WEBVTT 00:00:02.339 --> 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 --> 00:00:31.510 jump into it. Today we're talking about Lovest 00:00:31.510 --> 00:00:34.409 Thou Me by Elder Stephen C. Barlow of the Seventy. 00:00:34.810 --> 00:00:36.969 We're so happy you joined us. Hey, Abby. Hey, 00:00:36.990 --> 00:00:39.969 Amy. So I'm going to get right down to it. He 00:00:39.969 --> 00:00:41.969 starts with in the parable of the prodigal son. 00:00:42.369 --> 00:00:44.369 So we all remember the elder brother. He was 00:00:44.369 --> 00:00:46.810 initially struggling to celebrate when his younger 00:00:46.810 --> 00:00:49.549 brother came back after a period of poor choices 00:00:49.549 --> 00:00:52.250 and wasting his substance with riotous living. 00:00:52.670 --> 00:00:55.310 So the elder brother's pride and self -righteousness 00:00:55.310 --> 00:00:57.350 kept him from embracing the joy of his brother's 00:00:57.350 --> 00:01:00.240 repentant return. Sometimes, you know, we may 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:03.060 also let opportunities pass us by without letting 00:01:03.060 --> 00:01:05.140 our loved ones know, either through our words 00:01:05.140 --> 00:01:08.739 or actions of our sincere love for them. Maybe 00:01:08.739 --> 00:01:10.719 I felt this way in my younger years, you know, 00:01:10.840 --> 00:01:12.920 reading the parable until I reached the age of 00:01:12.920 --> 00:01:16.200 maturity to recognize that I am the prodigal 00:01:16.200 --> 00:01:18.519 son in the story. Most of us are. We all have 00:01:18.519 --> 00:01:21.900 a season, right? Or seasons. The amount of time 00:01:21.900 --> 00:01:25.599 we spent making decisions. contrary to our Father's 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:28.159 desire or the degree of trouble we find ourselves 00:01:28.159 --> 00:01:30.939 in at various times. It always varies, but at 00:01:30.939 --> 00:01:33.260 the core we all have turned away and we all come 00:01:33.260 --> 00:01:37.079 gratefully back into our Father's presence, no 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:39.819 matter how undeserving we feel about it. That 00:01:39.819 --> 00:01:43.019 is so me. Like six years ago while doing character 00:01:43.019 --> 00:01:46.530 profiles on Nephi, Sam, Laman, and Lemuel. I 00:01:46.530 --> 00:01:48.689 mean, all these years I'd be like, why are Layman 00:01:48.689 --> 00:01:51.189 and Lemuel punks? Why do they do this? You know, 00:01:51.310 --> 00:01:53.370 be like Nephi and Sam. And then I do this character 00:01:53.370 --> 00:01:55.670 profile and I'm like, oh my goodness, I am way 00:01:55.670 --> 00:01:59.810 more like Layman and Lemuel on the regular. And 00:01:59.810 --> 00:02:02.489 so I love that you did the character profiles. 00:02:02.650 --> 00:02:05.250 I was doing this with like a Sunday school class. 00:02:05.250 --> 00:02:06.890 I wrote it down and I'm like, which one do you 00:02:06.890 --> 00:02:09.110 identify with? And I think more of us are like 00:02:09.110 --> 00:02:11.469 that. So from the outside looking in the story, 00:02:11.490 --> 00:02:13.930 you're like, oh, I can see it's good to have 00:02:13.930 --> 00:02:16.860 them in the story so that we can say, Those are 00:02:16.860 --> 00:02:18.800 the things I need to recognize in myself so that 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:22.080 I can be more like a Nephi and a Sam. But back 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:25.280 to the topic, there are so many powerful examples 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:27.280 in the scriptures of sincere love shared and 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:29.280 received. We've got Naomi and Ruth, we've got 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:31.060 Ammon and King Lamoni, and we've got the Savior 00:02:31.060 --> 00:02:35.539 and His disciples. So these stories illustrate 00:02:35.539 --> 00:02:39.120 for us the power that comes when love is freely 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:42.060 given and also sincerely received. A virtuous 00:02:42.060 --> 00:02:44.039 cycle ensues with an increase of love between 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:46.759 both the giver and the receiver. God's love is 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:49.219 perfect, infinite, enduring, and most sweet. 00:02:49.780 --> 00:02:52.000 It fills the soul with exceedingly great joy. 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:55.159 At times when we find it difficult to recognize 00:02:55.159 --> 00:02:57.620 God's love in our lives, there is a way around 00:02:57.620 --> 00:03:01.039 this. Our perfectly loving Heavenly Father so 00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:03.659 deeply desires for us to experience His love, 00:03:04.449 --> 00:03:07.370 that quote, he speaketh unto us according to 00:03:07.370 --> 00:03:09.810 our understanding. He'll express his love for 00:03:09.810 --> 00:03:12.490 us in ways that we as individuals can recognize. 00:03:13.009 --> 00:03:15.509 Many of you have probably heard of the love languages. 00:03:15.770 --> 00:03:18.340 It isn't something that I've. really deep dived 00:03:18.340 --> 00:03:21.240 into, but it was on my mind a lot in this talk. 00:03:21.740 --> 00:03:23.680 And it's been on my mind a lot over the years. 