What did you get out of Conference?
I was reminded that Conference falls under the umbrella “revelation from God”--therefore the rules President Uchtdorf talked about apply—
“[revelation]... often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of [the gospel].”
Joy, happiness and peace--this is the ultimate goal of a life spent building up the kingdom of God, Conference reminds us.. But like all goals how to do that can seem daunting. So the Lord gives us this beautiful concert of Conference talks—each speaker sounding a bit of a different theme or variation on a theme. Usually we examine the talks one by one—and miss the harmony of the whole!
So I went to the Conference Ensign looking for puzzle pieces—then I tried to match them up and see what ‘big picture’ they revealed. Some of the 'pieces' are so intergrated they are like the chicken and the egg--determining which came first is difficult! Perhaps because the Lord's ways is like making candles the candle gets dipped and redipped in the wax adding layers of the same thing and becomine stronger thereby--the Lord's principles of growth are such that we apply and reapply them... round and round adding grace for grace and strength to strength...
Here is what I found (themes of Conference organized in approx. order)...
1. Desire-- “to wish for the possession or enjoyment of...” (1828 Dictionary)
Leads to
2. Faith—“belief and trust in and loyalty to God”
See also “Shall He Find Faith on the Earth?” by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
Leads to
3. Revelation of Truth—comes in jigsaw pieces
Leads to
4. Testimony—“What will protect you from the sin and evil around you? I maintain that a strong testimony of our Savior and of His gospel will help see you through to safety.” (Pres. Thomas S. Monson)
Leads to
5. Covenants (sacrament)—“Always have His Spirit”...” which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer.” (Moroni 8:26)
Leads to
6. Hope—“Our hope in the Atonement empowers us with eternal perspective”—including regarding future and trials
Leads to
7. Prayer—Receive Divine Chastening & Guidance
Leads to
8. Be Like Christ—cultivate His character traits
Leads to
9. Receive blessings by keeping commandments--specifically: obedience, tithing, prayer, nourishing testimony, partaking of sacrament, honouring Sabbath and temple attendance...
Leads to
10. Love God by loving others
“We build...unity and share our unique colors through benevolence: individual acts of kindness.” (Mary N. Cook)
a. Marriages
b. Families
c. Church and Community
d. Missionary Work
e. Temple Work
Leads to
11. Rejoice
Express...love and gratitude often. That will make life far richer and more pleasant and purposeful. (Elder Richard G. Scott)
[Do not allow] worldly anchors to keep us away from the abundant joy that comes from service... partake of the feast of happiness, peace, and joy that God grants so bountifully...” (Pres. Uchtdorf)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So what do I gain from this big picture? A treasure map, an (ideal) pattern to get from where I am to where I want to be. For me this Conference seen in this manner outlines the whole plan of salvation. Every Conference does that, I guess--—with varying emphasis.
It is eye-opening to overlay the spiritual lives of scriptural figures over this criteria and see how wonderously they match!
No comments:
Post a Comment