Wise Counsel

Well, as predicted I really don't have much to write about. My week has been fairly similar to weeks past, however, I made a commitment to try and blog once a week, so here I am.
I had the opportunity to attend the adult session of stake conference last night and there were a couple of talks that really stuck out to me. In my ward, I am currently serving as the co-leader for Activity Days and I am also a co-teacher for the Valiant A class. I have never had a calling in Primary before, and now I have two! Anyway, one of the speakers spoke about the importance of our good influence and our responsibility to teach the youth to do hard things. He referred to a talk given by Elder Bednar at a youth conference in Minnesota a little while ago. Elder Bednar said that the youth of today are too soft. They lack the opportunities to work hard and learn the satisfaction of doing a good job. Their thumbs are so strong (texting, playing video games) that their chance for normal social skills are weakening. We need to teach the youth to do hard things.
So often, instead of giving the youth something difficult to do, we do it ourselves, because it would be easier than explaining it or faster than if they were to do it themselves. He cautioned adults that we need to teach our youth how to do hard things, but that we need to be there to encourage and uplift them, especially when those hard things arise. I thought that this was interesting because it really is easy to just do those hard things ourselves--spare the youth the frustration of learning and resolve the solution ourselves in a timely manner. However, when we do this, we are denying our youth an opportunity to learn responsibility and accountability for their actions, we are denying our youth the opportunity to learn to depend on the Lord, and we are denying our youth an opportunity to stretch themselves a little further and learn from their mistakes or feel the satisfaction of doing a good job. I thought this talk was applicable to all of us and I hope that I can do a better job at helping my primary kids learn to do hard things.
Another speaker spoke about service. She said that there are opportunities all around us and the time to serve is now. No time will be "the right time". Nothing will ever line up so perfectly that we'll think, "Okay. Now I have time to be charitable." Regarding opportunities for service she said, "If not now, when?"
Being married to a medical student and having 3 callings myself, it is easy for me to feel like I just don't have "the time" for anything. Yet, I know that I do and I know that when I serve others I feel happy. The speaker shared a quote that I think has now become one of my favorites. It reads,

"The one true key to happiness is to labor and serve for the happiness of others."

I thought that was just great. It is so easy to focus on ourselves and our inconveniences, however, if we get up and serve those around us we will feel happy. We will be happy and who doesn't want that?
I also had the pleasure of attending stake conference today with the Milwaukee South Stake (I'm in the north stake, but our conference was at 2pm and theirs was at 10am, so we went to it instead :) Elder Dallin H. Oaks was there as well as a member of the Quorum of the Seventy. I don't remember his name, but he gave a wonderful talk on faith and trusting the Lord. He said the Lord is mindful of us. He knows our needs and He will provide. He quoted the scripture about tithing from Malachi 3 and focused on verse 11 especially:

10 Bring ye all the ^atithes into the storehouse, that there may be ^bmeat in mine house, and ^cprove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not ^dopen you the ^ewindows of heaven, and pour you out a ^fblessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11 And I will ^arebuke the ^bdevourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

He testified that God would rebuke Satan, that Satan would have no power to destroy our good efforts, that he would have no power to destroy the blessings we are entitled and that the Lord would provide all we need--even with the power to do as the needs arise. He testified that the Lord knows what is before us and that He is setting in-place the miracles needed to accomplish our work. He testified that tithing is not a matter of money, but of faith. It was such a wonderful talk. I could definitely feel the spirit as he spoke.
Elder Oaks spoke about many things, but ended his talk with a reference to Joshua 24: 15

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, ^achoose you ^bthis day whom ye will ^cserve;...but as for me and my ^dhouse, we will ^eserve the Lord.

He said, "This is a time for choice. This is a time for decision." We need to decide today whom we will serve. He said that this need to choose wisely is not just quoted in scripture, but is found among patriotic men as well. He quoted Patrick Henry who said,

"I know not what other course others may take, but as for me--give me liberty or give me death."

He shared his testimony that this is God's work and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is His gospel upon the earth today. We have a duty to God to use the Gift of the Holy Ghost we have been given to share that message with others. We need to open our mouths and speak about religion. We need to share literature with our friends and extend an invitation to them to come with us to church. We need to decide today whom we will serve.
Needless to say, I have been spiritually fed this weekend and have made some personal goals to be better and stretch a little further. I saw a link on Facebook that has the testimony of Elder Holland on the Book of Mormon. It was fantastic as a talk, and it is great as a Mormon Message. I watched the video and then posted my testimony next to it. I don't know if it will make a difference to anyone, but it felt right and good to me. Perhaps we can each be a little bit more bold in making it known who we have chosen to serve.

I posted the link below, and copied the testimony I posted on my Facebook profile.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCkKblIMfmjI&h=3fa6e5af6da3b58e713e460494d9c667

To those of my friends who have yet to gain an understanding of why Mormons believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God, and that Joseph Smith was in fact a prophet of God, I urge you to watch this video given by an apostle of the Lord in our day. I too know that the Book of Mormon is true. I have read and prayed about it for myself and have received answers to my prayers. God is real, He loves His children and He continues to speak to us today through living prophets and modern revelation.