WEBVTT 00:00:02.340 --> 00:00:04.660 Welcome to closer to Christ through general conference 00:00:04.660 --> 00:00:06.700 where two friends who love Jesus share our own 00:00:06.700 --> 00:00:08.539 approach to studying the most recent general 00:00:08.539 --> 00:00:11.500 conference talks. This is Abby and Amy. Let's 00:00:11.500 --> 00:00:31.460 jump into it. Today we're going to talk about 00:00:31.460 --> 00:00:33.840 Know Who You Really Are. This is by Elder Brick 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:37.359 the Iyer of the Seventy. And he starts his talk 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:39.619 out with a story from his daughter's mission. 00:00:40.200 --> 00:01:01.149 He says, As I was looking for the perfect verse, 00:01:01.250 --> 00:01:03.450 I thought, what am I doing? This isn't what Christ 00:01:03.450 --> 00:01:06.269 would do. This is not a problem that I can solve, 00:01:06.269 --> 00:01:08.709 but this is a literal daughter of God who needs 00:01:08.709 --> 00:01:11.530 my help. So she says, I closed my scriptures, 00:01:11.950 --> 00:01:13.730 knelt beside her and held her while we cried 00:01:13.730 --> 00:01:16.549 together until she was ready to stand up and 00:01:16.549 --> 00:01:18.890 face this trial. It's pretty wise for someone 00:01:18.890 --> 00:01:21.670 who's that age to a missionary to realize, hey, 00:01:22.030 --> 00:01:24.349 I'm not anyone's savior. You know, I can help 00:01:24.349 --> 00:01:25.810 them. I can lead them to Christ, but I don't 00:01:25.810 --> 00:01:29.400 need to take his place. Powerful lesson. I agree, 00:01:29.739 --> 00:01:31.379 a powerful lesson for all of us to learn for 00:01:31.379 --> 00:01:33.340 her particularly at such a young age as a missionary. 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:36.980 And we can all have answers to worldly problems 00:01:36.980 --> 00:01:39.019 that come for someone else when we're at the 00:01:39.019 --> 00:01:42.939 outside looking at it. But I think it was special 00:01:42.939 --> 00:01:45.040 that the thought that distilled into her mind 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:48.599 was just to fall to her knees and be there and 00:01:48.599 --> 00:01:51.379 support that person, this young sister that was 00:01:51.379 --> 00:01:53.959 going through her trial. Because sometimes the 00:01:53.959 --> 00:01:55.760 most important thing we can give somebody is 00:01:55.760 --> 00:01:58.480 our presence, our time, our willingness to mourn 00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:01.159 with them until they are then able to gather 00:02:01.159 --> 00:02:06.280 their emotions and kind of look at the problem 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:09.139 and be ready to face it. Sometimes, they just 00:02:09.139 --> 00:02:11.319 need some time to process what it's going to 00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:14.979 take to overcome those things. I also love that 00:02:14.979 --> 00:02:16.639 when his daughter turned to the scriptures, that 00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:18.759 the references she pointed out were not the ones 00:02:18.759 --> 00:02:20.120 that she hoped would solve the problems this 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:22.360 young woman was facing directly. But instead, 00:02:22.580 --> 00:02:26.560 she's just trying to point this young sister 00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:31.219 towards the knowledge that she is divine worth. 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:34.379 She's a beloved. We're all beloved sons or daughters 00:02:34.379 --> 00:02:36.900 of God and that God fills the perfect compassion 00:02:36.900 --> 00:02:38.840 for us when we suffer and is ready to assist 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:41.879 us when we kind of stand back up. We make the 00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:45.699 choice to carry on even though it's hard. Knowing 00:02:45.699 --> 00:02:49.319 this truth is in our very core is the answer 00:02:49.319 --> 00:02:52.539 to a lot of life's problems, maybe all of life's 00:02:52.539 --> 00:02:55.930 problems. Yes, they can be very serious problems, 00:02:56.069 --> 00:02:58.469 but knowing that we're not alone in them, and 00:02:58.469 --> 00:03:01.150 that there's going to be some growth and some 00:03:01.150 --> 00:03:04.650 moments to walk with God in those trials. It's 00:03:04.650 --> 00:03:09.150 great to learn that, like to your core. Totally. 