Listening to Children

 “One of our urgent opportunities is to respond to a child when he earnestly asks, remembering that they don’t always ask, that they aren’t always teachable, that they won’t always listen. And often we have to take them in their terms, at their times, and not always on our terms, and our times. . . . If they find they can trust us with their trivial questions, they may later trust us with the more weighty ones.”

Richard L. Evans, “The Spoken Word,” Ensign, May 1971, 12. 

Heavenly Help

“Our Heavenly Father is aware of our needs and will help us as we call upon Him for assistance. I believe that no concern of ours is too small or insignificant. The Lord is in the details of our lives.”

President Thomas S. Monson, “Consider the Blessings,” Ensign, Nov 2012, 88.

True Conversion

“True conversion . . . includes a conscious commitment to become a disciple of Christ.”

David A. Bednar, “Converted unto the Lord,” Ensign, Nov. 2012, 107.

Testimony to Share

“The Lord . . . entrusts a testimony of the truth to those who will share it with others,”
 said President Dieter R. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency. “Even more, the Lord expects, the members of His Church to ‘open [their mouths] at all times, declaring [His] gospel with the sound of rejoicing’ (D&C 28:16). . . . Sometimes a single phrase of testimony can set events in motion that affect someone’s life for eternity.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Waiting on the Road to Damascus,” Ensign, May 2011, 76-77.

Humility Before Help

 “Over and over in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord requires faith and humility before He gives His help. One reason for this is that His answers may not come in the way we expect. Neither will they always be easy to accept.”

President Henry B. Eyring, “The Voice of the Lord,” Ensign, Jan 2013, 4. 

Your Reaction to Adversity

My dear young sisters, you need to know that you will experience your own adversity. None is exempt. You will suffer, be tempted, and make mistakes. You will learn for yourself what every heroine has learned: through overcoming challenges come growth and strength.

It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop.

Enduring adversity is not the only thing you must do to experience a happy life. Let me repeat: how you react to adversity and temptation is a critical factor in whether or not you arrive at your own “happily ever after.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Your Happily Ever After,” Ensign orLiahona, May 2010, 124–27

Your Favorite Fairy Tale: Adversity

For a moment, think back about your favorite fairy tale. In that story the main character may be a princess or a peasant; she might be a mermaid or a milkmaid, a ruler or a servant. You will find one thing all have in common: they must overcome adversity.

Cinderella has to endure her wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters. She is compelled to suffer long hours of servitude and ridicule.

In “Beauty and the Beast,” Belle becomes a captive to a frightful-looking beast in order to save her father. She sacrifices her home and family, all she holds dear, to spend several months in the beast’s castle.

In the tale “Rumpelstiltskin,” a poor miller promises the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king immediately sends for her and locks her in a room with a mound of straw and a spinning wheel. Later in the story she faces the danger of losing her firstborn child unless she can guess the name of the magical creature who helped her in this impossible task.

In each of these stories, Cinderella, Belle, and the miller’s daughter have to experience sadness and trial before they can reach their “happily ever after.” Think about it. Has there ever been a person who did not have to go through his or her own dark valley of temptation, trial, and sorrow?

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Your Happily Ever After,” Ensign orLiahona, May 2010, 124–27

Receiving Answers

“In our prayers we seek to know what God would have us do, what we should do to find peace and happiness in this life and the next, and what lies ahead of us. The Doctrine and Covenants is filled with answers to such questions asked by ordinary people and by prophets in humble prayer. It can be a precious guide to teach us how to receive answers to questions about our temporal well being and eternal salvation.”

President Henry B. Eyring, “The Voice of the Lord,” Ensign, Jan 2013, 4. 

We are Everything To God

“Compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God.”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “You Matter to Him,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 20. 

Eternally Important Service

“Perhaps the most familiar and most important examples of unselfish service and sacrifice are performed in our families. Mothers devote themselves to the bearing and nurturing of their children. Husbands give themselves to supporting their wives and children. The sacrifices involved in the eternally important service to our families are too numerous to mention and too familiar to need mention.”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Sacrifice,” Ensign, May 2012, 22. 

The Golden Years

“We are old now, and in due time, we will be summoned beyond the veil. We do not resist that. We try to teach the practical things we have learned over the years to those who are younger—to our family and to others.

“We cannot do what we once did, but we have become more than ever we were before. . . .

“In your golden years there is so much to do and so much to be. Do not withdraw into a retirement from life, into amusement. That, for some, would be useless, even selfish. You may have served a mission and been released and consider yourself as having completed your service in the Church, but you are never released from being active in the gospel. . . .

“You may at last, when old and feeble, learn that the greatest mission of all is to strengthen your own family and the families of others, to seal the generations. . . .

“Keep the fire of your testimony of the restored gospel and your witness of our Redeemer burning so brightly that our children can warm their hands by the fire of your faith.”

President Boyd K. Packer, “The Golden Years,” Ensign, May, 2003, 84. 

The Divine Gift

“Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we speak of it. It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace. Rather than interrupting the celebration, the gift of repentance is the cause for true celebration.”

