What a wonderful General Conference weekend! My husband had conference weekend off for the first time in almost 3 years and we were able to watch {almost} all four sessions together as a family. Keeping in mind the fact with have 4 young children who needed parenting :)
There were so many wonderful talks that spoke to my heart.
{Please forgive me if my quotes aren't exact. Once the talks come out in print, I will come back and fix any of my mistakes}
Sister Elaine S. Dalton said something that struck my heart; "What E'er Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part". Motherhood is hard for me. I suffer from depression and anxiety which seems an almost constant wedge, widening the gap between the mother I am and the mother I want to become. I find myself most days downstairs on the couch while my children play upstairs. And it's something I hide because, as a Latter-day Saint mother, more is expected of me than that.
Sister Dalton reminded us of our true nature when she said, "Our part matters because we matter. Our daily contributions of nurturing, teaching, and caring for others may seem mundane, diminished, difficult, and demeaning at times, and yet, as we remember that first line in the Young Women theme, "we are daughters of our heavenly father who loves us", it will make all the difference in our relationships and our responses."
Rosemary M. Wixom spoke about the importance of the connection between parents and their children.
"To speak to a child's heart, we must know a child's needs. If we pray to know those needs the very words we may say have the power to reach into their hearts. Our efforts are magnified when we seek the direction of the Holy Ghost."
She talked about Dr. Neal Halfon (UCLA center for Healthy Children, Families, and Communities), who refers to Parental Benign Neglect. One study observed an 18 month old child and his parents. At the end of dinner, mom left and handed care over to dad. Dad started reading phone messages and then substitutes watching videos on his phone with his son until Mom returned. As a result, they observed "a dimming of the child's internal light. A lessening of the connection between parent and child."
"The answer to our prayer of how to meet our children's needs may be to more often technologically disconnect."
"Precious moments of opportunity to interact and converse with our children dissolve when we are occupied with distractions...choose a time each day to disconnect with technology and reconnect with each other. Simply turn everything off. Then, as you give full attention to your children, a conversation will begin and you can enjoy listening to each other."
I have had a constant prayer in my heart that the Lord would help me. That he would send me encouragement and strength to overcome my weakness. And when I heard Sister Dalton and Sister Wixom speak, I knew the Lord had sent the encouragement I was seeking. A sweet reminder that this is where I am in life. I am a mother to four energetic and happy children that need me. They need more than what I am giving them. And they taught me things I can do better each day to make that essential connection with my children, so that I might prepare them for the evils and temptations they will face in this life.
Another talk that touched my heart was by Elder Jeffery R. Holland. I love all his talks. I love how he speaks with such conviction and passion. He truly is an apostle of the Lord and a man of tremendous faith.
Elder Holland taught about faith and believing. He told the story in Mark chapter 9 where a father brought his afflicted son to Jesus. The father appealed to Jesus to heal his son. Jesus said to the man "if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.". The man then said to Jesus, "Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief".
Elder Holland observed "When facing the challenge of faith, the father asserts his strength first and only then acknowledges his limitation."
"In moments of fear, or doubt, or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won! Even if that ground is limited."
"When those moments come, and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know. And stand strong until addition knowledge comes." Elder Holland went on to say, "The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue. It is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know."
"So let's all remember the clear message of this scriptural account. Be as candid about your questions as you need to be. Life is full of them on one subject or another. But if you and your family want to be healed, don't let those questions stand in the way of faith working it's miracle."
"Please do not hyperventilate if from time to time issues arise that need to be examined, understood and resolved. They do and they will. In this church, what we know will always trump what we do not know. And remember, in this world everyone is to walk by faith."
"When doubt or difficulty come, do not be afraid to ask for help. If we want it as humbly and honestly as this father did, we can get it...I testify that God will send help from both sides of the veil to strengthen our belief."
As I listened to Elder Holland, I felt the familiar warmth of the Spirit testifying to me that no matter how small my flame of faith my be at times, it is not extinguished. And that I need to hold firm to that faith in times of trial or doubt.
And finally, I loved listening to our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. Whenever he speaks, I feel his love for us as brothers and sisters in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I can see a light shining through him, the light of our Savior Jesus Christ.
President Monson gave a wonderful talk Sunday morning about obedience. I love his stories. It's something I look forward to whenever he speaks. This story was one from his childhood. While at their family cabin, President Monson (then eight years old) and a family friend set out to clear a space for a small campfire. They tried to pull all the prickly weeds but they didn't make much progress. So he found the perfect solution. "All we need to is set these weeds on fire. We'll just burn a circle in the weeds." He got some matches and without a second thought ran back to his friend with "the solution to their problem" in his pocket. The boys set the fire thinking that the fire would burn only the spot they wanted and "magically extinguish itself." As you can imagine, the fire spread quickly and they ran for help. Soon the entire town was helping to put out the large fire. President Monson says the lesson they learned that day: obedience.
"There are rules and laws to help ensure our physical safety. Likewise the lord has provided guidelines and commandments to help ensure spiritual safety so that we might successful navigate this often treacherous mortal existence, and return eventually to our Heavenly Father."
President Monson's stories stick with me. I remember the lesson he is teaching us. The lesson I learned from this story is sometimes we cannot see past our own ideas. Sometimes setting a dry field on fire seems like the most logical solution. But it is obedience to God's laws and commandments that will keep us safe, even from ourselves.
I am so thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I feel so blessed to know that I am a daughter of God and that he knows every hair on my head. And that I can communicate with him through personal prayer and that he will answer me. I am thankful to have a living prophet on the earth who guides and directs Jesus Christ's church today. I am grateful for the sealing power of the priesthood that binds my family together for eternity. And I am grateful to my Savior, Jesus Christ, who loved me enough to take my sins upon himself so that I might have eternal life.
If you missed any of the session, are of our faith, there is a link below that will take you to the conference talks. Until they are published, all you can do is listen or watch the video.