00:03:09.560 --> 00:03:11.419 and then carry that with you when when those 00:03:11.419 --> 00:03:12.599 times hit because they're going to certainly 00:03:12.599 --> 00:03:15.039 hit for all of us. Absolutely, they are. And 00:03:15.039 --> 00:03:16.580 you know, it makes sense that our missionaries 00:03:16.580 --> 00:03:18.800 throughout the world are encouraged to teach 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:21.800 that God is our loving Heavenly Father. I know 00:03:21.800 --> 00:03:23.879 that President Nelson said, you know, when you 00:03:23.879 --> 00:03:25.840 understand who you are, it affects every other 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:28.300 decision. So like you were saying, if you understand 00:03:28.300 --> 00:03:32.419 that you that everything else you learn in your 00:03:32.419 --> 00:03:34.979 gospel study points back to that love. It also 00:03:34.979 --> 00:03:37.099 builds on that love and it helps us understand 00:03:37.099 --> 00:03:40.000 why we're here and who we can rely on when things 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:44.539 are challenging. And like you said, they come, 00:03:44.580 --> 00:03:47.259 right? They're going to come. So it's all of 00:03:47.259 --> 00:03:50.360 that is part of the great plan. I like this quote, 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:52.599 Amy. When you know and understand how completely 00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:54.639 you were loved as a child of God, it changes 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:56.800 everything. It changes the way you feel about 00:03:56.800 --> 00:03:59.759 yourself when you make mistakes. He actually 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:01.879 knew I would make mistakes and made it possible 00:04:01.879 --> 00:04:05.360 to be forgiven. And it changes how you feel when 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:07.819 difficult things happen, meaning he knew life 00:04:07.819 --> 00:04:09.580 would be difficult sometimes, but through the 00:04:09.580 --> 00:04:12.740 atonement actually made it possible to feel in 00:04:12.740 --> 00:04:15.039 those difficult period of time that you're still 00:04:15.039 --> 00:04:18.300 loved. It changes our view of God's commandments, 00:04:18.620 --> 00:04:20.639 meaning they don't look like punishments anymore. 00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:22.519 They don't look like handcuffs, but it's just 00:04:22.519 --> 00:04:25.600 a clear map to enjoying the most freedom. Uh, 00:04:26.100 --> 00:04:28.040 and positive consequences that are attached to 00:04:28.040 --> 00:04:30.839 obedience, sometimes more long -term, you know, 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:32.959 sometimes like, well, I did this thing. Why am 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:35.379 I not being blessed? There's eternal benefits 00:04:35.379 --> 00:04:37.240 to those things. If he promised you that there's 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:38.879 going to be blessings for following his commandments, 00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:41.079 whether you see them in the moment or not, they're 00:04:41.079 --> 00:04:43.740 happening for sure. And if everything was transactional 00:04:43.740 --> 00:04:46.120 like that, it's not quite, you don't learn as 00:04:46.120 --> 00:04:47.779 well like that. It's not like in your bones. 00:04:48.220 --> 00:04:50.300 Yeah. Cause the same is true. Sometimes you do 00:04:50.300 --> 00:04:51.899 things that are contrary to the commandments 00:04:51.899 --> 00:04:54.060 and you don't immediately get the punishment 00:04:54.060 --> 00:04:56.079 from it. Sometimes those are way more long -term 00:04:56.079 --> 00:04:58.040 and coming. Then you look back on all the years, 00:04:58.120 --> 00:05:00.319 you're like, Oh, it was that those micro decisions 00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:02.240 that led me to where I am now that you fall to 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:04.639 your absolute bottom worse than have to dig back 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:07.899 from it. But yeah, I love that. Just a reminder, 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:13.639 it's not transactional. Did I say this? It changes 00:05:13.639 --> 00:05:15.639 your view of others. Oh, I didn't say this because 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:19.319 I love this part. So good. Yes. It changes your 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:22.240 view of others and your capacity to make a difference. 