Ears to Hear: It Works Wonderfully

Today’s talk: It Works Wonderfully

“I pray that we will focus on ‘the simplicity that is in Christ’ and allow His grace to lift and carry us.”

President Uchtdorf has always been my favorite apostle. Whenever he gives talks during General Conference, I make sure to pause my live tweeting and turn up the volume. He always is very charismatic and has such a sweet understanding of the Gospel. I always feel uplifted after his talks.

Before General Conference started in October, I had a prayer in my heart. I prayed that Conference would be directed right to me. I was still recovering from my milk before meat faith crisis and needed living scripture and current revelation to strengthen my testimony. There were so many talks that answered my prayers and I am so grateful that Uchtdorf’s talk came first in Conference and set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

In the beginning of his talk, Uchtdorf mentions healing from a medical procedure. He said he didn’t want to listen to his doctors, but instead tried to do his own research on the Internet:

It took me a little while before I realized the irony of what I was doing. Of course, researching things for ourselves is not a bad idea. But I was disregarding truth I could rely on and instead found myself being drawn to the often-outlandish claims of Internet lore.

I have experienced the same thing–I am still a new mother. My first child is only 20 months old and I suffer from anxiety disorder. I worried about anything and everything with him. My mother, who has raised 4 successful children, would give me advice and reassurance, but I would still spend hours on the trap of motherhood forums online. I was glad to know that I could relate to one of the apostles in something that wasn’t Gospel related.

But, Uchtdorf mentioned this experience to apply it to the Gospel. He really his me hard when he said,

This beautiful gospel is so simple a child can grasp it, yet so profound and complex that it will take a lifetime—even an eternity—of study and discovery to fully understand it.

That was exactly what I needed to hear. Uchtdorf focused on Grace in his talk, emphasizing that it is only Grace that allows us to return to Christ:

The Savior’s sacrifice opened the door of salvation for all to return to God. His “grace is sufficient for all [who] humble themselves before [God].” His grace is the enabling power that allows access into God’s kingdoms of salvation. Because of His grace, we will all be resurrected and saved in a kingdom of glory.

Every single word that Uchtdorf said resonated in my very soul and I could go on and on about every paragraph in this talk. But, the thing about Conference is that it applies to each of us differently. The messages are there to apply to our individual lives. So, I challenge you to reread this talk and pull out your own inspirational quotes and find answers to questions you have about the Church and the Gospel.  As Uchtdorf said,

God will help you become something greater than you ever thought possible. And you will discover that the gospel of Jesus Christ is indeed working in your life. It works.