Last weekend, my family participated in a multi-stake event with Elder David A. Bednar, an apostle from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. A few meetings were held with leaders of the wards and stakes (Scotty attended as Elders’ Quorum president), and then on Saturday afternoon, the youth were invited to attend a special meeting with Elder Bednar and two other general authorities.
(A confession: I didn't want to go! I had such a poor attitude about it. I struggle with events like this because I don't like the exclusivity. I wish that everyone who wanted to attend could attend and that it wasn't based on callings).
In the
meeting, the youth were given a phone number to which they could text questions
that would go to Elder Bednar’s iPad. He would then select questions to answer,
and he, the other general authorities, and their wives would give commentary
under Elder Bednar’s direction. He stated that he received over 1,000 questions
(it was quite a crowd!)
As he and
the other presenters taught us, much of what he said was very familiar to me. I’ve
read a lot of talks and books by Elder Bednar, so I recognized an abundance of
what he said from other places where he has taught similar things. My most
recent reading from Elder Bednar (aside from this year’s General Conference
talks) was his book The Spirit of
Revelation, which I listened to
in May, and he shared a lot of teachings in the meeting that are included in that book.
Here are
some of the quotes I found that support Elder Bednar’s teachings from the
meeting (though I’m only scratching the surface of what was taught over the two
hours). I’ll embolden some lines to help with skimming. Please note that some of the writing below is my own commentary (pay attention to the quotation marks).
We can be led by the Spirit without knowing we are being led by the Spirit
One of the
most popular questions in the Church has always been “How can I tell if I’m
being prompted by the Spirit or if it’s my own thoughts?” I, myself, have spent
my lifetime figuring out this exact thing. This was one of the first questions
Elder Bednar addressed.
“How can I
tell when I’m being prompted by the Spirit?…Quit worrying about it. Quit
fussing with it. Quit analyzing it. You be a good boy, you be a good girl, you
honor your covenants, you keep the commandments; and I promise you in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ that as you press forward with faith in Christ, your
footsteps will be guided. As you open your mouth, it will be filled, and you
will be where you need to be, and most of the time, you will not even have any
idea how you got there.”
(Source)
“I think we
overcomplicate this. I think we overanalyze it… If you have a thought to do
something good, it’s from the Holy Ghost… Is that the Holy Ghost or is that you?
What difference does that make?... If it invites and entices to do good, it
comes from Christ, and we ought to do it.”
(Source)
We don’t need no angels!
One time in
Relief Society one of my ward Sisters made a comment about angels, and she
jokingly (but also kind of not-jokingly) said that it’s unfair that she hasn’t had any angels come visit her
and tell her how it is. After class I went and talked to her and said, “You
know what! You and I? We don’t need no angels!” and I expressed how some people need angels, but look at us! We’re doing
this without angels! That is not to
make light of experiences people have had with ministering angels, but most of
us, in this life, will have ministrations through the Holy Ghost and not
face-to-face with Heavenly beings.
“You may
have an occasion when you forget to pray in the morning. And all of a sudden,
you hear in your mind the voice of your mother, who, when you were small, would
say, “Remember your morning prayers.” Why would God send an angel to deliver
that message to you when the Holy Ghost… can prompt a recollection of your
angel mother reminding you to pray? The spiritual effect is the same…
I have heard
people say, “If I could just be like Saul on the road to Damascus and see a
light, or have an angel come to me like Alma the Younger, then I would know.”
I mean no
disrespect… but, spiritually speaking, Saul was “messed up.” He was a staunch
persecutor of Christians…
Do you think
such a man was prepared to sense, hear, feel, or respond to the still small
voice? In order to get the attention of this wayward man, the Lord had to use
the equivalent of a spiritual lightning bolt…
Perhaps many
members of the Church today do not typically see lights and hear voices on
their personal journeys to Damascus because they have been blessed to be in a
much better place spiritually than was Saul. God trusts us to learn about and
respond to the still small voice of His Spirit.”
From The Spirit of Revelation
Stop worrying about what “more” you need to do. Just focus on consistency.
Elder
Bednar mentioned over and over again the importance of being consistent in the
small things like prayer and scripture study.
“Ordinary
people who faithfully, diligently, and consistently do simple things that are
right before God will bring forth extraordinary results.”
(Source)
“Sometimes
we overcomplicate the gospel. Consistency in acting in accordance with the
Lord’s will is key.”
