon the savior unfailingly.’

“Being still is an act of faith and requires effort. (Hebrews 11:6) Lectures on Faith states, ‘When a man works by faith he works by mental exertion.’ President Nelson declared: ‘Our focus must be riveted on the savior and his gospel. It is mentally rigorous to strive to look unto him in every thought. But when we do, our doubts and fears flee.’ Speaking of this need to focus our minds, President David O. McKay said: ‘I think we pay too little attention to the value of meditation, a principle of devotion…. Meditation is one of the … most sacred doors through which we pass into the presence of the Lord.'”

Sometimes we look at how “mentally rigorous” it is to “strive to look unto [the savior] in every thought” and want to shrink. But just because it is difficult doesn’t mean it is less necessary. And, as President Nelson said, “when we do, our doubts and fears flee.” Trials are not going to ever completely disappear because they are a necessary part of mortality, but by following President Nelson’s counsel, we can be strengthened spiritually to be able to thrive during those challenges. We won’t be overtaken by doubt and fear.

Continued Bishop Budge: “There is a word in Japanese, mui, that, for me, captures this more faith-filled, contemplative sense of what it means to be still. It is comprised of two characters. The one on the left means ‘nothing’ or ‘nothingness,’ and the one on the right means ‘to do.’ Together they mean ‘nondoing.’ Taken literally, the word could be misinterpreted to mean ‘to do nothing’ in the same way ‘to be still’ can be misinterpreted as ‘not talking or moving.’ However, like the phrase ‘to be still,’ it has a higher meaning; for me it is a reminder to slow down and to live with greater spiritual awareness.

“While serving in the Asia North Area Presidency with Elder Takashi Wada, I learned that his wife, Sister Naomi Wada, is an accomplished Japanese calligrapher. I asked Sister Wada if she would draw for me the Japanese characters for the word mui. I wanted to hang the calligraphy on my wall as a reminder to be still and to focus on the savior. I was surprised when she did not readily agree to this seemingly simple request.

“The next day, knowing that I had likely misunderstood her hesitance, Elder Wada explained that writing those characters would require a significant effort. She would need to ponder and meditate on the concept and the characters until she understood the meaning deeply in her soul and could give expression to these heartfelt impressions with each stroke of her brush. I was embarrassed that I had so casually asked her to do something so demanding. I asked him to convey my apologies to her for my ignorance and to let her know that I was withdrawing my request.

“You can imagine my surprise and gratitude when upon my leaving Japan, Sister Wada, unsolicited, gifted to me this beautiful piece of calligraphy featuring the Japanese characters for the word mui. It now hangs prominently on the wall of my office, reminding me to be still and to seek the Lord every day with all my heart, might, mind and strength. (Doctrine and Covenants 4:2) She had captured, in this selfless act, the meaning of mui, or stillness, better than any words could. Rather than mindlessly and dutifully drawing the characters, she approached her calligraphy with full purpose of heart and real intent.

“Likewise, God desires that we approach our time with him with the same kind of heartfelt devotion. (Mosiah 7:33; Ether 2:14) When we do so, our worship becomes an expression of our love for him.

“He yearns for us to commune with him. (Psalm 14:2; Revelation 3:20) On one occasion, after I gave the invocation in a meeting with the First Presidency, President Nelson turned to me and said, ‘While you were praying, I thought how much God must appreciate when we take time from our busy schedules to acknowledge him.’ It was a simple yet powerful reminder of how much it must mean to Heavenly Father when we pause to commune with him.”

One could hardly blame Bishop Budge for his request. He must have simply thought that for someone like Sister Wada, with her noted calligraphy skills, it would be extremely easy for her to draw the characters. But Bishop Budge learned an important lesson, which is that simply doing something isn’t necessarily sufficient to really have an impact. I’m sure he would have greatly appreciated the piece if Sister Wada had just quickly done it without hesitation when initially asked, but how much more meaningful are those characters hanging on the wall in his office now that he knows the attention and effort that were given to them, and that they weren’t simply scrawled for him because that’s what he asked? How much more must it mean to Heavenly Father when we don’t simply throw in prayer or engaging in other sacred practices as if we’re only doing these things because we are supposed to and actually put our full heart into them?

