These are tumultuous times in many ways. It’s a gift and blessing to be able to gather (even if virtually) to hear words of inspiration, comfort, invitation, and hope from prophets, apostles, and other authorized leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ.

We invite you to watch or listen to these messages live, or to listen to or watch recordings during the coming days and weeks.

Live watching and listening options:

ChurchofJesusChrist.org
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Latter-day Saints Channel Website
BYUtv
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Latter-day Saints Channel Mobile App
Latter-day Saints Channel Roku
Latter-day Saints Channel Apple TV
Latter-day Saints Channel Fire TV
Latter-day Saints Channel Android TV
Latter-day Saints Channel Website
Latter-day Saints Channel Radio
BYU Radio
KSL Newsradio
Gospel Voice (Beta) on Amazon Alexa
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The post General Conference: Messages of peace and hope appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

-President Russell M. Nelson, prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in a talk entitled “Hear Him!”

It’s been six months since the president and prophet of our church issued this invitation to more deliberately find ways to hear the voice of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world have responded to this invitation both privately and publicly (although if you search the hashtag #HearHim on social media, you will get a mix of responses).

I wanted to share a few ways I #HearHim.

I #HearHim through inspirational music. Such as this song I listened to over and over again a few weeks ago. Listening to this was like a prayer for me that includes both the aching I feel for all that is going on, and people I care about…and the wonder I feel for all that God is doing, for all that He is.

(Other music from this celebration was also amazing.)

I #HearHim through patterns that show up in my life (through so many ways and means) and as I practice listening below the surface of the waves (think boogie boarding/body surfing) and connect with others seeking to do the same. His voice is different, so different, from the chaos of the noise around me (social or other media, cultural chatter, etc.) or the clutter of anxiety that often can hijack my mind.

I #HearHim when I have the blessing of talking with my children about their scriptural insights and gratitude for the gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives.

I #HearHim when I read the scriptures. Sometimes the messages I hear or feel are connected to the text, and sometimes they come in completely unexpected thoughts or feelings that come simply because I’m in the text.

How do you hear Him?

p.s. We invite you to join us this weekend to hear leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints share messages of hope and inspiration and testimony of Jesus Christ in our semi-annual General Conference. This will be a virtual conference for all members and friends, and there are many ways to listen or watch. See graphic below.

The post Some ways I #HearHim appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

It’s a special weekend for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Every six months (the first weekend of April and October), Mormons gather virtually and in person to listen to our prophet and apostles and other general leaders of the Church in General Conference. General Conference consists of four two-hour general sessions (two on Saturday and two on Sunday) and an evening session on Saturday night (one for boys and men 12 and older in April and one for girls and women 8 and older in October).

For those who aren’t members of the Church, General Conference can give you an idea of basic beliefs and standards that matter to us as Mormons.

For those who are members of the Church, this is a time to reflect on our beliefs and renew our commitment to our standards. It’s also a time where we seek personal guidance for our individual lives.

How can a few talks over a couple of days have such a personal impact on millions of people? We believe in personal revelation, meaning that we can get personalized answers for our lives directly from God. It’s always interesting to me to see what kinds of things will stick out to people as they listen and consider the counsel and teachings shared in General Conference.

I love this quote from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, one of the twelve apostles.

We who are General Authorities and general officers are called to teach His general rules. You and we then lead specific lives and must seek the Lord’s guidance regarding specific circumstances. But there would be mass confusion and loss of gospel promises if no general ideal and no doctrinal standard were established and, in our case today, repeated.

You can expect to hear a lot about general concepts and commandments and principles in General Conference. We at Mormon Women also encourage listeners to seek God’s help for specific circumstances, both during Conference sessions and also in weeks and months to come as you ponder the messages given. (How many times have I heard a talk and not necessarily connected with it in the moment but then found deep personal insight as I studied the talk later?)

Here’s another quote that celebrates this opportunity for us to get personal guidance about our lives. The quote is from Elder Richard G. Scott who was an apostle for many years before his death in 2015.

Throughout the ages, many have obtained guidance helpful to resolve challenges in their lives by following the example of respected individuals who resolved similar problems. Today, world conditions change so rapidly that such a course of action is often not available to us.

Personally, I rejoice in that reality because it creates a condition where we, of necessity, are more dependent upon the Spirit to guide us through the vicissitudes of life. Therefore, we are led to seek personal inspiration in life’s important decisions.

I am grateful to know that we worship a God who both cares about guiding us collectively and who also knows us individually and will guide us in very personal ways.

God bless us all this weekend and beyond as we ponder the words of the prophets. We welcome any who are not of our faith to join us to learn more about our faith.

This General Conference will also be special because we will have what is called a solemn assembly to sustain our new prophet, President Russell M. Nelson. Two new apostles will also be called to replace those who have passed away.

Find out the many ways to connect with LDS General Conference.

The post General Conference weekend! #ldsconf appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

It was a wonderful General Conference weekend! If you missed any or all of the conference, or just want to enjoy the messages again, there are multiple ways to do that.

See the April 2017 General Conference link for videos of all the talks on the LDS.org General Conference page. You can also listen to all the music from the General Conference sessions (such as the hymn that inspired the title of this post, “Rejoice the Lord is King!”).

You can also listen to/watch the April 2017 General Conference via the following links:

LDS General Conference YouTube channel

Mormon Channel YouTube channel

Transcripts will be available in a couple of days, and conference files will be available for the Gospel Library app shortly as well. (You can already access the Women’s Session on the Gospel Library App.)

We would love to hear what stood out to you from conference messages.

Messages about love, light, building on the simple foundation of the gospel plan and principles, faith not fear, and staying centered in Christ are some of the messages rolling around in my mind and heart. After hearing President Monson talk about the Book of Mormon, we started the book over as a family. I’m more committed to focusing on the good in the world and using social media in that positive way.

It was also exciting to hear about five new temples announced.

The post Rejoice! #LDSConf links appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Did you have a chance to watch the General Women’s Meeting, the first session of the fall 2016 General Conference? If so, please share your thoughts below, or use the hashtag #ldsconf and If not, following are ways you can watch it (these are also online venues you can use for the rest of the General Conference Sessions next week).

Find the entire meeting at LDS.org’s General Conference page.

