1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:15,160
Welcome to Closer to Christ, the General Conference, where two friends who love Jesus share our

2
00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,300
own approach to studying the most recent General Conference talks.

3
00:00:18,300 --> 00:00:19,920
This is Abbey and Amy.

4
00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,280
Let's jump into it.

5
00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:27,760
Today we get to discuss Embrace the Lord's Gift of Repentance by Elder Alvarado of the

6
00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:34,120
Seventy, and he begins by sharing a personal experience when he was called to be a member

7
00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:35,960
of the Seventy.

8
00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:40,400
He says, the common feeling of inadequacy, weakness, or even unworthiness is something

9
00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:44,280
with which many of us sometimes struggle.

10
00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:48,120
And he goes on to tell us that if we ever feel weak or inadequate when we look at ourselves

11
00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:52,500
that we're in good company, the prophet Nephi wrote, notwithstanding the great goodness

12
00:00:52,500 --> 00:00:57,120
of the Lord in showing me His great marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth, O wretched man,

13
00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:58,120
that I am.

14
00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:03,160
Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh, my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.

15
00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,200
So I guess you could say we find ourselves in good company.

16
00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:10,440
The prophet Joseph Smith spoke of often feeling condemned in his youth for his weaknesses

17
00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:12,520
and his imperfections.

18
00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:16,020
And remember how we talked about this just in the last talk, he went into the grove because

19
00:01:16,020 --> 00:01:18,840
of his feelings of inadequacy and worry.

20
00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:23,800
And it's what led him to studying, pondering, praying, and then going in prayer in that

21
00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,260
sacred grove asking for remission of his own sins.

22
00:01:26,260 --> 00:01:27,260
This is definitely a pattern.

23
00:01:27,260 --> 00:01:29,800
Yea, what he considered his own weakness.

24
00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:32,280
So it doesn't stop there.

25
00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:36,940
Like the greatest stories are like what happens after you feel that moment of weakness.

26
00:01:36,940 --> 00:01:39,500
So let's ask it in a question.

27
00:01:39,500 --> 00:01:44,480
Once we recognize a weakness within ourselves, what do we do with it?

28
00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:49,640
Abby, I feel like Satan does a really good job of jumping in to oppress us and bring

29
00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:54,240
shame or anger or outrage that we would even have these weaknesses to begin with.

30
00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:59,080
I would say that the natural man would or women would shake their fist at God and turn

31
00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:03,120
away from him altogether after the natural man would do.

32
00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:04,860
And then humility is key.

33
00:02:04,860 --> 00:02:09,920
As we examine this experience from the life of Joseph Smith, it illustrates how these

34
00:02:09,920 --> 00:02:15,280
feelings of weaknesses and inadequacy can help us recognize our fallen nature.

35
00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:16,760
And then this is the part that I love.

36
00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:23,760
He says, Elvarado says this, if we are humble, this will help us come to recognize our dependence

37
00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:29,240
upon Jesus Christ and stir within our hearts a sincere desire to turn to the Savior and

38
00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:31,000
repent of our sins.

39
00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,180
So like you said, where does that take us?

40
00:02:34,180 --> 00:02:35,180
What do we do next?

41
00:02:35,180 --> 00:02:36,180
Two options.

42
00:02:36,180 --> 00:02:41,480
You really swim in the grief of never feeling like you're going to be good enough or you

43
00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:45,440
realize that you get to turn to the Savior in those moments and he gets to make perfect

44
00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:47,400
what we feel is incomplete or unholy.

45
00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:48,400
Totally.

46
00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,280
And to be fair, that grief of never being good enough is actually true.

47
00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:53,280
We aren't.

48
00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:57,240
We never will be enough to make it back to the presence of someone who is completely

49
00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:58,240
perfect.

50
00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:00,560
And I feel like Satan plays on that, especially nowadays.

51
00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:05,920
Like he'll work on the mental component of it because I can be told that you're never

52
00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:07,160
going to be good enough.

