Lack of Nice Instagram Comments Don't Matter - You Are a Daughter of God. BE JOYFUL!

Three Sisters

By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Second Counselor in the First Presidency

Dear sisters, why should you surrender your happiness to someone, or a group of someones, who cares very little about you or your happiness?

If you find yourself worrying about what other people say about you, may I suggest this antidote: remember who you are. Remember that you are of the royal house of the kingdom of God, daughters of Heavenly Parents, who reign throughout the universe.

You have the spiritual DNA of God. You have unique gifts that originated in your spiritual creation and that were developed during the vast span of your premortal life. You are the child of our merciful and everlasting Father in Heaven, the Lord of Hosts, the One who created the universe, spread the spinning stars across the vast expanse of space, and placed the planets in their appointed orbits.

You are in His hands.

Very good hands.

Loving hands.

Caring hands.

And nothing anyone ever says about you can change that. Their words are meaningless compared to what God has said about you.

You are His precious child.

He loves you....

Once you degrade a group of people, you are more likely to justify words and acts of violence against them....

What did the Savior teach?

“I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.”4

This is the Savior’s way. It is the first step in breaking down the barriers that create so much anger, hatred, division, and violence in the world.

“Yes,” you might say, “I would be willing to love my enemies—if only they were willing to do the same.”

But that doesn’t really matter, does it? We are responsible for our own discipleship, and it has little—if anything—to do with the way others treat us. We obviously hope that they will be understanding and charitable in return, but our love for them is independent of their feelings toward us....

She lived joyfully not because her circumstances were joyful but because she was joyful....

And when anyone tries to make you ashamed for partaking of the love of God, ignore them....

You cannot allow circumstances to make you sad.

You cannot allow them to make you mad.

You can rejoice that you are a daughter of God. You can find joy and happiness in the grace of God and in the love of Jesus Christ.

Atonement's influence

Our personal faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ and our devotion to God will greatly influence the outcome of our challenges. We can have confidence that the Lord knows at all times what is in our best interest and that where there is faith, and in accordance with His will, miracles can occur.

Bishop Dean M. Davies, “Heavenly Help for our Mortal Journey,” Ensign, Jul 2014, 50.

Blessings Accompany Challenges

It is important to understand that blessings often accompany our challenges. For example, those who suffer pain and afflictions are often better able to understand and have compassion and sympathy for others who similarly suffer.

Bishop Dean M. Davies, “Heavenly Help for our Mortal Journey,” Ensign, Jul 2014, 50.

Paying Tithing

During World War II my widowed mother supported her three young children on a meager schoolteacher’s salary. When I became conscious that we went without some desirable things because we didn’t have enough money, I asked my mother why she paid so much of her salary as tithing. I have never forgotten her explanation: “Dallin, there might be some people who can get along without paying tithing, but we can’t because we are poor. The Lord has chosen to take your father and leave me to raise you children. I cannot do that without the blessings of the Lord, and I obtain those blessings by paying an honest tithing. When I pay my tithing, I have the Lord’s promise that He will bless us, and we must have those blessings if we are to get along.”

• MARCH 2012
• THE GOSPEL CULTURE

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The Gospel Culture

By Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

This article is excerpted from an address delivered during a regional stake and district conference broadcast to Africa on November 21, 2010.

You Must be Pure

“The Holy Ghost will not dwell in an unholy tabernacle. If you would enjoy the full powers and gifts of your religion, you must be pure. If you are guilty of weakness, follies and sins, you must repent of them; that is, you must thoroughly forsake them.”

Teachings: Wilford Woodruff, 54.

You Have a Right

 “Every man or woman that has ever entered into the church of God and been baptized for the remission of sins [and received the gift of the Holy Ghost] has a right to revelation, a right to the Spirit of God, to assist them in their labors.”

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff (2004), 49.

Pray For those Whose Ancestors Have Accepted the Gospel

At the 2017 Rootstech conference, Wendy W. Nelson, wife of President Russell M. Nelson, observed: “President George Q. Cannon, who was counselor to four Presidents of the Church, taught that in these latter days, those who are joining the Church are joining quite precisely because their ancestors have been praying for one of their posterity to join the Church so that they, the ancestors, can receive their essential ordinances by proxy. That’s when I invite the missionaries to consider that one of their most effective prayers might be, ‘Please lead us to those whose ancestors have already received the gospel on the other side of the veil and who are desperate to receive their ordinances.’"

