Enrique R. Falabella

Why does contention happen so often in our relationships?
3 Nephi 11:29 says, “For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.”

Scripture mastery in Seminary taught me to remember this scripture as “Contention is of the devil.”

My husband and I have a wonderful marriage full of love, joy, and forgiveness. However, there are times when the spirit of contention creeps into our home. It happens when we get stressed or prideful, when we bicker, argue, fight, or criticize. Even though our goal is to have peace and love in all of our conversations, we are weak. We think we are right and the other person is wrong, or we take out our stress on our spouses or family members.

Lately I have found that I tend to be the initiator of the negative conversations that lead to contention in my home, and the Spirit of the Lord gently reminded me today of the talk given in this past General Conference by Elder Enrique R. Falabella.

The quote I remembered most from his amazing talk was the motto his wife lives by: “In order to contend, you need two people, and I will never be one of them.”

This motto seems so simple and so powerful. As I have been pondering about it, I realize that it is a motto we all should live by. If we each choose to not be a contributor to contention, then contention would never be a part of our relationships. Satan uses contention as a tool to break down families, hearts, and friendships, and he will do everything he can to stir up our hearts in anger. We must stand against his vicious attempts to destroy our peace.

I am committing today to live by this motto and be a peacemaker in my home and in my family.

Will you commit with me to avoid contention and make this your motto? How will this bless your life?

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Check out more of Sunday’s General Conference quotes here!

After hearing such amazing talks during Saturday’s General Conference sessions (see the printables I created from them here! You won’t want to miss out!), I was ready for lots more inspiration and motivation on Sunday…and boy, did I receive it!

I am always drawn to Elder Uchtdorf’s talks. I feel like he understands the hearts of women in a very deep way, and that he speaks to my heart directly every time. He reminded me on Sunday that I need to draw nearer to God and seek out His light and truth. It doesn’t matter how lazy I have gotten, how un-spiritual I am at times, or how many mistakes I make–I can return to the light and become better than ever.

I also really loved the talk by Elder Enrique R. Falabella of the Seventy. He reminded me of things I can improve on as a mother and as the matriarch of my home. I appreciated the reminder to hug my children, make them happy, and be a good example of Christlike living. It was very good that he also reminded me to not be one who gets involved with contention, especially with my husband.

There were so many inspirational messages shared. We are so blessed to have a living prophet and apostles, and I hope I can remember and apply the things I learned.

Keep checking back for more General Conference printables! I’m still working on a bunch of messages from Sunday and Saturday!

What was your favorite talk given on Sunday? Why?