We seek before we find

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Morning Session of the April 2015 Conference.

I actually hated the story Elder L. Whitney Clayton told in his conference talk (about a little girl who was the only survivor of a plane crash with her family, and had to walk, injured, in the darkness before anyone could help her. It's just too painful to think about) but I guess it is memorable! And I like the message Elder Clayton drew from it. He talked about the different aspects of her courageous journey and how they are like our own journeys through life.

One part that stood out was this sort of inversion of a common scripture:

Alma’s call for us to desire to believe and to “give place” in our hearts for the Savior’s words reminds us that belief and faith require our personal choice and action. We must “awake and arouse [our] faculties.” We ask before it is given unto us; we seek before we find; we knock before it is opened unto us. We are then given this promise: “For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.”

I like that emphasis on the uncertain space before we see miracles or even feel peace. It can feel so long and hard! But that is our space to act. (And God is still there even then. We just don't see clearly.) And we can trust Him that our asking, seeking, and knocking will not be ignored.

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Find some way to trust them

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Afternoon Session of the April 2014 Conference.

Elder Scott's talk in this session was characteristically piercing. It was called "I have given you an example" but I'd summarize it more as being about How to guide and influence those we love (such a needed topic!).

Here are some little bits I liked:

• Both Grandmother Whittle and Jeanene loved me enough to share their conviction that the ordinances of the gospel and serving Father in Heaven would bless my life. Neither of them coerced me or made me feel bad about the person I was. They simply loved me and loved Father in Heaven. Both knew He could do more with my life than I could on my own.

• For so many in the world, the first challenge in accepting the gospel is to develop faith in a Father in Heaven, who loves them perfectly. It is easier to develop that faith when they have friends or family members who love them in a similar way.

• Sometimes we get so wrapped up in things that we find fascinating or become so consumed by mundane responsibilities that we lose sight of God’s objectives. As you consistently focus your life on the most basic principles, you will gain an understanding of what you are to do, and you will produce more fruit for the Lord and more happiness for yourself.

"Consumed by mundane responsibilities" is such an apt summary of my life sometimes, and I'm always worried it will become all there is for me. It's why I'm so anxious to find God and His purposes within the mundane, because those responsibilities aren't going away anytime soon. I think it's possible. But it takes focus and attention, and looking for meaning in small things. I like his advice to focus on basic principles: How is what I'm doing right now part of "bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"? How can I reframe my perspective to make sure I'm doing this thing to serve God's children and not just for temporal reasons?

• Remember, loving them is the powerful foundation for influencing those you want to help.

And this one has been the one I've thought about most:

• As a companion to that love, trust them. In some cases it may seem difficult to trust, but find some way to trust them. The children of Father in Heaven can do amazing things when they feel trusted. Every child of God in mortality chose the Savior’s plan. Trust that given the opportunity, they will do so again.

This is a fascinating concept—the idea of trusting someone's past self (or "real" self, perhaps?) to come through with the right choice in the end. And the thought that the act of trusting can produce miracles…not just trusting God but trusting others. It seems so unjustified sometimes! And I know we aren't supposed to put our faith in imperfect mortals. But I've been pondering how I can trust (in an active way) my children, and show them that I trust them. I love to consider that "given the opportunity" and the right understanding, they will choose the Savior's plan again!!

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Blessed with truth

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Young Women's Session of the April 2013 Conference.

I have been thinking about this quote from Sister Mary N. Cook:

Your children will be blessed with truth as you weave your virtuous example and unshakable testimony into their lives and show them the way on the covenant path.

The parameters of this promise are interesting. It doesn't say anything about what our children will do with the truth or whether they will walk on the covenant path. When I was younger, that might have been discouraging to me—like what's the point of all that example and testimony if it's not going to get results? But I've been thinking about that simple statement "your children will be blessed with truth." It really is such an enormous blessing just to know truth! So many people don't know it, and know not where to find it. So many people have to start from scratch, falling into every kind of trouble and deception, before they manage to find what's true and lasting. And our children won't have that. They will still need to learn many things through their own experience, often hard experience, of course! But they will have this great gift of truth to come back to whenever they choose. From a young age, they will have been able to know and feel truth, to have it surrounding them in the very air they breathe. It has been that way with me. The knowledge that I'm a Child of God, that I have a Heavenly Father, has been in my heart and my bones since before I could talk. I could choose to disregard that truth, but I can't unknow it!

And this is a gift I can give my children and am giving them—no matter how many other flaws I have as a mother, or the things I don't do well or the mistakes I make—I will still weave my testimony of Heavenly Parents and Jesus Christ into their lives because that testimony is part of my life, and I will still introduce them to the reality of the covenant path back to God because it's my path. Whatever they choose to do with that truth—it will always be there for them. 

Other posts in this series:

Holy Places—by Rozy

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Always calculated to bless

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Morning Session of the October 2012 Conference.

It was hard to choose a talk from this session. Elder Holland's talk, "The First Great Commandment," is one of the best talks ever! (I miss him!) President Packer's talk on the Atonement of Jesus Christ is also great. And Elder Eyring's "Where is the Pavilion" made a big impression on me the first time I heard it. I'm writing about that last one because it has been the most baffling to me, in a way. As with so many of Elder Eyring's talks, I've felt that there is something about it I just cannot grasp. I remember reading it several years ago hoping it would have answers to my questions, but I just couldn't find them.

Something shifted this time and I think I understand a little more. The "pavilion" covering God is an image that works for me. And it makes sense that this is true:

Many of us, in moments of personal anguish, feel that God is far from us. The pavilion that seems to intercept divine aid does not cover God but occasionally covers us. God is never hidden, yet sometimes we are, covered by a pavilion of motivations that draw us away from God and make Him seem distant and inaccessible.

Of course if God seems distant, the problem is on our side and not His! But so many times I've felt frustrated with Elder Eyring's remedy for it:

Our own desires, rather than a feeling of “Thy will be done,” create the feeling of a pavilion blocking God. God is not unable to see us or communicate with us, but we may be unwilling to listen or submit to His will and His time.

Our feelings of separation from God will diminish as we become more childlike before Him.

