I have been sick lately – the “good” kind of sick, thankfully – but hard nonetheless. I try not to complain too much because I know countless women who would gladly take my place for the opportunity to bear a child – and I am grateful for the opportunity that I have. But that doesn’t make the discomfort go away.
So GCBC is late (again!) but at least it’s here. And these are some great talks!
This reminds me of a song by Laura Story called “Blessings” in which she sings,
What if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights is what it takes to know You’re near?
What if trials of this life are Your blessings in disguise?
Elder Rasband seems to think so. He said, “Trusting in God’s will is central to our mortality. With faith in Him, we draw upon the power of Christ’s Atonement at those times when questions abound and answers are few.”
Suffering and trials in this life allow us to keep our baptismal covenants. If you don’t remember them, let me refresh your memory:
as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort (Mosiah 18:8-9)
Our sufferings and trials allow us to keep those covenants. If no one had any burdens, if no one mourned, if no one needed comforting, how could we keep those covenants?
We experience hard things in our lives that can sometimes diminish our vision and faith to do the things we should. We become so busy that we often feel overwhelmed and unable to do any more. While each of us is different, I humbly submit that we must focus our vision on the Savior and His teachings. What did He see in Peter, James, and John and the other Apostles that prompted Him to act to invite them to follow Him? Like His vision of them, the Savior has a great vision of who we can become. It will take the same faith and courage the first Apostles had in order for us to refocus on the things that matter most in bringing lasting happiness and great joy.
How did these talks inspire you?
I gave a talk based on Elder Haleck's talk in sacrament meeting a couple of months ago. I found it very inspiring and helped me remember that when I remember *who* I am and how my Heavenly Parents see me, my life is so much happier and I have so much more peace.
ReplyDeleteI gained new insights on faith and acting from Elder Haleck's talk, and how having vision is a part of faith and acting.
ReplyDeleteI loved Elder Rasband's talk, because I have had the opportunity to know so many people with disabilities and have learned such important lessons from them and their families. He quoted Elder Nelson: "...The gift of a physical body is priceless." This is one of the lessons I have learned. I try to remember it often and that helps me to be thankful for the body I have and not to be swayed by the world, which tells us that our bodies aren't good enough.