53
00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:12,320
And I'm in a state of mind right now that I'm like, yeah, I know that's true, but Jesus

54
00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:13,320
has me covered.

55
00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:14,320
Totally.

56
00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:17,560
And I would also like to say, I don't know that good enough is the word, but whole enough.

57
00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:18,560
Yeah, perfect.

58
00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:20,120
Because whole and perfection come together.

59
00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:21,120
Perfection, that form.

60
00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:22,120
Yes.

61
00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:24,320
And that's what says whole in every, every time we turn to him.

62
00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,080
I'm glad you clarified it because my mind was thinking in that way.

63
00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,320
I know I'm not perfect, but I know what he means when he says perfection.

64
00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:31,320
Totally.

65
00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:32,320
So that's good clarification.

66
00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:33,320
Yes.

67
00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,000
Also this, I love how he shares this.

68
00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,400
He says, my friends, repentance is joy.

69
00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:40,840
We've heard this before.

70
00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:45,400
Sweet repentance is part of the daily process through which line upon line, precept upon

71
00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:50,480
precept, the Lord teaches us to live a life centered in his teachings.

72
00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:55,080
The part I love about this quote is that he focuses on how the Lord is teaching us to

73
00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:56,080
live.

74
00:03:56,080 --> 00:04:00,800
It's not do X, Y, Z and obtain this, you know, far off prize that you've only ever heard

75
00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:02,400
of or read about or whatever.

76
00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:04,400
It's at the very, very end of your life.

77
00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:08,440
Maybe you're going to receive this reward that I've been telling you about.

78
00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:09,440
Yeah.

79
00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:10,440
That's nebulous.

80
00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:11,440
You know, you don't really know.

81
00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:12,440
It's not well defined.

82
00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:16,600
It's heavenly father telling us as you continue to act in faith and turn to me in repentance,

83
00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,880
I share with you line upon line, what joy repentance brings.

84
00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:23,240
It clears out of your heart space for more of my word.

85
00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:28,800
And little by little you can feel how it feels to live a life centered on Jesus Christ.

86
00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:34,440
And as we get that line and we do the thing that he suggested in that line, we get to

87
00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:36,560
reap blessings in that moment.

88
00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:37,560
For sure, right?

89
00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:42,640
You know, at that level of obedience or whatever was, you know, how laws were irrevocably decreed

90
00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:47,680
in heaven when we're obedient blessings are predicated upon that law.

91
00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:48,680
He promises those.

92
00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:54,240
And you can kind of just wash those away and be like, he didn't really give me anything.

93
00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:55,240
That's one attitude.

94
00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:56,240
It's a prideful attitude.

95
00:04:56,240 --> 00:05:00,320
Whereas if you're grateful for everything that you receive and you know that it comes

96
00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:02,260
from the Lord, you can spell that out.

97
00:05:02,260 --> 00:05:04,000
You can say, I recognize this thing.

98
00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:08,760
And then he's like, he knows that's kind of part of the wrap up of that line.

99
00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:09,960
Then it's ready for the next line.

100
00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:10,960
Great.

101
00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:11,960
I love that, Abby.

102
00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:12,960
Very good point.

103
00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,960
I've also heard before, have you ever heard, we don't earn heaven, we learn heaven?

104
00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:17,960
Love that.

105
00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:19,440
Good to be reminded of it.

106
00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:21,120
I don't hear it enough.

107
00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:25,160
This is, I feel like Abby, this is the exact same spirit that I hear in these words when

108
00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:29,200
he says sweet repentance is part of a daily process where we learn and the Lord teaches

109
00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:32,020
us to live a life centered in his teachings.

110
00:05:32,020 --> 00:05:36,640
How interesting that one way we learn heaven is to repent joyfully every day.

111
00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:38,200
Such a good point.

112
00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:42,040
And I know that I've heard this, but it's in a way that somebody's trying to tell me

113
00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:46,920
there's nothing that I can do that's going to earn heaven because Jesus Christ just did

114
00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:48,160
it for me.