Russell M. Nelson and Wendy W. Nelson, presentation at RootsTech conference, Feb. 11, 2017, lds.org/topics/family-history/familydiscoveryday; see also “Open the Heavens through Temple and Family History Work,” Ensign, Oct. 2017, 38.

Reach Out To Rescue

“Reach out to rescue the aged, the widowed, the sick, the handicapped, the less active,” he has said, and then he has led the charge. “Extend to them the hand that helps and the heart that knows compassion.”

Thomas S. Monson, Salt Lake City South Stake Conference Broadcast, Oct. 18, 2009, unpublished.

Have I Done Any Good?

“Let us ask ourselves the questions,” he has said, “‘Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need?’ What a formula for happiness! What a prescription for contentment, for inner peace. … There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved.”

Thomas S. Monson, “Now Is the Time,” Liahona, Jan. 2002, 69;Ensign, Nov. 2001, 60.

No Coincidences

President Monson often says, “There are no coincidences” as he makes the point that his experiences in life have taught him to always look for the Lord’s hand.

Thomas S. Monson, in To the Rescue, 60.

Of President Monson

• MARCH 2012
• HAVE I DONE ANY GOOD IN THE WORLD TODAY?

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Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?

By Heidi S. Swinton

He is an unusual man who has reverence for everyone he meets and who is interested in their lives, worries, and challenges. He relates to a visiting dignitary from a foreign country with the same attention he does the man who polishes his desk at night. Clearly, one of the measures of his greatness is that he can relate to anyone and finds he can learn something from each person he meets.

Put simply, President Monson does what most people only thinkabout doing.

Achieving the Miraculous

Achieving the Miraculous

“When we strive with faith nothing wavering to fulfill the duties appointed to us, when we seek the inspiration of the Almighty in the performance of our responsibilities, we can achieve the miraculous.”

President Thomas S. Monson, in Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 91.

Visiting Teaching as a Disciple

Our Relief Society history, Daughters in My Kingdom, and Handbook 2: Administering the Church teach us how we can follow a higher path and demonstrate our discipleship:

• Pray daily for those you visit teach and their families.
• Seek inspiration to know the needs of your sisters.
• Visit your sisters regularly to comfort and strengthen them.
• Contact your sisters frequently through visits, phone calls, letters, e-mail, text messages, and simple acts of kindness.
• Greet your sisters at church.
• Help your sisters when they have an illness or other urgent need.
• Teach your sisters the gospel from the scriptures and the Visiting Teaching Message.
• Inspire your sisters by setting a good example.
• Report your sisters’ spiritual and temporal well-being to a Relief Society leader.
• See Daughters in My Kingdom, 123.

Sincerely Know and Love Each Sister

 “Throughout the years, Relief Society sisters and leaders have learned one step at a time and have improved in their ability to watch over others,” said Sister Beck. “There have been times when sisters have focused more on completing visits, teaching lessons, and leaving notices when they have stopped by their sisters’ homes. These practices have helped sisters learn patterns of watchcare. Just as people in the time of Moses concentrated on keeping long lists of rules, the sisters of Relief Society have at times imposed many written and unwritten rules upon themselves in their desire to understand how to strengthen one another.

“With so much need for relief and rescue in the lives of sisters and their families today, our Heavenly Father needs us to follow a higher path and demonstrate our discipleship by sincerely caring for His children. With this important purpose in mind, leaders are now taught to ask for reports about the spiritual and temporal well-being of sisters and their families and about service rendered. Now visiting teachers have the responsibility to ‘sincerely come to know and love each sister, help her strengthen her faith, and give service.’”

Julie B. Beck, “What I Hope My Granddaughters (and Grandsons) Will Understand about Relief Society,” Liahona andEnsign, Nov. 2011, 112.

