"Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble . . . "

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Priesthood session of the October 2010 conference.

Mac Davis wrote a funny song about it being hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way. 

What's even harder than being humble is realizing that I'm guilty of the sin of pride. Some of what President Uchtdorf said in this session cut me to the core.

One of my spiritual gifts (maybe my only one) is knowledge. Somehow I just know things, or understand the scriptures, or have insights given to me and such. I'm going to substitute a word here to liken the talk to me.

We are servants of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are not given [knowledge] so that we can take our bows and bask in praise. We are here to roll up our sleeves and go to work. We are enlisted in no ordinary task. We are called to prepare the world for the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We seek not our own honor but give praise and glory to God. We know that the contribution we can make by ourselves is small; nevertheless, as we exercise [our knowledge] in righteousness, God can cause a great and marvelous work to come forth through our efforts. We must learn, as Moses did, that "man is nothing" by himself but that "with God all things are possible." 

I frequently wonder how I can use my gift to further the work of gathering Israel. I can't volunteer to speak in Sacrament Meeting or Stake Conference, or teach Gospel Doctrine or Seminary/Institute, that isn't the order of things in the church. I have to wait to be called to do those things. So what do I do?

President Uchtdorf says, "We don't discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves. It comes as we go about our work with an attitude of serving God and our fellowman. Humility directs our attention and love toward others and to Heavenly Father's purposes. . . . The moment we stop obsessing with ourselves and lose ourselves in service, our pride diminishes and begins to die."

I'm guilty of wanting to serve in big ways, to show off my knowledge and understanding. But that's not the Lord's way. 

. . . we are tools in the hands of God. When our heart is in the right place, we do not complain that our assigned task is unworthy of our abilities. We gladly serve wherever we are asked. When we do this, the Lord can use us in ways beyond our understanding to accomplish His work.

My theme song needs to be "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go, Dear Lord." I have a new opportunity to prove myself since we're moving to a new ward next month. I hope I can be humble, meek, and submit to the Lord's use of me and my talents. 

 

Spiritual Gifts

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday morning session of the April 2006 conference.

Sister Julie B. Beck's talk "An Outpouring of Blessings" touched my heart. I looked up my notes from this conference and saw that I had only written down her major theme, nothing specific. But hearing her words and reading along opened my eyes this time around.

She was addressing concerns that were just coming over the horizon in the culture. That is, women seeking equality in holding and exercising the priesthood. Sister Beck taught eternal truths that we all are equal in God's sight and He pours out His blessings equally upon His sons and daughters. 

What interested me most was her description of Spiritual Gifts. I have struggled to know what my gifts are because they are not mentioned directly as such in my patriarchal blessing. One, in her talk, stood out to me.

I know people who are given the spiritual gift of a believing spirit. When they hear the gospel, it rings true in their hearts.

My patriarchal blessing says that ". . . as soon as [I] heard the gospel, it rang true to [me] and [I] accepted it readily." I always thought that line odd because I was born into a covenant family and raised by faithful, covenant keeping parents. I have always known that the church is the true church of Jesus Christ, and that Joseph Smith was who he said he was, and did what he says he did. So I guess that answers the question of whether or not I would have accepted the gospel if I hadn't been so blessed.

I'm so grateful for the Plan of Salvation and Happiness; for the Restoration of the Fullness of Christ's Gospel; and for modern prophets and apostles to lead and guide us as we prepare for the Second Coming of Our Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

". . . life was very different . . ."

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

Elder L. Tom Perry began his talk, "After arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, the Mormon pioneers found establishing settlements in the desert to be a real challenge." Ya think?

I'd find it a real challenge today! I can't imagine their mindset and determination. He goes on to say, "Daily they encountered trials and hardships that kept reminding them that their new life was very different from the one to which they had been accustomed." I can relate to that!

The political landscape of the United States of American has changed so rapidly that life is very different from the one we used to know. 

Elder Perry gives us the key to navigating our new landscape. The Gift of the Holy Ghost. He quotes Elder LeGrand Richards from a 1979 conference address, ". . . the gift of the Holy Ghost is as important to man as sunshine and water are to plants." That's pretty darn important, as in life sustaining. Elder Perry continues, "Gifts have only limited value unless they are used. The Holy Ghost will be our constant companion if we submit ourselves to the will of our Father in Heaven, always remembering Him and keeping His commandments."

This talk brought to mind President Eyring's address in the Saturday morning session of the most recent conference. Speaking of the Atonement he said, "Our natures change to become as a little child, obedient to God, and more loving. That change will qualify us to enjoy the gifts that come through the Holy Ghost. Having the Spirit's companionship will comfort, guide, and strengthen us."

As we live through days of increasing spiritual darkness we will, as President Nelson said, need the constant companionship fo the Holy Ghost. We can be grateful for prophets and apostles to instruct us on getting and keeping that precious gift.