115
00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:53,440
And they say it in the way that gives them free rein to just do whatever they want in

116
00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:54,440
this life.

117
00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:55,440
And they give their agency away.

118
00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:56,440
Right.

119
00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:57,440
I mean, that's how I'm seeing it.

120
00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:02,440
It's just like, I mean, I can do anything I want and Jesus Christ made it right.

121
00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:03,760
It is true.

122
00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:07,120
He did suffer.

123
00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:11,640
He did perform the great atonement for us and there's nothing that we can do that makes

124
00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:14,040
us repay for it.

125
00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,880
There's nothing we've ever done to earn it necessarily.

126
00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:20,040
It's just this gift that's freely been given.

127
00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:26,180
But because it does tie in with this, you don't earn heaven, we learn heaven.

128
00:06:26,180 --> 00:06:30,520
When I learn about him and his ways and his process, it makes me want to do those things.

129
00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:31,800
Not because it's paying a debt.

130
00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:33,640
It's a debt that I can't pay.

131
00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:34,640
I like it.

132
00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:38,200
I can see how it can be twisted by saying to make you feel like anything goes.

133
00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:39,200
Right.

134
00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:40,200
So that's a very good point.

135
00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:41,200
It's a good reminder.

136
00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:46,120
I also, so this brings us to the scripture is so great because Elder Elmerado emphasizes

137
00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:48,040
that Christ is the way.

138
00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:51,040
He shares this from 2 Nephi 31 21.

139
00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:55,580
And now behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way Christ and there is none other

140
00:06:55,580 --> 00:07:00,400
way nor name given under heaven whereby man and woman can be saved in the kingdom of God.

141
00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:06,120
And now behold, this is the doctrine of Christ and the only and true doctrine of the father

142
00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:08,840
and of the son and of the Holy Ghost.

143
00:07:08,840 --> 00:07:13,040
And then the last one is he shared a quote by Elder Gong.

144
00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:16,480
Our Savior's atonement is infinite and eternal.

145
00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:19,160
Each of us strays, each of us fall short.

146
00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:21,200
We may for a time lose our way.

147
00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:26,800
God lovingly reassures us that no matter where we are or what we have done, there is no point

148
00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:27,800
of no return.

149
00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:30,560
At first I thought that was wrong, but it is true.

150
00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:31,840
There is no point of no return.

151
00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:33,800
I thought that I was like, where are we?

152
00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:36,680
He waits ready to embrace us.

153
00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:37,720
I love that quote.

154
00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:39,040
There's so much to learn from it.

155
00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:43,760
And it just re-emphasizes the point, we're not going to get it perfectly.

156
00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:51,500
We are going to require the Savior's atonement, but it's infinite and it is eternal.

157
00:07:51,500 --> 00:07:55,920
And he was totally expecting and anticipating us to have a need for him.

158
00:07:55,920 --> 00:08:01,880
What I hear, what I feel when I see this quote is that this person in this attitude that's

159
00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:05,000
considering these things wants to turn back to him.

160
00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:06,640
They're not prepared to turn away from him.

161
00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,080
They're ready for his embrace.

162
00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:14,400
And that is ideally our goal our whole lives, anticipate the mess ups and know to who we're

163
00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,000
going to turn to get back up on our feet.

164
00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:18,000
Yes.

165
00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:21,440
Really quick, as far as the mess ups, this just came to mind.

166
00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:26,920
So last night I have wrapped every present from the family like since day one.

167
00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:31,140
And last night my daughter joined me and as we were wrapping and stuff, we were each kind

168
00:08:31,140 --> 00:08:32,140
of doing our own thing.

169
00:08:32,140 --> 00:08:35,300
And she goes, you know what, mom, this is actually way better than I thought it was.

170
00:08:35,300 --> 00:08:38,400
She goes, as soon as I just let go of it, it has to be perfect.

171
00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:39,920
The seams have to be right and everything.

172
00:08:39,920 --> 00:08:41,520
She goes, I never would have started.

