Here in Australia we have just had a weekend of General Conference (a week behind the states). As I get older I find I actually look forward to hearing from the leaders of the church and the messages of love and inspiration that they have to share. I also find myself quite overwhelmed with the amount of talks and teachings that are presented to us during conference and can’t always take everything in. Like Sunday morning for example, while watching the general session at church I could not stop blowing my nose or coughing or sneezing because I had caught a cold over the weekend (which we had Kieren’s birthday celebrations if I may add :P). So I missed some of the speakers messages in between looking for tissues and snacking on Tim Tams.
Although I can’t quote any of the talks just yet, I can recall how I felt and that is that I just felt grateful to be a member of the church. I remember hearing talks of the plan of salvation a few times by different speakers and how amazing it was to know that Heavenly Father has a plan for each and every one of us. This simple truth gives me so much hope and optimism in my life.
In discussions after the general session at my parent-in-laws home a conversation about the authenticity of the Book of Mormon came up. My wise father in law was outlining how Joseph Smith could not have made it up himself, and how historians have stated how even the greatest minds in the world could not have conjured up such an intricate and detailed ‘story’ about the restoration of the gospel in the latter-days. Further convincing points were made and I found myself zoning out a bit and just feeling at peace…there’s not doubt that if you look for inconsistencies in the Book of Mormon you will find them, because your heart is set on proving the book to be a fraud, it all comes down to what you’re willing to believe.
I believe that the Book of Mormon is true. Why? Because I guess I want to believe in it. That’s probably not a logical answer. But as I have searched for answers and prayed for help when I’m finding life hard, and have asked Heavenly Father to give me strength…I get through all the things I need to do and I feel good about it. I don’t say it’s luck or a coincidence when things turn out ok I know it’s because I’ve been blessed. And I know that because of the plan of salvation, I know that everything has it’s purpose and while I don’t always know what’s going to happen, my Savior does and that’s so comforting to me.
I’m an optimistic and happy person because I trust in Heavenly Father’s plan for me. I try my best to do all the things I’m suppose to do, read scriptures, serve others, pray daily and just put effort into everything I need to…and I just know that everything is going to be ok because God is on my side.
Conference reminded me of that, and as I endeavor to study the rest of the talks over and over again for the next 6 months (until the next conference) I hope that I can stay motivated to make good choices and work on becoming a better person, wife, friend, colleague and student. The gospel inspires me to try harder, so that’s what I’m going to try to do.
I hope everyone who was able to watch conference felt just as uplifted as I do, and if you’ve never heard of it…maybe now is a good time to suss out #LDSconf? 🙂
til next time…
– Liv xx
L I V i n g 