Watch the videos on the LDS General Conference YouTube channel or at the Mormon Channel YouTube channel.

Find a DVR recording of the General Women’s Meeting at byutv.org

Watch at byutv.org

Watch the embedded video here (includes prelude music from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, so scroll to find the beginning of the meeting.)

– – – – –

Listen to music from the Women’s meeting (and stay tuned for more music coming next weekend).

– – – – –

Watch individual talks:

Jean B. Bingham

Carole M. Stephens

Bonnie L. Oscarson

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The post General Women’s Meeting Fall 2016 #ldsconf appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

One of the things I appreciate about being a part of this effort is to read the words of my fellow brothers and sisters. Their perspectives and experience enrich my experience engaging the words of the prophets. Of course, we don’t want our posts to replace the words of the prophets, but we hope perhaps this project will inspire you in some way, as it has us.   

The other posts from this week’s reading, which focused on the Sunday Afternoon Session of the October 1972 General Conference, are at the bottom of the post. (I’ve also included links to last week’s posts.)

There were a lot of things that stood out to me from this week’s reading for the General Conference Odyssey, but there is one message I feel most pressed to record for my life’s record.

The quote I will center my thoughts around in from Hartman Rector, Jr.

“[D]o the right thing because you love the Lord. It is so vitally important that, I feel, if you do anything in righteousness for any other reason than you love the Lord, you are wrong—at least you are on very shaky ground. And, somewhere your reasons for acting in righteousness will not be strong enough to see you through. You will give way to expediency, or peer group pressure, or honor, or fame, or applause, or the thrill of the moment, or some other worldly reason. Unless your motives are built upon the firm foundation of love of the Lord, you will not be able to stand.”

As a recovering perfectionist and people-pleaser, this concept of doing things for the right reasons is a critical life principle for me. I repeat the phrase “Do it for God” on almost a daily basis. But I can feel that God wants me to understand this little mantra of mine more deeply. This week, the concept of offering all that I do to God (and God alone) has come through in multiple ways: in a movie my daughter and I watched a week ago, in my 12-step meeting this week, in Relief Society on Sunday.

One hand, it seems so simple. Just do good because you love God. I think few of us who are religious choose such a life without some measure of love for God. And yet, the natural-man tendencies to want human reassurance are strong for me. As Elder Carl B. Cook said in his 2012 General Conference talk, “Look Up”:

I think the challenge for all of us…is to try not to look sideways to see how others are viewing our lives but to look up to see how Heavenly Father sees us. He doesn’t look on the outward appearance but on the heart (see 1 Samuel 16:7). And He knows, better than anyone else, what each one of us needs.

In addition to having the fear of man inside of me, I also am coming to realize that while I have always loved God and tried to be obedient, I have also feared Him. I have misunderstood His character. I spent four decades thought somehow I had to earn His love through my behavior and mistake-free living. I had grown up believing that God was somehow keeping score on my life, and I could never measure up. I wore myself out by trying to earn something that was freely given and always available.

I am still basking in this quote from Elder Rector, and the power of the scripture he shared as well.

It seems that, at this day and time, everything is in a state of change. There appears to be nothing in this life that is not subject to erosion, or decay, or just change for the sake of change—like the new automobile models each year. There is only one place where we can go and find consistency, and that is where Joseph went: to the Lord, for “he is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.” And the most important fact is that there is no place you can go where he is not. In the words of the psalmist,

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

“If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

“If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

“Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

“If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

“Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” (Ps. 139:7–12.)

I’m reminded of the quote from the last General Conference that left me weeping and still leaves me rejoicing. (*See footnote) Elder Holland said,

“My brothers and sisters, the first great commandment of all eternity is to love God with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength—that’s the first great commandment. But the first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind, and strength. That love is the foundation stone of eternity, and it should be the foundation stone of our daily life. Indeed it is only with that reassurance burning in our soul that we can have the confidence to keep trying to improve, keep seeking forgiveness for our sins, and keep extending that grace to our neighbor.”

President Uchtdorf also testified, “The sheep is worthy of divine rescue simply because it is loved by the Good Shepherd.”

I use my little mantra, “Do it for God” whenever I feel myself slipping into insecurities, or worrying about what people think of me, or second-guessing myself, or trying to explain/justify/defend myself to get someone’s approval, or trying to manipulate or control someone else. But even after writing this post I’m realizing that the real message of “Do it for God” is more something like this:

Believe that His love for you and everyone else really is that big, so there is no reason to worry. He’s got this.

I am so grateful to be learning more in a heart-deep kind of way how much He loves us all. How much He loves me.

– – – –

*God is amazing. He knows how to prepare the ground of my heart for truths I most desperately need. He uses many ways and means (see Alma 37:7) for my salvation. My heart had been prepared for Elder Holland’s words months before General Conference, in part because of chapter in a book by by Max Lucado (creator of children’s books about a beloved character named Punchinello). The chapter was about the New Testament story of the woman who washed Jesus’ feet — a story that has become a favorite of mine in the past year. Lucado talks about how often we try to willpower our way to Christlike living — and fail in our efforts.

“[W]e try. Teeth clenched. Jaw firm. We’re going to love [serve God and others, obey] if it kills us. And it may do just that.

“Could it be that we are missing a step? Could it be that the first step of love is not toward [others] but toward [God]?…. (1 John 4:19)

“Long to be more loving? Begin by accepting your place as a dearly loved child…. (Eph. 5:1-2)

“Want to learn to forgive? Then consider how you have been forgiven…. (Eph. 4:32)

Finding it hard to put others first? Think of the way Christ put your first…. (Phil. 2:6)

Need more patience? Drink from the patience of God” (2 Pet. 3:9). Is generosity an elusive virtue? Then consider how generous God has been with you (Rom. 5:8). Having trouble putting up with ungrateful relatives or cranky neighbors? God puts up with you when you act the same…. (Luke 6:35)

(Cast of Characters, p. 24; scripture references included in original; NIV is used by author)

As John said, “We love him, because he first loved us.” The next time I think of doing whatever I’m doing for God, I’m going to also remind myself to consider all He has done and continues to do for me. Loving Him is so much easier when I first let Him love me.

