[♪ Music playing.
Welcome to Closer to Christ through General Conference, where two friends who love Jesus
share our own approach to studying the most recent General Conference talks.
This is Abbey and Amy.
Let's jump into it.
Today we get to discuss holiness to the Lord in everyday life by Elder Garrett W. Gong,
Quorum of the Twelve. And I love this because obviously it nods to the temple. The verbiage
is above temple doors, but more so how He's going to make that everyday life. You're not
in the temple every day, but you can still have those temple promises.
So good, Abbey.
Ours is the gospel of joy and holiness in everyday life. Holiness sets things apart
for sacred purposes, but holiness also invites us to infuse daily living with the sacred,
to rejoice in daily bread amidst the world's thistles and thorns, to walk with the Lord.
We must become holy for He is holy and to help us become holy, the Lord invites us to
walk with Him. Elder Gong shared story after story of people who are living with daily
holiness to the Lord. And I love that from the perspective of an apostle when they bring
these awesome stories to the, like, you know that they're experiencing neat things. And
then when we get a little glimpse of some of the beautiful things that they're seeing
around the world.
Around the world, right? Yes, that was my thought.
It touches my heart. He then tells us that we are going to live the seven seas. Come
union with God, community and compassion with each other, commitment and covenant with God,
family and friends centered in Jesus Christ. That was number seven.
Yes. So he goes on to talk about stories of everyday holiness to the Lord. So the first
one, holiness to the Lord in everyday life looks like two faithful young adults married
for a year, sharing with authenticity and vulnerability gospel covenant sacrifice and
service in their unfolding lives. The first one was the wife. She tells us about the challenges
in her nursing classes and feeling very alone in her beliefs and also socially because she
was the only one that was married. The rest of this class was single. This is what she
says.
The past, this past semester, I learned how to better my belief, sorry, how to better
voice my beliefs and be a good gospel example. My knowledge and testimony grew because I
was tested in my ability to stand alone and be strong in what I believe. I love this because
I can see how that would be definitely be something to learn. Okay. To learn from in
just everyday life. Abby and I have talked about this and just us, you know, doing the
podcast, we feel like there are lots of hours that we have put in that have helped us better
voice our beliefs and I have seen the benefits of it in my life.
Well, and two, like if I'm just in the community or having a conversation, I'm like, this is
a great conversation. They, you know, we could have a nice conversation together, but I don't
want to like overimpose on them. I can just say like, I've been able to say, oh, I have
a podcast about that. And then I'll just quickly share the link with them. Then it's their
choice. They want to listen to it. If they were like, no, I was done with that conversation.
They don't have to listen to it, but they totally can. That's great. You were saying
that. Two things come to mind on that. My husband, he did a master's degree a few years
back and very different dynamic than his fellow classmates. What their priorities were and
what their, let's say, political leanings were, their ideologies. And so like a few
things like Adam would set ground rules with his professors. He had to interact on, what
do you call that? Like when you make a comment and the people have to comment on your comments
on an online platform, that's called something. I'll think of it when I'm listening back,
I'll be like, oh yeah, it's that. But anyway, he would say, I don't do schoolwork on Sundays,
like dedicating that time to my family because life was stretched thin and like, he could
have certainly used the time on Sundays to do it, but he made a choice that he didn't
want to. And so he's like, I'll take the point deductions because you had to make a comment
and then you had to respond to other people. And a lot of the students would wait till
like Saturday to get on. So then their interaction with each other happened on Sunday. And so
he just said upfront, I'm not trying to disrespect you and not fulfill the assignment, but I'm
only able to comment on anybody that's posted by Saturday night at midnight. And if they
haven't, then I'll just take the point deduction. Most of the time he got, you know, blessed
with a couple of people to respond to and that worked fine. Sometimes he didn't, never
received a point deduction for that. It was great. And then definitely in the discussion
platforms, it was like, he definitely was definitely a different voice than like your
normal young college student. Like we'd lived some life and we'd had some hard blows and
like we're at a different place in life. So this idealistic, you know, what my professor
said goes and this is, this is truth. You know, he's kind of, he has to politely, respectfully.
It often came with a religious undertone because he teaches for us and I, and like the degree
was to further him in that career. So like a lot of that would be infused. His daily
life was spent teaching the gospel. Then when he comes home and he's trying to do
schoolwork, that's in there. But I liked how she said it in a respectful way to voice their
beliefs. And then I also thought of my two sisters, my two of my sisters were married
to doctors still through the residency and stuff. They were married, they were having
children and it was such a contrast with a lot who think just going to get the school
piece done and then I'll commit to marriage, maybe commit to family or whatever. It made
them very, very unique in their circumstances. And they weren't dealing with easy things
like, I mean, you know, like bringing Ollie in and his heart things like, you know, they
could have been easier for him if they hadn't gone that route. But I think they had the
opportunity to like really strengthen their testimony of family. And I think in the end,
it really did help with their schooling pursuits and things. Holiness to the Lord in everyday
life looks like a young returning missionary who learned to let God prevail in his life.
