Where I Fit: A New Thought

This week we had stake conference--where 6 congregations meet together for a special worship service.  For us, that occurs about twice a year.  We get to see friends and neighbors we don't usually see at church each Sunday but who are part of our larger neighborhoods.

I was touched by a message given to us by one of our stake leaders.  He spoke on the parable of the Good Shepherd.

 In Luke 15:3-7, it reads:

3 ¶And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

As I have read this many time before, I knew the emphasis was on the "lost" or the sheep that strayed from the Shepherd.  It was a reiteration of always following Him and obeying His commandments that we can return to be with Him again. 

I could relate to that, as I tend to wander off occasionally and, even when I know better, I have lapses of weakness and sin.  I know who the Good Shepherd is and yet sometimes I choose to disobey.  I have much to work with on this point, so the talk I heard this weekend prompted me to sit up and take notice.

This weekend's message was  more about the ninety and nine.  The Good shepherd had to leave them to search for the one lost sheep.  How did He know He could trust them when He had to leave them fro a bit?  What did they know about Him that they didn't feel abandoned and give in to the urge to follow Him to the traps and dangers and potentially become lost too?

President C taught us that we are the ninety and nine.  We had covenanted to take upon us the name of Christ and committed to follow Him when we were baptized.  We are His disciples who fulfill callings, serve our communities and families and struggle to bring others into the fold of God.

The Savior knows us; He knows our hearts and He can trust us to do what He has asked so that he can rescue one of our own that is lost.  Of course, in real life that recusing is done by us in part--as we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and reach out in love and compassion to others.  But we are lead by him to do that.  In the meantime, we are left to continue on the path, to remain in the fold, to stick together for safety until He comes again.

I had never thought of that before.  Why can't he trust me?  I make a conscience effort each day to obey His will and follow His commandments.  I'm not perfect at it, but I re-set me efforts each day.  I want Him to be able to trust me.  I would like to imagine that He knows the intents of my heart and that from those, He knows I want to be with Him in the next life.  I want o be considered part of His flock, and as such, I need to be where He left me, actively awaiting His return.

Wow. Just, Wow.

This weekend was our Stake conference weekend.  Normally, that is a good thing, but this weekend, we had stake conference, attended by Elder M. Russell Ballard.  He is an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ and a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles.  THAT was a really good  and quite a remarkable thing!

Her presided at our stake conference.  He spoke to the adults on Saturday night,  then he spoke to the youth of the stake on Sunday morning and then he spoke to the entire stake in the general session after that.  We are so lucky!

I don't remember any other stake conference that I felt so powerfully.  I have attended a lot of good meetings where doctrines of truth were taught.  I have had the Spirit confirm teachings with power before, but this weekend was different.  The only thing I can account for this difference is that we literally sat the the feet of the apostle and were taught by him.

Most conferences I can usually sense a theme that ran through the speakers' messages.  But this weekend the only real thread that ran throughout the messages was that of the Divinity of Jesus Christ, of his teachings, His love, His Gospel, His Atonement. Maybe because today was Palm Sunday and my mind has been leaning to the final week of the Savior's earthly life simply because of the pre-Easter time of year, I felt an overarching renewal to my testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ.  And that holds a power unto itself.

I do "stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me."  This time of year especially. But we were taught about Charity, and learned what we can do each day to be a little more like the Savior in the ways we care for those around us.  We learned that regardless of what the outside world says about us and our church, Jesus Christ IS the central focus of our worship and this is His church, restored to the earth once more.  We learned as we are obedient to the Lord's commandments we increase in faith which, in turn, gives us power and a desire to keep covenants. We learned that joy, contentment ad peace come from being worthy of, and having the companionship of the Holy Ghost. We learned that "women are the Lord's secret weapon".  We learned that we must avoid complaining about the "why ME?" situations in our life and instead focus on the strengths and growth we gain as we endure whatever challenges we have well. 

We learned that our youth must develop spiritual roots long before they leave our homes.  We learned that we can be strengthened as we seek to understand the scriptures and the doctrines of Christ. We learned that having a great DESIRE to know the mysteries of God will drive us to search the scriptures, pray with real intent and listen closely to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and as we do these things, the Lord will visit us with his spirit and we will learn more of what we want to know.

We learned that we do, indeed, have a Savior who loves us and that our discipleship cannot be a spectator sport. We learned that we can't expect God to make our decisions for us, but He will confirm righteous decisions we bring to Him for approval.  We learned that when we repent and are forgiven, the final step is to forgive ourselves. We learned that we must give our best efforts in order to be prepared to serve and influence others within our individual spheres of influence to become more like our Heavenly Father.  We learned that our callings within the organization of the church are so we can help others mature spiritually and if we do this together we will be tuned into the promptings of the Spirit.