00:05:22.620 --> 00:05:24.839 Maybe my favorite part of the quote, because 00:05:24.839 --> 00:05:30.100 if you recognize the others or children of God 00:05:30.100 --> 00:05:32.500 and their individuals with divine worth too, 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:35.139 then you can try to use that gift to see others 00:05:35.139 --> 00:05:38.250 with those same eyes. It changes the world, it 00:05:38.250 --> 00:05:40.810 changes the way that we interact with other people. 00:05:41.329 --> 00:05:45.350 When our natural man inclination is to maybe 00:05:45.350 --> 00:05:47.329 not feel that way sometimes, especially with 00:05:47.329 --> 00:05:49.490 bad, you know, bad, countering bad behavior from 00:05:49.490 --> 00:05:51.810 them. Sometimes just reminding yourself they're 00:05:51.810 --> 00:05:53.870 a child of God too, try to give them benefit 00:05:53.870 --> 00:05:55.810 of the doubt that maybe something difficult is 00:05:55.810 --> 00:05:59.509 going on in their life or whatever. Very good, 00:05:59.509 --> 00:06:02.550 Abby. One of the best places to learn this from 00:06:02.550 --> 00:06:05.670 scripture is as God talks with Moses and also 00:06:05.670 --> 00:06:09.310 explains this, Moses, thou art my son, and that 00:06:09.310 --> 00:06:11.649 Moses was in this similitude of his only begotten. 00:06:11.709 --> 00:06:14.769 So we know that when Moses understood this, he 00:06:14.769 --> 00:06:17.029 knew his purpose and role and that he also had 00:06:17.029 --> 00:06:19.269 important things to accomplish. It makes me think 00:06:19.269 --> 00:06:21.550 about the most clear communication I've had with 00:06:21.550 --> 00:06:24.329 God through my patriarchal blessing when I read 00:06:24.329 --> 00:06:26.910 through that with a firm understanding that I'm 00:06:26.910 --> 00:06:29.250 a daughter of God and that all of their blessings 00:06:29.250 --> 00:06:31.629 seem completely plausible. I'm excited to see 00:06:31.629 --> 00:06:33.589 what I can accomplish with God at that point. 00:06:34.550 --> 00:06:36.970 I think most, most patriarchal blessings in those 00:06:36.970 --> 00:06:39.110 opening paragraphs, that's the, that's the key 00:06:39.110 --> 00:06:41.230 feature that you want to know of your divine 00:06:41.230 --> 00:06:44.649 heritage. If you don't have that solidified in 00:06:44.649 --> 00:06:46.730 your mind, I think everything else you read, 00:06:46.850 --> 00:06:48.850 you're kind of like, maybe, maybe I'm worthy 00:06:48.850 --> 00:06:50.629 of that. Maybe that'll come to me. But if you 00:06:50.629 --> 00:06:53.250 know, if you know that first statement to be 00:06:53.250 --> 00:06:56.310 true, you know, I am a beloved daughter of God 00:06:56.310 --> 00:07:00.779 or son. However, people's read everything else 00:07:00.779 --> 00:07:04.040 seems totally factual. And he wants to bless 00:07:04.040 --> 00:07:05.699 me with these things because I am so precious 00:07:05.699 --> 00:07:09.360 and dear to him. Yeah, I love that. Isn't it 00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:11.379 just like the adversary to come into the story 00:07:11.379 --> 00:07:13.779 of Moses and immediately after this awesome encounter 00:07:13.779 --> 00:07:16.060 with God, try to stamp his own label on us, Moses, 00:07:16.360 --> 00:07:19.839 son of man. We are children of God and have his 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:21.660 character running through us. We could do anything. 00:07:21.870 --> 00:07:23.910 Satan can only try to pick at weaknesses and 00:07:23.910 --> 00:07:26.170 attack us and try to label us with those weaknesses. 00:07:26.410 --> 00:07:28.569 We get to choose if we're gonna let those stick 00:07:28.569 --> 00:07:32.290 or not. Like that cute story with the Wimix. 00:07:32.750 --> 00:07:34.310 You are special. That's a good little story. 