This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This is the 460th week, and we’re covering the General Relief Society session of the October 2006 General Conference.
Whelp, this is definitely a session with a very, very clear theme.
Eternally Encircled in His Love by Sister Bonnie D. Parkin
- When I received this call, I pleaded with Heavenly Father to help me know what the sisters in the Church needed. I received a strong witness that we, His daughters, need to know that He loves us. We need to know that He sees the good in us. Feeling His love encourages us to press forward, reassures us that we are His, and confirms to us that He cherishes us even when we stumble and experience temporary setbacks.
- Our Heavenly Father loved us before we came to this earth. I know that He loves us, sisters, as does His Son, Jesus Christ. That love will never change—it is constant. You can rely on it. We can trust it.
- Do we think we have to be perfect in order to deserve His love? When we allow ourselves to feel “encircled about eternally in the arms of his love,” we feel safe, and we realize that we don’t need to be immediately perfect. We must acknowledge that perfection is a process. This is a gospel of eternal progress, and we must remember to appreciate the journey.
- The love of Christ will never fail us.
Remembering the Lord’s Love by Kathleen H. Hughes
- the Lord is everywhere when we open our eyes and hearts to His love.
- Peace. Strength. It is what we long for and what is possible. We only need to turn toward His reaching arms. In
And then in comes Sister Anne C. Pingree with a little bit of tough love to go with it:
That very will to go forward toward our Savior sometimes requires on-the-spot repentance… We draw closer to the Savior as we encircle others in loving arms. Or we don’t. We balm emotional or physical wounds. Or we don’t. We look at each other with a loving rather than a critical eye. Or we don’t. We ask forgiveness for harm we have caused, even if it was unintended. Or we don’t. We do the hard spiritual work of forgiving those who have given us offense. Or we don’t. We quickly correct our errors or oversights in personal relationships when we become aware of them. Or we don’t.
The love of Christ will indeed never fail us, if only we remember to rely on it.