Magnifying Our Callings

Magnifying Our Callings

“What does it mean to magnify a calling? It means to build it up in dignity and importance, to make it honorable and commendable in the eyes of all men, to enlarge and strengthen it, to let the light of heaven shine through it to the view of other men. And how does one magnify a calling? Simply by performing the service that pertains to it. An elder magnifies the ordained calling of an elder by learning what his duties as an elder are and then by doing them. As with an elder, so with a deacon, a teacher, a priest, a bishop, and each who holds office in the priesthood.”

President Thomas S. Monson, “The Call of Duty,” Ensign, May 1986, 38–39.

How We Should Treat Others

How We Should Treat Others

“Kindness is how a Christlike person treats others. Kindness should permeate all of our words and actions at work, at school, at church, and especially in our homes. …

“When we are filled with kindness, we are not judgmental. The Savior taught, ‘Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven’ [Luke 6:37]. …

“‘But,’ you ask, ‘what if people are rude?’

“Love them.

“‘If they are obnoxious?’

“Love them.

“‘But what if they offend? Surely I must do something then?’

“Love them.

“‘Wayward?’

“The answer is the same. Be kind. Love them.

“Why? In the scriptures Jude taught, ‘And of some have compassion, making a difference’ [Jude 1:22].

“Who can tell what far-reaching impact we can have if we are only kind?”

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “The Virtue of Kindness,” Ensign, May 2005, 26, 28.

Behold Your Little Ones

A Most Valuable Resource

“Parents, look into the eyes of your young children—their minds are receptive. They are ready to learn pure and simple gospel truths. Don’t wait; teach them now! Behold Your Little Ones is a valuable resource to assist you.

“As I helped my four-year-old grandson prepare a family home evening from Behold Your Little Ones, he was thrilled with his efforts and the whole family benefited. Next to the scriptures, I consider this manual the most valuable resource for young families. I do hope every family will use it.”

Rosemary M. Wixom, Primary general president

Listen to Prophets

The Voice of the Lord

By Elder Neil L. Andersen

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

In the commotion and confusion of our modern world, trusting and believing in the words of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve is vital to our spiritual growth and endurance.6

I promise you that as you prepare your spirit and come with the anticipation that you will hear the voice of the Lord, thoughts and feelings will come into your mind that are customized especially for you. You have already felt them in this conference, or you will as you study the messages in the weeks ahead.

I promise that as you hear the voice of the Lord to you in the teachings of this general conference, and then act on those promptings, you will feel heaven’s hand upon you, and your life and the lives of those around you will be blessed.22

Our Trek

The Trek Continues!

By Elder M. Russell Ballard

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

I have a deep conviction that if we lose our ties to those who have gone before us, including our pioneer forefathers and mothers, we will lose a very precious treasure.

Many of us are on amazing journeys of discovery—leading to personal fulfillment and spiritual enlightenment. Some of us, however, are on a trek that leads to sorrow, sin, anguish, and despair.

In this context, please ask yourself: What is your final destination? Where are your footsteps taking you? And is your journey leading you to that “multiplicity of blessings” the Savior has promised?8

Spiritual Alarms

Lord, Wilt Thou Cause That My Eyes May Be Opened

By Elder W. Craig Zwick

Emeritus Member of the Seventy

When we pay attention to spiritual “alarms” that signal a need for course correction or larger eternal perspective, we are receiving the sacramental promise to have His Spirit to be with us. 

How Precious is The Book of Mormon to You?

The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?

By President Russell M. Nelson

President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

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My brothers and sisters, how precious is the Book of Mormon to you? If you were offered diamonds or rubies or the Book of Mormon, which would you choose? Honestly, which is of greater worth to you?

Since President Monson’s challenge six months ago, I have tried to follow his counsel. Among other things, I’ve made lists of what the Book of Mormon is,what it affirms, what it refutes, what it fulfills, what it clarifies, and what it reveals. Looking at the Book of Mormon through these lenses has been an insightful and inspiring exercise! I recommend it to each of you.

First, what would your life be like without the Book of Mormon? Second, what would you not know? And third, what would you not have?

Immersing ourselves regularly in the truths of the Book of Mormon can be a life-changing experience. 

My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.

Man of Integrity

Earning the Trust of the Lord and Your Family

By Elder Richard J. Maynes

Of the Seventy

Being a man of integrity simply means your intentions, as well as your actions, are pure and righteous in all aspects of your life, both in public and in private. With each decision we make, we either merit more of God’s trust or diminish His trust.

Have Miracles Ceased?

Has the Day of Miracles Ceased?

By Elder Donald L. Hallstrom

Of the Seventy

What about the innumerable faith-filled, priesthood-blessing-receiving, unendingly-prayed-for, covenant-keeping, full-of-hope Latter-day Saints whose miracle never comes? At least in the way they understand a miracle. At least in the way that others appear to receive miracles.

What about those who suffer from profound afflictions—physically, mentally, emotionally—for years or for decades or for their entire mortal life? What about those who die so very young?

Do good people and their loved ones have reason to ask the question posed by Mormon: “Has the day of miracles ceased?”1

My limited knowledge cannot explain why sometimes there is divine intervention and other times there is not. But perhaps we lack an understanding of what constitutes a miracle.

Often we describe a miracle as being healed without a full explanation by medical science or as avoiding catastrophic danger by heeding a clear prompting. However, defining a miracle as “a beneficial event brought about through divine power that mortals do not understand”2 gives an expanded perspective into matters more eternal in nature. This definition also allows us to contemplate the vital role of faith in the receipt of a miracle.

Do we have the faith “not [to] be healed” from our earthly afflictions so we might be healed eternally?

A critical question to ponder is “Where do we place our faith?” Is our faith focused on simply wanting to be relieved of pain and suffering, or is it firmly centered on God the Father and His holy plan and in Jesus the Christ and His Atonement? Faith in the Father and the Son allows us to understand and accept Their will as we prepare for eternity.

Don't Wait for An Assignment to Invite

Elder Perry reminded members of the Church: “It is time for us to understand that we—the neighbors, friends, and family of less-active members and nonmembers—are ideally situated to offer an invitation with the proper love and consideration that the one we invite deserves. … We do not need, nor should we wait for, an assignment to invite our nonmember family, friends, and neighbors to attend church, read the Book of Mormon, or meet with the full-time missionaries.”

L. Tom Perry, “Missionary Work in the Digital Age.”

Record the Story of Your Life

 “What could you do better for your children and your children’s children than to record the story of your life, your triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall, your progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had finally achieved?”

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985), “President Kimball Speaks Out on Personal Journals,” Ensign, Dec. 1980, 61.

Devotion and Love

Happy marriages are not the result of two perfect people saying vows. Rather, devotion and love grow as two imperfect people build, bless, help, encourage, and forgive along the way.

Elder Gerrit, W. Gong, “Becoming Perfect in Christ,” Ensign, Jul 2014, 18.

Service Among Those Around Us

We live in a culture where more and more we are focused on the small, little screen in our hands than we are on the people around us. We have substituted texting and tweeting for actually looking someone in the eye and smiling or, even rarer, having a face-to-face conversation. We are often more concerned with how many followers and likes we have than with putting an arm around a friend and showing love, concern, and tangible interest. As amazing as modern technology can be for spreading the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and helping us stay connected to family and friends, if we are not vigilant in how we use our personal devices, we too can begin to turn inward and forget that the essence of living the gospel is service.

...it’s easy to miss some of the greatest opportunities to serve others because we are distracted or because we are looking for ambitious ways to change the world and we don’t see that some of the most significant needs we can meet are within our own families, among our friends, in our wards, and in our communities.

What good does it do to save the world if we neglect the needs of those closest to us and those whom we love the most? How much value is there in fixing the world if the people around us are falling apart and we don’t notice? Heavenly Father may have placed those who need us closest to us, knowing that we are best suited to meet their needs.

My young friends, I can guarantee that there will always be someone at every Church meeting you attend who is lonely, who is going through challenges and needs a friend, or who feels like he or she doesn’t belong. You have something important to contribute to every meeting or activity, and the Lord desires for you to look around at your peers and then minister as He would.

The Needs before Us

By Bonnie L. Oscarson

Young Women General President

Lose Life to service

The Savior taught, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”1President Thomas S. Monson said of this scripture: “I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives."

Thomas S. Monson, “What Have I Done for Someone Today?” Ensignor Liahona, Nov. 2009, 85.