All of this is up to us. We get to decide whether we spend time with Heavenly Father and what kind of time that is.

“As much as he desires our attention, he will not force us to come to him,” Bishop Budge said. “To the Nephites, the resurrected Lord said, ‘How oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not.’ (3 Nephi 10:5; emphasis added) He followed that with this hopeful invitation that also applies to us today: ‘How oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.’ (3 Nephi 10:6)

“The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us opportunities to return to him often. These opportunities include daily prayers, scripture study, the sacrament ordinance, the sabbath day and temple worship. What if we were to take these sacred opportunities off our to-do lists and put them on our ‘nondoing’ lists — meaning to approach them with the same mindfulness and focus with which Sister Wada approaches her calligraphy?

“You may be thinking, ‘I do not have time for that.’ I have often felt the same. But let me suggest that what may be needed is not necessarily more time but more awareness of and focus on God during the times we already set aside for him.

“For example, when praying, what if we were to spend less time talking and more time just being with God — and when we were to speak, to give more heartfelt and specific expressions of gratitude and love?

“President Nelson has counseled that we not just read the scriptures but savor them. What difference would it make if we were to do less reading and more savoring?

“What if we were to do more to prepare our minds to partake of the sacrament and joyfully pondered the blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ during this sacred ordinance? (3 Nephi 17:3)

“On the sabbath, which in Hebrew means ‘rest,’ what if we were to rest from other cares and to take time to sit quietly with the Lord to pay our devotions unto him? (Doctrine and Covenants 59:10)

“During our temple worship, what if we were to make a more disciplined effort to pay attention or lingered a little longer in the celestial room in quiet reflection?

“When our focus is less on doing and more on strengthening our covenant connection with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, I testify that each of these sacred moments will be enriched, and we will receive the guidance needed in our personal lives. We, like Martha in the account in Luke, are often ‘careful and troubled about many things.’ However, as we commune with the Lord each day, he will help us to know that which is most needful. (Luke 10:40-42)

“Even the savior took time from his ministry to be still. The scriptures are replete with examples of the Lord retreating to a solitary place — a mountain, the wilderness, a desert place or going ‘a little way off’ — to pray to the Father. (3 Nephi 19:19; Matthew 4:1; Matthew 5:1; Matthew 14:13, 23; Mark 1:35; Mark 6:46; Luke 5:16; Luke 6:12) If Jesus Christ sought quiet time to commune with God and to be strengthened by him, it would be wise for us to do the same.”

When we purposefully engage in these activities, we show Heavenly Father that we truly understand their importance. We show that we are ready to learn what he wants to teach us. He knows we’re not simply doing something to check it off a list and be done with it. A personal pet peeve of mine is when someone says they like going to church at 9 a.m. because then they can “get it out of the way.” Out of the way? Is going to church a chore? Is it something you wish you didn’t have to do but are only doing because it’s an obligation? This to me does not sound like something one would say if they truly understood and appreciated the impact going to church can have on their spiritual health.

Concluding his talk, Bishop Budge said: “As we concentrate our hearts and minds on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost, we will have greater clarity about what is most needful, develop deeper compassion and find rest and strength in him. Paradoxically, helping God hasten his work of salvation and exaltation may require that we slow down. (3 Nephi 21:29) Being always in motion may be adding to the commotion in our lives and robbing us of the peace we seek.

“I testify that as we return often to the Lord with full purpose of heart, we will in quietness and confidence come to know him and feel his infinite covenantal love for us.

“The Lord promised: ‘Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me.” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:63)

“‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.'” (Jeremiah 29:13; Lamentations 3:25)

“I testify that this promise is true. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”