This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This is the 459th week, and we’re covering the Sunday afternoon session of the October 2006 General Conference.
The talk that stood out the most to me this session was Receiving By the Spirit by Elder A. Roger Merrill. His main point? “Remember, receive is a verb. It is a principle of action. It is a fundamental expression of faith.”
This is one of the things that explains why some get more out of ordinary activities than others:
In our Church meetings, in our personal and family scripture study, and even this day as we listen to the Lord’s prophets and apostles, some of us will receive more than others. Why?… [T]hose who truly receive do at least three things that others may not do.
But if receiving is “a principle of action” and we must actively engage in receiving things, then what happens if we don’t? If, through ignorance or for some other reason, we fail to be actively receptive? What indeed:
[H]ow many gifts and blessings surround us that we do not receive? The Lord has said: “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift” (D&C 88:33).
In addition to this talk, another common General Conference theme was very strong throughout the talks in this session. It seems like two different themes, but it’s really just a two-headed coin: anti-perfectionism and omni-opposition.
The scriptures are full of promises that those who are righteous will prosper, but these promises are frequently misunderstood to mean that the Gospel will make our lives easy if we follow it. But that is neither the intent nor the consequence of living the Gospel. It breaks my heart to see how pervasive this misapprehension can be among the Saints, especially among those who–having held this mistaken belief–are now left feeling hurt or even betrayed once it has shattered. Tragically, I’ve seen many Latter-day Saints turn and blame the Church for not better instructing them, or for letting them have these misplaced expectations. And yet, as gently as possible, look at a session like this and see what is actually taught:
A Defense and a Refuge By President Boyd K. Packer
- If we are doing the best we can, we should not become discouraged.
- They knew then, as we know now, that there would be no end to opposition. The nature of it changes, but it never ends.
- We are to be happy and positive. We are not to be afraid. Fear is the opposite of faith.
That They Might Know Thee By Elder Keith R. Edwards
- suffering is a part of life, and few will escape its grasp
Prophets in the Land Again By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
- when those mists of darkness enveloped the travelers in Lehi’s vision of the tree of life, it enveloped all of the participants—the righteous as well as the unrighteous, the young along with the elderly, the new convert and seasoned member alike.
Nothing is going to be perfect down here. You’re not going to be perfect. The Church isn’t going to be perfect. Life’s not going to be perfect. Everyone is going to suffer, including the righteous. Life is hard, and doing your best to live the Gospel won’t make it easy. Sometimes, in the short run, it will make it harder.
But, while living the Gospel doesn’t make life easier, it does make life richer and more meaningful. God does not scoop us up and exempt us from suffering and confusion and hardship, but he reaches down and gives us light and hope and beauty and joy amidst all the suffering and confusion and hardship.
We don’t earn it. It’s a gift. It’s a gift that enriches our difficult lives and holds out that promise that one day–after this life is over–then it will all make sense and we will truly look back and say, as Kurt Vonnegut wrote: “Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.”
In other words, as Ron Weasley would put it: “You’re gonna suffer, but you’re gonna be happy about it.”
Lastly, I just want to call out additional insights I liked.
- We, Latter-day Saints, do not go on offense against our critics. “Sometimes clergy, even ministerial organizations, oppose us. They do what we would never do. We do not attack or criticize or oppose others as they do us.” (A Defense and a Refuge)
- The highest priority is always the family, not the Church. “activity in the Church centers in the family.” (A Defense and a Refuge)
- “One of the greatest indicators of our own spiritual maturity is revealed in how we respond to the weaknesses, the inexperience, and the potentially offensive actions of others.” (And Nothing Shall Offend Them)