Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) believe that we as humans exist because our spirits — created by Heavenly Parents before this world was — give life to our earthly bodies. (And death is simply the separation of the body and spirit. Mormons believe in a universal resurrection, where all will have an immortal body reunited with our spirits.)

We were sent here to this mortal sphere to learn by experience, and to discover and understand and live true to as much spiritual truth as we are able to gain in our lifetimes. Mortality gives us much opportunity to experience opposition, the full range of the sweet and the bitter. The sweet can be so breathtaking. And the bitter can feel leave us feeling like we are being hit by waves, unable to catch a breath.

This weekend, I had a chance to have heart-to-heart talks about opposition, trials, and growth with two of my friends. I listened to each share very personal wrestles (and how God is helping them), and they also listened to me open up about some of the “in the quiet heart” struggles I am facing. Some of these are struggles are fears I’ve dealt with since childhood, things I feel like I “should” be over by now. Tearfully, I expressed to both that I feel foolish struggling with (and sharing) these things. My head says that I “should” be better. (“I have a testimony. My spirit knows and feels the answers to my fears….”) But it’s as though my mortal self is not yet able to truly absorb and be changed by the truths. (Four decades is a long time. It’s hard to undo beliefs and thought/belief patterns that form in childhood. And that’s okay. Things take time.)

My friends were both so kind, reminding me that we each have our struggles. As cliché as that may sound, we truly do have experiences that can seem to push all our buttons and sometimes make us wonder what good could come of such pain.

Speaking of clichés, I don’t believe the cliché that God won’t give us anything we can’t handle. He does sometimes give us more than our mortal selves can handle. What good can come of this? We can experience the sweetness of God’s grace and the way hearts can be knit together when we are willing to allow others to help. Life’s experiences also allow us to have empathy for others, to serve and share and lift with educated hearts. This is what I experienced with and from my friends.

The feeling I had being comforted and encouraged by my friends came back to me as I was reading a 1971 General Conference talk by Ezra Taft Benson. A simple phrase leaped off the screen as I read. Then-Elder Benson (who later became the 13th president of the Church) was talking about how not following the Savior can be detrimental to our spiritual progression. As true as I know that is, the simple phrase that spoke to me was where he talked about “our individual battles to overcome our worlds.”

The kindness shown to me felt even more validated in these words. As much as struggle is just part of mortality,  and there can be commonalities to our struggles, the journey we each walk because of them is so. very. personal. My childhood-turned-adulthood fears are an example of my own “individual battle to overcome [my] world.”

How about you? What personal battle scars do you carry so far in your mortal journey? What fears, beliefs, thoughts, weaknesses, or sins repeat in your life and leave you feeling battle weary, and sometimes in over your head, wondering what good could come of this?

For me, for you, I share what Elder Benson continued to teach:

“[W]e are not without his help. Again and again he told his disciples, and all of us, “Let not your heart be troubled. …”

“If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” [Other scriptures add meaning to this one, reminding us that He will do that which is right and expedient with God’s will for us — helping us understand why sometimes our heartfelt pleas are not granted as we would wish, or as quickly as we would like.]

“I will not leave you comfortless. …”

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. …” (John 14:1, 14, 18, 27.)

If there is one thing living prophets and apostles (and ancient ones, too) teach, it’s this: We need Jesus, and He stands at the helm of each of our individual lives (another thought from my weekend conversations) to help us. I hope you can feel of His strength, help, and love as you face your battles and overcome the trials of your own personal world.

– – – – –

Editor’s note: This post is part of a collaborative effort of Mormon bloggers who are reading and writing about General Conference talks. We’ve started with talks from 1971. The goal is to read and write weekly until all of the talks from prophets and apostles are read. If we keep up the pace we have started, we will have caught up by July 2029 with the April 2029 Conference!

This week, we read the following four talks. I would recommend them all.

Out of the Darkness – Joseph Fielding Smith

Voices of the Past, of the Present, of the Future

Love of the Right by Marvin J. Ashton

Life is Eternal by Ezra Taft Benson

Sometimes I hear people wonder and ask about what Mormon doctrine really is. One way to answer that question is to look at the patterns that are repeated across decades, even centuries of time. It’s a very powerful thing to see the messages from the past that are so relevant to the present (note even the title to Spencer W. Kimball’s talk).

Here are the posts by fellow bloggers about this first cluster of General Conference talks. 

