Ears To Hear: You Are Worthy Of Rescue

Today’s Talk: He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home

As I was pondering what conference message to share, I was drawn to the beauty and power of the words that Elder Uchtdorf spoke last General Conference in his talk He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home. There is nothing more precious to me than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And the knowledge I have of Jesus Christ and His Atonement is the number one source of peace and joy that I have in my life. Elder Uchtdorf’s message put into words how I feel about my Savior, and my testimony of Him and His sacrifice for me.

There may be times in this life that we feel broken and beyond repair, but the Savior never sees us that way. As Elder Uchtdorf so eloquently said:

It matters not how completely ruined our lives may seem. It matters not how scarlet our sins, how deep our bitterness, how lonely, abandoned, or broken our hearts may be. Even those who are without hope, who live in despair, who have betrayed trust, surrendered their integrity, or turned away from God can be rebuilt. The joyous news of the gospel is this: because of the eternal plan of happiness provided by our loving Heavenly Father and through the infinite sacrifice of Jesus the Christ, we can not only be redeemed from our fallen state and restored to purity, but we can also transcend mortal imagination and become heirs of eternal life and partakers of God’s indescribable glory.

How beautiful is that?! We can be redeemed, we can be restored, we can be partakers of God’s glory. This is what He wants for us. This is the reason we are here, the reason behind the whole plan: to be with and like God.

Our brother, Jesus Christ, our Savior, knows us. I know this without a shadow of a doubt. He knows me and He loves me, as President Uchtdorf shared:

Our Savior, the Good Shepherd, knows and loves us. He knows and loves you. He knows when you are lost, and He knows where you are. He knows your grief. Your silent pleadings. Your fears. Your tears. It matters not how you became lost—whether because of your own poor choices or because of circumstances beyond your control. What matters is that you are His child. And He loves you. He loves His children. Because He loves you, He will find you. He will place you upon His shoulders, rejoicing.

He will find us in our dark places, He will lift us up, He will take us home. All we need to do is reach up and grab His hand.

The moment we choose to incline our hearts to our beloved Savior and set foot upon the path of discipleship, something miraculous happens. The love of God fills our hearts, the light of truth fills our minds, we start to lose the desire to sin, and we do not want to walk any longer in darkness.

I’d like to close with one last thought from President Uchtdorf, and it’s something I hope you always remember.

You may feel that your life is in ruins. You may have sinned. You may be afraid, angry, grieving, or tortured by doubt. But just as the Good Shepherd finds His lost sheep, if you will only lift up your heart to the Savior of the world, He will find you. He will rescue you. He will lift you up and place you on His shoulders. He will carry you home.

Amen, and amen.