– – – –

This week’s posts from the General Conference Odyssey:

A Little Weird is the Best Case Scenario

God of the Gaps

https://symphonyofdissent.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/the-gospel-is-never-more-beautiful/

“That Is How Christ Feels, and So Should We”

http://rainscamedown.blogspot.com/2016/06/hands-of-god.html
http://light-in-leaves.blogspot.com/2016/06/i-cannot-go-back.html

Last week’s posts, discussing the Sunday morning session of October 1972’s General Conference:

• Saviors in the Home by Nathaniel Givens
• A Home Where Mission is Part of Life by G
• Satan’s Effort to Influence and Control the Human Mind by Daniel Ortner
• Abomination and Understanding, Works and Grace by Ralph Hancock
• Divorce, Pornography, Turner, Persky, and Being a Mormon Woman by SilverRain
• Zombies, Mormons, and Ants by Jan Tolman
• We are the catalyst by Marilyn Nielson

The post Do it for God (i.e., Let Him love you!) #ldsconf Odyssey appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

One of the things I appreciate about being a part of this effort is to read the words of my fellow brothers and sisters. Their perspectives and experience enrich my experience engaging the words of the prophets. Of course, we don’t want our posts to replace the words of the prophets, but we hope perhaps this project will inspire you in some way, as it is inspiring us, to engage their words with more deliberateness and faith.

The other posts from this week’s reading, which focused on the Sunday Afternoon Session of the April 1972 General Conference, are at the bottom of the post.

(I was having login troubles when it was time to post for this week’s General Conference Odyssey, and even though it’s almost time for next week’s post, I still wanted to share some thoughts, mostly because I need them.)

– – – –

In the April 1972 conference, there was a lot said about the priesthood. I love this topic. I love learning and pondering about the priesthood (and the relationship of women to priesthood), for example.

But the past several months, I’ve felt more drawn to talks that can guide me in my personal relationship with God, and in my spiritual health. So it’s not surprising that the talk that caught my attention from this week’s reading was Eldred G. Smith’s talk entitled “Peace.”

In that upper room in Jerusalem where the Last Supper was held, Jesus gave his disciples considerable instructions. Among many things he taught them, he said: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27.)

Again he said: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33.)

Humans crave peace. It’s been a topic in cultural and political discourse throughout the ages. And yet, as Elder Smith points out, peace is often elusive — at least in the world around us.

I’ve been noticing lately how easily agitated I can be by news stories or social media chatter or things outside of my control that my brain latches onto. I too often want to engage in topics and conversations that, in reality, sap me of energy. As Nephi would say, there is much that can “destroy my peace and afflict my soul.”

I believe in being informed and engaged in the world around me. But there’s a fine line within myself that I’m trying to learn to discern  — that place where I go from proactively choosing to be informed and appropriately engaged to being reactively distracted, sucked in, or even emotionally and mentally hijacked.

I also find that sometimes I do exactly as Elder Smith describes. Sometimes I expect the world around me and other people to make my life peaceful.

How is it that we have not discovered the secret of peace when we have been looking for it all through the ages? I’ll tell you. We are looking for someone to create it for us—to bring it to us. Edna St. Vincent Millay said: “There is no peace on earth today, save the peace in the heart at home with God. … No man can be at peace with his neighbor who is not at peace with himself. …” (“Conversations at Midnight,” Collected Poems, Harper & Row, Copyright 1937 and 1964.)

Elder Smith lists various things that can help foster peace, or hinder it. Rather than repeat his list, I will just invite you to join me in considering a list of your own, things that bring peace to you vs. things that “destroy your peace” or “afflict your soul.”

We all ache for a world and for relationships that are founded in peace. There is only one way to truly live in peace. It is to have our lives based in the principles that the Prince of Peace lived and taught. To have Him as the center of our minds and hearts and lives.

If each person would have peace within his soul, then there would be peace in the family. If there is peace in each family, then there is peace in the nation. If there is peace in the nations, there is peace in the world.

Let us not just sing, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me,” but let us mean it. Make it my goal—your goal.

When the Savior comes again—and he will come—he will bring peace only as we will accept and follow his teachings of service to others and eliminate enmity and unrighteousness. [And, I believe, as we let Him help us become more service-oriented and loving.]

Here’s a song that is helping me recenter when I’m feeling agitated or stressed. I like to also remind myself that God’s will is for me to feel His love and peace. Turning my thoughts to Christ and taking a deep breath can help me hear His Spirit and feel His guidance more in my life.

Just breathe.

All of the posts from this week’s #ldsconf Odyssey are below:

• The Peace of Knowing God by Nathaniel Givens
• Blessings in General Conference by G
• The Cure for What Ails Us by Daniel Ortner
• Peace by Michelle Linford
• “Peace Be Unto You” by Walker Wright
• To Know HIM is To Love HIM by Jan Tolman

The post #ldsconf Odyssey: Peace appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

– – –

I heard somewhere recently that they were interested that essentially nothing was said in General Conference a couple of weeks ago about the crazy, heated election year in the United States. I thought it was refreshing and instructive that we had peace from the contention and time to reflect on the messages of the gospel, rather than the political posturings so prevalent our day.

I imagine if a talk had been given in Conference, though, it might have been something like the talk Harold B. Lee gave in 1972. I was tempted to just link to the talk and call it good, because it’s jam-packed with great thoughts. I encourage you to read it.

Listen to how he begins his talk:

This year is again a most important year of decision for our day. Some have even said that this is the most critical period in the history of this nation and of the world.

I have heard something along those lines, and thought something along those lines. I loved what Elder Lee said in response to that mindset, however.

I believe it is an illusion to say that this is the most critical, decisive time. Write it upon the hearts of all of us that every dispensation has been just as decisive, and likewise that every year has been the most decisive year and time for ourselves, for this nation, and for the world. This is our day and time when honorable men [and women] must be brought forward to meet the tremendous challenges before us.

I think this is a wise perspective. Every age has mattered in God’s big picture, and the present is always the most important time for each of us, for it’s all we have.

So how can we engage our civic responsibilities in a way that can help the world face its challenges, and help God’s work along?

Below I will highlight a few points of counsel Elder Lee offered. I appreciate so much the power of true principles as a guide in all aspects of our lives, including engaging in the political process.

