2026-01 Jan - Balance

Jan 31, 2026 space time attention

Read time: Summary 0.1 minutes | Expanded section: 8.4 minutes | Entire message 8.5 minutes

Summary

• Old Patterns Still Among Us - Balancing Constraints
• Story Time - One Family’s Journey of Discovering 1,600 Italian Ancestors.
• Workflow for Family History

Expanded Message

Welcome to 2026.

Old Patterns Still Among Us - Balancing Constraints

In a recent discussion in our Elders Quorum, the subject came up about balance when faced with so many responsibilities. Just as early Book of Mormon authors wrestled with the physical limits of metal plates, we today struggle with the less visible limits on our time, attention, and the relentless pull of digital media on our attention. Recognizing these constraints is the first step toward making wise choices. We can balance our constraints with our choices.

Space –> Time –> Attention

Space. In the ancient days of the Book of Mormon, those trying to write on metallic plates were limited by how many pages (space) had been smelted and how hard it was to engrave their words into the metal. Other media for writing did not last. They clearly noticed the constraints of space, and it affected their choices about what to record.

• A series of examples:

  • Lehi, took the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass (1 Nephi 5:10)

  • I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates and we know that the things which we write upon plates must remain (Jacob 4:1)

  • But whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge (Jacob 4:2)

  • Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy (Jacob 4:3)

  • Wherefore, I chose these things, to finish my record upon them, which remainder of my record I shall take from the plates of Nephi; and I cannot write the hundredth part of the things of my people. (Words of Mormon 1:5)

Given these space limitations, they had to be intentional about what to record. For their success pattern, they chose to follow what the Lord commanded them to write.

Indeed so many things began to happen that they could not document them all. This feels like today, with so many things happening in parallel that it can feel overwhelming sometimes.

• And a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, which now began to be numerous, cannot be written upon these plates (Jacob 3:13)

For us today, writing with digital computers is far easier than engraving on metal plates, and even easier than typewriters from decades past. What is hard has moved to other areas of life.

Time. In this last dispensation of times, many of us struggle with limited time, as Nephi, Jacob, and Ether struggled with SPACE (and difficulty). Procrastination in the face of time limits is something many of us struggle with.

• To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

In mortality, we each are limited by the same 24 hours in a day. How do we prioritize given the constraint of time. How are our current trade-offs working for us?

Even when we’re emotionally drained, how can we guard our time like a sacred resource? What works for you?

We give our lives to that which we give our time. With an uncluttered life, you will not be so busy doing terrestrial things that you do not have time to do those things which are celestial. (Elder William R. Bradford, Of the Seventy, April 1992, emphasis added)

Attention. In 2026, commercial companies apply sophisticated algorithms to retain our attention for as long as possible. How can we direct our attention better? The success pattern from times of old to our last 200 years with modern day prophets is to follow the Lord and His prophets.

As a former Army Officer, I’ve often pondered why the Book of Mormon included so much battlefield strategy and tactics. If we consider attention as the battlefield of our mind, then how can we be like Captain Moroni, who also sought to be like the Savior. The War in Heaven still continues to this day, with our Spirits trying to overcome the natural man who is an enemy to God. How is our daily battle going? Since the Book of Mormon was written for our day, what lessons does it offer for our daily battles choosing what captures our attentional focus?

Smaller battles affect us too. As we consider how the most recent battle of the spirit went, consider how we did making daily personal choices to follow the prophet, or not. How did we do moving towards the Savior, or returning unto the Lord our God?

• When considering the scarce resource of our attention, consider how then Elder Dallin H. Oaks phrased it in April 2011 with our attention driven by our desires:

Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming.

Are we truly prepared to have our Eternal Judge attach this enormous significance to what we really desire? Readjusting our desires to give highest priority to the things of eternity is not easy.

God has made us as agents, with the power to choose.

• I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon. (2 Nep 2:14)

When we are scrolling on our feeds on phones, are we being acted upon by these attention-retaining algorithms?

