Brothers and sisters, it is a pleasure to be able to speak with you this morning before I go to serve in the Japan Kobe Mission. There is much I still do not know or understand, but there is much I believe in and hope for, and it is these things that I wish to share with you today.
I'm sure many of you can recall a moment when you sat down to listen to General Conference, notebook and phone in hand, ready to jot down any insights and be the first to tweet or post the pithy one-liners we all love and slap a satisfying #ldsconf on them. The anticipation bubbling beneath your skin as the iconic narrator’s voice is heard, introducing the session. Conference is nice. Conference is wonderful. Conference is comfortable.
Until that one talk.
You know the one. The one that shakes your core. The one that drains the color from your face as it rocks you. The one where Conference stops being comfortable. Where you look into the eyes of the speaker and realize that you specifically are being called out. And you hate it. It twists at the pit of your stomach and you hate it; you hate it a lot.
Until you stop. And you realize that this is true. And you change.
Or perhaps you're in the other camp of us. Those of you who can recall a moment when you sat down to listen to General Conference, exhausted, weary, and really quite sick of this whole Mormon thing and life in general, dreading seeing your Facebook feed covered in shallow sound bites that feel like faceless echoes rattling in your brain. The feeling of ostracization crawling up your throat and settling there like a wad of tar as the plastic voice of the narrator is heard, introducing the session. Conference is hard. Conference hurts. Conference is exhausting.
Until that one talk.
You know the one. The one that shakes your core. The one that turns the greying world into a burst of color. The one that makes you sob and gasp in relief because finally, finally, after all this time, the agonized prayer in your heart is being answered. The one where Conference stops being a burden. Where you look into the eyes of the speaker and realize that maybe you do belong here after all. And you cry and you cry because you love it. It fills your spirit to overflowing and you love it; you love it a lot.
And you stop. And you realize that this is true. And you change.
Chances are, the talk you're thinking of is the same one as the one that someone from the opposite group is thinking of. It's also likely that the talk is by Elder Holland.
This pattern of comfort and chastisement has been around since the beginning, and the reason is that this is how our testimonies are built. Consider the words of the Savior himself in John 8:7-11, in the story of the woman taken in adultery:
“So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
There we see the pattern. Chastisement of those who think themselves better, and comfort of those who think themselves worthless. In doing so, a change is wrought in both. The lowly find the strength to move on, and the haughty find the humility to improve.
For the woman taken in adultery and her accusers, the words of Jesus were That One Talk. For King Lamoni and his people, the words of Ammon were That One Talk. For Alma, the words of Abinadi were That One Talk. For me, President Uchtdorf’s talk from the April 2016 Sunday morning session was That One Talk. I could go on and on.
The thing is, though, every talk has the potential to be That One Talk for someone. Sure some talks are more likely to be so than others for a multitude of reasons, but every talk can be. This is because it is not the speaker who is shaking your core, but rather the Holy Spirit.
Words alone can do nothing to move someone. In Preach My Gospel, missionaries are taught that we do not teach people, but rather we are vessels that the Lord uses to teach people through the Spirit. The Spirit bears witness of all truth. With that knowledge, we then realize that every talk given in General Conference can be That One Talk to us, provided that the Spirit testifies of its truth.
Why then, you may wonder, are there so many talks easily forgotten in the slurry pile of the words of our prophets, seers, and revelators? The answer is simple. We do not listen to the Spirit. In both camps of people I described earlier, it is easy for us to deafen our ears to the Spirit’s quiet whisperings, even when the prophets speak with power and authority.
For the camp of the comfortable, it can be all too tempting to always associate ourselves with the saints and the 5 wise virgins and the Good Samaritan; the righteous spoken of in every talk. We are good people. We obey the commandments and read the scriptures and go to church. We love our prophets. Surely we are Celestial bound. And while this may be the case, it is foolish to think that we cannot benefit from correction.
For the camp of the weary and downtrodden, it can be far too easy to just stop. To stop listening. To stop trying. To give up. This we cannot do. Even when it hurts, even when it’s hard, even when it feels like everyone is against you, even when you doubt and question and don’t understand, you must continue to press on and listen ever harder for the Spirit.
The words of the prophets by nature carry the power of the Lord and the Spirit with them. However, this is not to mean that we should simply absorb their words through osmosis and throw all critical thought to the wind. We do not gain testimony without effort on our part. So in order to make every talk That One Talk, we must treat them as we treat That One Talk.
What do we all do when we hear “Our concluding speaker will be Elder Jeffrey R. Holland” or “After the choir, we will hear from our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson.”? Our ears perk up, we rise from our slouchy positions in our comfy jammies, we shush our noisy family members, and we focus.
But let’s be real. It can be really hard to sit and focus for hours on end. People just aren’t meant to focus that long on one thing. It makes your brain hurt and you cry a little inside if you aren’t getting any new stimulation. However, Conference can be wonderfully stimulating, and if you go into each talk with the mindset that it could be That One Talk, focusing will be easier.
Nevertheless, focusing is not all we need to build our testimonies next week as we listen to our leaders. The key is humility. Our testimonies are never built when we think we know it all, when we refuse to let go of preconceived notions, or when we let our stubbornness blind and deafen us.
Consider the words of our prophet, Thomas S. Monson in the September 2017 First Presidency Message:
“The Savior sends prophets because He loves us. During general conference this October, the General Authorities of the Church will again have the privilege of sharing His word. We approach this responsibility with great solemnity and humility...
Continuous revelation is the very lifeblood of the gospel of Jesus Christ. May we prepare to receive the personal revelation that comes in abundance during general conference. May our hearts be filled with deep determination as we raise our hands to sustain living prophets and apostles. May we be enlightened, uplifted, comforted, and strengthened as we listen to their messages. And may we be ready to recommit ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ—His gospel and His work—and to live with renewed resolve in keeping His commandments and carrying out His will.”
As the prophets approach their talks with solemnity and humility, so too must we. We must bow our knee and ask the Lord for confirmation with His Spirit to know for ourselves that what the General Authorities say is true and from Him. Moroni’s promise in Moroni 10:4-5 is valid, not only for the Book of Mormon, but for the words of all the Lord’s prophets.
“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”
Brothers and sisters, dear friends, I exhort you to approach General Conference next week with a sincere desire to learn, even if the things you may hear are hard, even if they’re uncomfortable and hurt your feelings a little. Even if life is hard and uncomfortable and hurting. Regardless of who you are and where you are in your path back to the Lord, regardless of what life has thrown at you or how strong your faith is, the prophets are here to bring you closer to Christ and testify of God’s neverending love. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve are men of God, and I sustain them as prophets, seers, and revelators. They, along with all other General Authorities, are called of God, and I testify that through them, the Spirit can build us stronger than we could ever hope to be alone.
Our Heavenly Parents love us perfectly and absolutely. Jesus Christ is forever on our side. The Gospel is true and real and the greatest, most joyful of news to ever be proclaimed on this Earth. Of these things I testify and leave with you humbly, in the name of our Lord and Savior, the great Redeemer of Israel, even Jesus Christ. Amen.
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