Beginnings and Endings

The General Conference Project: The End of the World, the End of Death, and the End of Shame

The Voices of the Prophets

LDS Conference April 1971- Hippies, Drugs, and Failure in the Home

Custodian and Dispenser of Saving Truth

April 1971: Nothing New Here – Just Same Ol’ Mormonism

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This weekend the semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will continue (as was noted last week, it began with the General Women’s Meeting that was held last weekend). The five remaining sessions will be broadcast worldwide (in about eight dozen languages) from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

General Conference is a special time for members of The Church of Jesus Christ. One of the beliefs of our church is that just as in ancient times, God has called prophets and apostles to help teach people about the Savior and to help people come to Christ through doctrine and priesthood ordinances.

We also have other general church leaders who speak, such as members of the Quorums of Seventy and auxiliary leaders (Relief Society [women’s organization], Sunday School, Young Men, Young Women).

You can participate in the conference in multiple ways. Sessions are held at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, and the priesthood session (for men) is held on Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. (All times shown are Mountain Time.)

Following are viewing options (from the Church’s How to View Live page)

Viewing Options

	LDS General Conference YouTube Channel Video in English, Spanish, and Portuguese
	General Conference Website Video in 26 languages
	BYUtv Video and audio in English only
	BYUtv International Video and audio in Spanish and Portuguese
	Mormon Channel Website Video and audio in English and Spanish
	Mormon Channel Mobile Apps Video and audio in English and Spanish
	Mormon Channel on Roku Video in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and ASL

Many local cable and radio stations make conference readily available. Visit www.bonneville.info for broadcast information or check local listings.

To view conference sessions at local meetinghouses, check with local leaders on the availability. Visit www.lds.org/maps to find a local meetinghouse.

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There’s already a lot of chatter about LDS General Conference. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints look forward with great anticipation every six months to two days of listening to talks from prophets and apostles and other worldwide leaders of the Church. Members find personal direction and inspiration and encouragement from the talks given by our leaders.

For example, here is a video of young adults sharing thoughts about past general conference talks that have inspired them.

What general conference talks have inspired you? Share in the comments below, on Twitter or Facebook (be sure to use the #ldsconf hashtag!), share on your blog and link below, or share with your family around the dinner table.

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Jesus Christ is the center of Mormonism. His Atonement is central to the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Hear living apostles and prophets of Jesus Christ share their testimonies of Jesus Christ in this video: Lifting Burdens: The Atonement of Jesus Christ

Read more about Mormon belief in Jesus Christ from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mormons believe Jesus Christ is their Savior. Why do we need a Savior?

What do Mormons believe about Jesus Christ? Do Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?

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If you are familiar with Mormon life, you probably know that the semi-annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is this weekend. And it’s a weekend we Mormons get very excited about!

It may seem a little strange that eight (or ten) hours of listening to talks from various people is something we anticipate with such delight, but we do. General Conference is a way for us to replenish our spiritual wells, gather with family and friends, and even have a little change of pace in our schedules.

An important element of our church’s teachings is that we believe that there are living prophets and apostles on the earth today. Just like Moses, Abraham, and other biblical prophets of the Old Testament and Peter, James, John and other apostles of the New Testament were authorized leaders and mouthpieces for God, so we believe the Mormon prophets and apostles are called of God to give us guidance relevant to our day.

In my family this week, we are trying to talk every day about the upcoming General Conference and how we can prepare ourselves so that we can be ready to hear what our leaders have to say. I like what the following posts have shared about preparing for General Conference.

Stephanie at Mormon Mommy Blogs wrote this post:

Preparing Yourself for General Conference

She includes some great quotes about what General Conference means to us as Mormons. I like her idea of coming to General Conference with questions in mind. (Another Mormon woman writes about her experiences coming to General Conference with questions, and commenters join in and share some of the talks that helped them get answers and guidance.)

Larry Richman at LDS Media Talk shares a long list of great resources here:

How Can You Prepare for General Conference?

His post included the video that we watched tonight as a family: Why Conference Matters

We often have LDS parents interested in General Conference “packets” for their children — worksheets and coloring sheet and other activities to help children listen and learn during the conference sessions. The Church has various resources for children at lds.org

General Conference Activities for Children

You can also read this post by Stephanie:

Preparing Your Children for General Conference

To you who are LDS, what do you do to prepare for General Conference? To you who are curious about Mormonism, we invite you to take a few minutes to find out more about General Conference. Feel free to ask questions you may have, too.

You might enjoy this video that gives highlights of the October 2010 General Conference:

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