This missionary is asked to give a blessing to someone who's very sick. His first thoughts
like, oh, he didn't know if he had the faith and he would bless him to recover. The missionary
says, I learned in that moment to pray not for what I wanted, but for what the Lord knew
the person needed. He blessed him with comfort and peace. And the man later passed away peacefully.
So kind of watching your will align with the Lord's will in a matter of moments within
a priesthood blessing.
That's true. In real time, right? Like he went in thinking, I have the faith, I'm going
to, you know, this will turn out great.
We're going to heal them, we're going to set up.
He puts his hand on his head and probably was like, oh, that's not where this is going.
If this doesn't feel like the words need to say, then you always feel guilty. Like, is
it my will that he's dying? Like, no, it's just aligning my will with his and saying.
You're just recognizing.
Yeah, the words, then I think that there must be some comfort in that when he's like, no,
I did listen to the prompting of the Spirit. Let's offer you what you need in this moment
because it's actually peace and comfort, not rejuvenation and longer life.
Right.
In this scenario.
Right. In this scenario, your body is done.
Yes.
So the third one he talks about is, he said, a sister does her best each day after her
husband was unfaithful to her and also the children. I deeply admire her and others like
her. One day while folding laundry, her hand on a stack of garments, she sighed to herself,
what's the point? She felt a tender voice reassure her or assure her your covenants
are with me. And here again, Abby, here we are again. I'm guessing that every person
listening has at one time felt a similar question, either asking the Lord, what's the point?
Or is this gospel living producing what I'm hoping for? Right. Is there hope for me in
my specific situation? And when I read this, my favorite is that the Lord refocused her
attention on him and his covenantal love has said. So I looked up a couple of things as
far as what President Nelson has taught us about this word. He said, once we make a covenant
with God, we leave neutral ground forever. God will not abandon his relationship with
those who have forged such a bond with him. In fact, all those who have made a covenant
with God have access to a special kind of love and mercy. In the Hebrew language, that
covenantal love is called hesed. And he said, once you and I have made a covenant with God,
our relationship with him becomes much closer than before our covenant. Now we are bound
together. And this is the part I believe God was telling this woman. He was reminding her
and really each one of us listening here who has ever asked, what's the point? Or is there
hope for me? Again, President Nelson is speaking directly to those who make and keep covenants.
He says, because of our covenant with God, he will never tire in his efforts to help
us and we will never exhaust his merciful patience with us. We've talked about that
before. Like, is this the last time I can ask her?
He reminds us. And I love it because we've said that before and this is actually the
prophet reminding us. We will never exhaust his merciful patience with us. Each of us
has a special place in God's heart and he has high hopes for us. And that was from a
special love and mercy in the Liahona from President Nelson.
I love that you found that. And I love when it sparks. How did you find that extra additional
I looked up hesed, President Nelson.
I love it when I go on like on a rabbit hole and then I'm like, I find these little gems.
Yeah, you're like, hey, we've kind of quoted that but we didn't know where it was from.
A girl, another example that he shared was about a girl in a family of boys who struggled
to feel good enough for her father, which was sad. Then she talked about her mother
passing away, which could have made the relationship more difficult because she tended to be their
buffer, the translator, kind of the only sliver of relationship that the girl and her father
had. And then the daughter relates that one day she'd heard a voice say, invite your dad
to the temple, take him to the temple with you. And so then they started going to the
temple twice a month and their father daughter relationship completely changed, it was strengthened
and she was even able to verbalize to her dad that she loved him. He reciprocated that
love. She said, spending time in the house of the Lord has healed us. My mom could not
help us on earth. It took her being on the other side of the veil to help mend what was
broken. The temple completed our journey to wholeness as an eternal family. I would say
that her mom probably is still with her and the father and helping strengthen that, especially
as they're in the temple. And what a neat thing to know that our efforts, they continue
on in the next life.
Yes. And especially when, I mean, that must have been like she felt like the rug was pulled
off around her when her mom passed away. And then to think that it even-
Assumed in her mind like that, that's it. It's over.
That's the last thread of hope to have this relationship with dad.