From Twitter, March 14, 2015
It’s not about you!
“This work
is never about me and it is never about you. We need to do all in our power to
fulfill our teaching responsibilities and simultaneously "get out of the
way" so the Holy Ghost can perform His sacred work. In fact, anything you
or I do as representatives of the Savior that knowingly and intentionally draws
attention to self-in the messages we present, in the methods we use, or in our
personal demeanor-is a form of priestcraft that inhibits the teaching
effectiveness of the Holy Ghost.”
From Act in Doctrine
On gratitude & prayer
Sister
Bednar shared this experience at our meeting, but here it recounted is in Elder
Bendar’s words:
“Our family
learned an important lesson about meaningful prayer as we knelt to pray one
evening with a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Earlier in
the day Sister Bednar and I had been informed about the unexpected death of a
dear friend, and our immediate desire was to pray for the surviving spouse and
children. As I invited my wife to offer the prayer, the member of the Twelve,
unaware of the tragedy, graciously suggested that in the prayer Sister Bednar
express only appreciation for blessings received and ask for nothing…
Sister
Bednar responded in faith to the direction she received. She thanked Heavenly
Father for meaningful and memorable experiences with this dear friend. She
communicated sincere gratitude for the Holy Ghost as the Comforter and for the
gifts of the Spirit that enable us to face adversity and to serve others. Most
importantly, she expressed appreciation for the plan of salvation, for the
atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, for His Resurrection, and for the ordinances
and covenants of the restored gospel which make it possible for families to be
together forever.
Our family
learned from that experience a great lesson about the power of thankfulness in
meaningful prayer. Because of and through that prayer, our family was blessed
with inspiration about a number of issues that were pressing upon our minds and
stirring in our hearts. We learned that our gratefulness for the plan of
happiness and for the Savior’s mission of salvation provided needed reassurance
and strengthened our confidence that all would be well with our dear friends.
We also received insights concerning the things about which we should pray and
appropriately ask in faith.
The most
meaningful and spiritual prayers I have experienced contained many expressions
of thanks and few, if any, requests.”
(Source)
Scotty and
my in-laws attended the leadership portion of the meeting with Elder Bednar,
and they shared with me some things he said about baptism and renewing our
covenants through the sacrament. I wasn’t in that meeting, but I wanted to
include this topic here since they were very touched by what he said.
“The
ordinance of the sacrament is a holy and repeated invitation to repent
sincerely and to be renewed spiritually. The act of partaking of the sacrament,
in and of itself, does not remit sins. But as we prepare conscientiously and
participate in this holy ordinance with a broken heart and a contrite spirit,
then the promise is that we may always have the Spirit of the
Lord to be with us. And by the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost as our
constant companion, we can always retain a remission of our
sins…
Sometimes
Latter-day Saints express the wish that they could be baptized again—and
thereby become as clean and worthy as the day on which they received their
first saving gospel ordinance. May I respectfully suggest that our Heavenly
Father and His Beloved Son do not intend for us to experience such a feeling of
spiritual renewal, refreshment, and restoration just once in our lives. The
blessings of obtaining and always retaining a remission of our sins through
gospel ordinances help us understand that baptism is a point of departure in
our mortal spiritual journey; it is not a destination we should yearn to
revisit over and over again.
The
ordinances of baptism by immersion, the laying on of hands for the gift of the
Holy Ghost, and the sacrament are not isolated and discrete events; rather, they
are elements in an interrelated and additive pattern of redemptive progress.
Each successive ordinance elevates and enlarges our spiritual purpose, desire,
and performance. The Father’s plan, the Savior’s Atonement, and the ordinances
of the gospel provide the grace we need to press forward and progress line upon
line and precept upon precept toward our eternal destiny.”
(Source)
--------------
After attending the event and taking some time to ponder, the things I want to remember the most are:
1. If you're on the covenant path, you don't have to worry so much about everything else. The Holy Ghost is with you, and you will end up where you should be.
2. It's not about me! Oh what a hard lesson to learn. Elder Bednar stated, "It's not about you!" so many times, and it made me realize how often I have made things of the gospel about me when it's NOT ABOUT ME!
3. Consistency is key. Tiny, consistent drips do far more good than occasional floods.
1 comment:
This is so down to earth and relatable. Thank you!
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