00:03:24.379 --> 00:03:26.699 I do think it's a great tool to be able to really 00:03:26.699 --> 00:03:29.599 understand how to show your love in the best 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:31.419 way to the person that you're trying to receive 00:03:31.419 --> 00:03:33.960 that message of love. And it's good to know what 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:35.620 your love language is so that you can recognize 00:03:35.620 --> 00:03:37.719 when others are trying to. love you in that way. 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:41.159 So just briefly, the five categories are words 00:03:41.159 --> 00:03:43.699 of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of 00:03:43.699 --> 00:03:46.479 service and physical touch. So we can apply these 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:49.439 in marriage and dating and parenting and friendships 00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:52.340 and in our work dynamics. So the premise of the 00:03:52.340 --> 00:03:55.250 love language is understanding the recipient 00:03:55.250 --> 00:03:57.729 of your love enough to avoid like mismatching 00:03:57.729 --> 00:04:00.289 delivery which then leads to less conflict if 00:04:00.289 --> 00:04:03.389 we understand how they feel loved and less energy 00:04:03.389 --> 00:04:07.270 expended on our behalf absolutely right yes absolutely 00:04:07.270 --> 00:04:11.050 um most people realize even when they love someone 00:04:11.050 --> 00:04:14.159 deeply in their way they may not be loving them 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:16.720 in the way that that person understands or recognizes 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:19.720 love. So when we know their love language, we're 00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:21.680 able to love them in a way that does not burn 00:04:21.680 --> 00:04:24.040 us out, just like you were saying. So this is 00:04:24.040 --> 00:04:26.060 the lead -up for the backdrop of this talk. If 00:04:26.060 --> 00:04:29.019 we want to show our love for God, we should understand 00:04:29.019 --> 00:04:33.050 how He ... recognizes our love. Oh, that's great. 00:04:33.629 --> 00:04:36.970 So today, we touch on both the idea that He knows 00:04:36.970 --> 00:04:39.410 us so well that He finds a way to show us His 00:04:39.410 --> 00:04:41.990 love, and then when we love Him back, we will 00:04:41.990 --> 00:04:44.670 express love in the way that He recognizes love. 00:04:44.810 --> 00:04:46.970 So good. Doesn't that still feel like love language 00:04:46.970 --> 00:04:49.170 conversation? Absolutely. I can see why that 00:04:49.170 --> 00:04:51.629 was coming to your mind. We may experience God's 00:04:51.629 --> 00:04:53.790 love for us when we observe the beauties of nature, 00:04:53.810 --> 00:04:56.410 I definitely am there, or receive answers to 00:04:56.410 --> 00:04:58.930 prayers, or have thoughts come to our mind in 00:04:58.930 --> 00:05:01.360 the very moment that we need that. or experience 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:04.040 sweet moments of joy. The greatest manifestation 00:05:04.040 --> 00:05:06.480 of Heavenly Father's love for us that resonates 00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:08.779 with both mind and heart is when he allowed his 00:05:08.779 --> 00:05:11.879 beloved son to offer himself as the atoning one. 00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:14.699 Sometimes we're so consumed with seeking evidence 00:05:14.699 --> 00:05:17.060 of God's love for us that we become frustrated 00:05:17.060 --> 00:05:19.720 when we do not see it. A powerful takeaway from 00:05:19.720 --> 00:05:22.600 this talk. for our relationship with God and 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:25.240 really all of our relationships in our life, 00:05:25.279 --> 00:05:27.920 just like Gabby mentioned, is this. The beautiful 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:30.420 paradox is that the more we're focused on showing 00:05:30.420 --> 00:05:32.980 our love for God, the more easily we recognize 00:05:32.980 --> 00:05:35.220 His love for us. It's like our antenna is tuned 00:05:35.220 --> 00:05:37.939 to love, whether it's receiving or giving. Right. 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:41.600 And you're saying that I'm thinking, isn't that 00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:43.399 all relationships? You cannot force somebody 00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:46.019 to love you, but regardless of that, you can 00:05:46.019 --> 00:05:49.139 love them. And I would say we've had a lot of 00:05:49.139 --> 00:05:50.860 conversations, sometimes when you're particularly 00:05:50.860 --> 00:05:53.259 struggling with somebody, put their name on the 00:05:53.259 --> 00:05:55.439 temple roll or ask for opportunities to serve 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:58.819 them, service as love. that service then typically 00:05:58.819 --> 00:06:01.000 leads to love when there was maybe nothing there. 00:06:01.339 --> 00:06:03.939 So, this really applies in a relationship with 00:06:03.939 --> 00:06:05.680 God, which is a great one to start with, and 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:08.000 it really then broadcasts to the other areas 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:11.199 of our life, and it all gives us great blessings 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:13.740 when we do that. So, when the Savior was questioned 00:06:13.740 --> 00:06:15.959 on what the greatest command was, we know that 00:06:15.959 --> 00:06:27.850 He replied, done nothing in our relationship 00:06:27.850 --> 00:06:30.589 with him to demonstrate our love back. How many 00:06:30.589 --> 00:06:32.649 earthly relationships would tolerate such a one 00:06:32.649 --> 00:06:35.610 -sided relationship like this? Not many, right? 