00:07:34.310 --> 00:07:38.230 Love it so much. The stars and dots. And also 00:07:38.230 --> 00:07:41.199 how amazing would it be if we all could be so 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:43.620 prepared for these predictable attacks by Satan 00:07:43.620 --> 00:07:46.319 that we could respond just like Moses did. Who 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:49.120 art thou? For behold, I'm a son of God. I love 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:52.120 that. I love the power. Yes, I love the power 00:07:52.120 --> 00:07:55.000 and I love the contrast. Like it was so strong 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:57.199 because it was right after there. He knew his 00:07:57.199 --> 00:07:59.180 worth and he wasn't broken by a false label. 00:07:59.560 --> 00:08:01.459 This was a standout line from the talk. He said 00:08:01.459 --> 00:08:04.480 this, we must seek validation vertically, not 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:07.000 horizontally. One of my favorites. Love that. 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:10.290 Spend a minute letting that sink in. When others 00:08:10.290 --> 00:08:13.810 try to put labels on us, are we quick to agree 00:08:13.810 --> 00:08:17.350 and be taken over by our fears or have we received 00:08:17.350 --> 00:08:19.910 validation vertically and know for ourselves 00:08:19.910 --> 00:08:22.110 that we are a child of God? This is one thing 00:08:22.110 --> 00:08:25.790 I stress with my kids is to say, you know, all 00:08:25.790 --> 00:08:28.449 that matters is what God thinks of you. And as 00:08:28.449 --> 00:08:30.310 long as you're good with him, then it doesn't 00:08:30.310 --> 00:08:33.740 matter whether someone be saying, you're fantastic 00:08:33.740 --> 00:08:35.779 and better than you are or above other things 00:08:35.779 --> 00:08:38.340 or whether they're saying you're low as the ground, 00:08:38.460 --> 00:08:40.740 you know what I mean? Whatever it is. Whatever 00:08:40.740 --> 00:08:43.539 labels and opinions they have, it's the validation 00:08:43.539 --> 00:08:46.500 that we should be seeking as gods. I love that. 00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:49.059 President Russell M. Nelson affirmed vertical, 00:08:49.700 --> 00:08:53.100 this truth about this vertical relationship that 00:08:53.100 --> 00:08:55.299 he hopes we all know. He said, can we each say, 00:08:55.500 --> 00:08:58.080 I'm a child of God, child of the covenant, a 00:08:58.080 --> 00:09:00.980 child, a disciple of Jesus Christ. He promised, 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:03.279 as you embrace these truths, our heavenly father 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:05.320 will help you reach your ultimate goal of living 00:09:05.320 --> 00:09:10.019 eternally in his holy presence. So, key pieces 00:09:10.019 --> 00:09:13.059 of the reason why we came here. It's like, I 00:09:13.059 --> 00:09:14.620 don't know, our stake president made some comment. 00:09:15.299 --> 00:09:18.019 It was like, you know, what's the purpose of 00:09:18.019 --> 00:09:21.080 this life on earth? And people will be like, 00:09:21.080 --> 00:09:22.519 you know, so that we can come here and that we 00:09:22.519 --> 00:09:23.620 can go back and live with him. He's like, well, 00:09:23.620 --> 00:09:26.100 he just wanted us to live with him. He would 00:09:26.100 --> 00:09:28.179 have just kept us there. We were living with 00:09:28.179 --> 00:09:30.360 him then. We wouldn't have to do all this stuff 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:32.360 here. We would just be living with him also, 00:09:32.460 --> 00:09:35.379 again, but the gist of it, to come to grow, to 00:09:35.379 --> 00:09:39.220 learn our true nature and our identity, our true 00:09:39.220 --> 00:09:43.120 potential, and then return back to him. People 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:45.240 don't like the idea of being co -equal with him, 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:48.580 but any parent would be what you... Let me raise 00:09:48.580 --> 00:09:50.600 you up, child. Follow me, watch my example, but 00:09:50.600 --> 00:09:53.279 then try to be a little not as awesome as I am. 00:09:54.250 --> 00:09:56.830 I never heard a good parent that acted like that, 00:09:57.350 --> 00:10:00.070 right? So by virtue of how we know real parent 00:10:00.070 --> 00:10:02.370 -child relationships should work, he's just as 00:10:02.370 --> 00:10:05.690 excited when we learn those things that make 00:10:05.690 --> 00:10:08.070 us more like our savior. God is watching that 