Managing Competing Priorities: Sharlene Miner

My biggest priorities are loving God and loving others. President Benson said that when we put God first, everything else falls into its proper place. The truth of the matter is we’re all in different circumstances. Some of us support our families, some of us are single, some of us have children, some of us live alone, and some are responsible for families outside of their children. What I have learned is if we put God first, that everything does fall into its proper place. President Oaks said, “Our priorities are most visible in how we use our time.” So I’ve found that in analyzing how I use my time, I can more clearly see if my life is in line with my priorities.

I’m an emergency physician, and I take care of those that come to the hospital that are either sick or in pain or have been recently paralyzed or have lost a loved one in a tragic accident. My goals are to first love God and to love others. And so in a very short period of time, I have to establish a relationship of trust and I have to help other people feel the love of God. When I go to work, I don’t think, “How can I further my career while I’m at work today?” My prayer every day before I go to work is, “How can I help the patients that I see feel the love of Jesus Christ?” It is also of utmost importance that when people leave the emergency department after interacting with me, that they feel the love of Jesus Christ. I’m not perfect at it, but I will tell you that every time I go to work, every time I get up in the morning, every time I’m going to have an interaction with my children, that is my prayer, is that they can feel the love of Heavenly Father through me.

I testify that Heavenly Father loves you. He loves each of His children. I also testify that as we seek to share the love of Jesus Christ with others, our own hearts will be filled. We will be filled with the light of Jesus Christ, and they will be able to feel His love through us.