Elder D. Todd Christofferson, “The Divine Gift of Repentance,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 38. 

Urgent Need for Capable Leaders

“As time and conditions change and become more complex, there seem to be fewer and fewer individuals capable of shouldering the responsibilities of leading positive change. I issue a challenge to you who are leaders and future leaders to recognize that the world is changing rapidly. There is an urgent need for leaders capable and bold enough to take on the immense challenges that face us today.”

Elder L. Tom Perry, “The Tradition of Light and Testimony,” Ensign, Dec 2012, 33. 

Be a Better Man!

“Within the last year, I have had the privilege of meeting and conversing on the gospel with some men who live in this community [Salt Lake City], not members of our Church. One man had resided here for twenty years, a man whose life is above reproach, a good citizen, a splendid businessman, one who has kindly feelings towards our people. He told me that he had . . . come to the conclusion that we were just as good as our neighbors who are members of other churches; he could not see any difference in us.

“I want to say to you, my brethren and sisters, that is no compliment to me. If the gospel of Jesus Christ does not make me a better man, than I have no developed as I should, and if our neighbors not in this Church can live among us from year to year and see no evidence of the benefits that come from keeping the commandments of God in our lives, then there is need for reform in Israel.”

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith (2011), 7-8

Selfless Service

“No one has learned the meaning of living until he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellow man. Service to others is akin to duty, the fulfillment of which brings true joy. We do not live alone—in our city, our nation, or our world. There is no dividing line between our prosperity and our neighbor’s wretchedness. ‘Love they neighbor’ is more than a divine truth. It is a pattern for perfection.”

President Thomas S. Monson, “The Joy of Service,” New Era, Oct. 2009, 4. 

Church Scaffolding

  “Eternal principles are the scaffolding the Church provides. These eternal principles are embedded in the doctrines of the kingdom of God and are reflected in His eternal plan of happiness. We meet as members of the Church to teach and learn from each other the principles of righteousness and to receive saving ordinances so the scaffolding is steady and stable as we build our eternal families.

“Notice that the Church is not meant to do the work of parents; rather, it guides the work of parents. The Church offers an eternal form. As builders of eternal families, we are reassured by promises that is we build according to this eternal form, our efforts can provide the safety and protection we seek for those we love most.

Elder L. Tom Perry, “The Tradition of Light and Testimony,” Ensign, Dec. 2012, 31. 

Religion and Govenment

 “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. . . . Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. . . . Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion or religion principle.

“It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.”

Washington’s Farewell Address, ed. Thomas Arkle Clark (1908), 14. 

Heavenly Help is There

 “Heavenly help may not be obvious. We may not immediately see or know that some other burdens that would have come our way have been lifted, diverted from our door.

“The Lord assures: “Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you that mine eyes are upon you. I am in your midst and ye cannot see me” (D&C 38:7).

“Of course, we may need to be supremely patient with others and ourselves; it often takes time for everything to work out. Even if at times our faith seems no bigger that a mustard seed, as we move forward Providence will move with us. If we seek heaven’s help, we will receive it—perhaps even in unexpected ways.

“We can find the wherewithal to be thankful for what we have, rather than mourn what we have lost.”

Elder David S. Baxter, “Leaving Adversity Behind,” Ensign, Dec 2012, 26. 

How do you Remain Steadfast During a Trial of Faith?

How do you remain “steadfast and immovable” during a trial of faith? You immerse yourself in the very things that helped build your core of faith: you exercise faith in Christ, you pray, you ponder the scriptures, you repent, you keep the commandments, and you serve others.

When faced with a trial of faith—whatever you do, you don’t step away from the Church! Distancing yourself from the kingdom of God during a trial of faith is like leaving the safety of a secure storm cellar just as the tornado comes into view.

Neil L. Andersen, “Trial of Your Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 39–42

Strength for Our Burdens

 “Fortunately, the hopeful and certain truth is that no matter what, we can find strength and encouragement. Our burdens can become lighter, even if they do not suddenly go away. We can emerge on the other side of the darkest abyss, stronger and more resolute, better men and better women.

“Having been proven in the crucible of affliction, we will have cultivated a character that is able to face and withstand future life shocks. As a result, we can use our experiences to life and empathize with others. Our own example of personal perseverance can give hope to others and inspire our families. We become more fit for the future.

“While adversity may be slow to leave us, we can choose to leave it any time. The Lord’s promise to us is as it was to Alma and his people in the midst of horrendous persecution.

“”Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

“”And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs” (Mosiah 24:13-14).

“Furthermore, the Lord has confirmed, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14:18).”

Elder David S. Baxter, “Leaving Adversity Behind,” Ensign, Dec 2012, 25-26. 

Why do Trials Come?

There seems to me no better answer to the question of why trials come and what we are to do than the words of the Lord Himself, who passed through trials for us more terrible than we can imagine.

You remember His words when He counseled that we should, out of faith in Him, repent:

“Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.

“For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

“But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

“Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

“Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.”

Henry B. Eyring, “Mountains to Climb,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 23–26