00:10:08.070 --> 00:10:10.250 gratefully. Thank you for following the example 00:10:10.250 --> 00:10:11.610 of your big brother. And that's why I picked 00:10:11.610 --> 00:10:14.669 him for you. Seriously. It truly is amazing every 00:10:14.669 --> 00:10:17.289 time I think of the plan. So every Sabbath day, 00:10:17.450 --> 00:10:19.149 saints around the world gather to partake of 00:10:19.149 --> 00:10:21.649 the emblems of the sacrament. And in that prayer, 00:10:21.750 --> 00:10:24.269 we get to affirm that we are his children when 00:10:24.269 --> 00:10:27.740 he asks. to be referenced in this way, God the 00:10:27.740 --> 00:10:30.460 Eternal Father. So if He is our Father, our Eternal 00:10:30.460 --> 00:10:33.720 Father, can there be any doubt that His greatest 00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:35.840 desire, like you were saying, Abby, is to have 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:37.899 us, His children, return back to His presence 00:10:37.899 --> 00:10:40.840 with all the growth we can achieve because of 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:45.440 this life experience? That line hit me quite 00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:48.100 hard in a good way, like when I'm really zeroed 00:10:48.100 --> 00:10:49.840 in and really paying attention, preparing for 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:52.679 the sacrament and letting it be. bigger experience 00:10:52.679 --> 00:10:54.559 than just eating a little bit of bread and water, 00:10:55.460 --> 00:10:57.679 really Christ -centered and focused on Him. That's 00:10:57.679 --> 00:11:00.200 awesome. That's what we need to be. I love that 00:11:00.200 --> 00:11:03.980 that prayer was given to us by revelation. It's 00:11:03.980 --> 00:11:05.659 documented how we're going to say it. He could 00:11:05.659 --> 00:11:08.519 have chosen any title. Oh, great, magnificent, 00:11:08.679 --> 00:11:11.360 wonderful one. All -powerful, supreme, great 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:15.259 being. He asked to be referenced as God, our 00:11:15.259 --> 00:11:18.799 eternal Father, as we participate in this most 00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:20.980 important prayer of the week. Yeah. Love it. 00:11:21.220 --> 00:11:24.340 That's really good, Abby. Elder Patrick Heron. 00:11:24.340 --> 00:11:27.179 Love that guy. Taught. Our Father's beautiful 00:11:27.179 --> 00:11:30.519 plan, even his fabulous plan. I love it when 00:11:30.519 --> 00:11:33.519 he said it, you know, those months ago. And then 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:35.039 when people re -quote him, we get to talk about 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:38.480 the fabulous plan. Is designed to bring you home, 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:41.559 not to keep you out. God is in relentless pursuit 00:11:41.559 --> 00:11:44.679 of you. That is so comforting to hear. Elder 00:11:44.679 --> 00:11:48.139 Eyring promised us that our lives will fundamentally 00:11:48.139 --> 00:11:50.559 change if we better understand who we really 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:52.879 are. How can we come to know these fundamental 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:55.860 truths either more deeply or for the first time? 00:11:56.200 --> 00:11:58.200 He gives us two challenges to deepen our understanding 00:11:58.200 --> 00:12:01.059 of this powerful truth. The first one being prayer 00:12:01.059 --> 00:12:04.500 and then an understanding that Jesus is the Christ. 00:12:05.220 --> 00:12:07.279 Do you want to tackle the first one, Amy, like 00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:10.200 your insights on prayer? Sure. So, when we come 00:12:10.200 --> 00:12:12.200 to know more deeply that we're children of God 00:12:12.200 --> 00:12:16.179 by making time each day to truly be with Him, 00:12:16.519 --> 00:12:18.860 like not just saying our prayers, but really 00:12:18.860 --> 00:12:23.620 be with Him, be in His presence. So when we prepare 00:12:23.620 --> 00:12:25.960 our hearts and our minds through pondering, gratitude 00:12:25.960 --> 00:12:27.940 and quiet reflection, then we open ourselves 00:12:27.940 --> 00:12:30.480 to real communication with our Heavenly Father. 