One thing I have found over my 46 years of life is that I always learn more when I am teaching or speaking than anyone else learns from me. And so, when possible, I have decided I want to prepare one or more of the stake speaking assignments even if I am not speaking. Sometimes that won’t be possible if school is particularly busy, but that isn’t the case right now as it’s summer and I love the topics that were provided this month. I am speaking in my ward on how I have strengthened my relationship with Christ and really enjoyed pondering that (and wish I had more time to speak...8-9 minutes goes so fast!). But I loved the other topics as well so I have decided to also write out my thoughts...a little less formally...for those topics also.
Topic #1 The blessings of Come, Follow Me Curriculum. What things have you learned this year as you’ve studied Come, Follow Me? How has studying Come, Follow Me been a blessing to you/your family? What about your life has changed as a result of your study this year?
I LOVE Come, Follow Me. I love that when we go to Sunday School it’s much more of a discussion because so many of us are studying it together. I love that there are SO many resources to help me deepen my understanding of the scriptures...books, podcasts, social media pages, church resources including conference talks, and of course the scriptures themselves. I am talking more about the scriptures than I did even a couple of years ago and my life is more immersed in them. My love for and understanding of the scriptures has deepened.
One of the things I have focused on this year as I have been studying CFM is what it helps me understand about the Savior and our Heavenly Parents. I try to see Christ’s hand in the stories we are reading. And when I read something that doesn’t make sense, I always try to start from a place of remembering the goodness of God and His love for His children. So when we studied the flood and pondered why the Lord would destroy everyone except Noah and his family, I thought about His love for us and His goodness... that led me to thinking about His desire to protect innocent children from the wickedness that had become so widespread. And to the fact that He gave ample time and opportunities to the people to repent...it took close to 100 years for Noah to build the ark. This is just one example of how coming back to what I know about God helped me wrestle with a challenging circumstance in the scriptures. Over and over again, I see God’s loving kindness and mercy and forgiveness toward those who repent. The Old Testament shows the very humanness of the people and describes their warts and all. And yet God repeatedly forgives and teaches and reaches out to these people who are prone to forget Him and often make poor choices. It makes me think of my favorite hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, which says,
“Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, oh take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above.”
I do love God, but I am weak and very imperfect and I am prone to wander a bit. But God keeps calling out to me, reaching out with love and mercy and grace.
A huge blessing of Come, Follow Me is that I think it helps tether us to the Savior and the gospel. (I don’t think I would have the courage to say this in sacrament meeting, but I have noticed that families who aren’t studying Come Follow Me are much less likely to be actively participating now than even two years ago. Covid did a number on the faith of many ward members and one of the key differences I see between those who are still faithfully participating and those who aren’t is their commitment to studying Come, Follow Me. Now that doesn’t mean that everything is perfect for my family...I have a couple of family members who seem to be struggling with their faith a bit right now. But I do think that CFM has helped tether us to Christ.)
Two primary lessons I have seen over and over in CFM this year have been on my mind. The first is to REMEMBER and the second is to beware of pride. The children of Israel saw God perform mighty miracles...the passover, the parting of the Red Sea and crossing on dry ground, manna, the fall of Jericho and so many more. And yet, they were often quick to forget the goodness of God and His deliverances and His blessings that He poured out upon them. They had countless spiritual manifestations, yet they often turned from Him. They were prone to wander. I fear that we are all in danger of forgetting the goodness of God. I feel certain that ALL of us have had spiritual experiences, times when we saw God’s hand in our lives and knew that He was aware of us. Yet, we are quick to forget that when our trials and burdens feel heavy or when a social media influencer shares an opinion that contradicts the prophet’s teachings or when living the gospel requires hard sacrifices. It is NO WONDER that the Lord asks us to remember so repeatedly. And as I read CFM, I am better able to remember the blessings the Lord has given me. And the second lesson I see repeatedly in the Old Testament this year is to beware of pride. When Saul was selected as king over Israel, his response was to say, “Am not I a Benjaminite, of the smallest of tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou to me?” (1 Samuel 9)He hearkens to the Lord, listens to the prophet Samuel’s counsel, gives the Lord credit for their victories, forgives his critics and unites Israel. He did so much good at first. But overtime, as his victories accumulate and his power grows, he begins to feel that it is his success and that he can break commandments and walk in his own ways instead of the Lord’s. Ultimately, it leads to the downfall of his house and the throne is given to another family. We see similar issues with David and Solomon as well as Samson and others. Sadly, pride is all around us today and is often heralded as something good.
President Benson, in his landmark address “Beware of Pride”, taught:
“The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.
Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of “my will and not thine be done.” As Paul said, they “seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” (Philip. 2:21.)
