Elder Holland's talk opened up conference perfectly. The call to make Christ the center of everything is something we all can work on. It also really spoke to me when he emphasized that the changes made in policy and program organization are revelation; not bowing down to social pressure. For several years I have wondered if/how the prophets today receive revelation the way the prophets from the scriptures and even Joseph Smith received revelation. I have always believed that the prophet was inspired, but I just didn't know if God spoke directly to him anymore. What helped answer that question was about a year ago when Sister Wendy Nelson shared her experiences with witnessing her husband, President Nelson, receive revelation. What has also helped is the language President Nelson uses when he shares important inspiration. He often says, "The Lord has pressed upon my mind..." I remember learning that after the Doctrine and Covenants was completed, many church members struggled with accepting new revelation from the prophets because there was no more "thus sayeth the Lord." So the saints were taught that revelation isn't required to be verbalized that way, nor does it need to be officially published in the scriptures. And even though we have that assurance, it still is nice to hear the prophet clarify that what he is saying does in fact come from Heavenly Father.
The simple act of watching conference is a trial for me and my family. I don't expect my kids to sit down and listen, but I do expect them to stay in the same room as the T.V. and color or play quietly. Which they can do off and on, but this particular weekend was very rough. By the end of the Saturday morning session I felt very much like a failure. After an emotional phone call with my mom, I realized there had been good moments, and my children did learn. I had asked Benjamin and Luna to give me a thumbs up whenever they heard the words: Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father, or God. They did a pretty good job, and Benjamin even pointed out when he heard the word "gospel", and he asked me what the Spirit is, and what the word "promptings" means.
During the Saturday afternoon session, President Russell M. Nelson reviewed the witness policy changes that had been announced during the leadership session. He said that these changes should "greatly enhance family participation in these ordinances." When I first read of the changes from the Church newsroom article, I felt that this was a good way for children and youth to gain a better understanding and stronger testimony of these ordinances at a younger age, and that it would be beneficial for the family to be apart of the ordinances together. It is very helpful and validating for me to hear something in conference that the Spirit was already leading me to anyway. It helps me know that I am listening to and following the Spirit correctly, and that is a very comforting revelation.
The women's session is always my favorite. I go with my mom and watch it at her stake center. At first, nothing in particular stuck out from Sister Lisa Harkness' talk, but as I contemplated later, I really appreciated her words. She talked about what it means to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ after baptism and how important it is. This wasn't a fluffy talk that we usually get from the Primary general presidency. Her tone of voice and the words she used were very serious. She wasn't chastising or lecturing, but it was very evident how important this message was to her, and it became important to me as well, and I really appreciated that kind of message.
Henry B. Eyring spoke about motherhood; he does almost every women's session, and I think he is always very respectful and reverent when he talks to the women about motherhood. He quoted President Nelson, "My work and my glory is to help my loved ones reach that goal [of eternal life]." He said that a mother's mission is a partnership with God. As I listened to President Eyring speak that night, I received a personal impression that I would like to share. At the second coming, what we accomplished in our earthly career won't matter, but what we accomplished with our children - how we raised them, what we taught them - will, and that goes for both mothers and fathers. Parenthood is a partnership with God, and parenthood is one of the most important services we can give on earth. My children were Heavenly Father's children before they came to me. He entrusted them to me to raise them in this mortal life. That is a really big responsibility, and it should not be taken lightly.
Dallin H. Oaks' talk left me with a much needed validation that the relationship I have with my brother Michael is correct. Earlier this year I shared a post about accepting Michael's sexuality and respecting his agency. Since then, I have had several moments (due to the opinions of others) where I wondered if I went too far. However, President Oaks' comments about how to apply the second great commandment (Love thy neighbor) to the LGBT community matched the personal revelation that I had received earlier this year:
- Treat members of the LGBT community with love
- Never persecute those who believe or act differently
- Be kind, be more civil
- Seek divine inspiration on what to support and what to oppose
On Sunday night, Gerson and I had a couple's council to discuss conference and plan any changes and goals we wanted to make in our family. This is the second post-conference council that we have had; and it was really beneficial. It is definitely something I want to keep doing. I'm excited for my family and individual goals. I look forward to reading the talks in the November Ensign and studying many of them in Relief Society.