00:06:35.709 --> 00:06:39.449 It's not long. Elder Kieran offers a wild suggestion 00:06:39.449 --> 00:06:42.629 next. If you're finding it frustrating and finding 00:06:42.629 --> 00:06:44.850 the right way to show love to someone you care 00:06:44.850 --> 00:06:48.050 about and it isn't the way that maybe they recognize 00:06:48.050 --> 00:06:50.189 it, he says it may be helpful to ask those we 00:06:50.189 --> 00:06:52.769 love how they recognize love expressed. What 00:06:52.769 --> 00:06:54.870 an excellent idea. So yeah, essentially saying 00:06:54.870 --> 00:07:02.910 know yourself and how can we show love? That's 00:07:02.910 --> 00:07:06.290 a novel idea. Instead of guessing, you just tell 00:07:06.290 --> 00:07:08.550 me and then I'll know. In our relationship with 00:07:08.550 --> 00:07:10.430 God, we don't have to guess His love language. 00:07:10.550 --> 00:07:13.110 He did spell it out for us. We just have to know. 00:07:13.810 --> 00:07:17.550 what it is and what to do with it. So we can 00:07:17.550 --> 00:07:19.610 turn to the examples in the scriptures. The first 00:07:19.610 --> 00:07:21.810 one they shared was, love is thou me more than 00:07:21.810 --> 00:07:24.069 these. Amy, why don't you take that one for us? 00:07:24.589 --> 00:07:27.029 Okay. The resurrected Lord and Peter shared this 00:07:27.029 --> 00:07:29.810 exchange. It's good to love many things, but 00:07:29.810 --> 00:07:32.050 is our love for the Savior more than our love 00:07:32.050 --> 00:07:36.009 for any other activity or person? Is He the most 00:07:36.009 --> 00:07:38.649 important influence in our lives? When he is, 00:07:38.670 --> 00:07:41.810 we have more capacity in all the other relationships 00:07:41.810 --> 00:07:44.930 in our lives. Yes. It reminds me of my dad used 00:07:44.930 --> 00:07:51.290 to do a, um, uh, an object lesson and you get 00:07:51.290 --> 00:07:54.250 like two jars, right? Okay. Um, let's say glass 00:07:54.250 --> 00:07:57.240 jars and first you fill it. with sand, which 00:07:57.240 --> 00:07:59.519 is all the other stuff, then you fill it with 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:01.759 rocks or ping pong balls and it doesn't fit. 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:04.220 But if you put the big things in first, meaning 00:08:04.220 --> 00:08:06.019 like do the stuff that's most important first, 00:08:06.339 --> 00:08:08.360 everything else actually fit into it when you 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:09.819 do it that way. And that's what this is reminding 00:08:09.819 --> 00:08:11.939 of. It's like the most important influence, the 00:08:11.939 --> 00:08:14.519 most important relationship is with Jesus Christ. 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:17.879 And when we do that, we have capacity for everything 00:08:17.879 --> 00:08:21.480 else. That's wonderful. I love that. That's an 00:08:21.480 --> 00:08:25.930 awesome object lesson. Right, it was for scriptures 00:08:25.930 --> 00:08:27.750 back in the day. Yeah, for love, that's a great 00:08:27.750 --> 00:08:29.410 one. Like, I know that we've used it like in 00:08:29.410 --> 00:08:32.409 our financial courses and, you know, when, you 00:08:32.409 --> 00:08:34.409 know, commandment, tithing's a commandment, and 00:08:34.409 --> 00:08:36.230 like a lot of people will try to save tithing 00:08:36.230 --> 00:08:38.070 for last and, you know, make all the other monthly 00:08:38.070 --> 00:08:40.870 bills work and stuff, but you put him first, 00:08:41.190 --> 00:08:43.250 you demonstrate that faith in him and that love, 00:08:43.669 --> 00:08:46.120 and then all of the other things. God math. Yeah, 00:08:46.419 --> 00:08:49.379 God math works. President Russell M. Nelson said, 00:09:12.500 --> 00:09:15.139 So we're demonstrating our love language by being 00:09:15.139 --> 00:09:17.480 a disciple and making him our top priority. And 00:09:17.480 --> 00:09:21.340 I mean, just that visual over the radio lines 00:09:21.340 --> 00:09:23.840 here, thinking of ping pong balls in a glass 00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:26.559 jar and with the sand. Stop being so consumed 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:29.379 with making the sand fit. Do the ping pong ball. 00:09:29.899 --> 00:09:32.600 Know that God's on our side and He'll make room 00:09:32.600 --> 00:09:34.759 for everything else or He'll allow us to feel 00:09:34.759 --> 00:09:36.879 totally peaceful of letting those other things 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:39.200 go. Don't have the room. That also reminds me 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:41.799 of one of A quote from President Nelson. Uh huh. 00:09:41.919 --> 00:09:44.720 He said that things will either come into focus 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:46.960 or they will slip out of our lives. And it's 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:50.080 so true. That's so perfect. Yeah. Um, it makes 00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:52.259 me think, Amy and I just got done doing activity 00:09:52.259 --> 00:09:54.080 days. I got, she's, she's actually in charge 00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:55.860 of it and I got to be a sub today. So we were 00:09:55.860 --> 00:09:57.360 doing the thing and I was kind of working on 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:00.120 my calendar that just came in and talking about, 00:10:00.200 --> 00:10:03.360 um, we, I don't know. I don't know if you set 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:07.330 goals. particularly, but I do a word of the year 00:10:07.330 --> 00:10:08.850 and I was like, I came up with my word and I'm 00:10:08.850 --> 00:10:10.429 like, what is it? I said balance and she's like, 00:10:10.450 --> 00:10:12.110 that is totally one of my words. So you do a 00:10:12.110 --> 00:10:15.269 couple of words. I normally do one word, but 00:10:15.269 --> 00:10:17.830 it was capacity was my first word. And then I 00:10:17.830 --> 00:10:20.110 was like, but I've got to find balance with it. 00:10:20.110 --> 00:10:22.529 And so like I, cause I tend to swing one way 00:10:22.529 --> 00:10:26.029 or another. And so that's why balance is my big 00:10:26.029 --> 00:10:27.929 focus. Yeah. I think we're going to ask you guys 00:10:27.929 --> 00:10:31.049 what. If you were to be asked for a word of the 00:10:31.049 --> 00:10:32.690 year, like what that's going to look like. So, 00:10:32.690 --> 00:10:34.710 um, I came up with balance and a lot of the thing 00:10:34.710 --> 00:10:37.929 I'm thinking about is how I'm balancing work 00:10:37.929 --> 00:10:41.490 requirements and, um, church requirements and 00:10:41.490 --> 00:10:43.590 my relationships with each of my children, my 00:10:43.590 --> 00:10:46.649 husband, you know, all of these, all of these 00:10:46.649 --> 00:10:49.129 things. And then I was kind of brought that up 00:10:49.129 --> 00:10:50.750 in a work meeting today and I was saying like 00:10:50.750 --> 00:10:52.929 I'm really seeing it more of like a Triangle 00:10:52.929 --> 00:10:54.690 not like a two -sided balance and then I was 00:10:54.690 --> 00:10:56.649 like kind of like a juggling ball but I don't 00:10:56.649 --> 00:10:58.669 want ever want any of those relationships to 00:10:58.669 --> 00:11:01.929 feel like they're up in the air and being Juggled 00:11:01.929 --> 00:11:04.629 by me. I want them all to feel when I'm when 00:11:04.629 --> 00:11:07.210 I'm doing that responsibility that that I'm 100 00:11:07.210 --> 00:11:10.029 % invested in in that and I love that so some 00:11:10.029 --> 00:11:11.669 of the things that have happened throughout the 00:11:11.669 --> 00:11:14.509 day I'm like thinking about what we're podcasting 00:11:14.509 --> 00:11:19.309 and Sorry about that about my phone beeping. 00:11:20.570 --> 00:11:24.830 But I'm just thinking, what a great promise that 00:11:24.830 --> 00:11:28.269 we're given that as we put that extra energy 00:11:28.269 --> 00:11:32.429 into finding that balance or making that relationship 00:11:32.429 --> 00:11:37.389 with God, the most important one, all of the 00:11:37.389 --> 00:11:43.250 other things just will kind of become easier. 00:11:43.819 --> 00:11:46.740 Don't you think? Because it's mostly just being 00:11:46.740 --> 00:11:49.019 aware of it, right? Sure. If you're aware, then 00:11:49.019 --> 00:11:51.179 the spirit can direct you into, oh, maybe we 00:11:51.179 --> 00:11:53.580 do this right now, maybe we do that. Knowing 00:11:53.580 --> 00:11:55.799 what to pick up, knowing what to put away. I 00:11:55.799 --> 00:11:57.860 love that. I always can use extra help with that. 00:11:58.159 --> 00:12:00.139 And I've definitely done that. Like on some days, 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:01.919 I like kind of look at what I have lined up to 00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:03.720 do. I'm like, I'm not doing this day. You're 00:12:03.720 --> 00:12:06.500 doing this day. You let me know. what takes priority, 00:12:06.620 --> 00:12:09.919 what's most important. I let him take the wheels 00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:12.179 on it and I'll be like, if I get half of it done, 00:12:12.379 --> 00:12:14.100 I hope it's the half that you would want me to 00:12:14.100 --> 00:12:16.320 have done. And I'm always surprised, usually 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:18.919 the whole thing gets managed and I haven't felt 00:12:18.919 --> 00:12:21.620 too stressed about it because I know he did it. 00:12:21.639 --> 00:12:24.379 And I love giving him credit for those days that 00:12:24.379 --> 00:12:27.600 I'm like, that was way above my abilities and 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:30.360 capacity, but you made it work. Which again, 00:12:30.460 --> 00:12:34.779 comes back to our words. Balance, capacity. So 00:12:34.779 --> 00:12:40.279 good. Why don't we go to the next one? Awesome. 00:12:40.740 --> 00:12:42.799 So, there's another one of how we show God love 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:45.019 in the same conversation. So, this is right after 00:12:45.019 --> 00:12:48.500 His resurrection and it's with Peter. After asking, 00:12:48.700 --> 00:12:50.799 Lovest thou me? Peter replied, Gaylord, thou 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:52.960 knowest that I love thee. His instruction is 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:56.580 then, Feed my sheep. So, we show our love for 00:12:56.580 --> 00:12:59.600 Heavenly Father when we serve, listen to, love, 00:12:59.720 --> 00:13:02.559 lift, or minister to His children. And that service 00:13:02.750 --> 00:13:05.330 may be as simple as truly seeing others without 00:13:05.330 --> 00:13:08.889 judgment. It's interesting because this is perfectly 00:13:08.889 --> 00:13:12.490 in line with our next conference talk, Feed My 00:13:12.490 --> 00:13:14.990 Sheep, that, you know, we're talking about. I 00:13:14.990 --> 00:13:17.870 love how they organize and orchestrate which 00:13:17.870 --> 00:13:21.049 ones come after letting everybody get their inspiration. 