I think I've just felt in so many cases that I already am trying to accept God's will, and I don't know what else to do. And when any person is feeling alone because God's love isn't getting through to him or her, it feels unfair to add another burden of guilt saying "That blockage you feel is your own fault!"

That's where my perspective shift came this time, as I realized how actually liberating it is to know that truth! Just imagine if we didn't know it was our fault. If we had to guess whether or not God actually was withdrawing from us; to wonder if He had removed His loving presence because of our sins or for some other reason. It would be horrible because if God Himself decided not to be close to us, what recourse would we have? What could we do about it? Nothing. Whereas, knowing He wants to be close—knowing He is always there as soon as we are ready—puts the next steps within our own control and gives us something solid to hope for.

The other thing I realized is that Elder Eyring isn't really saying "the problem of the pavilion lies with you!" as an accusatory thing. He is saying "the problem of the pavilion is a part of our mortal experience, but your efforts to figure out how to remove it will not be in vain!" He talks about the faithful woman longing to have children children, who 

"felt as committed and consecrated as Mary, who declared, 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord.' But although she spoke these words in her heart, she could hear nothing in reply." 

Clearly this woman wasn't doing anything worthy of censure. She was trying! She did want God's will! But the fact that "she could hear nothing in reply" showed her that she needed to search for an even deeper understanding. This wasn't a punishment but a blessing! God was inviting her to trust His purposes and His plan on a new level. And she did it!:

For the first time, she asked not for another child but for a divine errand. “Heavenly Father,” she cried, “I will give you all of my time; please show me how to fill it.” She expressed her willingness to take her family wherever they might be required to go. That prayer produced an unexpected feeling of peace. It did not satisfy her mind’s craving for certainty, but for the first time in years, it calmed her heart.

The prayer removed the pavilion and opened the windows of heaven.

Again, it was suddenly clear to me this time that there is no shame or blame attached to our needing time and effort to reach these new depths of understanding:

Submitting fully to heaven’s will, as this young mother did, is essential to removing the spiritual pavilions we sometimes put over our heads. But it does not guarantee immediate answers to our prayers.

Abraham’s heart seems to have been right long before Sarah conceived Isaac and before they received their promised land. Heaven had other purposes to fulfill first. Those purposes included not only building Abraham and Sarah’s faith but also teaching them eternal truths that they shared with others on their long, circuitous route to the land prepared for them. The Lord’s delays often seem long; some last a lifetime. But they are always calculated to bless. They need never be times of loneliness or sorrow or impatience.

In other words, the whole point of a person taking responsibility for the "pavilions" between her and God is not for her to feel guilty about it. It is so she can think, without "loneliness or sorrow or impatience," "Okay, I know God still loves me and hasn't withdrawn. That truth is a constant. So the fact that I feel alone right now means I have some work to do. Somewhere I am missing something He needs me to know. Now I need to search for what."

I've seen so many times where, in my own life and the lives of those I love, the clouds of mortality are obscuring our vision. I'm sure Satan is actively encouraging those clouds to cover us too. It's not even necessarily our fault…but whether it is or not doesn't matter because the next step always lies within our power: look up anyway. Seek God anyway. He is close, He loves us, and He will always reward our efforts to try harder, look closer, be more trusting, wait more patiently, understand more deeply. Those are the very efforts that will clear the clouds. As Elder Eyring says: 

For any of you who now feel that He is hard to reach, I testify that the day will come that we all will see Him face to face. Just as there is nothing now to obscure His view of us, there will be nothing to obscure our view of Him.

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We arise and choose to wait upon the Lord

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Morning Session of the October 2011 Conference.

I loved Elder Robert D. Hales' talk about waiting on the Lord. That's a phrase that I've often wondered about, because when you are trying to get revelation about something, and it's not coming, there's no real way to know if you're, a.) asking the wrong questions, b.) not ready to understand the answers, c.) supposed to try harder and with more urgency, d.) supposed to "wait upon the Lord." And then what does it even mean to "wait upon the Lord"? Well, Elder Hales will tell us:

What, then, does it mean to wait upon the Lord? In the scriptures, the word wait means to hope, to anticipate, and to trust. To hope and trust in the Lord requires faith, patience, humility, meekness, long-suffering, keeping the commandments, and enduring to the end.

To wait upon the Lord means planting the seed of faith and nourishing it “with great diligence, and … patience.”

It means praying as the Savior did—to God, our Heavenly Father—saying: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done.” It is a prayer we offer with our whole souls in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Waiting upon the Lord means pondering in our hearts and “receiv[ing] the Holy Ghost” so that we can know “all things what [we] should do.”

As we follow the promptings of the Spirit, we discover that “tribulation worketh patience,” and we learn to “continue in patience until [we] are perfected.”

Waiting upon the Lord means to “stand fast” and “press forward” in faith, “having a perfect brightness of hope.”

It means “relying alone upon the merits of Christ” and “with [His] grace assisting [us, saying]: Thy will be done, O Lord, and not ours.”

As we wait upon the Lord, we are “immovable in keeping the commandments,” knowing that we will “one day rest from all [our] afflictions.”

And we “cast not away … [our] confidence” that “all things wherewith [we] have been afflicted shall work together for [our] good.”

So basically…everything. "Waiting on the Lord" means we do everything. Have faith, stand fast, press forward, keep the commandments, pray, etc etc etc. Ha! It makes sense, but it's not as helpful as I would have liked. But this was:

Tests and trials are given to all of us. These mortal challenges allow us and our Heavenly Father to see whether we will exercise our agency to follow His Son. He already knows, and we have the opportunity to learn, that no matter how difficult our circumstances, “all these things shall [be for our] experience, and … [our] good.”

Does this mean we will always understand our challenges? Won’t all of us, sometime, have reason to ask, “O God, where art thou?” Yes! When a spouse dies, a companion will wonder. When financial hardship befalls a family, a father will ask. When children wander from the path, a mother and father will cry out in sorrow. Yes, “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Then, in the dawn of our increased faith and understanding, we arise and choose to wait upon the Lord, saying, “Thy will be done.”