173
00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:44,740
But like the way she and I work, we kind of troubleshoot our way through it.

174
00:08:44,740 --> 00:08:49,880
Like if there's a place that's missing a little bit, we do a little bit of an extra big ribbon.

175
00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:50,880
If there's something.

176
00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:53,880
So anyways, she was like, I'm so glad that I just started doing it.

177
00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:54,880
You know what I mean?

178
00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:58,320
And I just think it's, it's kind of a nice attitude to have a just start and you're going

179
00:08:58,320 --> 00:08:59,540
to figure your way out through it.

180
00:08:59,540 --> 00:09:04,200
So I love that it said, we're all going to mess up, like go in with that in mind because

181
00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:05,200
we have the Savior.

182
00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:08,960
We've said it in a lot of different ways, but with the mindset, this is happening around

183
00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:12,020
Christmas time and you know, a lot of people are wrapping presents.

184
00:09:12,020 --> 00:09:16,620
It's like the idea of the wrapping happened and we did the best that we could and we handed

185
00:09:16,620 --> 00:09:19,760
over to him and then his great atonement is the big bow.

186
00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:20,760
There you go.

187
00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:23,200
It's what covers the things and makes it perfect.

188
00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:28,860
And I did walk in and see Amy's gifts displayed on the tree and I did, I did notice how beautiful

189
00:09:28,860 --> 00:09:29,860
it was.

190
00:09:29,860 --> 00:09:32,960
And so now to know that that happened with Bailey and she shared another tradition of

191
00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:33,960
hers with her daughter.

192
00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:34,960
So great.

193
00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:41,120
Let's go to this point in the talk where it talks about how Elder Alvarado urges us to

194
00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:43,440
put Christ's atonement to use.

195
00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:49,000
What a sad thing to have that greatest gift of all and not utilize it.

196
00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:50,000
Obstacles will come.

197
00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:52,520
Let us not wait for things to get hard before turning to God.

198
00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:56,600
Let us not wait until the end of our mortal lives to truly repent instead.

199
00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:00,540
Let us now, no matter which part of the covenant path we are on, focus on the redemptive power

200
00:10:00,540 --> 00:10:05,500
of Jesus Christ and on Heavenly Father's desire for us to return to him.

201
00:10:05,500 --> 00:10:07,960
So be thinking about that.

202
00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:08,960
Here's a question.

203
00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:14,600
What can we be doing now, now to turn to God and truly repent rather than to wait till

204
00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:16,920
the end of our mortal lives with that quote in mind?

205
00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:21,320
Well, I'm going to give you a second to think about it because it's a big deep one.

206
00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:22,320
All right.

207
00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:28,200
But didn't you love how it said, well, it didn't say it.

208
00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:33,480
The spirit told me, just a reminder that it's such a daily and in the moment thing.

209
00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:38,480
Why do we want to sit and carry the things around with us that we get that pain like

210
00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:41,480
the spirit or whatever will tell you like, and that wasn't how things should have played

211
00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:43,200
out in the moment.

212
00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:44,200
We can release that.

213
00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:47,240
We can say, I recognize, I wish I wouldn't have reacted in that way.

214
00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:48,560
I wish I wouldn't have thought that.

215
00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:51,080
I wish I wouldn't have done this certain thing.

216
00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:52,440
And we verbalize that.

217
00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:55,440
And that's the beginning or maybe the end.

218
00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:59,240
Maybe that's all it took to repent of that thing that you remind yourself of it.

219
00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:04,200
And then the next opportunity that something similar comes up in that vein and you actually

220
00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:10,480
respond differently than your natural inclination to respond, then you're demonstrating that

221
00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:12,760
you have that desire to be more like him.

222
00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:13,760
That's so good.

223
00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:15,200
What did you think of?

224
00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:21,040
So when I read that, what came to my mind was, for we know that it is by grace that

225
00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:23,440
we are saved after all we can do.

226
00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:25,560
That's what I'm saying.

227
00:11:25,560 --> 00:11:27,200
I know it's just said so much better.