00:13:21.129 --> 00:13:23.029 Yeah. Then the Lord kind of just orchestrates 00:13:23.029 --> 00:13:25.330 the perfect little conference for us. So great. 00:13:25.450 --> 00:13:50.230 In section 76 of D &C, it says, I love that. 00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:53.179 Oh, well, let's share that sweet story about 00:13:53.179 --> 00:13:55.080 service and the bonds that service bring about. 00:13:55.419 --> 00:13:58.679 So after returning home from my mission, he says, 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:01.100 I took over the lawn care business that my brothers 00:14:01.100 --> 00:14:03.539 and I had started as teenagers. I was also busy 00:14:03.539 --> 00:14:05.659 with my university studies. One spring week, 00:14:05.899 --> 00:14:10.299 heavy rain and moving final exams left me overwhelmed 00:14:10.299 --> 00:14:13.419 and behind on this yard work. Midweek, the skies 00:14:13.419 --> 00:14:15.279 cleared and I planned to catch up on yard work 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:17.480 after classes. But when I arrived home, my truck 00:14:17.480 --> 00:14:20.649 and my equipment were gone. Curious. I visited 00:14:20.649 --> 00:14:24.590 the scheduled yards. Each one had already been 00:14:24.590 --> 00:14:27.070 beautifully trimmed. At the last yard on the 00:14:27.070 --> 00:14:29.309 schedule, I saw my younger brother walking behind 00:14:29.309 --> 00:14:32.889 the mower. He saw me, smiled and waved. Overcome 00:14:32.889 --> 00:14:35.110 with gratitude, I hugged and thanked him. His 00:14:35.110 --> 00:14:36.889 meaningful act of service deeply strengthened 00:14:36.889 --> 00:14:40.710 my love and my loyalty for him. So sweet. I love 00:14:40.710 --> 00:14:43.850 that. I love that story, but I was just thinking, 00:14:44.350 --> 00:14:46.370 when you're impressed to take a casserole to 00:14:46.370 --> 00:14:48.919 somebody, Like, let's say I feel impressed to 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:51.740 bring a casserole to Amy, and I do that, like, 00:14:52.659 --> 00:14:55.539 in that way, God would have loved to bring you 00:14:55.539 --> 00:14:57.159 the casserole, and that's not something He's 00:14:57.159 --> 00:14:59.480 able to do. He requires us to be His hands and 00:14:59.480 --> 00:15:01.620 do the service and stuff. So, in that way, like, 00:15:01.960 --> 00:15:04.419 you can picture delivering that casserole to 00:15:04.419 --> 00:15:07.759 God on behalf of God. And this story, I mean, 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:10.000 think about it. At the age that He is, this is 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:14.200 probably like a 40 -year -old story. And it still 00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:18.980 touches His heart. I love it. The Lord said in 00:15:18.980 --> 00:15:21.500 nothing does man offend God save those who confess 00:15:21.500 --> 00:15:24.440 not his hand in all things So we show our love 00:15:24.440 --> 00:15:26.779 to God by acknowledging him as a source of every 00:15:26.779 --> 00:15:28.740 good thing in our lives And we also manifest 00:15:28.740 --> 00:15:31.879 our love of God by having a grateful heart the 00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:36.330 best way of sharing our example is to use the 00:15:36.330 --> 00:15:39.049 story that he illustrated. He used a story of 00:15:39.049 --> 00:15:42.490 his career to illustrate this. In the early days 00:15:42.490 --> 00:15:44.669 of launching a company, my business partner and 00:15:44.669 --> 00:15:46.909 I would pray earnestly before important meetings, 00:15:47.389 --> 00:15:49.549 asking for Heavenly Father's help. Time after 00:15:49.549 --> 00:15:51.789 time, God answered our prayers and our meetings 00:15:51.789 --> 00:15:53.990 went well. After one meeting my business partner 00:15:53.990 --> 00:15:56.269 pointed out we'd been really quick to ask for 00:15:56.269 --> 00:15:58.659 help. but really slow to give thanks. So from 00:15:58.659 --> 00:16:01.100 then on, we made a habit of offering sincere 00:16:01.100 --> 00:16:03.159 prayers of gratitude, recognizing the Lord hand 00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:05.580 in our success. We show our love for God with 00:16:05.580 --> 00:16:07.879 an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude has a well 00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:10.120 -documented positive impact on mental health. 00:16:10.379 --> 00:16:12.480 And lots of times, mental health helps decrease 00:16:12.480 --> 00:16:15.100 the pressure on our physical state, too. We know 00:16:15.100 --> 00:16:17.720 it reduces anxiety, depression, and over time, 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:21.919 we can even rewire our brains. You know, those 00:16:21.919 --> 00:16:24.320 ... Feel good neurotransmitters get released 00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:26.779 as we're thankful for things the dopamine the 00:16:26.779 --> 00:16:29.539 serotonin we like that hit Grateful people may 00:16:29.539 --> 00:16:33.200 experience the same setbacks But they tend to 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:35.480 recover faster and tolerate uncertainty and disappointment 00:16:35.480 --> 00:16:38.379 better Gratitude strengthens social bonds and 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:40.440 relationships and overall well -being grateful 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:43.759 people have higher satisfaction of life I love 00:16:43.759 --> 00:16:47.679 that. It reminds me, too, if you take the church's 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:50.740 course on self -reliance. Emotional self -reliance. 