1. Elder Lee talks of the gift of conscience, encouraging people to follow their consciences. He quotes Henry Ward Beecher: “’Expedients are for an hour,’ someone has said, ‘but principles are for the ages.'” And he encourages those with civic responsibilities to be prayerful and seek for divine guidance in their work.
2. I’ve been feeling for a while that there is power in standing for something, rather than spending too much time working against something. I was interested to see Elder Lee saying something along these lines:

“If we overemphasize the philosophies of the enemies of righteousness instead of teaching forcefully the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, such overemphasis can only serve to stir up controversy and strife….”

Of course, in politics we don’t preach the gospel, but as covenant keepers, we can always consider how our focus on political issues might hinder the teaching of the gospel. Also, there is a lot of good being done in the civic space as well, good that is consistent with gospel principles. I believe we can strengthen the good in our civic engagement when we find ways to empower the good.

Again, Elder Lee: “It has been well said that one does not teach honesty by telling a man how to burglarize a safe, nor do we teach chastity by telling a youth all about sexual activities.”

3. Value and recognize the voice of the people.

“[T]here is always the imperative necessity of deciding whether or not demands on a controversial issue are being made by a well-organized loud minority or by a greater majority of those who might be less vocal but whose cause is just and in accordance with righteous principles.” (See also (Mosiah 29:26.)

4. “[I]n our civic responsibilities [we should] choose those to govern us as ‘civil officers and magistrates [who will] enforce the laws … and … administer the law in equity and justice’ (D&C 134:3)…. we must seek for statesmenlike men [and women] who will ask, “Is it right and is it good for the country or the community?” instead of those who may merely ask, ‘Is it politically expedient?'”

5. “And now, finally, the supreme of all certainties is God’s eternal plan as given in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here we have given us the never-failing principles that will keep our feet firmly planted on the path of safety. By these eternal principles we can readily detect truth from error.”

I wish I could find a quote by Neal A. Maxwell who talked about how sometimes people will analyze the gospel and the Church based on secular principles, rather than using the gospel to analyze the world around us. We are blessed to have this anchor if we will use it.

I love how Elder Lee closes his talk.

God is in his heaven and all can be right with the world, if we seek for him and find him, “though he be not far from every one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being; … For we are also his offspring.” (Acts 17:27–28.)

I have learned by my own experience that the heavier the responsibilities, the greater is my dependence on the Lord.

This is true for all of us. How we need heavenly help! I’m so grateful to know we can seek it and receive it, no matter what our rank, station, or responsibilities may be.

– – –

Posts in this week’s #ldsconf Odyssey series:

• The Most Decisive Time is Always Now by Nathaniel Givens
• by G
• Counsel about Civic Engagement by Michelle Linford
• A Testimony of Jesus by SilverRain
• Spiritual Manifestations by Jan Tolman

The post Counsel about civic engagement (#ldsconf Odyssey) appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

One of the things I appreciate about being a part of this effort is to read the words of my fellow brothers and sisters. Their perspectives and experience enrich my experience engaging the words of the prophets. Of course, we don’t want our posts to replace the words of the prophets, but we hope perhaps this project will inspire you in some way, as it has us.

The other posts from this week’s reading, which focused on the Sunday Afternoon Session of the October 1971 General Conference, are at the bottom of the post.

– – – –

Then-Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, shared this in the Sunday Afternoon October 1971 General Conference:

I recall sitting in this Tabernacle when I was fourteen or fifteen—up in the balcony right behind the clock—and hearing President Heber J. Grant tell of his experience in reading the Book of Mormon when he was a boy. He spoke of Nephi and of the great influence he had upon his life. And then, with a voice ringing with a conviction that I shall never forget, he quoted those great words of Nephi: “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” (1 Ne. 3:7.)

There came into my young heart on that occasion a resolution to try to do what the Lord has commanded. I would that I might have the power, through the Spirit of the Lord, similarly to touch someone in this congregation today.

What marvelous things happen when men walk with faith in obedience to that which is required of them!

The principle of obedience is one that I have pondered for quite some time. When we talk of obedience to commandments, we typically are referring to obedience to God’s commandments given through prophets. The more of life I see, the more grateful I am for the clarity about God’s commandments that we have in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So many problems can just be avoided by obeying God’s commandments — both those revealed anciently in the Old and New Testament (the Ten Commandments, the Two Great Commandments, etc.) and also those revealed in this dispensation, such as the Word of Wisdom.

As the granddaughter of an alcoholic (who, for the record, found recovery in her life), I have wondered more than once if I could be one of the “weakest of all saints” that the Word of Wisdom was given for. God wants to protect us from things we may not even know about ourselves, such as being prone to substance addiction because of genetics.

Another commandment I have been feeling grateful for as a parent is the law of chastity. I see so many good parents who, through no fault of their own, had no experience with living the law of chastity in their youth and young adult years. With no experience, and no religious reason to teach sexual purity to their children, patterns of promiscuity of varying degrees are passed along to the next generation (and likely multiplied and intensified in a digital world). Healthy living includes boundaries, and it is simply a reality that individuals with few sexual boundaries in an ever-increasingly-boundary-less society are at risk for emotional, physical, mental, and social harm.

I will never forget the story of a teen who was stunned to learn, from her Mormon friend, that she could say no to sexual advances/demands from boys. She’d never even been taught the option. I love seeing the confidence, courage, and clarity my children have because they know that being chaste is not only a spiritually sound choice, but is also just smart for good emotional, physical, mental, and social health. (If you wonder what I mean by social health, consider this story about how rampant sexting can be. Imagine the social harms that can come when youth share this kind of private information with others, either in “fun” or for more manipulative purposes. This kind of online history could even affect a youth’s educational or future professional goals.)

Anyway, suffice it to say I am a champion of the commandments that God has given to us, to all of His children through prophets. Obviously, it’s a topic that matters mightily to God: the word “commandments” appears over 1500 times in scripture.

There’s an and in there for me, too — a layer to obedience and commandments that is the focus of my post today.

