Impossible to describe

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Afternoon Session of the April 2002 Conference.

I loved Elder Oaks' talk, "The Gospel in Our Lives." It's funny because I can imagine hearing this talk as a teenager or young adult and thinking it was boring and obvious. There's just no way to transmit the deep meaning he obviously felt about the subject…and that I now feel about it…without actual experience, I guess!

This talk reminded of two recent Elder Oaks talks too. (I thought they were the same talk, but when I looked them up I was conflating two talks.) One in October 2021 about the need for a church, and one in April 2021 where he talks about another (or the same?) person who said, "What has the Savior done for me?"

Here's what Elder Oaks said in 2002:

The Church gives us opportunities to serve the Lord and our fellowmen. If given in the right way and for the right reasons, that service will reward us beyond anything we have given. Millions serve unselfishly and effectively as officers or teachers in Church organizations, and those who do experience the conversion described by the prophet who pleaded with us to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.” 

Throughout my life I have been blessed by my membership and participation in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is impossible to describe all the ways the Church has blessed my life and the lives of those I love. But I will give a few examples, in the hope that this will add personal persuasion to the principles described. 

I've been thinking along these same lines lately. I know so many people who seem to think the Church is mostly unnecessary. (And yes, the gospel is more than just "the Church.") But I'm so grateful for the Church specifically! With all the imperfection of its members and its need for broad worldwide application and its sometimes clumsy bureaucracy—it does so much good for me personally. Nearly everything good in my life is tied to my membership in the Church! Scripture study resources! Role models and mentors! A sense of purpose! Significant service opportunities! The chance to take the sacrament and the way that keeps me turning back to the Savior! People that pray for me and my family! The peace and perspective of the temple! Learning and growth through new experiences! Leadership roles! Friendships that just fall into place! Friendships that develop unexpectedly with unexpected people! And a hundred more I can't even list!

None of them are things I can pick up and hold in my hand and say, "This! Come to church and you'll get this!" But I wish so much I could convey them to the people who are just opting out! Obviously all good things come through the merits and mercy of Jesus Christ. HE is the true source of the blessings. But without the Church, how would I find them? How would I feel them? Maybe a few of them would come through work, good causes, good people outside of the Church. But mostly, without the Church as distributor and instigator, it would be as if Jesus Christ hadn't sent me those blessings at all. 

Anyway, I loved reading about Elder Oaks' personal gratitude for the blessings of the gospel, and it made me reflect on how much I owe (everything!) to the gospel in my life as well. I am so grateful for the still-unfolding understanding that's helping me see just how much I am blessed by Jesus Christ and his Church in my life! And I hope other people I love will come to understand that too!