And then to have it actually be healed by going to the temple. And I'm sure that her
mom had a hand in that and I just love that she was able to help her.
What I also like is that she didn't desire for that relationship to be severed. She did
want a stronger relationship rather than being willing to give up on it because she knew
that their family bond was meant to be an eternal bond, even though it wasn't feeling
strong in this time and this moment. So I'm thinking that she was kind of carrying this
like heaviness and a desire. So she was expressing that she had this desire because she was doing
that, that opened her up to the revelation that she would get.
Absolutely.
It was as simple as inviting to temple because also she was exhibiting that the temple mattered
to her and she was attending the temple. That wasn't like a stretch for her to be like,
well, she hasn't been attending the temple. Let's get her to the temple and see if she
can get some inspiration while she's there. She's already obviously regularly a temple
attender and maybe her father was too with the mom. Now that mom's gone, there's a void
there for him and it just seems like the right opportunity. And then dad buys in because
he says yes to the invitation and commits to it.
I love that.
Everybody's buying in. So how could we each infuse our daily lives with holiness or, yeah,
is that a good question? How do we each infuse our daily lives with holiness?
So one of my first thoughts was to be where the Lord is. That is in scripture, in prayer,
in the temple. He talks about, I mean, of course, like you talked about at the beginning,
holiness to the Lord is what is above our temple doors.
And it's making a statement that what we're about to do is set apart for a sacred purpose
that can be over the temple door. I just went to a lady's house and she's got it on a cute
little sign above her home door. She's inviting that same message to prevail that what's going
to be happening in their home, this is a place set aside for sacred things. So yes, your
list of things is perfect. Scripture, prayer, temple, sacrament meetings where we're renewing
our baptismal covenants. Are you finding that as you're studying general conference talks?
I totally am.
Same, like putting the effort in, I'm like, this is paying off way more than ever before.
It is.
Because it's where I'm spending my time right now.
And it's also, when I studied general conference talks, it is infusing my everyday life with
holiness. And it's setting apart, like you said, setting apart just, I don't know, the
questions I've had and just the other things I feel like when I read general conference
talks and put them in the questions to practice, it's essentially like proving the Lord, I
guess.
Exactly.
Then I've been seeing leaps and bounds of growth.
Same, and then I would just say same thing when I'm in my Come Follow Me study for the
week.
Absolutely.
If I happen to have listened to a conference talk, or I've listened to a podcast on something
and I'm doing my Come Follow Me and listening to my scriptures, all of those things tie
together and I think, how could it so magically go together? Which really isn't the case.
It's that the thing that I'm needing to learn is impressed upon me by the Spirit. I'm having
revelatory moments.
In layers.
Yeah, like all of those little parts and pieces, I can see like, oh, all of that helps come
to this understanding. I've got this ability to make better choices in my day because I'm
filling my mind with potential quick answers to things that I've maybe been pondering on
for a long time.
I love that, Abby. So it's been a few years now, but back during COVID, we started doing
a meditation together where it was just understanding that, you know what, that's part of pondering.
There's the search, which is reading the scriptures. There's the ponder part where you're thinking
about questions and you're being in a very quiet place with the Lord.
And giving time for it to like ruminate.
It's true. I had not made time for quietness in my life before that.
Here's my question. Where's the answer? I'm going to bed. He doesn't like that so much.
Well, it doesn't give him much time to work with. It's true.
My latest email is I get my best answers in the morning, so I'll go to bed on a question.
I'm like, don't have to answer me now.
Love it.
I'm ready for it. And then I wake up in the morning, whatever hours, and I'm like, oh,
that's good stuff.
It's the same. I like things that percolate a bit.
That's what it's doing.
That's so great. So these are my thoughts. So the first one was be where the Lord is
or essentially seek the Lord. The next one is invite the Lord to where you are, wherever
you are in the daily, right?
This is such a good part. This is such a good suggestion because we're always, I mean, if
we're saying like we're making time for the temple and we're in there, that's the Lord's
time and we have gone to where he is. But I feel like multiple talks have given us this
beautiful idea that it doesn't have to rest there alone, that that has to be your only
place of sanctuary. We can bring him into the dishwashing and the laundry, the sweeping
and mopping of the floors, the driving kids to activities, the waiting in line at the
grocery store. What I'm summarizing is daily tasks.
Right. Right. And when we bring the Lord into any of those daily tasks, like for example,
I'm doing laundry, I'm listening to scripture, it turns that task into being holy because
holiness sets things apart for a sacred purpose. So it's just so interesting that you can set
laundry aside, set that apart for a sacred purpose. I've never thought of that before.
