Welcome to Closer to Christ through General Conference,
where two friends who love Jesus share our own
approach to studying the most recent General
Conference talks. This is Abby and Amy. Let's
jump into it. Today we get to speak about Forsake
Not Your Own Mercy. This is done by Elder Matthew
S. Holland of the Seventy. Hello listeners. We're
so happy you joined us today. We are so glad
that Matthew Holland was able to speak because
the Holland legacy continues. This son of his
has his skill of oratory, beautiful imagery,
retelling scriptural accounts. and the ability
to just take a simple phrase and expound on it.
I don't know that I've read, for sake not your
own mercy, like that so powerfully, but just
like his dad, he makes you pause on one phrase.
And this talk speaks to the power Jonah's story
offers every humble seeker of happiness, especially
those who are struggling. We know God commanded
Jonah to go to Nineveh to declare repentance.
Nineveh was ancient Israel's brutal enemy. So
of course Jonah decides to go completely opposite
of that plan, heads in the opposite direction
by boat to Tarshish, and as he sails away from
his calling, a shipwrecking storm develops. Certain,
his disobedience is the cause. Jonah volunteers
to be thrown overboard. This does calm the raging
sea, which saves his shipmates. Miraculously,
Jonah escapes death when a great fish the Lord
prepared swallows him, but he languishes in that
unbelievably dark and putrid place for three
days until he finally is spit out on dry ground,
and then he accepts his call to Nineveh. Yet
when the city repents and is spared destruction,
Jonah resents the mercy shown his enemies. God
patiently teaches Jonah again that he loves and
seeks to rescue all his children. relentless
pursuit. Right, another lesson for him. I always
remember this story by Jonah and the whale, you
know, since I was a kid. I don't remember the
part about the inhabitants of the city repenting
and then Jonah resenting the Lord over it. I
forgot that part and I am just again reminded
of that. This is another layer of humanity and
the natural man and that all are fallen. Elder
Holland talks about a testimony of the fall,
which is not often discussed. He points out that
having a doctoral understanding and a spiritual
witness of why every single one of us struggles
with moral, physical, and situational challenges
is a great blessing. It's super fascinating that
the experience just happened to Jonah. He was
commanded by the Lord to do something. He chose
not to. He turned away from it, and the Lord
gave him his agency to turn away and go. some
circumstances were put in his way that he had
to, you know, be called to repentance support.
But moments later when he actually does go to
Nineveh and he's been called there as a prophet
to go preach the word because they've turned
away and given an opportunity to turn to. I'm
like, you know, my one personality would be like,
you know, wow, that's ... That's crazy, but how
am I going to like Jonah? Right? Where you forget
that? Yeah. I didn't follow through that thought.
Like how crazy is it that Jonah didn't see, you
know, the beauty and just that God wants this
for his children too. But I'm like, yes. When
I stories are so great, when I really take a
look at it, I'm like, Oh, yeah, I'm Jonah. My
sins are fine, but your sins are a problem for
me. I love it. So he says here on earth, ugly
weeds grow. even strong bones break and all come
short of the glory of God." Love that. Such a
great reminder to each of us, right? He really,
he really like hits home. It's a great reminder
to each of us that we are all fallen, not just
those we esteem our enemies or that have different
views or beliefs. He goes on to say that this
mortal condition, a result of choices made by
Adam and Eve, is essential to the very reason
that we exist. That we might have joy as our
first parents learned only by fast tasting the
bitterness and feeling the pain of a fallen world
Could we even conceive of let alone enjoy true
happiness? That's a lot to take in the fall our
own foibles and struggles within this mortal
existence And that it's all essential that we
might have joy just a lot right there kind of
an elementary Discussion of this but it came
it came from my teenager and I and I thought
a lot about it So I'm like, you know how kids
are good at teaching you but we were having this
conversation about vacations When people ask
what my husband and I do for fun if they say
Adam, what do you guys do for fun? He's like
we like to work I don't know that we like to
work, but we do find joy in projects right right
for sure, but because we do the work When we
have a vacation, we really love the vacation.
And so Maddie and I were having this conversation,
you know, there are some people, they get to
vacation quite a bit. You would look at it and
be like, man, there's a lot of vacations there.
That's so great. But if it doesn't pair with
hard work also, yeah, which she was explaining
to me, that's what she was looking at. That's
what she was learning from the lesson. She's
like, I think the fun of vacations kind of leaves
if you don't. have to work. Absolutely. Like,
I think that's true. By the sweat of your brow?
Oh, yeah. There was another great reminder in
this talk, a testimony of the fault does not
excuse sin or lacks approach in life's duties,
which always call for diligence, virtue, and
accountability, but it should temper our frustrations
when things don't always go right. When things
go wrong, when we see our mortal failings in
a family member, a friend, a leader, ourselves,
it was all. destined to happen, was going to
happen by virtue of the fall. Right. Cause all
of us fall short. Right. Some people will try
to be like, well, he made me do that. He gave
you the option to choose how that was going to
go. But, but because undoubtedly you have some
of the time you were going to pick and me too,
I'm included in this one, pick the wrong path.
