Assignment

For my Religious class this week I had to find my favorite talk from the most recent General Conference. At first I was loathe to do it - how could I pick my favorite talk? It seemed impossible. Then, earlier this evening, while at Institute, my teacher (Sister Stacey) let me look through her Ensign, where all the talks are published. I picked one from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. The talk that I chose was random. However, as I sat here, typing up my paper tonight, I realized how close to home it was. While writing it I realized what an impact it's message has had on me and my own life. I would strongly recommend reading the talk before continuing to read my own paper on it. The paper had to be at least 500 words - I manged 1,184 in less than 45 minutes.


(Quick Notes: sorry for the last paragraph. I know it's long, but it's a story.)

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/the-hope-of-gods-light

The title of the talk is, "The Hope of God's Light".

The talk that I chose from last General Conference was President Uchtdorf’s talk, “The Hope Of God”. It was the first talk in the fourth session on Sunday morning. In it he outlines that while life may be dark and have many trials it is our goal to overcome those times. We are here to overcome the doubt and fear that might arise in our lives during moments of trial or weakness. He also talks about how we need to feel that we are not alone in this world to faces its many challenges alone. There are always people there to help us on our way; likewise, we are here to help others to make it through their own dark, frightening tunnels and back into the light. Most importantly, we are here to feel loved. We need to know that there are people who love us in this life, those who will be there for us when things go astray or wrong. Feeling loved is one of the biggest points that he outlines in his talk.

In his talk, President Uchtdorf divides it into sections; the first one is labeled “A Room Filled with Darkness”. I think that this applies to everyone’s life. We all have rooms hidden away in our lives that are full of all the hurt and suffering that we’ve been through. It also holds all the disappointments that we’ve faced; the doubts we may have had about ourselves and the fears that once held us in dark rapture. We need to know that those dark rooms can be filled with light and love again. Those are only brief, passing moments in our lives. How we choose to cope and learn from them is how we brighten the room and banish the darkness from our lives. The gospel of the church gives us that hope, love, joy and understanding. It’s the brightest light we can fill our rooms with. When we begin to fill our room with light we need to keep that light burning bright. This often means forgiving those who were once unforgivable. In order for us to move on, we need to let go of the grip the past may have on our lives and move forward. When we do this we add another bright light to our room’s arsenal. We need to know that the darkness is still out there – that it does exist, but we do not have to dwell there. We know that the light exists and that is where we should choose to dwell. He talks of how the healing process begins when we move away from the darkness and towards the light, the hope of something brighter in our lives.

The next section in his talk is entitled “Light Cleaveth Unto Light”. In it he describes how only good things can come from good things, or as he put it, “Light unto light”. No darkness can seep in when we have our lights burning brightly before us. He tells us that, if we are in the dark, we must actively search out the light and come to know it. Sitting around, “waiting for someone to flip a switch”, rarely happens. If we want our lives to change, we have to actively seek out that change and embrace it. He then outlines a plan to help us open our eyes to the hope of God’s light.

“Light Overcomes Darkness,” is the next section outlined. He speaks about how we all makes mistakes, forget things, falter in our paths and stumble. When these things begin to happen we need to turn towards the light and rely on its guidance to bring us out of the dark. No matter what happens, the light will always overcome the darkness. No matter how deep things might be, or how hurt and angry we are, if we place our faith and trust in the Lord we will overcome that darkness and live in the light.

The final section in his talk, “Come to the Light” is just what it is. While we might feel, and even be enveloped in darkness we need to know that the light is always there. He invites us to seek openly for the Lord and His light. When we find him, through study and prayer, we will have a warm and brilliant light that will continually surround us.

What I learned from this is that we need to continually overcome the darkness and the burdens that might leave us breathless in our trials. Those trials are fleeting moments in our lives. When we overcome them and enter into the light we will be able to live in the light and love of our Heavenly Father.

In my own life I’ve faced many struggles and trials. Each day I pray to Heavenly Father to help me endure and make it through. Last month I was visiting Salt Lake City for the first time. I arrived Saturday evening at midnight. I was feeling sick already, but I prayed to Heavenly Father that, if I had to be extremely sick, let me be sick on Monday. I had an interview on Wednesday and needed at least Tuesday to try and find the location of the interview. But most importantly, I prayed to be sick on Monday because I needed to be at church on Sunday. I had to make it through the three-hour block and back to my hotel without getting sick. If he would let me make it through my plane ride and through church on Sunday, I would gladly be sick on Monday. I made it safely to Salt Lake on Saturday. Sunday morning I was feeling ill, but I got into the city. I was able to walk around Temple Square on a perfect Easter Sunday and take pictures of the Temple. I was able to find my sister and we were able to go to church together. That night, I thanked Heavenly Father for letting me attend my meetings, and especially to see and visit the Temple. I went to sleep, content that the day had gone well. I woke up Monday morning at eight a.m., feeling sick to my stomach! My prayers had been answered. I was able to make it to Utah, make it to church, and get sick, then have time to recover before my interview. Through the trial of Monday I prayed that Heavenly Father would keep me close as I endured the pain I was in. Later on, while visiting the Temple Bookstore I found a card with the poem, “The Footprints” written on one side and a picture of the Savior on the other. It stunned me, because each time I face a trial, I think of how the Lord is holding me in his arms while walking down the road. I know that each time I feel like the darkness is winning, all I have to do is remember that this isn’t a time of darkness. This is a time when the Lord is holding me in his arms, safe from the raging storm around me.