I am very
grateful for the LDS General Conference talks this weekend. I took notes and
have some thoughts in my head, but I’m not ready to write about any of them
quite yet. I will say that I am grateful for the messages of hope and peace
that were spoken and for the reminder that our Father is bound to keep His
promises when we are obedient.
This
afternoon I was looking through my file where I save things I want to share
here in the future and saw this talk that I haven’t blogged about yet. It had
similar messages of hope and peace that I have enjoyed during this conference
so I’m happy to share a few bits of this today. It’s called Faith, Hope & Charity
by Stan Kivett, a religion professor at BYU-Idaho.
“Some of
my favorite friends––heroes I have come to love and respect––are those who have
had the faith and courage to seek forgiveness. However, even more impressive,
and less celebrated in my estimation, are the accomplishments of those who
exercise the faith not to fall. When temptations become powerful, they use the
example and power of the Savior to control passions, to forgive, or to remain
faithful in spite of adversity. They use the atonement to succeed instead of
just using it to rectify failure”
“…Brothers and sisters, life’s doors swing on small
hinges. Many of us are facing tests right now that will be pivot points on
which the rest of our life will swing.”
I love that
statement about our lives hanging on small hinges. It is a small decision we
make today or another we make tomorrow that will determine which way our life
will go. We cannot make a choice without the consequence that comes with it.
Brother Kivett reminds us, along with President Packer’s words, that because we
are children of God, if we are obedient and follow our Savior, we have power
beyond our own.
"Satan is striving to cause us to become weak, pathetic
victims. However, you are not victims—you are soldiers with a cause. President
Boyd K. Packer once said:
‘When you say, ‘I can’t! I can’t solve my problems!’ I
want to thunder out, ‘Don’t you realize who you are? Haven’t you learned yet
that you are a son or a daughter of Almighty God? Do you not know that there
are powerful resources inherited from Him that you can call upon to give you
steadiness and courage and great power?'' (Ensign, August 1975)
I don't know about you, but I know a few blessings that I’d rather have now instead of wait
for them. But I do have faith that my Father's promised blessings will come to me one day if
I continue on His path. Brother Kivett’s words about this remind me of this
photo that I have as the background on my computer. (I would give credit to its creator, but have no idea who that is. I have found it going around online.)
"The immutable promises of God allow you to face the
vicissitudes of life calmly. The temporary withholding of a promised blessing
does not trouble those who keep their eyes riveted on the eventual fulfillment
of the promise. Moroni explained that this kind of hope begins with faith and
becomes 'an anchor to the souls of men which would make them sure and
steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God' (Ether
12:4). I testify that God is omniscient and omnipotent, and therefore able to
fulfill any promise. You can trust in this assurance from Him: 'I will bring
the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have
not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.
These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them' (Isaiah 42:16)."
I took this photo of a plaque at a pioneer cemetery in Utah.
Brother Kivett is in my Stake. He and his wife are amazing.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have so many things I was able to have peace about with today's conference. I think my hinges are pretty small.
Hugs and hope you gained what you needed.....just for now.
Valery I love ur blog there is always something good in it, this was exactly what I need it to remember today...thank you! p.s I am borrowing your (cemetery) picture to keep it within my genealogy file. I send u a big hug!
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