How to make spirituality your #1 priority

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Richard G. Scott gave a great talk at conference a few weeks ago, one with all sorts of great counsel. All I heard was a single phrase,

“Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games or social media.”

It felt like the phrase heard around the world; at least, it echoed through my apartment. I could have told you about the video games part, but sleep? School? I consider myself dedicated to my spirituality, but I saw the errors in my ways pretty quick. I realized I’ve constantly put other things first — pressing due dates and early alarm clocks just feel more important sometimes.

BYU is a place so perfect for spiritual development, but even still, that can fall away as the rush of a crazy semester rages on. No matter who you are or what your major is, it takes effort to stay close to God. As students at his university, our spirituality should take precedence over everything else. Press forward, and if your spiritual life needs a boost, here are some ideas to work into it.

1. Get creative with scripture study. Early on in the week, choose a few general conference talks from years past and download the audio. Listen to one on your walk to school and try to single something out that applies. Write it down before you forget. Another idea — seek out something online to help guide you along, like @bofm365, an Instagram account that posts a few Book of Mormon verses daily, with followers posting their insights and experiences accordingly.

2. Make Sunday feel a little more holy. I once read a tweet that said, “You can’t swing a dead cat in Provo without hitting a dessert party on a Sunday night,” and whoever tweeted that was right. Sundays in Provo are a frenzy of those “dessert parties” and game nights, ward prayer and break-the-fasts. Sunday can come and go without any real moments of rest and reflection. Plan for an hour of pure, unadulterated alone time and even start turning down invitations to all those game nights occasionally. Make time for Heavenly Father in a way that’s different from very other day of the week. It’ll make a difference.

3. Serve. Growing up and becoming independent is great, but when you’re looking out for yourself all day, you can forget about everyone else around you. Not to mention, nothing is as fulfilling and satisfying as a step outside of your own life. Look and pray for ways to reach out.

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