00:16:50.840 --> 00:16:53.580 That is one of the first things we do, is you 00:16:53.580 --> 00:16:55.480 start to make a gratitude journal, and at least 00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:57.399 every single day you write something you're grateful 00:16:57.399 --> 00:16:59.019 for. It's just a great way to start the day. 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:02.240 And so, yeah, for emotional, for everything, 00:17:02.519 --> 00:17:05.839 it really helps things. So Christ said, If ye 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:08.140 love me, keep my commandments. We show our love 00:17:08.140 --> 00:17:10.180 for Heavenly Father and His beloved Son when 00:17:10.180 --> 00:17:13.289 we choose to obey them. Do we do it out of fear? 00:17:13.829 --> 00:17:16.430 Is our obedience with a willing heart? Father 00:17:16.430 --> 00:17:19.410 wants us to be, to want to be obedient. Right? 00:17:19.609 --> 00:17:24.089 Emphasis on the want. Yeah. That's not hard to 00:17:24.089 --> 00:17:28.529 understand because if you, if you're the child 00:17:28.529 --> 00:17:30.529 of a parent, or you have the opportunity to be 00:17:30.529 --> 00:17:32.869 a parent yourself, you know that's a relationship. 00:17:33.089 --> 00:17:35.309 You can only teach your kids so much and then 00:17:35.309 --> 00:17:37.430 at a certain point you have to see what they 00:17:37.430 --> 00:17:39.450 do with the things that you've taught them. And 00:17:39.450 --> 00:17:42.450 if you force them to do good things, It's fine. 00:17:42.809 --> 00:17:46.750 They've done good. If they, against all odds, 00:17:47.029 --> 00:17:50.069 choose to do good, you're not there to like hold 00:17:50.069 --> 00:17:51.829 their hand and help them make a decision. They 00:17:51.829 --> 00:17:53.170 come home, they're like, yeah, such and such 00:17:53.170 --> 00:17:55.569 happened and I did this. You're leaping for joy 00:17:55.569 --> 00:17:58.690 inside. Cause you get to see that they wanted 00:17:58.690 --> 00:18:01.829 to want to choose the better option. Totally. 00:18:02.170 --> 00:18:03.809 It reminds me, I don't know if you've seen the 00:18:03.809 --> 00:18:07.069 video this week and come follow me. Elder Bednar 00:18:07.069 --> 00:18:11.519 starts it off and first he talks about keeping 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:13.660 your first and second estate. He explains it 00:18:13.660 --> 00:18:16.839 so well. And then inevitably, because he always 00:18:16.839 --> 00:18:19.140 talks about how we're agents to act and not be 00:18:19.140 --> 00:18:22.880 acted upon, you know, he says, remember, we have 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:25.319 agency, but we don't have it to do whatever we 00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:27.799 want with it. We have it to learn to choose Christ 00:18:27.799 --> 00:18:30.099 over and over again. And I love that. Reminds 00:18:30.099 --> 00:18:32.960 me of this, like, it's why it was a gift to use 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:35.000 it the best we could and to bring about the most 00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:37.660 good and the most joy that we could in our life. 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:40.890 I love that. Um, that makes me think back up 00:18:40.890 --> 00:18:43.750 to the example that, um, this brother gave about 00:18:43.750 --> 00:18:46.589 his business partner. Uh, he's not saying every 00:18:46.589 --> 00:18:49.349 deal went through that they were trying to accomplish. 00:18:49.730 --> 00:18:51.589 When you put God in the picture, when ones didn't 00:18:51.589 --> 00:18:54.029 go through, they could still have the attitude 00:18:54.029 --> 00:18:57.029 of it was for a reason why something didn't manifest 00:18:57.029 --> 00:18:59.190 or why didn't it come to pass. Yeah. And that's 00:18:59.190 --> 00:19:01.430 also great. So the more that we involve them, 00:19:01.430 --> 00:19:05.349 the more that we can get into the mindset that 00:19:05.349 --> 00:19:07.630 that didn't happen, but it's because something 00:19:07.630 --> 00:19:10.930 better. For sure. It is inevitably going to happen. 00:19:10.950 --> 00:19:14.710 Yes. When the timing's right. I agree. Sister 00:19:14.710 --> 00:19:19.410 Tamra Roonya, she called that love of wanting, 00:19:20.150 --> 00:19:22.829 how did you word that? He wants us to want to 00:19:22.829 --> 00:19:25.549 be obedient. Sister Roonya calls this affectionate 00:19:25.549 --> 00:19:28.109 obedience. That's great. She said, even though 00:19:28.109 --> 00:19:31.609 we don't have perfect obedience yet, we try affection 00:19:31.609 --> 00:19:35.490 and obedience. Again, referencing examples with 00:19:35.490 --> 00:19:38.940 our children. Our children try. to make the better 00:19:38.940 --> 00:19:41.500 choice, and it doesn't really totally pan out, 00:19:41.960 --> 00:19:44.700 then trying is just as sweet as really getting 00:19:44.700 --> 00:19:48.880 it well. Elder Dale G. Renlund said, our Heavenly 00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:51.160 Father's goal in parenting is not to have his 00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:53.099 children do what is right, it is to have his 00:19:53.099 --> 00:19:55.180 children choose to do what is right and ultimately 00:19:55.180 --> 00:19:57.119 become like