Mosiah 12

THINGS of this WORLD
Where do we focus our hearts?

Mosiah 12:29
Abinidi asked the wicked priests, "Why do you set your hearts upon riches?"

I think we live in a day and age where we must continually fight within ourselves to not set our hearts on the things of this world. This past week my kids and I have been shopping for school clothes. In one of our excursions grandma bought my kids some more expensive items--items they wouldn't have received without grandma's generosity. Since this purchase I have heard a few comments that have caused me concern. One of my daughter's expressed her excitement when she said, "I can't believe I have jeans from the Buckle." In another conversation I heard her telling someone that she had clothes from the Buckle as if having clothes from a particular store was better than another store. I know this comment was not my daughter's intent; however, as her mother--I felt concerned.

Last night we had a long conversation about the importance of keeping our perspectives on what matters most. All of my children understood, and our conversation was eye opening. My children have pure hearts, they truly love the Lord, and they strive to be all that He wants them to be.

As I read this scripture this morning it reminded me of the struggle we have had. The struggle between putting too much emphasis on material good rather than spiritual goods. With that being said, I don't want to elude to the fact that my kids were more interested than clothes than they were spiritual matters--they were not. However, I think that this is a prime example of how easy it is to begin focusing on things that are simply not important. There are many "things" that fight for our attention in this life, and it is a constant battle to keep our attention on the "things" that matter most.