Somehow this made more sense to me. Waiting on the Lord is not just "doing everything." It's absorbing the trials and challenges that come to us, and being challenged by them (because that's what they're designed to do!)—and then, in our confused and shaken and perhaps wounded state, at that point choosing again to keep seeking God. I love how Elder Hales says "we arise and choose to wait upon the Lord" because I have been at that point and I know what it feels like. All the feelings that come first—the uncertainty, the fear, the discouragement, the exhaustion—are part of what comes next: our decision to stand up and move forward anyway. Of course, "moving forward" means continuing to do all the things we know we should do, but it also means holding on to our belief those things are working—that they matter—that they make a difference. And we believe that because we trust God. We trust him enough to wait for His promises to be fulfilled.

Other posts in this series:

The Book of Mormon—by Rozy

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Never closer than in suffering

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Morning Session of the April 2009 Conference.

All the talks in this session were so good! They were given on Palm Sunday, so many of them were about Easter and Jesus Christ, and it was nice to read them during Holy Week. It was hard to choose what to write about, but one of the quotes I liked most was (of course) from Elder Holland's talk, "None Were With Him":

But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish. The trust He lived by told Him in spite of His feelings that divine compassion is never absent, that God is always faithful, that He never flees nor fails us.

This is something I hadn't considered before—that Jesus showed the same trust in Heavenly Father that I am trying to learn! I had thought (because of this talk) about Him feeling lonely and abandoned, but I hadn't thought about Him clinging to trust anyway, that He would have to courageously "against hope believe in hope" and trust His Father hadn't abandoned Him even though it felt like He had. In my head I can imagine a sort of barrier or veil symbolizing the withdrawal of the Spirit that had to be placed between the two of them so Jesus would truly experience all that we feel. But it's beautiful to imagine Heavenly Father on one side, as Elder Holland says "never…closer to His Son than in these agonizing final moments of suffering." And Jesus standing right next to Him on the other side, holding on to trust that soon the veil will be parted and He will again see and feel His Father who has been there all along.

I was telling Clementine the Easter story at bedtime one night this week. When my kids get hurt they always say "I have a bleeding spot!" so I told her about how Jesus had "bleeding spots" all over his body from feeling our pains and sorrows. When I got to the part about how Jesus died and His spirit went to heaven, Clementine interrupted me urgently—"And then he ran to Heavenly Father and told him he had a bleeding spot? And Heavenly Father kissed him?" I loved her sweet certainty about what should happen when we get hurt—and I love to know that it really is what happened, and what will happen for us if we turn to our Father through our pains and sorrows. Elder Holland's words are some of the most comforting I have ever read:

Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said, “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].”

Other posts in this series:

Christ, Our Savior—by Jan

I am not alone—by Rozy

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The way has always been prepared

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Young Women's Session of the April 2008 Conference. 

I found a new favorite scripture this week in Doctrine and Covenants 3:1. I don't know why it's never struck me so forcefully before, but right now I love it:

The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught.

!!!!

They CANNOT be frustrated! They CANNOT be for nothing! God has a work and a design and a purpose for me, and it CANNOT be frustrated. No matter how weak I am, no matter how badly I mess things up, no matter what Satan does to me and those I love, God's design for my life will prevail, if I let Him prevail! What more do I need to know in life than that? All I have to do is keep turning to God and his beautiful, wonderful, perfect plan for me will be made real in my life!

President Eyring gave a beautiful talk in the Young Women session that is a second witness of this:

…You have been protected and watched over by your Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. They know you. They know all of the forces and individuals around you. They know what is ahead of you. And so They know which of the choices you make, which of the desires you decide to satisfy, and which of the circumstances around you will make the most difference in keeping you walking in the light. I testify that by the Spirit of Christ and by the Holy Ghost, you may walk confidently in whatever difficulties will come. Because you are so valuable, some of your trials may be severe. You need never be discouraged or afraid. The way through difficulties has always been prepared for you, and you will find it if you exercise faith.

Other posts in this series: 

Testimonies that light the way—by Jan

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Open our hearts

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Afternoon Session of the April 2008 Conference. 

My reading of Elder Gerald N. Lund's talk came at an interesting time for me, as I had just been discussing the idea of "walls around a heart" with someone, and his talk is called "Opening our hearts." My discussion had been in the context of marriage and how hard it sometimes feels to let down our defensive walls after being hurt by a spouse. But Elder Lund applies the same concept to the effort of letting the Spirit of God inside our hearts. As I think of times in life when my faith has felt weak or my ability to feel God's love has been compromised, the two feelings (defensiveness toward God or toward spouse) really are remarkably similar. You wouldn't think anyone would need to be self-protective and defensive toward a perfect God! But we are! I have been! It surely is not God's fault that I don't feel His love. But in that blinded state, it feels like His fault sometimes. Elder Lund says:

The heart is a tender place. It is sensitive to many influences, both positive and negative. It can be hurt by others. It can be deadened by sin. It can be softened by love. Early in our lives, we learn to guard our hearts. It is like we erect a fence around our hearts with a gate in it. No one can enter that gate unless we allow him or her to.

In some cases the fence we erect around our hearts could be likened to a small picket fence with a Welcome sign on the gate. Other hearts have been so hurt or so deadened by sin that they have an eight-foot chain-link fence topped with razor wire around them. The gate is padlocked and has a large No Trespassing sign on it.

…Individual agency is so sacred that Heavenly Father will never force the human heart, even with all His infinite power. Man may try to do so, but God does not. To put it another way, God allows us to be the guardians, or the gatekeepers, of our own hearts. We must, of our own free will, open our hearts to the Spirit, for He will not force Himself upon us.

So how do we open our hearts?

How do we open our hearts? That's the great question. When my heart feels hard, it feels impossible to even want it to soften…let alone to make it soften. And Elder Lund gives some ideas (you can read the talk yourself to find them, hee hee), but the thing that struck me most overall was the thought that God really can't (won't) guide us until we trust Him! Not because he withholds the Spirit or revelation, but because our lack of trust blocks it! I can think of specific times in my life when I've prayed for something, while at the same time thinking hopelessly, "He won't answer, He won't answer." And I can see how that really blocks my own ability to feel and receive. I'm giving up before I've even begun! 

