Ok, it’s time to tackle the second talk from Women’s Conference. (Does anyone else love that this is happening twice a year now? I’ve always loved Women’s Conference Weekend, but I joined the church as an adult so I never watched the Young Women’s Session in April. Now that the two are combined, I get to enjoy an extra weekend of conference.
Sister Carole M. Stephens: The Family Is Of God
Sister Stephens begins her talk by saying that one of the pure doctrines of the church is that “the family is of God” and “that we are each part of God’s family. I love being reminded that families are forever and that we are part of Heavenly Families. Knowing this truth brings much comfort and joy to my life.
As the Proclamation says, we are each a “beloved… daughter of heavenly parents.” Think about that for a moment. We have heavenly “parents.” That means that not only do we have a Heavenly Father, but we also have a Heavenly Mother. Out of respect and reverence, we don’t speak of her often, but she is there, watching over us and loving us. We are her children.
The second principle that Sister Stephens spoke about is an idea that Elder Scott explained. He said, “our purpose in coming here [to earth] is to be tested, tried, and stretched.”
We all know that each of us will experience challenges and temptations. These are those stretching opportunities that Elder Scott referred to. Thankfully none of us have to face them alone. Jesus Christ atoned for our sins, he experienced everything and anything that we possibly could, and he is there to support us, just as we should support others.
According to Sister Stephens, “our opportunity as covenant-keeping daughters of God is not just to learn from our own challenges; it is to unite in empathy and compassion as we support other members of the family of God in their struggles, as we have covenanted to do.” She then quotes Joseph Smith, who said we should “act according to the sympathies which God has planted in our hearts.”
I had to stop when I read this section to think about what that means. It is such a beautiful thought, and one that I intend to use as I move forward with my life. For me, it suggests that the groups or challenges that we, individually, sympathize with are groups that we are called to help. If Heavenly Father has planted sympathizes in our hearts, it’s because He wants us to help and support that group.
As Sister Stephens said, we should all go about doing good and expanding our sphere of influence. These sympathizes are one way we can do this. That is my prayer for you, and for myself, brothers and sisters, because I know doing this will help bring more love into our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment