How was your weekend on October 2 and 3? Did you get the chance to listen to General Conference? I hope it was a wonderful and peaceful couple of days for you and that you received (and continue to receive) the guidance that you needed!
I was praying for some specific answers, and what I received was different than I expected, but amazing! The things that have really stood out to me so far center on striving to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
Here are a few of the messages that stood out to me:
There has never been a time in the history of the world when knowledge of our Savior is more personally vital and relevant to every human soul. Imagine how quickly the devastating conflicts throughout the world–and those in our individual lives–would be resolved if we all chose to follow Jesus Chist and heed His teachings. –President Russell M. Nelson
Friends, in our present moment we find all manner of divisions and subdivisions, sets and subsets, digital tribes and political identities, with more than enough hostility to go around. Might we ask ourselves if a “higher and holier” life…is something we could seek? When doing so, we would do well to remember that stunning period in the Book of Mormon in which those people asked and answered that question so affirmatively:
“And it came to pass that there was no contention among all the people, in all the land … because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.” …If we love God enough to try to be fully faithful to Him, He will give us the ability, the capacity, the will, and the way to love our neighbor and ourselves. —Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
The scriptures have countless examples of how the Savior, moved by His deep and abiding compassion, interacted with people of His day and helped those who were suffering…. The expression of compassion for others is, in fact, the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ and a marked evidence of our spiritual and emotional closeness to the Savior. Furthermore, it shows the level of influence He has on our way of life and demonstrates the magnitude of our spirits. –Elder Ulisses Soares
In acknowledging that God loves us perfectly, we each might ask, “How well do I love God? Can He rely on my love as I rely on His?” Would it not be a worthy aspiration to live so that God can love us not just in spite of our failings but also because of what we are becoming? …Here is the solution for our incessantly quarrelsome times—the love of God. In the golden age of Book of Mormon history following the Savior’s ministry, it is reported that “there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.” –Elder D. Todd Christofferson
…And that was just in the first session on Saturday morning! (Elder Renlund’s message on Sunday morning was EXACTLY what I needed also!) I know that these messages especially stood out to me because… let’s just say I needed them! The part that stood out most was the example of the righteous Nephites that had the privilege of seeing Christ, who had so much love in their hearts that “there was no contention among all the people, in all the land.” This got me thinking that, even though I have most certainly felt the love of God for me, in clear, very personal ways, maybe I need to strive to feel His love even more deeply–deeply enough that I have no desire for contention in my own life.
I have faith that we truly can feel Heavenly Father and the Savior’s love as deeply as these Nephites did. My goal–starting this past week–has been to study the account of Christ’s visit to the Nephites, as well as a deeper study of the conference talks, and to feel His love in a deeper way. In those days before Christ visited the Nephites, they felt a lot of fear, darkness, confusion, bewilderment, and deep sorrow. But these feelings were turned into great–even unspeakable–love and joy.
I know that we can experience this as well.
What messages stood out to you so far?