After reading this talk, I think that even if I'm not sure how God can help me…or if I feel so beyond help or unworthy of it…the very act of asking and continuing to ask is an act of trust that can open my heart and let me receive the very thing I'm looking for. Continuing to ask means I think God will answer. Continuing to ask means I think He's aware of me. Hanging on to those truths (and obviously they are truths) can get me through a "dry spell" where I really don't feel much connection with God at all. And gradually, my heart can and will "open" again, and I will feel the love and guidance I so needed.

I say again, the condition of our hearts directly affects our sensitivity to spiritual things. Let us make it a part of our everyday striving to open our hearts to the Spirit. Since we are the guardians of our hearts, we can choose to do so. We choose what we let in or hold out. Fortunately the Lord is anxious to help us choose wisely.

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Willingly allow him to lead you

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Afternoon Session of the October 2006 Conference.

I loved Elder Scott this week, always with something good to say:

The challenges you face, the growth experiences you encounter, are intended to be temporary scenes played out on the stage of a life of continuing peace and happiness. Sadness, heartache, and disappointment are events in life. It is not intended that they be the substance of life. I do not minimize how hard some of these events can be. When the lesson you are to learn is very important, trials can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining focus of everything you do. Your life can and should be wondrously rewarding. It is your understanding and application of the laws of God that will give your life glorious purpose as you ascend and conquer the difficulties of life. That perspective keeps challenges confined to their proper place—stepping-stones to further growth and attainment.

I understand all that in theory (although even in theory it's pretty amazing…I don't think most people in the world know or believe this!)—but I wonder how much more peace I could find if I could really believe this, live like I believe it: believe that the hard things I'm going through, or that my kids are going through, are really not the "substance of life." And that they're purposeful. That they're stepping stones to good things. Such a beautiful perspective! Then I love this:

The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development. Your progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter, whether you welcome the experience or not. Trust in the Lord.

I like the distinction Elder Scott makes there that we don't have to "welcome the experience" to benefit from it, and even to see benefit from it. I like the idea of praying, "Okay, I never wanted this, but lead me through it! I want to grow." I do want to grow, after all. And I do want to increase my trust in the Lord. So with the perspective from the first quote (the substance of life is goodness and happiness!) and the determination from the second, it seems like I should be able to move forward through trials without so much fear!

Other posts in this series:

The Gentle Light of an Easter Dawn—by Nathaniel

Sunday Will Come—by Rozy

Doctrine, Invitation, and Promise—by Jan

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An appropriate sense of personal confidence

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Afternoon Session of the April 2005 Conference.

I can't believe I've reached Elder Bednar's "Tender Mercies" talk in this General Conference Odyssey. This talk feels to me like it was given within the last few years, not 19 years ago. It's so good! Just the best talk. I remember it so well, and have re-read it so many times, that it seems like I should write about one of the other talks—but none of the others seem so powerful and relevant. I love the doctrine, completely new to me at the time I heard this talk, that God sends his mercies and miracles to each of us in deliberately personal ways, and that he wants us to constantly see and notice them in our lives.

One thing that struck me on this re-read was that Elder Bednar didn't just come up with this idea on his own. He talks about the "spiritual impression" he received, and the way the verse about tender mercies "came to his mind" as his favorite hymn was sung. So that means, all this time I've been thinking, "ah yes, tender mercies, Elder Bednar is the one who told us about those," I should have been thinking "ah yes, tender mercies, Heavenly Father wanted us to know about those." That's true about every conference talk, I guess—ultimately it's God's message, not the speaker's. And I'm so grateful God wanted us taught (so well by Elder Bednar) about this concept. It's transformed the way I think about my life and the way I look for miracles!

I was just reading from Elder Soares' most recent talk about "covenant confidence," so I've been thinking about that. I love the idea that because of our covenants, and because we know God always keeps his promises, we can then have confidence in even our own side of the agreement: I'm imperfect, I will make mistakes, but God is perfect and will just keep giving me help and chances till I figure it out. Elder Soares says:

"The result of this sacred journey [of trying to become higher and holier disciples] is that we obtain a holier and higher confidence for our day-to-day lives within our covenants made through Jesus Christ.

Such confidence is the pinnacle of our divine connection with God and can help us increase our devotion to and gratitude for Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice.

And Elder Bednar says, similarly:

For instance, as you and I face challenges and tests in our lives, the gift of faith and an appropriate sense of personal confidence that reaches beyond our own capacity are two examples of the tender mercies of the Lord.

The way this confidence manifests itself in my life isn't really in some obvious change in my bearing or my leadership abilities or my never being scared about the future. It's more in how I react to being called on to do something hard or face something painful. I still feel that initial fear and reluctance! And it comes back often! But when it does come, I have something to fight it with: my knowledge that God has promised to help me, and I'm on the covenant path so I qualify for that help. I have to tell myself that truth over and over as the fear or uncertainty returns, or as another trial comes—but I do tell it to myself, and it does help.

A huge part of that confidence also comes from having written and being able to read back through the specific tender mercies God has given me. It amazes me how quickly I can forget or dismiss or generalize to "I haven't really had any spiritual experiences for a long time!"—only to look back at my "tender mercies" journal and see that God has literally been pouring down miracles on me, daily and weekly, constantly! And the more I see it, the more I am forced to acknowledge, "He does care! He does involve Himself in the smallest details! He does help me when I make the slightest effort and exercise the slightest faith! He does keep working through my imperfections no matter how much I think I've bungled things!" Satan is pretty good at bringing the doubt back (self-doubt especially) but the "tender mercies of the Lord" are so much stronger and more powerful, if I will look to them! Elder Bednar says it perfectly:

We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance. 

I love his description of the "simpleness, sweetness, and constancy" of the Lord's mercies being the very things that make them enormously important in our lives. I think I've written before that in some ways, the smaller the tender mercy, the more loved and important it makes me feel! It's easy for me to believe that the Lord cares about countries and peoples—that He helped the Berlin Wall fall, that He wants a temple in Russia, that He will help missionaries find His seeking children. But that He might care about if the refreshments turn out well for the Great to Be Eight night! Or that he might care if our family sees the solar eclipse or not! Or that He might help me find my debit card which I lost through my own dumb carelessness! Those tender mercies fill me with awe and gratitude, and reassure me during my periods of fear and uncertainty that "if He helped me then, surely He will help me now!"