Our will in competition to God’s will allows desires, appetites, and passions to go unbridled. (See Alma 38:12; 3 Ne. 12:30.)
The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives. (See Hel. 12:6.) They pit their perceptions of truth against God’s great knowledge, their abilities versus God’s priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works.
Our enmity toward God takes on many labels, such as rebellion, hard-heartedness, stiff-neckedness, unrepentant, puffed up, easily offended, and sign seekers. The proud wish God would agree with them. They aren’t interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s.”
Sadly, I see this in many around me and sometimes I see it in myself. Come, Follow Me reminds me that this sin of pride often leads to destruction and reminds me to humble myself.
We’ve been promised many blessings if we faithfully study Come, Follow Me.
Elder Cook, when introducing Come Follow Me, said, “Our purpose is to balance the Church and the home experiences in a way that will greatly increase faith and spirituality and deepen conversion to Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Elder Mark L. Pace spoke of Come, Follow Me being the Lord’s Counterstrategy against the ever increasing attacks of the adversary. Speaking nine months after CFM began, he said, “what do we see? We see Latter-day Saints everywhere growing in faith and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. We see individuals and families setting aside time throughout the week to study the words of our Savior. We see improving gospel instruction in our Sunday classes as we study the scriptures at home and share our insights at church. We see greater family joy and unity as we have moved from simply reading the scriptures to studying the scriptures in a profound way.”
He shared comments from members and I especially liked this one: A couple observed: “We are reading the scriptures entirely differently than we have ever read them before. We are learning so much more than we have ever learned before. The Lord is wanting us to see things differently. The Lord is preparing us.” And this one: A father commented: “When we use Come, Follow Me, we are like the children of Israel, marking the side posts of our doors, protecting our families from the influence of the destroyer.”
Mark L. Pace shared quotes from President Nelson explaining that the attacks of the adversary are increasing but his power is decreasing in the lives of many families. He then said, “How can the attacks of the adversary be increasing exponentially while at the same time the influence of the adversary is actually decreasing? It can happen, and it is happening throughout the Church, because the Lord prepares His people against the attacks of the adversary. Come, Follow Me is the Lord’s counterstrategy and proactive plan. As President Nelson taught, “The new home-centered, Church-supported integrated curriculum has the potential to unleash the power of families.” However, it does and will require our best efforts; we need to “[follow] through conscientiously and carefully to transform [our] home into a sanctuary of faith”.
Elder Cook when announcing CFM said it “will result in profound blessings for those who enthusiastically embrace the adjustments and seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost. We will become closer to our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, of whom I am a sure witness.” (Deep and Lasting Conversion, October 2018)
President Nelson gave these promises in his talk Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints (October 2018): “The new home-centered, Church-supported integrated curriculum has the potential to unleash the power of families, as each family follows through conscientiously and carefully to transform their home into a sanctuary of faith. I promise that as you diligently work to remodel your home into a center of gospel learning, over time your Sabbath days will truly be a delight. Your children will be excited to learn and to live the Savior’s teachings, and the influence of the adversary in your life and in your home will decrease. Changes in your family will be dramatic and sustaining.” I SEE these blessings really taking place in Michelle’s life and to some extent in Ella’s. I am praying that over time everyone in my family will be excited to learn and live the Savior’s teachings and that the adversary’s influence will decrease. I want these blessing for my family and for every family.
I love Come Follow Me! It has blessed my life and is helping to keep us anchored to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
******************
Topic #2 True Conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What things have you personally done this year to become even more converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What difference has it made in your life being truly converted to the Gospel vs. just having a testimony of it. How has your true conversion blessed you, your family, and/or others?
For this topic, I haven’t spent as much time fleshing out my thoughts. So they are probably a lot more rambling and more a collection of quotes I like about being converted. But I think it is an important topic and want to get some of my thoughts down even though if I were actually speaking, I would polish this a lot more.
First, I like the description that Elder Bednar gives describing the difference between testimony and conversion. Elder Bednar says, “A testimony is spiritual knowledge of truth obtained by the power of the Holy Ghost. Continuing conversion is constant devotion to the revealed truth we have received—with a heart that is willing and for righteous reasons. Knowing that the gospel is true is the essence of a testimony. Consistently being true to the gospel is the essence of conversion. We should know the gospel is true and be true to the gospel.”
