General Conference

Twice a year I am taught about a dozen valuable lessons in the course of two days. Often times I do not remember every lesson I was taught, but a few thoughts always stick with me. Recently, for the first time in 2011, the 181^st Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was held on April 2-3. This is the special occasion of instruction that I am speaking of. Of the 20 or so talks that were given by General Authorities and Officers of the Church, two particular talks have settled with me: First, Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a talk called “Desire” and second, Elder David A. Bednar spoke of, “The Spirit of Revelation.” I hope any and all who read this response may feel the Holy Spirit as I share my thoughts with you.

“Desire,” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks

            I have always enjoyed Elder Oaks’ speeches because he often touches on the deeper doctrine of the Church. For example, in his latest General Conference address his spoke about the importance of desires and how they lead our lives. In the beginning he outlined this fact stating that, “Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming,” (“Desires”, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, General Conference, April, 2011). This outline has helped me to shape the priorities in my life. After conference, I found myself thinking about my choices in a different way. Instead of worrying about what to do, I weighed the strength of my different desires and chose the option (the best option) that I desired more. I have also learned that when weighing desires it is important to understand how time plays a role. For example, this past Sunday I had the desire to do my homework that I did not finish earlier in the week. It was one of the last assignments of the semester and I wanted to make sure I had given my best effort. I also had a desire to keep the Sabbath day holy and thought that perhaps I should instead do something more spiritual. However, after pondering, praying and trying to listen to the spirit I thought that at that time, I could finish my homework at the end of the Sabbath day after first devoting most of the day to rest and spiritual renewal. Though I do have a desire to always keep the Sabbath day holy, there are times when “the ox is in the mire” so to speak, and our desire to fulfill important duties may outweigh other important desires.

“The Spirit of Revelation” by Elder David A. Bednar 

            I cannot express in words my gratitude for the counsel Elder Bednar gave in his talk on revelation. I have been struggling recently with personal revelation and understanding how the Holy Spirit works in my life; his talk was an answer to my prayers. He spoke of how the spirit of revelation can work in a couple of different ways: It can either come suddenly, all at once, like turning on a light switch in a dark room, or it can come gradually, little by little, like a sun rising on a cloudy day. This analogy helped me to look at revelation in a new light, no pun intended. I realize now that most often my personal revelation is revealed to me like the rising of a sun on a cloudy day, little by little. I have learned to recognize the small and simple confirmations I receive about choices in my life each day. For example, every so often I have feelings of peace about where I am in my progression towards graduation, what activities I am involved with, and the wonderful husband that I married.

            I am eternally grateful for the Church in my life. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and that Joseph Smith restored the gospel on this earth. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live and that they love me. I only hope I can learn to follow their examples.