It has been such a long time since I posted on here. I promise I will do better! Anyway, I just wanted to share some quotes and feelings that I got or wrote down from General Conference.
First of all my favorite talks were probably Pres. Uchtdorf's from Women's Conference, Elder Hales' from the Saturday afternoon session, and Elder Oaks' also from the Saturday afternoon session.
I will start with Pres. Uchtdorf's. What really stuck out to me (besides the stalker cat) was what it takes to be happy and how to be happy. It takes three things; faith, hope, and love. At the end of the story of
Great Aunt Rose, she tells Eva how she turned her life around, from being miserable to being an all around happy person. She said she discovered faith and faith led to hope. Later on she said that everything in the gospel led to love. And when you had love for God , you had love for all of His children and wanted to serve them. Eva then asks; "And is that what makes us happy?" Great Aunt Rose then responds with tear-filled eyes; "Yes, my dear.
That is what makes us happy." This whole story really touched me. I often find myself unhappy because I let my anxiety and depression get the better of me. Now I know what can make me happy, and boy does it.
Elder Hales' talk was entitled
Meeting the Challenges of Today's World. Elder Hale begins by stating that the members of the church have been blessed by the gospel plan, we have a guide to lead us around the storms of life. He told us we are the pilots of our choices. We are given a question to ask when we aren't sure which way to fly. "If I make this choice, what is the worst thing that can happen?" He reminds us that if we pray for guidance and listen to the Spirit, we will make righteous choices, which will keep us from flying into the storm. Another important thing to remember from his talk is; "If you want more than you now have,
reach up, not across." This struck home with me, as I often am not sure whether the Spirit or my anxiety is talking. Another thing I learned on how to go the right direction is "never suppress a generous thought"(sister Camilla Spencer), I learned that from EFY.
Elder Oaks' talk was on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The main message I got from his talk was this. "The Savior has the power to succor-to help- every mortal pain and affliction. Sometimes His power heals an infirmity, but sometimes He helps us by giving us strength or patience to endure our infirmities." Later in his talk he tell us that the righteous have many affliction, but they are nothing that the Lord can't help us with. He also said that "Christ has descended beneath it all, so He is in the perfect position to lift us, we only have to ask." I really loved this talk so much! I can't even begin to comprehend what Christ went through. The only pain I will ever have to feel/ endure is my own. Christ felt every-ones. What an amazing elder brother we have, to do that for us. Not only did He feel it, but He can help us through it also. Awhile ago in Sunday School when we were talking about this. One of my classmates asked; "if Christ felt all our sadness and infirmities, did He also feel all of our joy?" It really makes you think, whether He did or not. I hope after all of what He endured, He felt joy that it would all work out and everything He just felt, was leading up to something happy, so why wouldn't He have felt the happiness of us all afterwards? There's a quote that goes like this; "An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it's going to launch you into something great." This is just what I think and wonder.
I loved General Conference so much and am so grateful for the living prophet, seers, and revelators. I know that Thomas S. Monson has been called of God and is His mouthpiece. I know that Christ loves us and wants us to return to live with our Father in Heaven again someday, I know that we can do so by being obedient to God's commands, repenting of our wrongdoings and enduring to the end. I know that Christ can help us endure to the end if we only put our trust in Him and ask for His help through prayer.
Here's the link to the conference talks, I encourage you all to read, watch, or listen to them if you haven't, or read, watch, or listen to them again, if you have already. I love you all, but more importantly God loves you! Have a great week!
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions?cid=HP14GC&lang=eng
