Be Fruitful, Multiply, and Subdue the Earth - Joseph W. Sitati

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/be-fruitful-multiply-and-subdue-the-earth?lang=eng


I hesitated this morning when I saw the title for the next conference talk. I thought about skipping it. I have multiplied and been fruitful. My fruits woke me up at seven this morning. That's how I know I've done my part. Any more fruits and I would be a nut. Get it? Cause I'd be insane. =) Four fruits are all my sanity can handle.I didn't want to hear about having children. I've already done my part. Nevertheless, I went ahead and read the talk.

I was actually surprised to find it wasn't about having kids at all. Elder Sitati takes a lovely interpretation of the command to be fruitful. He takes it to mean the fruit of our labors, rather than the fruit of our loins. He talks about going about doing good and having charity one with another. He also speaks of missionary work, though he doesn't come right out with it, but leads us there instead. "All of us can and should become fully engaged in the work of salvation. The Savior has given us the following responsibility with a promise: “I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit". I guess it makes sense that the greatest charity we can have is to care enough to bring others to the Gospel. This also makes me think of temple work. He doesn't talk about it, but bringing people to the Gospel isn't something we just do here.

I don't feel that I am well equipped to bring people into the church. I don't have a wide network of friends and I am not great at speaking publicly. I am rather shy with people with whom I am not comfortable. But I can do temple work. I can do Family History work. If the worth of all souls is great, I can bring the ones who have already passed and "great shall be my joy", right?

There really isn't another way to interpret "multiply". It is what it is. Heavenly Father wants us to have children. His sacred work can't go forth without the opportunity for all of His spirit children to come to earth and experience it. He says the best way for souls to get the most out of their earth experience is through good parents. A man and a woman who love each other. I may have already had my children, but that doesn't mean I am done with this work. I have to be a good parent to them and a good wife to Kyle. There is always room for improvement.

Subdue the Earth was a tricky part. I didn't really understand it the first time and had to re-read the section. The second time I understood. It isn't actually about subduing the Earth, it's about learning to live in it. We face challenges and temptations everyday. Our technology increases those temptations exponentially, by putting them at our fingertips. Subduing the Earth is really about overcoming the natural man. Becoming a master of oneself allows us to be in the world and not a slave to it.

In the end this talk was a wonderful surprise. I didn't know there was more to the command to be fruitful. I am still working on getting my act together in terms of visiting teaching and fulfilling my callings. Maybe keeping this in mind will help me.