00:12:31.399 --> 00:12:35.179 And I do feel like gratitude is a huge component 00:12:35.179 --> 00:12:38.580 of that. Gratitude does invite revelation. Gratitude 00:12:38.580 --> 00:12:43.100 invites more blessing. It's a way that we get 00:12:43.100 --> 00:12:45.700 to really acknowledge His hand in our lives. 00:12:46.200 --> 00:12:48.059 Finding a private still place to pray helps us 00:12:48.059 --> 00:12:50.500 feel the Spirit and also hear His voice. And 00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:53.399 then consistent, sincere prayer combined with 00:12:53.399 --> 00:12:55.080 daily study of the Book of Mormon and temple 00:12:55.080 --> 00:12:57.519 worship invites revelation and strengthens our 00:12:57.519 --> 00:13:00.460 awareness of His love. As we pray more often 00:13:00.460 --> 00:13:03.200 and with greater intent, God helps us feel and 00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:05.620 remember that we are truly His beloved children. 00:13:06.590 --> 00:13:08.549 Maybe a question we could ask ourselves is, what 00:13:08.549 --> 00:13:11.269 do my prayers currently look like? And in an 00:13:11.269 --> 00:13:13.269 effort to go closer in my relationship with God, 00:13:13.649 --> 00:13:15.750 might those conversations look a little bit different 00:13:15.750 --> 00:13:18.710 than they are right now? How could they change? 00:13:19.080 --> 00:13:21.240 How could they be better? How could they also 00:13:21.240 --> 00:13:23.639 sometimes, Abby, I feel like maybe this is just 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:26.539 my life. But sometimes I get thrown into a season 00:13:26.539 --> 00:13:27.940 that I didn't see coming. And all of a sudden, 00:13:27.940 --> 00:13:30.059 I'm like, oh, things are different. Like, like, 00:13:30.120 --> 00:13:31.779 let's say, for example, all of a sudden, your 00:13:31.779 --> 00:13:34.440 kids are growing up and one's a teenager. Now, 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:35.919 teenage years are different than the younger 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:37.840 years, you know, and for someone who has, you 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:39.559 know, married children and grandkids and just 00:13:39.559 --> 00:13:42.620 things like that. Or when you're a new parent. 00:13:42.779 --> 00:13:45.279 But anyways, we find ourselves in new seasons. 00:13:45.460 --> 00:13:48.440 And I feel like new seasons require different, 00:13:48.500 --> 00:13:51.320 a different set of skills. And so prayer is so 00:13:51.320 --> 00:13:54.200 important for that to recognize, Heavenly Father, 00:13:54.220 --> 00:13:56.179 I'm in a different season. What do I need for 00:13:56.179 --> 00:13:58.120 this? What would, what are the tools I need? 00:13:58.700 --> 00:14:02.159 I love that. That's, that's super powerful. Assess 00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:04.120 what season you're in in your life. Do you feel 00:14:04.120 --> 00:14:07.320 disconnected from him? Is it A, because you're 00:14:07.320 --> 00:14:10.720 not making time to spend together or you're making 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:14.639 time, but it's very check the box time and you 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:17.019 move on to other things and don't give any time 00:14:17.019 --> 00:14:19.409 to you know, hear the other side of that conversation 00:14:19.409 --> 00:14:21.149 and the things that he wants to impress you with. 00:14:21.549 --> 00:14:23.250 Mine don't come immediately. Like I always say 00:14:23.250 --> 00:14:25.230 the things that are heaviest on my heart, you 00:14:25.230 --> 00:14:28.350 know, if I, if I have that conversation, my night 00:14:28.350 --> 00:14:31.090 prayers to him, I often wake up in the morning, 00:14:31.370 --> 00:14:33.750 like it's very quiet hours of the morning because 00:14:33.750 --> 00:14:35.830 we're in that stage of our life where when the 00:14:35.830 --> 00:14:38.789 kids are awake, it gets awfully loud. So it's 00:14:38.789 --> 00:14:40.570 busy. Yeah. That's where he can find me in the 00:14:40.570 --> 00:14:42.529 quietest moments. I would say when your life 00:14:42.529 --> 00:14:45.490 gets awfully busy with running kids to the myriad 00:14:45.490 --> 00:14:49.269 of chores and sports and activities, your time 00:14:49.269 --> 00:14:51.190 might be, you know, the 45 minutes that you're 00:14:51.190 --> 00:14:53.409 waiting for that activity to end. That could 00:14:53.409 --> 00:14:55.169 be your scripture time and the things on your 00:14:55.169 --> 00:14:59.789 heart. Maybe your best communication is in those 00:14:59.789 --> 00:15:02.769 quiet, peaceful moments in the temple. Can you 00:15:02.769 --> 00:15:05.070 get these answers amidst the chaos and crazy, 00:15:05.070 --> 00:15:07.250 you know, crazy life going about you? Absolutely. 