228
00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:28,200
It just, right.

229
00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:29,800
That's what came to my mind as well.

230
00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:34,600
And that was actually in the last talk that we talked about with the historian.

231
00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:37,680
And like we were saying in that there was so much meat in it and you could go back.

232
00:11:37,680 --> 00:11:39,600
Well, here we are circling back around.

233
00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:44,560
So as a younger Amy, I was so grateful for this law, the law of Christ grace, that it

234
00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:46,520
kicked in at the judgment bar of Christ.

235
00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:47,520
I didn't doubt it.

236
00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:50,600
I was anticipating the day it would be law.

237
00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:56,040
And in my mind, it stayed on a shelf until then when it would be called forth to be enacted.

238
00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:57,520
And that part's true.

239
00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:00,840
However, I failed to understand that there's more.

240
00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:06,440
It also means we are saved by the grace of Christ after all we can do today, or after

241
00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:10,960
all we can do in this specific experience that has taken a lot of our mental time and

242
00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:15,880
focus or after all that we can do in this area that we keep trying and we continually

243
00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:17,480
fall short.

244
00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:23,560
This law of grace is to be applied in our short game as well as our long game.

245
00:12:23,560 --> 00:12:27,200
In the short game, Christ grace redeems us from our daily frustrations and challenges

246
00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:30,840
as we turn to him during and after all we have done.

247
00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:32,720
And then we put it into his hands.

248
00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:36,660
And again, this is the part we've talked about this before, Abby, with the gift of knowing

249
00:12:36,660 --> 00:12:38,160
when it is finished.

250
00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,720
I feel like that comes into play here because there are two parts.

251
00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:45,920
The first part would be we do everything in our own power in the current situation.

252
00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:50,200
The second part is we rely on Christ grace to save us.

253
00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:56,040
And I feel like we would each do well to ask Heavenly Father where we are in this process.

254
00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:57,040
Have I done everything?

255
00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:58,040
That I can.

256
00:12:58,040 --> 00:12:59,400
That I can.

257
00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:02,720
Or am I at the place where I give it to Christ?

258
00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:06,760
How long you want to work in that struggle yourself and hold on to it.

259
00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:07,760
Right?

260
00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:08,760
I like that.

261
00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:11,840
So Satan, and this reminded me of something that President Nelson did say.

262
00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:15,360
This was regarding sin, but he said, Satan delights in your misery.

263
00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:21,160
So in this instance, Satan delights in watching us get tangled up in our own messes, even

264
00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:27,320
striving to do all that we can only to get frustrated and fed up as we don't give it

265
00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:29,320
to Christ.

266
00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:34,920
And then, oh, simply because we failed to recognize that we have indeed done all we

267
00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:35,920
can.

268
00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:36,920
And then there's the other hand.

269
00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:42,080
Satan also delights in our stagnation as we think we have done all we can do, or we do

270
00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:45,520
not completely understand what it looks like today to do all that we can.

271
00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:49,960
And at that point, we're frustrated with God because he isn't gifting us with grace.

272
00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:52,800
We don't realize that we aren't at that part yet.

273
00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:57,360
So whether we hold on, like you were saying, we either hold on for too long or we let go

274
00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:03,040
too soon, both lead to frustration with ourselves and with God in quote, not coming through

275
00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:06,480
when really we have not fulfilled the part of enacting our agency.

276
00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:11,240
So it's either now I hand it to you or show me what else I need to do before I hand it

277
00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:12,240
to you.

278
00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:15,520
I love that.

279
00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:19,440
It's making me think of the title of the talk, embrace the Lord's gift of repentance.

280
00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:22,160
Like they're not coincidental, the reason that they come up with them.

281
00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:25,600
But it's like, sometimes we lightly skim the idea of repentance.

282
00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:26,880
We know that it's there.

283
00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:29,400
Sometimes we think it's for others and it's not for us.

284
00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:34,360
But the word embrace to me, it's like a wholehearted clinging to the idea of it.

