A line from the hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” has been cycling on a loop in my mind lately–the words “tune my heart to sing thy grace.” I’m intrigued by the concept of “tuning” a heart. For an inexperienced musician, it can take several minutes of tinkering with an instrument before each note sings out clearly, but the more often the instrument is played, the better the strings stay in tune. Likewise, as we are learning to follow Jesus Christ, at first we may make many errors, our actions discordant with the Plan of Happiness, but the more we repent and re-tune ourselves to Him, the more consistently we stay in harmony.

One element of keeping ourselves in tune with the Lord is shown in how we answer the question “Lovest thou more than these?” Originally posed by the Savior to Peter and other disciples when He visited them after His resurrection, Elder Ballard frames the question to fit our modern lives: do we love the Savior more than the worldly things that clamor for our attention? Do we love Him enough to set aside our time, whether for leisure or productivity, to serve in our callings or go to the temple or tend to our relationships? Do we love Him enough to follow commandments that stretch us, to serve when we are tired, to repent when we feel like it isn’t fair that things are so hard? Do we tune our hearts over and over again so that our lives are in harmony with His desires for us?

Tuning our hearts can be painful, but the second half of the line reminds us why we do it–to sing His grace. Grace, the gift of unearned love. Grace, the relationship offered to us because we belong to divine parents even as we struggle through the dust of mortality. Grace, that enables us to stretch beyond ourselves to serve our brothers and sisters, and through that service, our Savior. The best way to stay in tune with Him is through loving Him.

-Lorren Lemmons

Read the full talk by President M. Russell Ballard HERE.

AFFIRMATION

I value my relationship with my Savior by how I spend my time and where I place my focus. The happiness I feel is a reflection of my closeness to Him and those around me.

CHALLENGE

As we welcome in this fresh, new year, it can be a great time to take a closer look at where we are spending our time, where our priorities lie, and how we value the relationships we treasure most. In an effort to “tune” our hearts and reflect on Elder Ballard’s question, it can help to have an understanding of where we are in this moment.

On a sheet of paper, list a few categories in your life such as Spirituality, Personal Growth, Career, Health, Fun & Recreation, Spouse, Family, Friends, and Physical Environment. Then, on a scale from 1-10, rate your satisfaction level for each one—your knee-jerk reaction.