00:15:07.289 --> 00:15:09.629 He can reach you anywhere that you are. But, 00:15:10.190 --> 00:15:12.379 you know, that's for everybody to decide. For 00:15:12.379 --> 00:15:14.279 sure. Where they're at and how they're feeling 00:15:14.279 --> 00:15:16.460 about their conversations and communication with 00:15:16.460 --> 00:15:18.360 them. Yes. And what can we do to change that 00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:21.159 if we need a little change? Okay, I think we're 00:15:21.159 --> 00:15:23.340 ready for the second part that he suggested. 00:15:23.460 --> 00:15:25.440 Sounds good. Which was coming to know and recognize 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:28.059 Jesus in a personal role in our lives as our 00:15:28.059 --> 00:15:31.309 Saviour and Redeemer. really emphasizing that 00:15:31.309 --> 00:15:33.649 word. Heavenly Father's great expression of love 00:15:33.649 --> 00:15:36.210 was sending His Son to help us return home through 00:15:36.210 --> 00:15:38.549 experiences that remind us of His mercy and power 00:15:38.549 --> 00:15:40.370 to forgive. We learn that Christ's atonement 00:15:40.370 --> 00:15:42.730 is not just for others. It is deeply personal. 00:15:42.970 --> 00:15:45.289 He knows and saves each of us individually, and 00:15:45.289 --> 00:15:48.110 only through Him can we return to our Heavenly 00:15:48.110 --> 00:15:52.710 Father. I'll say, it was in this part of the 00:15:52.710 --> 00:15:54.610 talk, he was talking about a minor change to 00:15:54.610 --> 00:15:56.309 the temple recommend questions, and it was like, 00:15:56.429 --> 00:15:58.820 do you believe that Jesus uh, is like savior 00:15:58.820 --> 00:16:01.720 and redeemer, something to that effect. And, 00:16:01.720 --> 00:16:04.200 and it's specifically, do you believe him to 00:16:04.200 --> 00:16:07.100 be your savior and redeemer? Very cool. Cause 00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:09.039 you could easily not really feel that worry in 00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:10.919 this about yourself and answer that truthfully 00:16:10.919 --> 00:16:13.240 and say, yes, I did think that he is people's 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:16.480 savior, but people sometimes are so hard on themselves. 00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:19.039 They want the amazing things that the atonement 00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:21.759 of Jesus Christ can do to be for everybody but 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:26.539 them. They put up a barrier, they put up a block, 00:16:27.460 --> 00:16:30.460 they want to be free of the things the birds 00:16:30.460 --> 00:16:32.379 are carrying around, but they just don't see 00:16:32.379 --> 00:16:34.600 the possibility, even when they can see it possible 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:37.059 for everybody else. So interesting how we are 00:16:37.059 --> 00:16:39.360 as people, right? Before we close with this testimony, 00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:41.659 I would like to remind all of our listeners that 00:16:41.659 --> 00:16:44.509 if you want to continue this conversation, We 00:16:44.509 --> 00:16:47.429 created a Facebook page conference that's about 00:16:47.429 --> 00:16:49.529 general conference and we would love your thoughts 00:16:49.529 --> 00:16:52.309 on this talk. So we're going to provide a prompt 00:16:52.309 --> 00:16:53.950 as though we were in a Sunday school lesson, 00:16:54.110 --> 00:16:56.409 let's say, and we'll encourage each of you to 00:16:56.409 --> 00:16:58.710 make this space your own and ask your own questions 00:16:58.710 --> 00:17:02.450 or share, show your own thoughts. Um, years ago, 00:17:02.450 --> 00:17:04.589 we were really blessed by a come follow me study 00:17:04.589 --> 00:17:07.049 group and got together with some women that like 00:17:07.049 --> 00:17:09.630 strengthen deepened our understanding of, of, 00:17:09.650 --> 00:17:14.059 of come follow me topics. We know it's