There was always a way to get back. Yes. Yes.
And, and I think we've all experienced one of,
one of these frustrations in our life too often
things like this causes to just wallow in criticism
or resentment, and that will rob us of our faith.
A firm testimony of the fall can help us be more
like God, as described by Jonah, that is merciful,
slow to anger, and of great kindness to all,
including ourselves, in our unavoidably imperfect
state. I like that he always reminds us ourselves
are included. As we learn to forgive others for
their foibles, the things that they do wrong,
we become more forgiving of ourselves, because
I think we're our own worst critic. enemy. So
interesting, a firm testimony of the fall. Have
you heard anybody ever say that? I don't recall
it being like that. I've never thought of it
as a testimony of the fall before, but I'm starting
to get it now. Like, yes, having strong testimonies
of work. When that sits on you, that phrase about
they have to know sorrow so that they can know
joy, that bit in the temple, it strikes me pretty
heavily. That they bore their testimony on it.
It's so great. Yeah, it's really cool. So even
greater than manifesting the effects of the fall,
Jonah's story powerfully directs us to Him who
can deliver us from the effects. So here are
a few pieces of symbolism in this story that
point to Christ himself. So Jonah's self -sacrifice
to save his shipmates is Christ -like. When questioned
about his own divinity, Jesus answered, There
shall no sign be given but the sign of Jonah.
Three days and three nights in the whale's belly,
so shall the Son of Man be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth. He points out
that. Elder Holland points out that as a symbol
of the Savior's sacrificial death and glorious
resurrection, Jonah may be flawed, right? That
might be a flawed thing, but this is also what
makes his personal witness of and commitment
to Jesus Christ offered in the belly of the whale
so poignant and so inspiring. I think what he's
saying is, just like you said, Abby, we're all
Jonah at some point. So we can see, yeah, it
might be flawed, but it's a great, you know,
even Christ himself pointed to this story as
being part of that. Jonah's cry is that of a
good man in crisis, one largely of his own making.
I was just going to say, there are other talks.
Sometimes the lessons that we learn in life that
draw us closer to Jesus Christ, the pains, the
sorrows, the things that we go through, are not
at the hand of our own, causing. Or the wife
of a cheating spouse, or, you know, bereaved
parent, or cancer, or something. You're not like,
oh, Amy deserves cancer, or give that to her.
She did this, that's why she got cancer. But
when we started talking about the story, I'm
like, Jonah is the perfect example of when we
know what we should be choosing and we choose
the opposite direction 180 We can we totally
have the right to make that choice. Yeah, but
it does have consequences. Yes, so Whatever the
cause or degree of the disaster we face there
is always dry ground for hope healing and happiness
This is what Jonah says I cried by reason of
mine affliction unto the Lord out of the belly
of hell cried I, for thou hast cast me into the
deep in the midst of the seas, and I said, I
am cast out of thy sight, yet I will look again
towards thy holy temple. The waters compassed
me, and even to the soul the depths closed round
about me, the weeds were wrapped around my head.
I went down to the bottoms of the mountains,
meaning away from his temple covenants, right?
Yet hast thou brought up unto my life from corruption.
When my soul fainted, I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came into thine holy temple." They
that observe lying vanities forsake their own
mercy, but I will sacrifice unto thee with a
voice of thanksgiving I will pay that That I
have vowed salvation is of the Lord that mean
powerful Yeah, I mean his testimony is powerful
after coming from the depths of despair and hell
as he called it and back again It is the testimony
that I feel when people have turned away from
the church and come back and they testify of
that. I appreciate those testimonies. I've said
that a million times. I'll keep saying it. It's
powerful when you've been away and then you come
back just. Absolutely. Because then you are even
more convicted, meaning you want to be tied to
Christ even more. Like He has saved you. Like,
hey, guys, I've been away from it. It's not cool.
I'm coming back. I'm staying. Yeah. And even
in my own heart, like when I've really scene
doesn't matter what I've done if I've turned
from Christ in any way or if I've had I Need
to reconcile myself with my brother, whatever
it is when I view myself rightly I feel this
exact same way I'm just in awe that a Savior
was already provided for me a sinner and that
I can come back and take full advantage of my
covenants and just everything like I can do that
every day I can do that every week that I need
to that is a blessing I love this part because
Elder Matthew Holland shared this very personal
information. He says, though it was many years
ago, I can tell you exactly where I was sitting
and exactly what I was feeling when deep in the
belly of a person. Right? I discovered this scripture.
He shows his personal testimony of this particular
scripture and then he offers this. for all of
us, right? He says, for anyone today, feeling
like I did then, that you are cast off, sinking
in deepest waters with seaweed wrapped around
your head and oceanic mountains crashing all
around you. My plea inspired by Jonah is forsake
not your own mercy. Here we are at the title
of the talk itself, forsake not your own mercy.
What a powerful phrase. Like we talked about,
this is the one thing that he took out of scripture
that is just so strong. Even when we feel like
we're fallen, He reminds us of our moral agency.
