A splendor of connections to Christ

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Morning Session of the April 2006 Conference.

I remember this talk by Elder Holland, "Broken Things to Mend." It's wonderful, as all of his talks are. But I didn't remember this part at all, and I love it. It comes after Elder Holland asks the question "How do we come to Christ?" and answers it with this:

…In as many ways as possible, we try to take upon us His identity, and we begin by taking upon us His name. That name is formally bestowed by covenant in the saving ordinances of the gospel. These start with baptism and conclude with temple covenants, with many others, such as partaking of the sacrament, laced throughout our lives as additional blessings and reminders. …

Following these most basic teachings, a splendor of connections to Christ opens up to us in multitudinous ways: prayer and fasting and meditation upon His purposes, savoring the scriptures, giving service to others, “succoring the weak, lifting up the hands which hang down, … strengthening the feeble knees.” Above all else, loving with “the pure love of Christ,” that gift that “never faileth,” that gift that “beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, [and] endureth all things.” Soon, with that kind of love, we realize our days hold scores of thoroughfares leading to the Master and that every time we reach out, however feebly, for Him, we discover He has been anxiously trying to reach us.

My desire today is for all of us—not just those who are “poor in spirit” but all of us—to have more straightforward personal experience with the Savior’s example. Sometimes we seek heaven too obliquely, focusing on programs or history or the experience of others. Those are important but not as important as personal experience, true discipleship, and the strength that comes from experiencing firsthand the majesty of His touch.

So many beautiful truths in those paragraphs, but the one I like most is that our covenants are specifically designed to foster a "splendor of connections to Christ." Our obedience to the laws of the gospel, our efforts to sacrifice the things he asks us to sacrifice, our attempts to consecrate our time and our talents to God—all of these are paths to connection with God. I love the image Elder Holland paints here. I can imagine myself trudging down the "scores of thoroughfares" in my day where I feel a duty or make an effort to be good in any way—helping my children, cleaning the house, attempting a ministering visit, working on a church calling, planning a meal. These attempts aren't fully unselfish and they aren't even as frequent as they should be. But there are indeed many of them every day, and I love the idea that "each time [I] reach out, however feebly, for Him," I will find Him anxiously reaching back to me in all the ways I most need Him!

Jesus Christ is so good. My personal experiences tell me so, and these covenant connections reassure me of His love, helping me experience "the majesty of His touch" every time I make any attempt to be like Him!