I'm so grateful for this talk, for its help in teaching me to look for God's tender mercies, and especially for the comfort and confidence this doctrine has given and continues to give me in my daily life!

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Temple Bound

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week skips ahead to the current conference that just took place, April 2024.

I have even fewer notes than usual because we were watching Conference while out of town! But we did get to watch all the sessions! So I will just mention a few highlights and random thoughts:

• I loved hearing from Elder Holland again. I got the impression that he had been quite ready to move on to the next life, but we as a church prayed him back for a little while longer. He seemed good-natured enough about it! But I wish so much I could hear his stories of what he experienced while he was unconscious. I also think it's so interesting that he, one of the most earnest and urgent testators of Christ I've ever heard, came back with the impression he hadn't been quite urgent enough!

• I loved the symbolism in Elder Dushku's talk of one ray of light joining with another until there we have a whole pillar of light for our testimony, just as Joseph Smith did.

• I liked Elder Soares bringing up multiple meanings of "temple bound"—tied to the temple as well as headed for the temple. This was definitely a temple-centric conference, wasn't it? 

• I always love Elder Eyring. I've learned about that Teton Dam Collapse on the secular side too, but I always love hearing Elder Eyring's experience with it. I don't know if I've heard before that his kids were in the flood zone with a babysitter?! That must have been so scary for everyone. I relate with Sister Eyring's annoyance: "How can you sleep at a time like this?" I think that about Sam all the time. Haha. But good for Elder Eyring for finding peace amidst that turmoil!

• The discussion of "be still" in Elder Bednar's talk was amazing and, as usual, too deep for me to quite grasp in one hearing. Excited to re-read this one.

• More temple stuff in Elder Gong's talk. I really love the promise that "all things work together for good to them that love God," so I'm always happy to hear it expounded. It was a cool thought that "we can know that [that promise] is true without knowing how it's true." That describes me 99% of the time.

• Elder Uchtdorf is the cutest man. I loved his face as he quoted the Wright Brothers' dad: "Higher, Orville; higher!" So happy and joyful. His message really resonated with me about seeking a higher, holier form of joy—and being able to find it through selflessness and service. I have such a desire to be this kind of person: joyful and hopeful and selfless. It feels…very far away. I did love the thought that "seek and ye shall find is not just a commandment but a statement of fact. We very rarely find something we're not looking for. Are we seeking eternal joy?" Yes! I'm seeking it! It's comforting to know that that's an important step.

• Sister Porter's talk to the primary kids was good. Usually people who say "I'm going to talk to the children!" actually don't talk to the children—or not very well. But Sister Porten really did talk to them through her whole talk, in simple and clear language. I liked it.

• I loved Elder Paul Pieper's talk about trust. That really deserves a whole post of its own, but I was absolutely astounded to realize that he was right about how much God trusts us. I would have assumed God is waiting to trust us until he sees we're a little more worthy of it. But Elder Pieper pointed out how God's trust of us underlies his whole plan—at least trust in our potential. I am working on learning to trust God better myself, and I like knowing that on His end, at least, the trust is already there, just waiting for my own trust to catch up!

• Oh, I can't leave out Elder Kearon. I love him! I already knew I liked him but his first talk as an apostle was SO good! He has such an elegant way of speaking, and I don't just mean his beautiful accent. I mean phrases like "The intent of the Plan of Happiness is our happiness, now and in the future. The intent of the Plan of Mercy is mercy." Couldn't get much more obvious than that, but somehow stating it in that way made me see it as I haven't before. And "God is in relentless pursuit of you, and employs every possible measure to bring you back." That is truly beautiful.

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In the Hands of God

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Afternoon Session of the October 2003 Conference.

I liked Elder W. Craig Zwick's talk "The Lord Thy God Will Hold Thy Hand." He talks about the symbolism of God's hands and how they show care and power. It's a symbol I've always liked too! Elder Zwick says:

To be in the hands of God would suggest that we are not only under His watchful care but also that we are guarded and protected by His wondrous power.

Elder Zwick tells an experience where he blessed his tiny premature baby and was amazed that his own hands could hold such power and authority from God. I've felt that same amazement as Sam has given priesthood blessings to our family. But even beyond that, I was struck by the image of trust implied by being held in someone's hands (as we hold a baby). It just feels so touching to imagine God holding us in his hands like that—gently and carefully, carrying us wherever we need to be. Elder Zwick says,

The great plan of happiness includes a proverbial roller coaster of challenging times along with the most joyful times. Yes, we all have our moments of difficulty and heartbreak. Occasionally, they are so difficult for us that we just want to give up. There are times when our steps are unsteady, when we feel discouraged and even reach out in desperation.…

Just as little children trust, each of us must have that same childlike, unreserved trust. We must all remember that we are sons and daughters of God and that He loves us very much. If we truly understand who we are, we will have an unfailing source of hope and comfort.

And then he gave this interesting insight:

Imagine the wounds in [Jesus'] hands. His weathered hands, yes, even His hands of torn flesh and physical sacrifice, give our own hands greater power and direction.

It is the wounded Christ who leads us through our moments of difficulty. It is He who bears us up when we need more air to breathe or direction to follow or even more courage to continue.

I haven't thought about how much comfort "the wounded Christ" gives, but it's true. Part of what helps me want to trust Him is remembering what He was willing to go through in order to truly understand me—the wounds he accepted so He would know how to succor His people. Knowing He did this, knowing He will always act from a place of compassion and understanding, gives me such confidence that He can lead me out of any difficulty.

Other posts in this series:

The Standard of Truth—by Rozy

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Your peace of mind depends upon your trust

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Morning Session of the April 2003 Conference.

This was such a good session of Conference and I had a hard time choosing which talk to write about! Elder Maxwell of course is always amazing. Sister Tanner gave a wonderful talk on motherhood, home, and family, subjects I am always interested in. Elder Neuenschwander's talk on holy places has provided the theme I've been focusing on with my children this year about making our home a place of refuge. I've been trying to get them to internalize this principle:

Amidst the bustle of the secular world, with its certain uncertainty, there must be places that offer spiritual refuge, renewal, hope, and peace.…Our homes, likewise, are holy places filled with sacred space. Though not always tranquil, our homes can be filled with the Spirit of the Lord…The establishment of our homes as holy places reflects the depth of sacrifice we are willing to make for them.