So even when we feel like we're fallen, maybe
at our own doing, that we still have a choice.
We can always return to our Savior. Now is always
a good time to repent, regardless of what Satan
would have us believe. Here's the central point
of his entire talk. If we walk away with nothing
more than these two sentences deep within our
hearts, then Elder Holland has done his job.
He says this, you have immediate access to divine
help and healing despite your human flaws. This
awe -inspiring mercy comes in and through Jesus
Christ. It's powerful. The way he speaks, he
evokes so much of the Spirit that his father,
Jeffrey R. Holland, had to share. I mean, I loved
whenever he was in the lineup. I always looked
forward to him. you know it's so great we can
go back and reference old talks and hear that
sweet voice but it is so awesome to know like
the next generation is also trained up to speak
so powerfully and to continue that legacy. And
did you watch his, were you able to watch his
funeral? Yes. All three of his children are just
powerhouses and carry that same thing and you
know rather than like mourning their father's
death, reflected on, yeah, they gave up their
father for a big portion of their lives, but
I think they were proud to do it, and they know
that the testimony that he stood on was, he just,
he didn't give up time with his children for
nothing, he gave it up for something that he
felt was of such huge and great worth. Anyway,
we see, we both see that in his sons, particularly,
but we consider this a spiritual gift, it's a
spiritual gift of being an orator, and it was
a strong familial gift. He goes on to say this,
because He knows and loves you perfectly, He
offers it to you as your own, meaning it's perfectly
situated to you, designed to relieve your individual
agonies and heal your particular pains. So for
heaven's sake and yours, do not turn your back
on that. Accept it. Start by refusing to listen
to the lying vanities of the adversary who would
tempt you into thinking that relief is found
in sailing away from your spiritual responsibilities.
Instead, follow the lead of the repentant Jonah
crying to God, turned to the temple, cleaned
your covenants, served the Lord, His Church,
and others with sacrifice and thanksgiving."
He says that as we do this, He says, doing these
things brings a vision of God's special covenant
love for you, what the Hebrew Bible calls hesed.
You will see and feel the power of God's loyal,
untiring, inexhaustible, and tender mercies that
can make you mighty unto deliverance, unto deliverance
from any sin or any setback. I feel like He could
have done a mic drop like a few times during
this talk. I want to cheer and just it was just
so exciting for me. Yes, the promise that he
made early and intense anguish may cloud your
vision at first, but as you continue to pay that.
what you've vowed, such a vision will shine brighter
and brighter in your soul. And with that vision,
you will not only find hope and healing, but
astonishingly, you will find joy even in the
midst of your crucible. Again, a very personal
invitation to do these things for yourself. I'll
say just some thoughts that have been going on
in my head, because I, like you, kind of missed
that the story is so centered around Joan and
the whale, the three days in the belly and coming.
It's a very type and shout of Jesus Christ and
His resurrection. death and resurrection, missed
the part where he goes to the city and he preaches
repentance and they actually listen and he's
like, wait a minute. The thoughts have been opposite
of that for me. I was thinking, oh, like sometimes,
I'm not going to say a lot of times, but I would
say sometimes we go about and we fulfill these
roles, we serve these missions, we speak, we
prophesy, we testify of Christ that that there
was a fall, that a Savior was put into play,
that we can rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ,
that we can make it back to Him, right? We do
seem to think that it's easier to tell that to
other people, and sometimes we do block ourselves.
Meaning, forsake not your own mercy. Exactly.
Don't stand in the way of it. Right. Yeah. It
doesn't really pair well with the follow -up
to the Jonah story, but the thoughts that have
been going through my mind are … That message
is true for all of the children of the world,
regardless of what they've been doing in their
lives. And it seems like a lot of times we can
share that message, but the most important thing
is to understand it for ourselves. We're more
effective at sharing that message with others
when we know it for ourselves. But too often,
we think these great and awesome things are for
everybody else. And we know ourselves so intimately
that that's there. We put, we put, we we put
a Bond like a bond on the power that is to say
like a restriction. Yeah. Well, he can do that
for other people I can see the changes made in
their lives, but like he can't he can't fix this
thing for me That's just too bad. There's always
like something. Mm -hmm. And it's just the plea.
I think it's the plea of Brother Holland, Elder
Holland, what is he? Don't forsake your own mercy
that it's right in front of your face. It's been
already given to everybody, especially you Do
it. I love it. Take it. And he's such a ready
any closing thoughts from you No, I'm just gonna
if if you're okay, then I'm just gonna finish
his words I love the end to Abby because if we
haven't heard the message yet elder Holland leaves
his final invitation and testimony and I absolutely
echo his words with all my heart. He says, whether
we are facing a deep Jonah -like catastrophe
or the everyday challenges of our imperfect world,
the invitation is the same. Forsake not your
own mercy. Look to the sign of Jonah, the living
Christ. He who rose from his three -day grave,
having conquered all, for you. Turn to him, believe
in him, serve him, smile. For in him and him
alone is found the full and happy healing from
the fall. healing that we all so urgently need
and humbly seek. I testify this is true in the
sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. We'll
catch you next time.