It’s probably been two years or so since I did an earnest study about Nephi and his obedience. I was noticing (just as has been the case with the 1971 General Conference addresses) that commandments were mentioned a lot in his writings. Just doing a simple search today on the word, I see some form of it appearing in

1 Nephi 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22

and

2 Nephi 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 15, 23, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 33

(Incidentally, as I scroll further through the search results, the word appears in the overwhelming majority of chapters of the Book of Mormon (an interesting study for another day). For my purposes today, I’ll be focusing primarily on the patterns in 1 and 2 Nephi.

It is clear from Nephi’s writing that he and his father were obedient to the commandments given through prophets. For example, we know that they lived the law of Moses — not only because Nephi says as much in 2 Nephi 5:10 and 2 Nephi 25:24-28, but also because we have accounts of Lehi and Sariah offering sacrifices on an “altar of stones” (see 1 Nephi 2:7, cf. Deut. 27:4-5). We also know that Nephi was obedient to the commandment of “thou shalt not kill”…

…Until he actually received a commandment to take the life of Laban. Being the obedient person he was, Nephi resisted. The Spirit told him again that this was what he was supposed to do. And then teachings from the Lord were brought to Nephi’s remembrance (see John 14:26).

14 And now, when I, Nephi, had heard these words, I remembered the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in the wilderness, saying that: Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise.

15 Yea, and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law.

16 And I also knew that the law was engraven upon the plates of brass. 17 And again, I knew that the Lord had delivered Laban into my hands for this cause—that I might obtain the records according to his commandments.

Interestingly, it was the need for his people to keep the commandments that required Nephi to get the brass plates from Laban. Without the commandments as recorded in the scriptures, his people would not be able to fill the measure of their creation in the promised land. In fact, it was the lack of obedience and faith in God’s guidance that finally left Nephi’s brothers fighting against their family and God, with disastrous ramifications that lasted for generations. Again, commandments matter!

The intent of this post is not to focus on the tensions between commandments in this story, as real as they are, except to say that Nephi’s experience could wrongly be wrested to justify disobedience to God’s commandments given through prophets. Nephi wrestled with God mightily about this. He did not want to be the exception. It took a lot of pondering and trust to move forward with this seemingly impossible deed, and it truly was the exception guided by God to fulfill His purposes. Disobedience to fulfill selfish purposes is not of God, plain and simple.

What I do want to focus on is that this kind of trusting obedience defines Nephi and his “go and do” approach to his relationship with God. He obeyed the laws of God given through prophets, and he and his father obediently and faithfully followed the personalized commandments given specifically to them.

In fact, I would submit that much of the time Nephi refers to commandments he and his father followed, he is talking about those personalized commandments. For me, this reality deepens my perspective about what it means to be “willing and obedient,” what it means to “go and do.” It’s a powerful thing to trust in and follow the words of prophets. It’s also extremely powerful to be in tune enough with the Lord to be able to receive personalized commandments and then to have the courage to “go and do.” In fact, I believe that when we are obedient to the words of prophets, we prepare ourselves to also receive personal commandments and guidance that can help us “go and do” what the Lord desires for our lives.

And both kinds of obedience allow us to be instruments in God’s hands to move His work forward and to serve others according to God’s eternal view of what is needed for His children.

I want to reflect on some of the lessons I think we can learn from the examples of “go[ing] and do[ing]” — of being obedient to both general and personal commandments. This list or the reflections I share are anything but exclusive and focus primarily on chapters where the actual word commandments appears. I would love to hear others’ thoughts.

1 Nephi 2:1 — The Lord blesses Lehi for following His commandments to preach to the people of Jerusalem. [God knows our hearts and sees our efforts to obey, and blesses us for that obedience.]

1 Nephi 2:2-3 — the Lord commands Lehi to take his family into the wilderness because the people of Jerusalem want to kill him for giving them the message he was commanded to give. Lehi obeys. [Obedience can sometimes bring trials and difficulty to our lives — even a wilderness experience! — but God will deliver and guide us through those difficulties.]

1 Nephi 3:2-5 — Lehi is commanded to send his sons back to get the plates. [Sometimes God’s commandments won’t seem to send us in the most efficient direction. It would have been more efficient, at least to a mortal brain, to get the plates while they were in Jerusalem. God’s ways are not our ways, and obedience is about us building our relationship with Him and learning about ourselves, not about achieving visible outcomes in the least amount of time.]

1 Nephi 3:7 — Lehi could tell that Nephi had been blessed to be obedient to these personalized commandments without murmuring. [How was he so blessed? The end of 1 Nephi 2 gives us the answer — he sought to know God and to understand Him through prayer, and God softened his heart so he could submit and not rebel. Nephi was who he was because God changed his heart, in response to Nephi’s earnest and humble seeking. Nephi obeyed commandments to seek God, and he gained strength to obey the personal commandments given his family.]

1 Nephi 3-4 — After some trial and error, Nephi is guided as to how to obtain the plates. [Interesting, again, how the how of fulfilling the commandment was both veiled from Nephi until the very moment God revealed it to him, and interesting how much faith it took to be obedient in that seeming impossible situation. He had to have the Spirit with him to discern the voice of God, both in the moment and also in being able to remember all that God had taught him to that point to help him discern.]

1 Nephi 5 — It takes Sariah a little longer to gain her testimony that God had really commanded Lehi as he had and that He truly did and would provide the way. Lehi and Sariah offer sacrifices. [I appreciate that Sariah is honest with her husband and in response he is compassionate and yet boldly unapologetic about the commandments he has received and followed. Even family members of prophets may struggle sometimes to have faith in their teachings. They (Lehi and Sariah) offer sacrifices. (That to me is a striking verse. Again, a topic for another day.)]

1 Nephi 5 — Nephi declares that he and his father had obeyed all the commandments they had been given, including obtaining the records that would “preserve the commandments of the Lord unto [their] children.”