As agents, we can act to focus our attention to our desires, priorities, choices, actions, and becoming.

What is a heavenly principle to help where we focus our attention?

And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. (2 Nep 2:26, emphasis added)

As you balance all of the demands competing for your attention, and time, what has worked well for you?

Key Take Aways:

• So in conclusion, with our attention driven by our desires, and our desires dictating our priorities, and our priorities shaping our choices, and our choices determining our actions, and the desires we’re acting on determining our changing, our achieving, and our becoming, what will each of us do this week?

• In your role as child, sibling, parent, provider, child of God, citizen, student/scholar, family historian, giver of service, or in your Ward calling, will you (a) audit your attention capture?, (b) pray for help from Heaven and the Holy Ghost for a specific change? (c) adjust/optimize your balancing your roles?, (d) improve your spiritual strength?, (e) be a cheer leader for yourself to encourage your performance in our mortal probation?, or (e) decide a custom-fit-to-purpose action?

Temple & Family History is one area always open to you to serve your fellow mankind, direct ancestors, and extended family of cousins. Ward T&FH consultants are ready and willing to help you hands-on.

Story Time - One Family’s Journey of Discovering 1,600 Italian Ancestors

This article describes them learning about the ancestors after years of searching was “staggering on every level”.

The strangers sent them another note saying they had just returned from Italy and had some records to send the Molinaros. Melanie Molinaro said they happily accepted the offer, expecting information on three or four ancestors.

What happened next was the start of what the Molinaros now refer to as their “family history miracle.”

Story Time - Fascinating

Mary B. Olson reported

• My family were second-generation Europeans who came to be coal miners. My grandparents on my father’s side came from Ireland. Those on my mother’s side came from Austria.
• Growing up, we didn’t know much about our father’s background. His grandfather had to leave Ireland because he was secretly teaching children the Gaelic language, which was against the law. He took his family to England and then to this country. Sadly, he died before I was born, so I did not know him.
• I only knew one grandmother, on my mother’s side. My mother corresponded with her family in Austria. After WWII, we sent care packages to some of her family because they were impoverished by the war.
• I did not trace my ancestry. A family member did and I found out a lot about my family. It is fascinating.

Reminder. Current Workflow for Family History:

Think Inputs and Outputs.

1. Historical people’s information first has to be digitized (others do this).
2. We index people’s digitized information so the image can be associated with text, which can be found in computer searches. AI is still not good enough to do this by itself.
3. We link families' data together in FamilySearch.org (each member’s initial target is 4-Generations found and linked. Later we work cousin lines too.)
4. We attach people’s information (source data) to the right person to help us and others to get to know them better. Attaching more sources also shows our hypotheses about individuals more likely true than not true as we build a clear picture of who they were.
5. Then, we can get names to take to the temple and offer them the choice of being linked to their families for eternity.
6. By delving deeper, finding and attaching sources and their small bits of information about our ancestor’s experiences, we get to know our people (both direct lines and cousin lines), and our hearts turn to them. As more original sources are digitized and indexed, more puzzle pieces become available. It’s an ongoing and accelerating effort. When are we “done” knowing someone? We can all go beyond the dates of their birth and death and get to know our people.
7. We can bless others by sharing with our immediate family and cousins what we’ve learned about our shared ancestors or kin, helping all of us feel more grounded, knowing where we came from. Potentially helping them to turn their hearts to their fathers too.

As Ward Temple & Family History Consultants we are called to help you with HOW to do these things, the Lord has asked that we all do.

Sincerely, Your Ward Temple & Family History Consultants,

During Stake Family Search Center posted hours, our staffing assignments are posted

(our contact info is in the tools app, or see us in church)

P.S. - Older versions of this Ward Message (without names), with some how-to instructions, are at familyhistorystuff.com for your reference. This site is not for profit. The .com was a mistake when .org was intended, and would have doubled the cost to fix the mistake.