So I loved all of that! But even so, my favorite talk was Elder Scott's, titled (with great exactness) "The Sustaining Power of Faith in Times of Uncertainty and Testing." He said a lot of things about faith that gave me new ways of looking at it. For example, I've heard so many times that true faith is always founded in Jesus Christ, not in some other thing. But I loved this expanded or more specific definition:

To employ its power, faith must be founded on something. There is no more solid foundation than faith in the love Heavenly Father has for you, faith in His plan of happiness, and faith in the capacity and willingness of Jesus Christ to fulfill all of His promises.

I actually find all of those things easy to believe! I already believe them! The hard part, of course, is making my thoughts and actions line up with those beliefs—but I still like the idea that if I cling to and build on them, they will be a strong foundation for me.

He also defines the phrase "trial of your faith" a little differently. I always thought having your "faith tried" meant "having something really hard happen to you." But Elder Scott says 

Every time you try your faith, that is, act in worthiness on an impression, you will receive the confirming evidence of the Spirit. Those feelings will fortify your faith. As you repeat that pattern, your faith will become stronger.

I like the idea of trying your faith meaning just—trying it out. Using it. Practicing it. "Trials" give us the chance to practice, but so do everyday decisions and small annoyances. All of those things can help us improve. He says:

Faith will forge strength of character available to you in times of urgent need. Such character is not developed in moments of great challenge or temptation. That is when it is used. Character is woven patiently from threads of principle, doctrine, and obedience.…

Our Father’s plan is marvelous. Your exercise of faith builds character. Fortified character expands your capacity to exercise faith. Thus, your confidence in conquering the trials of life is enhanced. And the strengthening cycle continues. The more your character is fortified, the more enabled you are to exercise the power of faith.

And then here was my favorite part of the whole talk. You can, of course, imagine Elder Scott saying this in his calm, steady, reassuring voice:

No matter what occurs, no matter how topsy-turvy the world becomes, you can always have the sustaining power of faith. That will never change. The perfect love of your Father in Heaven will never change. His gospel plan gives life meaning and can assure your happiness. His plan is not only to prove yourself here on earth but also that you may receive the growth that comes from correct decisions prompted by faith, enabled by your obedience.

Why worry about future calamities or uncertainties over which you have no control? Your righteous character magnifies the probability that you will never have to suffer them. When challenges and testing do come, your faith will lead you to solutions.

He makes it sound so simple! And it is simple! The extent to which we trust Heavenly Father is the extent to which we'll find peace no matter what hard things we face. Elder Scott says it even better:

Your peace of mind, your assurance of answers to vexing problems, your ultimate joy depend upon your trust in Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.…Remember an unfailing, continual, ever-present source of peace and comfort is available to you. It is the certainty that your Father in Heaven loves you no matter what your circumstance, no matter what winds of trial, turmoil, or tribulation whirl about you. That certainty will never change. Your ability to access that support depends on the strength of your faith in Him and in His certain willingness to bless you.

I want and need the ability to access this certainty, this peace and comfort. I need it all the time! And I love the fact that it doesn't depend on me avoiding mistakes or muscling through challenges with more willpower or being a stronger person or anything like that. It just depends on my trust and faith, on me being willing to "try" that faith over and over, and leaving the ultimate outcome in God's hands. I think I can do that! Elder Scott makes me feel like I can.

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A season of unanswered questions

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

I've often read Elder Scott (and others, I'm sure) reminding us that it's not helpful to ask "why me?" or "why did this happen?" sorts of questions when we are enduring trials. But I liked the elaboration Elder Lance B. Wickman gave on how that mindset helps us:

Still, we mortals quite naturally want to know the why. Yet, in pressing too earnestly for the answer, we may forget that mortality was designed, in a manner of speaking, as the season of unanswered questions. Mortality has a different, more narrowly defined purpose: It is a proving ground, a probationary state, a time to walk by faith, a time to prepare to meet God. It is in nurturing humility and submissiveness that we may comprehend a fulness of the intended mortal experience and put ourselves in a frame of mind and heart to receive the promptings of the Spirit. Reduced to their essence, humility and submissiveness are an expression of complete willingness to let the “why” questions go unanswered for now, or perhaps even to ask, “Why not?” It is in enduring well to the end that we achieve this life’s purposes. I believe that mortality’s supreme test is to face the “why” and then let it go, trusting humbly in the Lord’s promise that “all things must come to pass in their time.”

Other posts in this series:

Blessed are the Peacemakers—by Rozy 

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Greatly enlarged souls

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Afternoon Session of the April 2000 Conference.

Elder Maxwell talked in this session about "contentment," which seems like kind of an uncommon topic to choose—but I almost see it as another word for trust, which is definitely one of Elder Maxwell's themes! What struck me about it was how strongly he tied contentment (feeling at peace with the circumstances we can't change) to Jesus Christ's atonement. I think the link is that because Christ suffered and died for us, and because we know He will turn all things for our good as we repent, we can then have ultimate trust and acceptance of whatever things Christ "allots" to us.

Here are some of the things Elder Maxwell said about that:

• Being content means acceptance without self-pity. Meekly borne, however, deprivations such as these can end up being like excavations that make room for greatly enlarged souls.…

• We can draw upon [Christ's] glorious Atonement by repenting. We can learn to serve and to forgive within our sample of humanity, including settings no larger than the family or friendships.

The justice and mercy of God will have been so demonstrably perfect that at the Final Judgment there will be no complaints, including from those who once questioned what God had allotted in the mortal framework.

We can and “ought to be content with the things allotted to us,” being circumstantially content but without being self-satisfied and behaviorally content with ourselves.

Such contentment is more than shoulder-shrugging passivity. It reflects our participative assent rather than uncaring resignation.