1 Nephi 6, 9, 19 (see also 2 Nephi 5:31-33)– Nephi commands his seed to honor the spiritual purpose of the plates that he had made in obedience to the specific commandment he had received to make them. [These chapters are some of my favorites because they talk about the “wise purpose” that Nephi does not understand, but trusts. He had already made plates, according to the commandment he was given (1 Nephi 19:1) but then he was commanded to make another smaller set of plates, and was given commandments about what should be on the small plates. This “wise purpose” commandment ended up being a blessing for all of the world, and was also a stunningly personal tender mercy for Joseph Smith and Martin Harris, who in their disobedience lost 116 pages of the manuscript of the Book of Mormon. There is so much to be pondered here about the nature of God and how obedience can have consequences for centuries and millennia and beyond. We aren’t just obedient for ourselves, even when commandments are given to us personally. I also love how in 1 Nephi 19:4, Nephi gives the commandments about what to do with the plates after his death, and he leaves room for the reality that God may give additional commandments along the way — he encourages obedience to commandments before they even are given. Obedience was his watchword!]

1 Nephi 7 — Lehi receives the commandment for his sons to return, again, to Jerusalem, to bring Ishmael and his family with them in the wilderness so they could marry and have children. [They received the personalized commandment to go back to Jerusalem so that they could keep the general commandments to marry and to have children. God can open up ways for us to fulfill these eternally-important commandments of marriage and child-bearing and -rearing according to His will and plan for our individual lives.]

1 Nephi 8 — Lehi’s dream drives him to urge his children to keep the commandments. The dream represents the blessings of obedience and faith and the consequences of not holding fast to the word of God (commandments, doctrines, gospel, Atonement).

1 Nephi 10 — Even though the word commandments does not appear in this chapter, Nephi is “given authority” (commanded?) to speak and testify of the Savior and of the scattering and gathering of Israel, doctrines also taught by His father. [Once again in this chapter, we also see Nephi heeding the invitation to seek, and preparing to receive revelation about the vision of the tree of life.]

1 Nephi 11-14 — Again, the specific word commandments is not used, but the concepts of covenants, repentance, captivity vs. “peace and life eternal,” coming to Christ, and eschewing the world are woven throughout Nephi’s glorious vision of the tree of life. The fruits of Nephi’s obedience are here in this vision, in the very fact that he was able to receive it.

1 Nephi 15 — Nephi’s brothers are frustrated because they don’t understand what Nephi has seen and taught. Nephi reiterates the words of the Lord that were fulfilled for him in receiving this vision: “If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.” [The promise is true for us as well. We can receive knowledge, inspiration, and understanding if we will ask in faith and be obedient to God’s commandments.]

1 Nephi 15:24-25 — Nephi teaches his brothers about hearkening and holding fast to the word of God and how protection from destruction comes from faith, diligence, and obedience to commandments.

1 Nephi 16:8 — Once again, Nephi declares that he and his father had fulfilled all of the commandments that they had received. Nephi declares that he “had been blessed of the Lord exceedingly.”

1 Nephi 16:9 — Lehi is commanded to embark on the journey into the wilderness. [I love how in the next verse, a way is provided to guide them through that journey: the Liahona. As they followed the directions — as they were obedient to the guidance given — they were “led…in the more fertile parts of the wilderness (v. 16). Verse 28 also teaches that the directions came via the Liahona “according to the faith and diligence and heed [obedience!] which [they] did give unto” the directions given.]

1 Nephi 16:23 — I see this verse as potential evidence of Nephi’s obedience to the commandment to honor his father and honor priesthood authority. [Even though his father had murmured in his hunger, Nephi did not violate those commandments in order to get direction about where to go to get food.] The Liahona guided Nephi to the top of the mountain [not insignificant] to find food for their families.

1 Nephi 16:39 (cf 1 Nephi 18:15, 20): Even though Laman and Lemuel murmured and were rebellious a good majority of the time in this whole process, we do see times when after much chastening they did change their ways, albeit temporarily. It is not insignificant to me that even their temporary obedience, even though it came only as a response to much chastening, brought blessings to the family. In chapter 16, it allowed the families to keep finding food. In chapter 18, it calmed the storm that was threatening their lives and enabled the Liahona to work again.

1 Nephi 17 — Nephi is commanded to build a ship. His “go and do” character is so evident in this chapter. (The word commandment shows up in some form or another 15 times in this chapter!)

1 Nephi 20 — Nephi quotes Isaiah who testifies of Christ and of the blessings of peace and righteousness that flow from obedience to God’s commandments.

1 Nephi 22 — Nephi teaches his brothers that the scriptures testify “that a man must be obedient to the commandments of God” (v. 30) and that such obedience, plus endurance to the end, brings salvation. As is the case with many other chapters, Nephi also testifies of Christ and of the need for repentance (a commandment!)

2 Nephi 1, 2, 3 — Lehi’s teaching about God’s mercies, deliverance, and the promised land are beautiful and urgent. He is reaching the end of his life. There is little else he wants his children to understand: The promises of freedom and blessings in the land of promise according to obedience to commandments  — promises repeated throughout the Book of Mormon — are real, and extend to families and generations, even nations. Likewise, the dangers and natural consequences (both temporal and spiritual) of not being obedient to God’s commandments are also real. Lehi also poignantly expresses his gratitude for Nephi’s obedience (v. 24), which enabled their family to be led and saved in the wilderness. Lehi also validates that Nephi has the authority to command them to obey (vs. 27).

2 Nephi 2 is one of the most powerful sermons on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Lehi teaches how the law and commandments are inextricably tied to the doctrine of the Atonement. Indeed, the entire plan of salvation — even the reality of God, the existence of agency, and the essential role of the Savior — all hinge on the reality of laws and commandments. (See also 2 Nephi 9)

2 Nephi 3 — Besides the personal counsel Lehi gives to Joseph, his son, he also prophecies about Joseph Smith and the commandments that Lehi saw he would be given relative to bringing forth the plain and precious knowledge of the covenants of God, truths that can deliver and gather Israel. [We are so blessed to have the Book of Mormon and to know of the Restoration of these truths!]

2 Nephi 4 — I find it interesting that Lehi blesses the children of Laman and Lemuel in spite of the lack of faith and teaching that they were receiving. [Even as the Book of Mormon clearly teaches about the generational effects of disobedience, I think this chapter also reveals that God’s mercy is always available, and that accountability for disobedience rests with those who are disobedient. The ripple effects of such disobedience are part of accountability for such disobedience. It’s both sobering and freeing to consider this teaching and blessing that Lehi offers. His words echo Doctrine and Covenants 68:24.)