him. Again, another way to say the 00:19:57.119 --> 00:20:01.079 same great thing. Heavenly Father gave us agency, 00:20:01.140 --> 00:20:05.059 so here we are, to inspire us to want to choose 00:20:05.059 --> 00:20:07.809 him. He wants us to have eternal life, but he 00:20:07.809 --> 00:20:10.390 also hopes that we will be with him. Our agency 00:20:10.390 --> 00:20:14.170 is such a huge condition of the plan. If he simply 00:20:14.170 --> 00:20:16.470 wanted us to be obedient, he would use immediate 00:20:16.470 --> 00:20:19.329 rewards and punishments to influence our behaviors, 00:20:19.509 --> 00:20:21.109 right? We would see immediately that, oh, that 00:20:21.109 --> 00:20:23.809 didn't work out. Not how it works. We show our 00:20:23.809 --> 00:20:26.579 love for God when we choose to obey. and follow 00:20:26.579 --> 00:20:28.720 him. We can really get into the immediate rewards 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:30.619 and punishments like if you start thinking about 00:20:30.619 --> 00:20:32.900 like with when you're small and you have kids, 00:20:33.400 --> 00:20:35.400 you have to get a hot stove, right? Things like 00:20:35.400 --> 00:20:36.940 that. Immediately get hurt and immediately don't 00:20:36.940 --> 00:20:38.799 do that again. And the laws of nature, like the 00:20:38.799 --> 00:20:43.130 law of gravity, pretty immediate. you hold the 00:20:43.130 --> 00:20:44.710 ball out like this and it drops. You know what 00:20:44.710 --> 00:20:46.589 I mean? Right. And just to go back to the come 00:20:46.589 --> 00:20:48.069 follow me for the week that you were referencing 00:20:48.069 --> 00:20:49.549 in the Elder Bednar, I'm definitely going to 00:20:49.549 --> 00:20:51.269 go on the first and second estate. You get to 00:20:51.269 --> 00:20:52.730 make your choices. You don't really get to choose 00:20:52.730 --> 00:20:55.170 the consequences of what those are, but obviously 00:20:55.170 --> 00:20:57.289 there's stuff in line that when we're making 00:20:57.289 --> 00:20:59.390 good choices that that will eventually lead to 00:20:59.390 --> 00:21:01.490 the better consequences that we're shooting for. 00:21:01.769 --> 00:21:05.970 Being more like God, being prepared and ready 00:21:05.970 --> 00:21:10.700 to abide in His. Biden his presence, but this 00:21:10.700 --> 00:21:13.160 comes up all the time people when people will 00:21:13.160 --> 00:21:15.500 say like I'm making all these right decisions 00:21:15.500 --> 00:21:17.839 And they're not seeing the blessings from that 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:21.480 It's like if you if that's them if that's a mindset 00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:23.079 that you think that it needs to be immediate 00:21:23.079 --> 00:21:25.299 Then you're you're expecting like a childish 00:21:25.299 --> 00:21:29.299 It's more of a child's response. You you know 00:21:29.299 --> 00:21:31.039 that if you ask a kid to do work and you're gonna 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:33.900 give them What do you call that money chore money 00:21:33.900 --> 00:21:37.119 or whatever? If a year goes by, they're going 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:38.859 to stop doing the chores, right? It's like you 00:21:38.859 --> 00:21:40.180 do the chore, you get paid at the end of the 00:21:40.180 --> 00:21:43.160 week. You have to motivate based on age level. 00:21:43.160 --> 00:21:44.700 You have to motivate a little bit more quickly. 00:21:44.700 --> 00:21:46.779 And then, you know, as they get older, it's okay 00:21:46.779 --> 00:21:48.759 that you're saying, you know, you're saving for 00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:50.980 a car. Your payment is, you know, this is a harder 00:21:50.980 --> 00:21:52.380 job. It's going to take you longer to do. It's 00:21:52.380 --> 00:21:54.599 not just like picking up your toys. It's like 00:21:54.599 --> 00:21:57.319 really trimming the yard or deep cleaning something 00:21:57.319 --> 00:22:02.539 or whatever. You can stretch out the growth and... 00:22:02.109 --> 00:22:05.670 stretch out the reward for that and it's just 00:22:05.670 --> 00:22:09.549 a pattern of growth that he uses in us to become 00:22:09.549 --> 00:22:13.170 like him. If our whole lives it was like you 00:22:13.170 --> 00:22:14.809 did a good thing and you got the reward for the 00:22:14.809 --> 00:22:17.769 thing, where's the growth? And I think he's just 00:22:17.769 --> 00:22:19.170 trying to point that out. It doesn't mean I don't 00:22:19.170 --> 00:22:20.990 hear you, that I'm not getting ready to bless 00:22:20.990 --> 00:22:23.230 you. The blessing, it's not the time for the 00:22:23.230 --> 00:22:27.130 blessing. Trust me. Just have this conversation 00:22:27.130 --> 00:22:30.009 with me and recognize that you know that you're 00:22:30.009 --> 00:22:33.009 on the right path. And you can say to him, you 00:22:33.009 --> 00:22:34.670 know, if I need some course correction, let me 00:22:34.670 --> 00:22:35.910 know. But if you're feeling like you're on the 00:22:35.910 --> 00:22:37.670 path that he wants you to be on, but you're not 00:22:37.670 --> 00:22:40.349 getting the blessing you're asking for, it's 00:22:40.349 --> 00:22:43.109 coming. It is. It's interesting too, as I look 00:22:43.109 --> 00:22:47.380 back at my life, totally along the same vein. 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:51.180 I've noticed that because Heavenly Father has 00:22:51.180 --> 00:22:54.980 the perfect gift of discretion, meaning how much 00:22:54.980 --> 00:22:58.500 to give, when to hold back, he knows the exact... 