• This spiritual contentment rests on our accepting the Atonement of Jesus, because we “have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world”

I was just re-reading Elder Bednar's talk about having faith "not to be healed" and the message there is similar. In that talk, Elder Bednar quotes a young man he knew who had cancer. The man wrote in a letter to Elder Bednar about something he'd learned while praying to be healed: 

Up until this point, I had a hard time reconciling the need for my faith in Christ with the inevitability of His will. I saw them as two separate things, and sometimes I felt that one contradicted the other. ‘Why should I have faith if His will ultimately is what will prevail?’ I asked. After this experience, I knew that having faith—at least in my circumstance—was not necessarily knowing that he would heal me, but that He could heal me. I had to believe that He could, and then whether it happened was up to Him.

As I allowed those two ideas to coexist in my life, focused faith in Jesus Christ and complete submission to His will, I found greater comfort and peace.

I have been thinking about that a lot lately. It takes some courage to believe that God could have fixed any number of things in your life that you wish he would fix—and he didn't do it. But if you can keep that firmly affixed to its concurrent truth—if he didn't, there was a good and loving reason He didn't—it's actually very comforting. Peace doesn't come from everything being easy (we all know too well that that could change at any moment)—but peace comes from trusting God is there with us in all of it, working and planning and preparing all things for our good!

Other posts in this series:

Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven—by Rozy

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Daily happiness

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Morning Session of the April 2000 Conference.

Wow! We are starting into a new decade of General Conference. Now we are firmly in "this feels like just yesterday" territory. The 2000's are recent enough that I remember some talks really clearly, especially the ones after I got married (but before I had children…ha ha). This session was the first one in the new Conference Center. President Hinckley talked about how the pulpit was made from his own walnut tree. I have always loved that. He also read a whole bunch of prophecies about the coming forth of the Conference Center! He said that "all of [these] have come to our attention since we began this construction." Isn't that interesting? You can read them in his talk here.

President Packer gave a sober warning about the times to come—our time, I am sure:

We live in troubled times—very troubled times. We hope, we pray, for better days. But that is not to be. The prophecies tell us that. We will not as a people, as families, or as individuals be exempt from the trials to come.

But then he gives these comforting words:

We need not live in fear of the future. We have every reason to rejoice and little reason to fear. If we follow the promptings of the Spirit, we will be safe, whatever the future holds. We will be shown what to do.…

I fear this supernal gift is being obscured by programs and activities and schedules and so many meetings. There are so many places to go, so many things to do in this noisy world. We can be too busy to pay attention to the promptings of the Spirit.…

But each of us has agency; ever and always light presides over darkness.

The priesthood is structured to ensure an unbroken line of authority to baptize and confer the Holy Ghost. Always nearby are leaders and teachers called and set apart to teach and to correct us. We can learn to sort out the promptings from the temptations and follow the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.

It is a glorious time to live! No matter what trials await us, we can find the answer to that question, “What shall we do?” We, and those we love, will be guided and corrected and protected, and we will be comforted.

I think my favorite talk, though, was Sister Coleen K. Menlove's. She structured her talk much like one I remember from Elder Uchtdorf (but she thought of it first!) about how to reach our "Happily Ever After." I always like that subject because I love to think about the days to come, when all will be well and God's eternal promises have been realized in our lives. But I especially liked how she urged us to find trust and happiness in our experiences now. She told a cute story about her grandson riding in the back seat of the car, murmuring "I am such a lucky boy! I am such a lucky boy!" to himself over and over again. I often feel like I should constantly be saying that same thing. I have so many blessings in my life! So much goodness!

Sister Menlove says,

…The good news is that the gospel can make us very happy.

But, you may be thinking, even within the Church there are people who aren’t happy or people who are usually happy but who experience intermittent times of stress, worry, challenge, and discouragement. That, too, is part of the great plan of happiness. Mortality is a time of testing and trial, which means that there must be times when we feel pain and emotional discomfort. However, by patiently trusting in the eternal plan, we can experience daily happiness and have hope for “ever-after happiness.”

I love that distinction between daily happiness and the hope for "ever-after happiness"—and how the two are connected. I have realized since becoming a parent (and really, I knew it before that—just didn't feel it fully) that times of unbroken and unalloyed happiness are rare, but if I stop expecting those, stop thinking that only the unbroken times "count," I can find great happiness during even emotionally wrenching times. I think daily happiness—if you define that as "at least one moment of happiness each day"—is a pretty achievable goal! I can think of a few times in my life where even that felt out of reach, but most of the time, even serious heartache and worry can be interspersed with moments of laughter, lightening, or hope every day, if you look for them. It's one of the things I love about having a big family—even if one relationship or situation is difficult, there are lots of opportunities for other people to lift you away from those worries and fill your aching heart.

Sister Menlove also quotes Elder Richard G. Scott saying,

“Your joy in life depends upon your trust in Heavenly Father and His holy Son, your conviction that their plan of happiness truly can bring you joy.”

I am always trying to increase that very trust, to the degree that it will drive out many of my worries and fears! Because I do trust God's plan, and I do know it brings both kinds of joy.

The other day I was in the temple and got into a conversation with a sweet older Polynesian lady. When she learned that I have ten children, she gasped with happiness, and threw up her arms excitedly. "Ten!" she said. "Oh! The Lord loves you! The Lord loves you!"

She was so enthusiastic and spontaneous, I started crying right there, because I could just feel the truth of her words. Yes! I am so blessed! And He does love me! And I love Him!

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Fully persuaded

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Morning Session of the October 1999 Conference.

President Faust's talk "Hope, an Anchor to the Soul" is one I've come across a few times when studying hope. I don't remember it from when he gave it, though. Maybe I wasn't as interested in hope back then when I was young and carefree! I'm interested now. I loved how he started the talk right off with this:

There are tremendous sources of hope beyond our own ability, learning, strength, and capacity. Among them is the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Seems kind of obvious, I guess, but it didn't occur to me before that when I'm feeling hopeless, I can pray for the Spirit and he can actually give me hope beyond my own. That seems pretty amazing.