going 00:17:14.059 --> 00:17:16.059 to take some time to grow and build, but we'll 00:17:16.059 --> 00:17:18.559 get some comments on YouTube. It's really the 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:20.160 only way that we have to communicate with our 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:22.279 listeners and they share some thoughts or some 00:17:22.279 --> 00:17:25.140 insights for us. And I would love more people 00:17:25.140 --> 00:17:27.440 to be able to just engage and interact with those 00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:29.559 comments, especially if you're like us and serving 00:17:29.559 --> 00:17:31.279 in the primary or if you have a young woman's 00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:33.420 calling and you're not getting to interact and 00:17:33.420 --> 00:17:35.920 on the same token, men that are in their different 00:17:35.920 --> 00:17:38.230 callings and responsibilities. sometimes it's 00:17:38.230 --> 00:17:40.349 nice to have your thoughts on it and just point 00:17:40.349 --> 00:17:41.829 out something that you've thought of as you're 00:17:41.829 --> 00:17:43.690 listening to us. When I listen back to these 00:17:43.690 --> 00:17:45.890 podcasts, sometimes I think of completely different 00:17:45.890 --> 00:17:48.470 things. Same. I'm like, whatever the spirit needs 00:17:48.470 --> 00:17:50.309 to impress upon me. It's not what we're saying 00:17:50.309 --> 00:17:51.910 in this moment. It's what the spirit wants to 00:17:51.910 --> 00:17:54.269 teach us because we're in the general conference 00:17:54.269 --> 00:17:56.130 talks. And so we know it's going to take some 00:17:56.130 --> 00:17:58.059 time to grow and to build that. we know that 00:17:58.059 --> 00:17:59.799 it's going to have to require us to just mention 00:17:59.799 --> 00:18:02.460 kind of every episode, hey, if you want to carry 00:18:02.460 --> 00:18:05.460 on the conversation, we're hoping that you, you 00:18:05.460 --> 00:18:07.319 know, you're all welcome to generate a prompt 00:18:07.319 --> 00:18:09.460 or we'll try to provide something that's insightful 00:18:09.460 --> 00:18:11.519 from the talk and then whatever comments play 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:15.200 off of that. And it could take some real time 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:17.559 to build that. Now's the time to start. So it's 00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:20.000 by the same title, Closer to Christ the General 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:22.519 Conference. I might try to put the link in the 00:18:22.519 --> 00:18:24.339 notes section if you're listening on a regular 00:18:24.339 --> 00:18:27.720 platform. Thank you for reminding everybody of 00:18:27.720 --> 00:18:28.980 that. I kind of failed to do that in the last 00:18:28.980 --> 00:18:30.779 two talks and we record it in such a way that 00:18:30.779 --> 00:18:32.279 I'm like, well, we'll have to fix that mistake 00:18:32.279 --> 00:18:36.500 now. Join us on Facebook. I'll close with this 00:18:36.500 --> 00:18:38.619 testimony. He said, let us seek Him. Let us study 00:18:38.619 --> 00:18:40.579 His divine relationship with the Father and with 00:18:40.579 --> 00:18:43.440 each of us. Let us experience the song of redeeming 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:45.759 love that comes personally to each of us through 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:48.119 our Redeemer as we repent, as we come to know 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:50.640 Him who is mighty to save. We will come to understand 00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:52.910 that we as children of God are His joy. His most 00:18:52.910 --> 00:18:55.230 important focus and we are indeed each worth 00:18:55.230 --> 00:18:57.650 saving. I testify that we have a loving Heavenly 00:18:57.650 --> 00:18:59.990 Father and we come to know His eternal truth 00:18:59.990 --> 00:19:02.089 through mighty prayer, personal revelation and 00:19:02.089 --> 00:19:04.789 coming unto Jesus Christ. We can now and always 00:19:04.789 --> 00:19:08.910 boldly proclaim, I am a child of God. We say 00:19:08.910 --> 00:19:10.910 this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Amen, 00:19:11.130 --> 00:19:13.170 Abby. That was a great one. We'll catch you all 00:19:13.170 --> 00:19:13.789 next time.