2 Nephi 5 is a sobering chapter, and is the chapter I will end on. Like his father before him, Nephi’s life is in danger and he is commanded to lead his people into the wilderness. Those who went with him were those who “believed in the warnings and the revelations of God” and who did “hearken unto [Nephi the prophet’s] words.” These were people who “did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the law of Moses.” As a result, they “lived after the manner of happiness.” [I think it’s interesting to note that even though the commandment was personal, specific to his situation, there are also patterns in what he was commanded to do. Perhaps we will all have opportunities to follow God’s guidance into a wilderness, a way He will deliver us from dangers and help us find happiness.]

From his writings in 2 Nephi 25, we know that all of the obedience that his people practiced was not just about doing things, like a checklist. The heart of their obedience was about worshiping the Savior and teaching their children about Him. This reflects what Elder Bruce R. McConkie’s entire talk from this session of the 1971 General Conference was about.

[T]he Lord said: “I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.

“For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace.” (D&C 93:7–20.)

In other words, true and perfect worship consists in following in the steps of the Son of God; it consists in keeping the commandments and obeying the will of the Father to that degree that we advance from grace to grace until we are glorified in Christ as he is in his Father. It is far more than prayer and sermon and song. It is living and doing and obeying. It is emulating the life of the great Exemplar.

Elder McConkie then lists numerous ways we worship the Lord through obedience, then summarizing his point by this simple statement:

“[Worship of the Lord] is ten thousand times ten thousand things. It is keeping the commandments of God. It is living the whole law of the whole gospel.

“To worship the Lord is to be like Christ until we receive from him the blessed assurance: “Ye shall be even as I am.””

In my life through the years, it has been all too easy to think about obedience more as going through the motions of doing — saying prayers and reading scriptures and attending church and fulfilling callings, because that is what Mormons do. Those things alone don’t bring happiness or conversion, however. It’s the worship of and reliance on and trust in the Lord that does! When we bring a spirit of true worship, as Nephi did, to our “go and do” obedience, then our natures, even our very existence, can be changed. We can, as Nephi said, be “alive in Christ.”

This is the purpose of obedience. It is to become, not just to do.

I close with one more quote from Elder Dallin H. Oaks, this one from October 2000:

“[T]he Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”

I am grateful for Nephi’s example of doing to become more like and to to worship the Savior.

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Other posts from this session of the General Conference Odyssey:

* On the Inevitability of Worship by Nathaniel Givens
http://difficultrun.nathanielgivens.com/…/on-the-inevitabi…/

The post Go, Do, Become appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

One of the things I appreciate about being a part of this effort is to read the words of my fellow brothers and sisters. Their perspectives and experience enrich my experience engaging the words of the prophets. Of course, we don’t want our posts to replace the words of the prophets, but we hope perhaps this project will inspire you in some way, as it is inspiring us, to engage their words with more deliberateness and faith.

The other posts from this week’s reading, which focused on the Priesthood Session of the October 1971 General Conference, are at the bottom of the post.

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And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.

~2 Nephi 2:13

Reading these General Conference talks from 1971 has been a meaningful experience for a lot of reasons. It’s interesting to see how relevant the messages are, how timeless so much of the counsel is, how prescient much of the preaching was.

Not only am I interested in watching for patterns across decades, I also am struck by patterns that appear within each conference. For example, so many talks focused on the commandments. Note titles like, “Should the Commandments be Rewritten?” and “The Ten Commandments” and “‘Thou Shalt Not‘” and “‘Thus Saith the Lord.” Specific commandments such as honesty, chastity, and the Word of Wisdom were addressed in numerous talks throughout the October 1971.

This focus on clear teaching of the commandments has been reviewed by a lot of the General Conference Odyssey bloggers, and with reason. We live in a world where the commandments of God are often ignored on one hand, or broken in ignorance on the other. The culture of “do what you want” is all the more pervasive than it was 45 years ago. Truly, the messages about commandments are timeless.

My title was actually chosen Sunday night after reading through my General Conference Odyssey friends’ blog posts from last week. On one of the posts (which for some reason is now returning a 404 message), there was a comment from someone who was feeling frustrated at the message focused on commandments, the importance of righteous parenthood, and the Church’s mission to save the world (yet another theme that appeared in these 1971 talks).

I could sympathize with this person’s comments, not because I take issue with a focus on commandments or the mission of the Church or the importance of good parenting, but because I know there are a lot of situations where pain exists in the life of a parent or loved one (or child) because of the choices of another. And sometimes, a message focused only on commandments may not offer the solace that a soul may need when the commandments are being lived but life is just hard.

I think of Jacob’s words when he had to speak with sharpness to the disobedience of the men in his congregation, knowing that there were others who needed a different message.

Wherefore, it burdeneth my soul that I should be constrained, because of the strict commandment which I have received from God, to admonish you according to your crimes, to enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds; and those who have not been wounded, instead of feasting upon the pleasing word of God have daggers placed to pierce their souls and wound their delicate minds.

I wonder sometimes how our leaders feel when they feel prompted to speak about commandments. Do they sometimes feel like Jacob did? I imagine they might.

And yet, as I read these General Conference talks, I am reminded that the responsibility is on us, the listeners, to hold the message of the whole of the gospel as we listen to individual talks. No one talk can cover that whole.

In truth, of course, the commandments are evidence of God’s love, and I think our leaders urge us to remember and understand that. We are right to feel an urgency to uphold the commandments, because that is part of our mission as a Church. I love how the 1971 conference messages also remind us that we have a God-given duty to communicate His love and mercy as we minister to others.

When looking at the whole of the messages of the October 1971 conference so far, that message is very clear. Thus, while some of the talks may be “reproving betimes with sharpness,” other talks can reach out to those who need also to hear of God’s love in a direct way, and can remind us of our duty to channel that love to others.

For example, consider Marvin J. Ashton’s talk, “You Can Get There from Here,” (I invite you to listen to this talk because even Elder Ashton’s voice radiates compassion.)

Elder Ashton helps people understand the reality that commandments are compassionate:

“Young people, be not deceived. God loves you. He cares about you. He wants you back in his paths, where there is comfort, companionship, and purpose.”

And then, he urges leaders to be sure to communicate God’s love with clarity:

We as leaders need to effectively communicate to our youth that God loves them no matter where they are. We need to sacrifice our time and talents in this direction….