I've mostly stopped trying to distinguish faith from hope. They are so close to each other, and every time I think I've found a definition that tells me the difference, I find another one that mixes them up again. But I think I sort of understand in my head (though I don't know that I can explain). Faith is tied to action, I know that. And faith is properly fixed on Jesus Christ. Hope…I think…is more about ourselves, and those we love. Faith believes that Jesus Christ can save anyone, and hope says he will help ME. Or, maybe I still don't quite understand it! Anyway, I like this tidbit Elder Faust adds:

Hope is trust in God’s promises, faith that if we act now, the desired blessings will be fulfilled in the future. Abraham “against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations.” Contrary to human reason, he trusted God, “fully persuaded” that God would fulfill His promises of giving Abraham and Sarah a child in their old ages.

And then there's this:

Priesthood blessings lift us and sustain us. Hope also comes from direct personal revelation, to which we are entitled if we are worthy.

It sounds so wonderful—to be "fully persuaded" that God will always help me. I think the "fully" in that sentence covers even the cases (all of them?) where we are the ones at fault, we are the ones that lack, we are the ones keeping ourselves from progressing—still; we can "fully" believe because God makes up for all those lacks when we turn to Him!

Really, I think all of these ideas fit with my sense of what hope is pretty well. When Abraham believed God's promises, he was taking an abstract idea that God was trustworthy, and bringing it onto his own level, in his own life, to give him hope. And Abraham's personal revelation about what God would do for him gave him hope as well—again, hope that the God of Universe would actually orchestrate specific blessings in Abraham's own small story. 

It's what I want to hope for too!

Other posts in this series:

The Book of Mormon is True—by Rozy

Peace…and Something for Everyone—by Nathaniel Givens

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Trust Him to accompany them

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Young Women's Session of the April 1999 Conference.

I have been thinking about Teddy's baptism (coming up in February) lately, and so this quote in Sister Carol B. Thomas' talk, from a girl from the Philippines about her baptism, was interesting to me:

“I felt like I had been born again. What an extraordinary feeling of cleanliness, sinlessness! My mother’s tears flowed like a fountain of pearls, and I could tell these were tears of joy! My mother told me sincerely, ‘Lan-Ting, today I am relieved to say I can turn you over to the Lord. I trust He will accompany you along the roads of your life.’”

The first part, about feeling clean and sinless, was of course familiar to me from my own baptism. But I loved the mother's perspective about "Now I can turn you over to the Lord." Obviously our work as mothers is not done once our children are baptized! But it seems so faith-filled and peaceful to have this mother's mindset—trusting God to accompany our children and lead them where they need to go.

I heard another quote from President Nelson that goes along with this, about God's covenant children. It talks about how God loves all his children, but how once we have made covenants with Him, he has a special and binding interest in us that will never end. He will always fulfill his covenant promises, and he will never forget us once we have bound ourselves in that covenant relationship. Here's what President Nelson said:

Once we make a covenant with God, we leave neutral ground forever. God will not abandon His relationship with those who have forged such a bond with Him. In fact, all those who have made a covenant with God have access to a special kind of love and mercy. In the Hebrew language, that covenantal love is called hesed.

Because God has hesed for those who have covenanted with Him, He will love them. He will continue to work with them and offer them opportunities to change. He will forgive them when they repent. And should they stray, He will help them find their way back to Him. 

I think I forget about that covenant tie all too often. I don't forget it for myself! I feel strong and secure in my relationship with Jesus Christ (not that it can't improve! but I just have had too many experiences with His goodness and mercy to doubt Him). But for others, for my older children especially, I worry so much that they will voluntarily choose to let their relationship lapse, and then because they're not doing their part, they won't receive God's blessings. 

All that may still be true. But it comforts me to think that the fact that they have been baptized changes something! Maybe it binds them to God in some special way even when they forget Him for awhile. Or maybe it gives Jesus Christ some kind of power to help them in a way He couldn't without those covenant bonds. I don't know for sure, but I want to choose that kind of trust and relief like Lan-Ting's mother had, to "turn my children over to the Lord and trust Him to accompany them along the roads of their lives"—as he has always accompanied me!

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A greater sense of purpose and identity

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Relief Society Session of the October 1997 Conference.

I was reading some dumb article earlier this week. Not even worth linking to, it had so many half-truths and weird errors in it, but it was from someone outside our religion, speaking with disaffected and former members and talking about problems they saw in the church. One of these former members said, about people who are still in the church, something like, "I feel sorry for them, because they haven't even discovered who they fully are yet."

I thought that was so interesting, because one of the best things (in my mind) about embracing the gospel is that it DOES help us know who we are! When we come to Christ, we learn exactly who we are and who we can become. And so I was nodding right along when I read what Sister Sheri Dew said in this women's sesssion talk:

There is a direct relationship between how we feel about Jesus Christ and how we see ourselves. We cannot increase our devotion to the Savior without also obtaining a greater sense of purpose, identity, and conviction.

That rang so true to me. If someone in this world does NOT have a sense of purpose, identity, and conviction, what they need is not fewer boundaries…greater license to follow their whims…"mind-expanding" drugs…more passionate political activism…none of those things! What they need is a relationship with Jesus Christ, who will help them see their infinite worth as well as their eternal potential. I love the purpose that I gain through trying to follow Jesus—not that I am necessarily better at following Him than anyone else—but the effort changes me and gives me a reason to seek good and do good. The effort leads me to greater vision and broader perspective. Every time I increase my devotion to Him, my life improves.

And it improves in so many ways. Even better than "discovering who I am," when I seek Jesus Christ, I discover what HE can be to me—how he will guide me, comfort me, support me. And the more I gain that knowledge, the more my own burdens lighten! You know I've been thinking about trust in God, and so I loved Sister Dew's description of how such trust can form:

There are no disclaimers or exceptions in His invitation. We are the ones who determine whether or not we will come unto Him. The drawing near, seeking, asking, and knocking are up to us. And the more we know about the Lord—meaning the more we experience His mercy, devotion, and willingness to guide us even when we may not feel worthy of His direction—the more confident we become that He will respond to our petitions.

As we increase our interaction with Him, we learn for ourselves that He will never betray us, never turn away, never change His criteria for coming unto Him. His attention is riveted on us, His brothers and sisters.

It can be hard to believe that, but when you come to believe it, it really does change your life. And I'm so glad! I don't know what I would do without the purpose and identity I am gaining in God's service.

Other posts in this series:

Women are Important—by Rozy

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