The Basics

This post is part of the General Conference Odessey. This week covers the Sunday afternoon session of the October 1997 conference.

President Nelson has several times admonished us to feel the joy of daily repentance so it was wonderful to come upon this sentence in Elder Duane B. Gerrard's talk:

The repentance process should become a frequent normal procedure to teach us to deal with the infrequent abnormal occurrences of life--oh, the difference between nearly right and exactly right!

He was a commercial airline pilot and shared the analogy of the three specific areas of procedures and checklists used by pilots: normal procedures, abnormal procedures, and emergency procedures.

This talk resonated with me because for years I have talked about and taught that we should establish in our lives the habits of righteousness, as I call them. Daily prayer, scripture study, weekly Family Home Evening and church attendance, and participation in semi-annual stake and general conferences. Those are the bare minimums for a Latter-day Saint. Being temple worthy with all that entails, holding callings and being a ministering brother or sister move us further along the path to becoming who the Lord wants us to be.

Elder Wayne M. Hancock also spoke of faithfulness. He described the stalwart Swiss sisters he had known while serving there. He described them:

The lack of a car for transportation, or a husband for love and protection, or a supportive family, or a special understanding friend does not dampen their enthusiasm for the gospel of Jesus Christ or their participation in Church meetings and related activities.

No ones life is perfect; we all face challenges of one kind or another, but staying faithful despite our trials is exactly why we came to earth. This life is a test! "And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them." (Abraham 3:25)

It is easier to stay faithful through challenges when our habits of righteousness are in place and automatic.  When we can go through the motions even when we don't feel like doing so, we will eventually break through our fog and be able to feel the spirit again.

Listening to and reading at least one general conference talk each day has helped me tremendously to remember the things that are important and to keep putting one foot in front of the other along the strait and narrow path.