I pray to God that we in the future may communicate the positive, the happy, the abundant way of life to those around us.

Elder Ashton shares stories of hope, stories of people who have found God’s love even when they might have thought they had strayed too far from God’s way. (I am fairly certain that one of these stories is of one of the people mentioned in Elder Brown’s talk that I wrote about last week. If not, it’s a very similar story. Again, patterns were so evident in this October conference!)

I loved this story of hope, too, from a young man in a family situation that was not ideal for fostering faith. This story shows that family circumstance need not determine one’s destiny. Agency is always intact — a true evidence of God’s love.

A few weeks ago, I was visiting with an elder in the mission field. During our interview, I inquired, “Is your father a member of the Church?”

He said, “No.”

“Is your mother a member of the Church?” he was asked.

He responded with a smile, “Just barely.”

I said, “Did your father want you to go on a mission?”

He answered, “No.”

“Did your mother want you to go on a mission?”

“She really didn’t care whether I went or not.”

“Who influenced you most in your decision to go?”

Without hesitation he said, “I did. I’ve always wanted to go, and I knew I could make a success of it.”

Elder Ashton also pointedly warns against reproof when perhaps a different kind of response is warranted.

Many drug abusers are desperately trying to find their way back today. The road is difficult, the challenge tremendous. I am pleased to report many are making it, thanks to friends and volunteer members, priesthood bearers, who are concerned, care, and understand. Very often our glances, our indifference, our hasty comments and lack of patience convey the message, “You are hopeless. You can’t get back from here. You are too far down the road.”

After visiting with one of our young women who has been lost to drugs for many months, her only encouraging remark after more than three hours of sincere communication was, “Thanks for not chewing me out.” Two visits later she asked, “Do you think I would make a good schoolteacher?” To a sincere yes, she said, “Thanks, I’ll try. I’m only three semesters away from getting my teaching certificate.” This girl is making it back. Someone believes in her. Someone has convinced her she can get there from here. The trip she is on this time will bring her back home.

Other messages about compassion were also plentiful in this priesthood session of conference.

For example, N. Eldon Tanner ended his talk by saying

May the Lord bless us that we might realize the importance of a soul; that right in our midst we have people needing attention and help, and it is our responsibility to keep them active, to encourage them, and to reach them if they are having problems.

(Like Elder Hanks, though, Elder Tanner also urged individuals to reach out to their leaders and take responsibility for their activity as well. Once again, compassion is not the only answer — obedience and accountability also allow people to access God’s love!)

From Robert L. Simpson’s talk, “Strengthen Thy Brethren“:

A recurring theme during the life of the Savior as he taught the people was that each man is his brother’s keeper. No priesthood obligation is more important. The scriptures say something very similar but in another way that I like very much: “… when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:32.)

Interestingly, Elder Simpson teaches how holding up the commandments is, again, an important way to show love, and is part of our covenant responsibility:

The world today tells you to leave your friend alone. He has the right to come and go as he pleases. The world tells you that persuasion to attend church or priesthood meeting or to discard a bad habit might lead to frustration and undue pressures; but again I repeat the word of the Lord: You are your brother’s keeper, and when you are converted, you have an obligation to strengthen your brother.

How can we know how to strengthen those around us? Elder Simpson uses the words of the Lord to guide us:

He also says: “Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;

“For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.”….

“… inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say.” (D&C 100:5–8.)

I loved Elder Marion D. Hanks’ talk, again giving specific examples of the kinds of struggles youth (and others) have in their lives. His talk, in particular, felt like it could have been written in 2016 because he addressed topics that are hitting headlines in our time. For example, he shared the anguish of a stalwart family who lost a son to suicide, and a letter from someone who had a friend “who questions a Church position which he feels he cannot accept, which he thinks makes his position in the Church tenuous or untenable.”

“What can we do?” Elder Hanks asks.

“How can we help this great young generation meet the challenges of their time? I am certain that we must thoughtfully examine not only their needs and their problems, and what we have to give them, but how we undertake to give it, and what we appear to them to be as they observe it. I have been rethinking my own experience and will give you just an example or two quickly. May I do it in the spirit of a statement that to me for a long time has been very choice: ‘Neither laugh nor weep, nor loathe, but understand.'”

And then, like other leaders, Elder Hanks teaches how essential the commandments are to helping youth know of God’s love. I love that he talks about the fact that how we reach out matters, but the what cannot be ignored as we reach out in love.

“[T]hey need faith. They need to believe. They need to know the doctrines, the commandments, the principles of the gospel….

[T]hey need to be accepted as they are, and to be included. [They need family above all] and they need the supportive influence outside their home of others, of neighbors, of friends, of bishops, of brothers, of human beings.

As others in this session taught, Elder Hanks taught that love can also be shown by giving people opportunities to serve, and

“[T]hey have to learn somehow that they are more important than their mistakes; that they are worthwhile, valuable, useful; that they are loved unconditionally.”

I find it interesting how unconditional love and the need for commandments (God’s conditions for being able to bless us with His full measure of love) are taught in the same talk? I’m reminded of Elder Oaks’ profound sermon, “Love and Law.”

The love of God does not supersede His laws and His commandments, and the effect of God’s laws and commandments does not diminish the purpose and effect of His love….

Some seem to value God’s love because of their hope that His love is so great and so unconditional that it will mercifully excuse them from obeying His laws. In contrast, those who understand God’s plan for His children know that God’s laws are invariable, which is another great evidence of His love for His children.

This reality of the dance between love and law, between commandments and compassion, is something I will continue to ponder as we finish the 1971 General Conference messages and prepare for the 2016 April General Conference which is fast approaching.

God’s love is both in His law, and in His mercy when we break His law. He desires to protect us from undue harm in a world full of conspiring people and philosophies which could lure us away from His ways, and He desires to help us find our way back when and if we stray. He desires us to teach the commandments and to teach of His love.

It’s all there in the whole of the message of the gospel. I pray we can all have eyes to see the beautiful mosaic of that whole that our leaders create as will let the Spirit show how their messages weave together in a tapestry of truth.

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Other posts in this week’s Odyssey:

The post Commandments and Compassion (#ldsconf Odyssey) appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.