I have a testimony. I have had the Spirit witness to me on many occasions that the gospel is true, that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that President Nelson is our living prophet today, that the Book of Mormon is true, that the Savior lives and atoned for our sins. My testimony is very important to me. It gives me strength and courage to live what I believe. But just knowing these things are true is not enough. I need to ACT on what I believe. Conversion is the process of being true to what we believe. My most favorite conference talk ever is from Elder Holland. He recounts the story of Christ asking Peter, “Do you love me?” Three times, Peter replies that the Lord knows he loves Him. Elder Holland then says, “Peter, why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation? Wasn’t it obvious then and isn’t it obvious now that if I want fish, I can get fish? What I need, Peter, are disciples—and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world. So, Peter, for the second and presumably the last time, I am asking you to leave all this and to go teach and testify, labor and serve loyally.” Elder Holland then continues by saying words that stir my soul every time I hear or read them: “My beloved brothers and sisters, I am not certain just what our experience will be on Judgment Day, but I will be very surprised if at some point in that conversation, God does not ask us exactly what Christ asked Peter: “Did you love me?” I think He will want to know if in our very mortal, very inadequate, and sometimes childish grasp of things, did we at least understand one commandment, the first and greatest commandment of them all—“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.”13 And if at such a moment we can stammer out, “Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,” then He may remind us that the crowning characteristic of love is always loyalty.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments,”14 Jesus said. So we have neighbors to bless, children to protect, the poor to lift up, and the truth to defend. We have wrongs to make right, truths to share, and good to do. In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can’t quit and we can’t go back. After an encounter with the living Son of the living God, nothing is ever again to be as it was before. The Crucifixion, Atonement, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ mark the beginning of a Christian life, not the end of it."
To me, His words are the essence of true conversion. Loyalty to God and striving to LIVE what He taught. Conversion is choosing to love God above ALL else and then to also turn that love outward and love others.
I love this analogy that Elder Mark L. Pace shares about conversion:
Elder Mark L. Pace said, “Latter-day Saints around the world are blessed to worship Jesus Christ in His temples. One of those temples is currently under construction in Winnipeg, Canada. My wife, Anne Marie, and I had the opportunity to visit the construction site in August of this year. The temple is beautifully designed and will certainly be magnificent when completed. However, you can’t have a magnificent temple in Winnipeg, or anywhere else, without a solid and firm foundation.
The freeze-thaw cycle and expansive soil conditions in Winnipeg made it challenging to prepare the temple foundation. Therefore, it was determined that the foundation for this temple would consist of 70 steel piles encased in concrete. These piles are 60 feet (18 m) in length and 12 to 20 inches (30 to 50 cm) in diameter. They were driven into the ground until they hit bedrock, approximately 50 feet (15 m) below the surface. In this way, the 70 piles provide a solid, firm foundation for what will be the beautiful Winnipeg temple.
As Latter-day Saints, we seek a similar firm and sure foundation in our lives—a spiritual foundation needed for our journey through mortality and back to our heavenly home. That foundation is established on the bedrock of our conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Elder Cook, in his talk, Deep and Lasting Conversion to Heavenly Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ said, “The goal of these adjustments is to obtain a deep and lasting conversion of adults and the rising generation. The first page of the individual and family resource points out: “The aim of all gospel learning and teaching is to deepen our conversion and help us become more like Jesus Christ. … This means relying on Christ to change our hearts.”14 This is assisted by reaching “beyond a classroom into an individual’s heart and home. It requires consistent, daily efforts to understand and live the gospel. True conversion requires the influence of the Holy Ghost.”
Elder Cook said, “The most important goal and ultimate blessing of deep and lasting conversion is worthily receiving the covenants and ordinances of the covenant pathway.”
So what am I doing in 2022 to deepen my conversion? I am attending the temple often and really pondering the teachings, the principles taught there as well as the blessings. I am striving to honor the covenants I have made with God.
I am spending time studying the gospel. I spend time daily studying the scriptures and time weekly studying conference talks and other uplifting material. I am praying to have the gift of discernment and striving to live so that I can be guided by the Holy Ghost.
I am being conscientious in following the prophet. I am studying what he asked us to study and striving to implement his counsel into my life. I know there is safety in following the prophet.
I have gathered a group of women to discuss the gospel, and to help one another cling to the iron rod and stay on the covenant path. They have brought such strength to my life.
I am being very cautious about what I read, what social media pages I follow, what music I listen to, what shows I watch. The world can be loud and confusing and many good people begin to confuse truth and error and right and wrong because the world is confused about these things in many ways. So I am trying to be very careful about what I accept as truth. And that has blessed my life. I feel like when I have had questions or been wrestling with an issue, my study and prayer and testimony and love and loyalty to the Savior have helped me hold fast to the iron rod and not let go.
Another thing that is kind of random but that has helped me a lot this year is the vision of the tree of life and a few new insights I have had about it. I have thought a lot about 1 Nephi 8, especially the great and spacious building:
26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the aother side of the river of water, a great and bspacious building; and it stood as it were in the cair, high above the earth.