285
00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:38,480
And that's, you know, some people are huggers, some people aren't people that are huggers.

286
00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:41,640
They're comfortable hugging everybody and people that are more standoffish, you know,

287
00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:43,400
that vibe, like the energy they put out.

288
00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:48,440
I was just thinking, regardless of how you feel about actual physical touch and hugging,

289
00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:53,580
if you can picture, if you can apply that to the way that we feel about repentance and

290
00:14:53,580 --> 00:15:00,600
embracing the Lord and like letting Him like engulf that, I think we would ask ourselves,

291
00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:04,500
why would we want to hang on to it any longer than we needed to?

292
00:15:04,500 --> 00:15:08,360
But also because it's another thing where you're ready to throw it at Him before even

293
00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:10,860
learned anything from it.

294
00:15:10,860 --> 00:15:15,200
There's something in this balance.

295
00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:19,520
Have you ever had experience where you thought things were done, you turned it over to Him,

296
00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:22,440
you've said things are finished and then He's been like, no, there's more work to be done.

297
00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:24,160
Do you feel something about that?

298
00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:25,380
I am sure there has.

299
00:15:25,380 --> 00:15:30,080
What comes to my mind is Kristen M Yee's talk.

300
00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:31,080
She was finished.

301
00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:34,080
When we think it's finished and you say, and then think it erased.

302
00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:35,080
And her say it's finished was the varnish.

303
00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:36,080
Yeah, I agree.

304
00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:37,340
And He's like, actually, there's more to learn.

305
00:15:37,340 --> 00:15:38,340
You're doing great.

306
00:15:38,340 --> 00:15:39,340
You know what I mean?

307
00:15:39,340 --> 00:15:43,560
That's what came to my mind immediately just because it's so, you know, it's in the forefront

308
00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:44,560
of my mind.

309
00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:47,680
But I am absolutely certain that I've turned things over and been like, all right, I'm

310
00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:48,680
done.

311
00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:51,800
And He's like, great, Amy, for your kindergarten effort.

312
00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:55,680
That totally answered the question because then it's like, if you feel like, oh, are

313
00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:57,040
we doing this again?

314
00:15:57,040 --> 00:15:58,680
Why is He having me do it again?

315
00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:02,800
That would cause me to pause and think because I didn't get the whole message.

316
00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:03,800
And it wasn't finished.

317
00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:04,800
You're not doing it again.

318
00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:05,940
You're taking the next step.

319
00:16:05,940 --> 00:16:08,680
What we thought was step Z was like B or C to Him.

320
00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:10,320
And He's like, you're doing great.

321
00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:14,800
And now don't be discouraged by where you're at, but you can keep going and you can learn

322
00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:16,200
something from that.

323
00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:18,280
I love it.

324
00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:23,160
So any last thoughts on this talk?

325
00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:25,600
You know, I had some last thoughts.

326
00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:29,680
One more thing that he talked about was just how we can meet people over and over in the

327
00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:34,760
Book of Mormon who have had weaknesses and who have gone to God and turned to God in

328
00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:39,600
those weaknesses, and I just love that as we're finishing it this Christmas season.

329
00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:43,320
It's wonderful to be able to meet those people in the pages and just see, you kind of see

330
00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:47,360
yourself in different people at different stages of life, right?

331
00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:50,580
So that was really it in closing.

332
00:16:50,580 --> 00:16:54,040
So maybe something you've thought of as an action item in this talk.

333
00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:55,040
Okay.

334
00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:56,360
My question is this.

335
00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:58,880
Have you asked yourself what gift you're giving Jesus this Christmas?

336
00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,180
And if you have, then that's fantastic.

337
00:17:01,180 --> 00:17:06,520
If not, maybe you could ponder on how you can more fully use the gift of his atonement

338
00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:07,520
in your daily life.

339
00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:13,440
A gift that is appreciated and used in gratitude and thanksgiving brings joy to both the giver

340
00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:14,440
as well as the receiver.

341
00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:15,440
That's perfectly said.

342
00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:32,280
Have a good one.