Sister Bednar's Message

Last night, there was a CES devotional fireside broadcast, or whatever it's called, featuring the words of Elder David A. Bednar and his wife, Susan. I didn't watch the broadcast last night, but it's still available online (Link), and I watched part of it this morning. Since Sister Bednar spoke first, I'll cover her remarks this morning, and Elder Bednar's message sometime later, probably.

Sister Bednar made an outline for her message from part of what she called a Seminary Song. I think she meant a Primary Song, but since I'm not familiar with this song, I can't really tell you who might sing it or when:

We must have

Ears to hear the word of the Lord,
Eyes to see His plan.
Feet to follow in His path,
Hearts to understand.

Ears to Hear the Word of the Lord
As we read the scriptures.

She quotes President Spencer W. Kimball:

I find that when I get casual in my relationships with divinity, when it seems like no divine ear is listening, and no divine voice is speaking, and I am far, far away, if I immerse myself in the scriptures, the distance narrows and the spirituality returns.

This sounds like the same message I shared yesterday. When we grow casual in our relationships with God, when we neglect to feed our testimony, the fire dims, the light fades, and we begin to feel how cold the world is, but if we immerse ourselves in the scriptures, fueling the fire, the spirituality returns.

Eyes to See His Plan
A returned missionary Sister Bednar knows had felt like the Lord had been with her on her mission, but now she has lost that feeling, and she wonders if God is still aware of her.

This, I believe, is another example of a testimony that has dies down from where it had been, and I can't blame this returned missionary for that. A full-time missionary spends all his or her time doing things that increase their testimony. They pray frequently, study the scriptures daily, bear their testimonies almost constantly, and have spiritual experiences almost as often. It's an amazing time for the missionary, and it does unimaginable good for them and everyone they come in contact with. But all full-time missions end. Eventually, the two years or eighteen months are over, and the full-time missionary is thrown back into the real world. Here, life is full of business and stress. It's easy to lose track of spiritual things in the midst of day-to-day life, and it's only natural for the flame of testimony to die down as a result.

To comfort this sister, Sister Bednar shared something Elder Eyring had said while speaking to a group of BYU students:

I bless you that every day, if you will ask in prayer to be shown where the hand of God intervened in your life that day, I bless you that you will see, that it will be made manifest to you, that you will see that He is leading and guiding and lifting you, and that He knows you.

Then Sister Bednar shared with the returned missionary her own testimony that what Elder Eyring had said is true.

I assume the the returned missionary's faith was strengthened, but this time, it wasn't because of something she had done, such as reading the scriptures as President Kimball did, but because of something Sister Bednar had done for her, namely sharing her testimony with her. we may have the opportunity to strengthen others whose faith has diminished by sharing our testimonies with them, and even if their faith has never diminished, we can still strengthen each other by bearing our testimonies with each other.

Feet to Follow in His Path
Sister Bednar said that some people don't receive the blessings they feel they've earned when they want to receive them. They mistakenly believe that God has wronger them. Instead of waiting on the Lord, they turn to worldly pleasures and follow their own path.

Here, I quote from Sister Bednar.

The Lord's path is clearly marked by the teachings of Prophets, Seers and Revelators. Next month is General Conference. I testify if we prayerfully seek to identify a personal question or concern to take to Conference, the Lord will answer us through the messages of His anointed servants, we'll feel His love and concern, and have increased courage and steady feet to follow in His path, now and forever.

Hearts to Understand
The gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ

This time, Sister Bednar shared a quote from her husband, Elder David A. Bednar.

It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to Earth to die for us. That is fundamental and foundational to the doctrine of Christ. But we also need to appreciate that the Lord desires, through His Atonement, and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to live in us, not only to direct us, but also to empower us.

I also testify that the Lord desires to direct and empower us. It sometimes feels that we are wandering lost and alone, but if we try to follow the Lord's path, He will be with us. He may not give us the help we think we need, but that's because He knows our needs better than we do. Sometimes, we need His help to accomplish His designs, and sometimes, we need the strength that comes from having completed the task ourselves. I know that God will never leave us alone when we need His help unless, by our own actions, we drive Him away. He wants to be with us, and He always will be if we try to follow His path. We may, at times, feel that our faith and strength are weak, and maybe they are, but we came to Earth to learn and grow - to grow in testimony and grow in strength. God's plan is for us to become like Him by following in the Savior's footsteps, and I know that, over time, God will make that possible for us. He will never let us down.