And finally, we learned that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and He loves us.  He lives and wants us to choose to follow Him.  His Atonement is more than just a way for us to change and repent of our sins and do better--though it is that for sure!  His Atonement gives us the ability to forgive ourselves, heals our heartaches, mends our souls and soothes our hurts that are caused by others. 

I knew that before, but now?  Wow.  Just, wow.  Easter commemorates Jesus's resurrection and victory over death but also His ultimate triumph over sin and sorrow.  And for that, I am forever grateful.  For the messages this weekend that reminded me that all I knew, I'm grateful.  What I comprehend of His sacrifice for me is still overwhelming in the effect it plays in my life and all the opportunities He has offered me by that perfect  love He shows me.

I'm humbled and so very blessed.  Wow.

Weekend in Review, part 2

The better part of the weekend--especially if the game and it's outcome was the worst part--was our regional conference.  We had our stake adult session, as I said yesterday, on Saturday evening (before the game) and then we had a broadcast session Sunday morning that was directed to all the stakes in Utah County.  That worked out to be 146 stakes.  As large as that group might be there are certainly issues that specifically apply and need further discussion.

I thought I'd share some of the things I garnered from that Sunday portion of the conference.

Helaman 5:12 was a recurring theme in our regional conference today: Make Christ the foundation upon which you build the rest of your life. This scripture had been our Girls' Camp Theme several years ago and I remember thinking then what a marvelous foundational message it has for me.  Hearing it again several time this weekend reminded me that it still is.

We heard from Richard J. Maynes, from the quorum of Seventy:  Be righteous, don't just appear it. Our greatest need in life is to remember: to pray, to read our scriptures, to keep our covenants. We must remember who we are, where we came from & our relationship to Heavenly Father and the Savior. Remembering is a celestial attribute. Remember, and perish not. God remember us and we should remember Him and who we truly are. 

We also heard from Sister Rosemary Wixon, General Primary President:  What is the tap root that will anchor a child [and all of us] in the storm? The Savior will be our anchor if we yield our hearts to Him. You cannot be casual in living the gospel. You have to decide what is good, what is better, and what is best. You have to decide what really matters in your life because the years will pass whether you prioritize or not. Are there some things you need to forsake? The momentum of our lives is always increasing and the devils winds are growing stronger. Perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most because pure and simple peace comes from living the gospel.

From the Provo, Utah Mission, President John A.McCune spoke:  Laman and Lemuel never figured out that their journey didn't have to be as hard as they were making it. Look to God and live. Changing life patterns may seem overwhelming, but following Christ is truly the easier path. Heed the invitation and come unto Him.

Elder Dallin H. Oakes had his wife, Kristin, speak for a little while about singles and the real challenges they face in our family-oriented church.  She said: We need to learn to ask the Lord differently. Let Him know that I've covenanted with Thee.  I'll do whatever you need me to do, on your time, to build the kingdom. What more can I do that is right?  Accept that things will happen in the Lords time. Trust in Him and do not get discouraged. Learn to view things through the eternal scope and step up and be the best you can be.

Elder Oaks came back and concluded the session with several thoughts: Don't think of the church as them who will/should fulfill your immediate needs. Instead ask what can it give your life everlasting? The world will hate us for doing things differently because we do things in the Lords way and not in the world’s way. We must keep ourselves unspotted of the world and help lead others through the stormy seas of sin so we may return to live with God again. Faith prepares us for life - It's opportunities and it's disappointments. Put the Lord first in your life. It doesn't matter what your calling is, if you are married or single or if you die tomorrow - it will be okay. It is vital that we do the right thing, at the right time. And things will happen in God's time. When we put the Lord first, we needn't worry about what comes next. Do your best and trust in His timing.

Overall, the messages were familiar and yet refreshing.  All the things I heard, especially those as I felt the Spirit, felt right and true.  And the feeling as I left was a reaffirmation that God loves us and has a plan if I can just be patient enough to let it unfold for my benefit as I do what He has asked.

All You Have To Do Is...

A little serendipity happen this weekend in our family scripture reading. We are reading King Benjamin's address in the Book of Mosiah and it was General Conference on TV.

It's been a little while since we were in Mosiah, and I was pleased to recall the simplicity of the message Benjamin is relating to his people. In verse 22 of chapter ,he says:

"And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you."

That sounds like what the general authorities of the church taught us all weekend: Keep the commandments and you'll be blessed.

I'm glad that Gospel of Jesus Christ is just that simple. It makes it easier to keep track of, don't you think? "When you're good you're glad, when you're bad you're sad." That makes sense to me.