General Conference Reactions, October 2010

Six months have passed, seemingly in the blink of an eye, and General Conference came and went in the same fashion; but what a great conference it was! I would like to take a moment to share some of my reactions to the counsel we received last weekend, and perhaps this may be a source of inspiration to you.

TEMPLES

I become especially excited for October Conference because the custom has become to announce new temples being constructed in its Saturday morning session. This year was no different, as President Monson announced the edification of five new temples: (1) Lisbon, Portugal, (2) Indianapolis, Indiana, (3) Urdaneta, Philippines, (4) Hartford, Connecticut, and (5) Tijuana, Mexico. The announcement of new temples is evidence that the Lord's work moves forward. President Monson said "the ordinances performed in our temples are vital to our salvation and to the salvation of our deceased loved ones. May we continue faithful in attending the temples, which are being built closer and closer to our members." I am grateful for the knowledge that I have of the essential nature of temples, and how they can bring together generations.


CONSECRATION

Another talk that impacted me was given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson, entitled "Reflections on a Consecrated Life." In it Elder Christofferson said that a consecrated life comes from purity, work, respect for one's body, service, and integrity. He cited the Savior's example of consecration, and that true happiness comes from giving what is truly ours--our time and our choices--to God's purposes. Elder Christofferson said:

"As the Savior demonstrated, the consecrated life is a pure life. While Jesus is the only one to have led a sinless life, those who come unto Him and take His yoke upon them have claim on His grace, which will make them as He is, guiltless and spotless. With deep love the Lord encourages us in these words: 'Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day' (3 Nephi 27:20)."

Elder Christofferson went on to explain how we emulate the Savior's example of consecration, which involves the five tenets mentioned above. In all things it means putting God first, using what we have been given to build the Kingdom of God. this happens as we build up others, striving to be a source of help for the human race. I received strength from this talk as it provided and framework and encouragement in my efforts to "quietly and thoughtfully go about doing good."


"BEWARE OF PRIDE" 2.0

The last talk I would like to emphasize comes from the man I affectionately call the "Cleanup Hitter"--President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency. I call him this because for me President Ucthdorf always seems to speak with power, authority, kindness, and confidence, and seems to further the validate the words of those who preceded him. His talk in Priesthood Session was no different. To the men of the Church President Uchtdorf provided a new iteration of President Ezra Taft Benson's seminal "Beware of Pride" talk. President Uchtdorf explained that, like President Benson, he had been weighed down for some time by this topic.

President Uchtdorf explained that everyone has an intimate if not casual relationship with this universal sin. He said that pride is a sin because it brings hatred and hostility as we compare ourselves to others. Pride reveals that in stead of worshiping God and lifting up our neighbor, we are merely looking after ourselves. President Uchtdorf called it a "gateway sin," as pride is the precursor to all other sins. He said that this sin can be seen foremost in the world of sports, which then can bleed over into all facets of life; what a statement to millions of Mormon sports fans!

But President Uchtdorf spoke of the true things--pride is the switch that turns off Priesthood power, and it is humility that turns it back on. He said:

"When I was called as a General Authority, I was blessed to be tutored by many of the senior Brethren in the Church. One day I had the opportunity to drive President James E. Faust to a stake conference. During the hours we spent in the car, President Faust took the time to teach me some important principles about my assignment. He explained also how gracious the members of the Church are, especially to General Authorities. He said, 'They will treat you very kindly. They will say nice things about you.' He laughed a little and then said, 'Dieter, be thankful for this. But don’t you ever inhale it.'"

It is my hope that we can strive to better serve not just because it is our duty, but because we sincerely want to bless the lives of others. I believe that it is therein where we will grow in gratitude for others, and not to "inhale" our blessings and prosperity. I hope that we can make a better turn towards consecrating ourselves, out time, and our agency toward building up the Kingdom of God. As we do this, we will be enabled to bless even more people, thus fulfilling the Lord's work and glory, which is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." I am ever grateful for the knowledge of these truths.

Have a great week!