27 And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the aattitude of bmocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.
28 And after they had atasted of the fruit they were bashamed, because of those that were cscoffing at them; and they dfell away into forbidden paths and were lost.
My thoughts: First, the great and spacious building is in the air. Things in the air have no foundation. They are impermanent (think balloons, clouds, kites, etc.). They may stay for a time, but eventually they fall to the earth or float away and are lost. The great and spacious building represents the world, especially the pride of the world, we learn in 1 Nephi 11. And the more I have thought about it and thought about what we see over and over in scripture...the more I recognize that the adversary has NOTHING permanent or beneficial or lasting or truly worthwhile to offer. NOTHING. It looks like following him will give you ease or greater freedom or less responsibility or greater pleasure...and it might for a short time. But he never keeps his promises and there are always consequences for our choices and ultimately those who choose to follow him are left with emptiness and heartbreak.
Secondly...and as further proof of what I just said above...the people in the great and spacious building are pointing their fingers and mocking. Now this has been my experience with true joy and happiness. When I am truly happy and really engaged in whatever I am doing, one of two things happens. Either I am so engaged in what I’m doing that I am not thinking about other people. I am completely immersed in what I am doing and my thoughts are on that activity. OR my thoughts turn to others and I want to share my excitement and joy with them. I want them to join me. What I don’t do when I am truly happy is turn and start mocking those who aren’t happy. That is NOT what happy people do. So are the people in the great and spacious building actually happy? I think they make their life look fun, and they may even feel like they are having fun for a time. But ultimately, if they are in an attitude of mocking others, then they are not happy and I don’t want any part of what they have to offer.
All of this makes me far more committed to holding fast to the iron rod and partaking of the fruit. Of falling to the ground to worship and to immerse myself in the love of God. It is the ONLY place where true joy and happiness and peace reside.
Elder Cook gave a wonderful talk in April conference entitled, “Conversion to the Will of God”. He tells of a seminal event in his life...which has had me remembering and pondering MY seminal events and also praying that my children will have them.
Here are a few of the things he said that I loved: “Over a lifetime of service and spiritual experiences, I have come to understand that true conversion is the result of the conscious acceptance of the will of God and that we can be guided in our actions by the Holy Ghost.” Often conversion requires us to do things that don’t feel comfortable or easy.
Elder Cook said, “In our day, many have adopted the concept that there should be no consequence for sin. They support the unconditional condoning of sin without repentance. Our revealed doctrine not only refutes the idea that most people would be eternally condemned to hell and damnation but also establishes that personal repentance is a commanded prerequisite to partake of the Savior’s Atonement and inherit the celestial kingdom.14 I testify that Joseph Smith was truly an instrument in the Lord’s hands in bringing forth the Restoration of His gospel!
Because of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we understand the importance of both repentance and the “works of righteousness.”15 We understand the overwhelming significance of the Savior’s Atonement and of His saving ordinances and covenants, including those performed in the temple.
The “works of righteousness” emanate from and are the fruits of conversion. True conversion is brought about by the conscious acceptance and commitment to follow the will of God.16 The banquet of consequences and blessings that flow from conversion is true and permanent peace and the personal assurance of ultimate happiness17—despite the storms of this life.”
He also said, “Conversion to the Savior changes a natural man into a sanctified, born again, purified person—a new creature in Christ Jesus.”
And he said, “The Savior graciously invites us to be His voice and His hands.21 The love of the Savior will be our guiding light.”
And this: “For the Savior’s mandate to share the gospel to become part of who we are, we need to become converted to the will of God; we need to love our neighbors, share the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and invite all to come and see. As members of the Church, we cherish the Prophet Joseph’s reply to John Wentworth, the editor of the Chicago Democrat, in 1842. He was requesting information about the Church. Joseph concluded his response by using the “Standard of Truth” as a preface to the thirteen Articles of Faith. The standard conveys, in a concise way, what must be accomplished:
“No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”
And finally, “The blessings of sharing the gospel include increasing our conversion to the will of God and letting God prevail in our lives.28 We bless others to experience a “mighty change” of heart.29 There is truly eternal joy in helping to bring souls unto Christ.30 Laboring for the conversion of oneself and others is the noble task.”
My conversion means everything to me. It is why I stay when so many are choosing to walk away. It is why I gladly accept calls to serve and strive to serve with all my mind, heart and soul. It is why I love to teach and to speak. It is why I share what I believe on social media. Jesus Christ has done EVERYTHING for me, I will gladly spend my life doing the little I can to show my gratitude to Him for His matchless, unfathomable, deeply personal gift.
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