00:22:58.619 --> 00:23:01.779 Amount at any given time for me. I would always 00:23:01.779 --> 00:23:04.380 like it to be sooner than later, right? Human 00:23:04.380 --> 00:23:07.019 nature. Yeah, and I just not selfish. It is exactly 00:23:07.019 --> 00:23:09.819 all of us feel that way I've noticed over time 00:23:09.819 --> 00:23:12.660 that it is a little more delayed that like it's 00:23:12.660 --> 00:23:14.880 not the same as it was when I first started really 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:18.059 just Going down the path and themes things seemed 00:23:18.059 --> 00:23:20.180 a little more immediate. They are a little more 00:23:20.180 --> 00:23:24.400 drawn out now and I was listening to what president 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:27.160 Eyring was saying the other day, talking about 00:23:27.160 --> 00:23:31.220 proving and being strengthened. And he said, 00:23:31.339 --> 00:23:33.420 when those types of things happen, you can just 00:23:33.420 --> 00:23:36.940 take that as God's trust in you, that He's growing 00:23:36.940 --> 00:23:38.839 you. And I was like, hey, that's, I mean, that's 00:23:38.839 --> 00:23:41.279 a good way to look at it, right? When you're 00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:43.019 not having the immediate things you used to. 00:23:43.500 --> 00:23:45.380 I don't know if it will really apply or resonate 00:23:45.380 --> 00:23:47.319 with people that are listening, but a lot of 00:23:47.319 --> 00:23:49.039 us that are doing the parenting thing, as I'm 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:51.819 watching my older friends raise older children 00:23:51.819 --> 00:23:54.960 and you don't have that, that daily guidance 00:23:54.960 --> 00:23:56.339 and they're really making decisions on their 00:23:56.339 --> 00:23:58.019 own. I've seen a lot of heartache as the kids 00:23:58.019 --> 00:24:00.680 are making their own decisions and experimenting 00:24:00.680 --> 00:24:03.180 what it looks like to use that agency and experience 00:24:03.180 --> 00:24:05.640 the consequences that come with that. But another. 00:24:05.819 --> 00:24:08.759 reason why this is so great is that, you know, 00:24:08.859 --> 00:24:12.039 it's not, it's not one second in time. It's this 00:24:12.039 --> 00:24:15.039 long relationship. It's this covenant relationship 00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:17.319 and we have so much time for learning and for 00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:20.240 growth. And so some comfort and peace to give 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:22.980 is that it's like, um, they're still in the process 00:24:22.980 --> 00:24:24.920 of learning and the promises that we've been 00:24:24.920 --> 00:24:27.380 made with, um, because of, you know, one of the 00:24:27.380 --> 00:24:29.539 pieces of love that he shows us is these covenants 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:32.440 and they are strong and they are lasting and 00:24:32.440 --> 00:24:36.869 they extend beyond the veil. And so we're not, 00:24:37.049 --> 00:24:39.009 you know, we're not going to type our emotions 00:24:39.009 --> 00:24:41.450 based on just a little snapshot time. It's going 00:24:41.450 --> 00:24:44.690 to be this big picture look that he has on things. 00:24:45.150 --> 00:24:47.630 That's so good, Abby. Thank you. Uh, I think 00:24:47.630 --> 00:24:49.289 we've covered everything. Did you have anything 00:24:49.289 --> 00:24:51.890 else to share? I believe I shared it all. Okay. 00:24:52.230 --> 00:24:55.549 Let me close with this testimony. He said, I 00:24:55.549 --> 00:24:57.690 testify that each one of us is truly a child 00:24:57.690 --> 00:25:00.569 of God. He loves us perfectly. I testify that 00:25:00.569 --> 00:25:03.569 He yearns for us to experience His love in ways 00:25:03.569 --> 00:25:05.990 we recognize and understand. And the beautiful 00:25:05.990 --> 00:25:08.210 paradox is that we will experience His love for 00:25:08.210 --> 00:25:12.529 us even more deeply as we show our love for Him. 00:25:13.390 --> 00:25:15.369 And this He does in the name of Jesus Christ. 00:25:17.710 --> 00:25:22.490 What comes to mind on Facebook? If they want 00:25:22.490 --> 00:25:24.609 to join us on Facebook, what could we ask them? 00:25:25.109 --> 00:25:29.490 Oh, that's a good question. How about what area 00:25:29.490 --> 00:25:32.450 are you impressed to focus on to show God that 00:25:32.450 --> 00:25:34.730 you love Him? Yeah. And then I'm going to put 00:25:34.730 --> 00:25:37.150 a second one up. I would love to hear if people, 00:25:37.230 --> 00:25:39.809 we're starting to get a few more people on there. 00:25:40.349 --> 00:25:43.089 And again, it is not what it's going to be. It's 00:25:43.089 --> 00:25:44.890 the beginnings of what it's going to be. Seeds 00:25:44.890 --> 00:25:47.970 of greatness. Yes, planting seeds, what we have 00:25:47.970 --> 00:25:50.930 the capacity for. Anyway, we're going to share 00:25:50.930 --> 00:25:54.210 our words of the year and like kind of like what 00:25:54.210 --> 00:25:56.769 we want, what we're hoping to see come from that. 00:25:56.829 --> 00:25:58.970 If you guys want to share what your ambitions 00:25:58.970 --> 00:26:00.750 for the new year are, if there's a word that 00:26:00.750 --> 00:26:03.109 you could kind of spell it out, I would love 00:26:03.109 --> 00:26:05.450 to have a conversation about that. So we'll put 00:26:05.450 --> 00:26:08.309 those up and we will catch you in the next one. 00:26:08.390 --> 00:26:09.190 Catch you next time.