I have thought of that. You know why? No, yeah, no, just recently, mostly recently because
I'm like the second I mentioned laundry, my children scatter like cockroaches. So it's
like, I think of all of the time, if I'm getting ready for the day, like my bathroom space
is not private space. My bedroom is not private space. No room in the house that's private
space but the laundry room. Oh, I love that.
It really is. It's sacred because nobody wants to do laundry. So I'm like, I'm going to go
for laundry. Who wants to help me? I got the place to myself and I usually put on something
to listen to, podcast, scriptures, come follow me for the week, whatever. It's my time. I
love that. That's great. That is so great. So I have a friend, her name is Maria, and
I love the way that she's very intentional about this. She has a photo of a different
child or a different family member, husband included, in each zone of her home. So when
she's there cleaning or doing dishes or doing the laundry, she thinks on that child, the
needs that are around that and praise for them specifically. I think that is such a
great way to turn anything that you're doing as a mother or someone who's caring after
a home or whatever, to turn that time into setting that apart for a sacred purpose.
I love that. And then I'm thinking, you know, I don't do that, but I'm thinking, what do
I do? I have proclamations to the family or an article to faith, pictures of Christ, my
family pictures. They're scattered through my house and they're kind of meant to be on
central pieces. I've got them fixed on central walls. I think it's for that same purpose,
so that it reminds me why I'm doing the things in my home that I'm doing for those special
purposes. Also, when we're thinking about prayer, you know, amidst the tasks that we're
doing, they're like drawn out prayers rather than like breakfast, lunch, dinner, or morning
prayers, night prayers, that you kind of open a prayer and you're carrying it with you in
these tasks that you're having. Love that. That invites the Lord into the things that
you're just naturally going about your day doing.
An open-ended prayer. I love that. That's so good, Abby. Okay, so there was one other
thing. Do you remember when he talked about just as far as the temple goes, having the
holiness to the Lord on the top and how it is a sacred place? He talked about it's a
sacred place for members of the church and also he said for our friends. He talked about
some friends that he had in Bangkok that were clearly not members of our faith. And when
they walked in for an open house, they were exclaiming things like at the baptismal font,
like you know, it makes me want to be clean and never sin again. And someone else said,
can you feel the power in this place? So I just thought that was wonderful that it doesn't
matter who you are. There is something inside of us that recognizes truth and recognizes
our Creator. And just-
I can add my testimony to that. We did the Oran temple open house one morning and then
we had hotel rooms down in St. George because their open house also coordinated. So we hit
two at once and didn't quite know where to park and we didn't actually have tickets for
the Oran one. We had the day set for the St. George trip and we're like, well, we're going
to be down here anyway. Let's go halfway and make this happen. So we go, we see these people
are kind of also lost. And so we kind of help them get to where we need to depart to the
bus situation that they were doing. They end up not speaking a lick of English. And so
we decided, we were able to like use Google translate and we were speaking Chinese to
each other and coordinating between the two.
Go you.
Well, it was very difficult. I'm like, I mean, I wish I could speak Chinese in this moment,
but I really couldn't. But we're having our little conversation and like that was the
message that they brought. Like everybody's smiling, everybody's so happy. And you could
just see that they just really enjoyed their time in there and the peace that they were
filling. So like, yeah, we don't even have to speak the same language, but the spirit
can speak the same language and fill our hearts with that same piece. So I'm glad that I got
to be reminded of that. It was cool. Let's see questions. Somebody might ponder on while
they're listening to this talk.
How do you infuse your daily life with holiness to the Lord? It's going to look different
for every person and every season is going to look different.
Consider the things that you have going on in a given day and what things you want to
achieve and is there any opportunity to pair both? Like we know we have to do laundry,
we know we'd like to listen to the scriptures. Can we do both simultaneously? Love it. Another
question.
What can you do this week to voice your beliefs in the gospel of Jesus Christ? And remember
voice, to put a voice to something doesn't necessarily mean you have to speak it. You
could write it. You could leave it behind in a journal for your posterity. You could
have a conversation with a family member, sister, brother, friend, children, husband.
It could be a social media thing. We'll let you decide that.
Many options.
All right. Wrap it up for us.
All right. Holiness to the Lord makes living daily life sacred. It draws us closer and
happier to the Lord and each other and prepares us to live with God, our Father, Jesus Christ
and our loved ones. Again, Abby, he ends with the triangle, right? Where he says it draws
us closer and happier to the Lord and each other. It's like when we're on that triangle,
when you're at the bottom, if we're both getting closer to the Lord, we're also getting
closer to each other. And I think that is a beautiful thing. We'll leave you with that.