Good morning brothers and sisters, what a beautiful day this is. I feel blessed and humbled to have the opportunity to speak with you today. I can only imagine the thoughts that crossed Brother Richards’ mind last week when he called me and I didn’t answer the phone. To be fair, I didn’t recognize the number and had a horrible migraine, and was resting so it was hours before I called him back. I knew what was coming when I listened to his message and while I was surprised, as I have only been in the ward for 3 weeks now, 2 when the call came through so, when I called him back he of course asked if I would be willing to speak in church today, to which I told him, “I will always say yes.” It’s true, usually, I have a little time to volunteer to speak in church before I am asked but I am truly grateful for this opportunity.
I was asked to follow promptings and impressions as I study Elder Rasband’s talk from last October’s General Conference titled “The Things of My Soul”.
My heart and mind have been flooded with so much this last week as I pondered the words of Elder Rasband’s talk. As I was preparing for this talk another talk was brought to my attention, it was by Elder D. Todd Christofferson titled “Our Relationship with God” given this last April at General Conference. I recall thinking, “how perfect” as I felt that the things of my soul directly correlate with my relationship with God.
While Elder Rasband was caught by the word things and how he felt it “was not very elegant or spiritual, not grand enough to pair with his soul”, my mind and study fell upon the word soul. I turned to the scriptures and went directly to the topical guide searching for the word soul to gain greater insight into my pondering mind. There I found that our soul is also noted as the breath of life; heart; person; spirit; and worth of souls. Breath of life and worth of souls were the two things that seemed to call to me so I looked further into the breath of life where it was noted as the physical creation of man. I read through a few of the verses noted here. The words of Job 33:4 the breath of the Almighty hath given me life caught my attention. With that, I then turned to the worth of souls in the topical guide and read through the verses noted there as well. One we all know by heart was listed there, John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
So, what I found in those two verses is that without Him, I would not be for He has given life to my soul, and with His Son, so long as I do my part, I may have everlasting life.
With those precious truths in mind, I take you now on a journey of the things of my soul and how they relate to my relationship with God. As I am writing this I am listening to music, the song Nothing Else is playing now…how divine! I encourage you to listen to it when you have a moment, it’s by Cody Carnes. This song brings tears to my eyes, making it hard for me to sing along with at times. It is a beautiful reminder to me of all that truly matters.
In his talk Elder Rasband listed 7 things of his soul, stating “Ten would be a good, round number”. He encouraged each of us to write our own 8, 9, & 10.
- Love God the Father & Jesus Christ our Savior
- Love your neighbor
- Love yourself
- Keep the commandments
- Always be worthy of a temple recommend
- Be joyful and cheerful
- Follow God’s living prophet – My 8-11 are
- Focus on the Savior
- Continually exercise faith
- Attend church meetings and serve with all your heart
- Trust in the Lord & those He speaks through
All of those things help us to develop a close and lasting relationship with our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ. Along with prayer, the things of my soul have helped me to draw nearer to our Savior Jesus Christ, and our Heavenly Father. In the last 9½ years, I have strived to call upon them in my hours of need, to walk with them in spirit day by day as I journey this path I am on. In this I have seen their fidelity to me – a weathered ship tossed too and fro upon the sometimes stormy waters of life. Most importantly, I strive to allow God to prevail in my life. It hasn’t always been easy, I imagine it isn’t for any of us.
I can recognize how some of these very same things might be hard for others. In Elder Christofferson’s talk, he spoke of Job and how we shouldn’t judge God falsely when our life is in turmoil. I understand how hard this is. Long before I truly knew who He was I was angry with Him. I look back now and see that anger stemmed from not having a deeper knowledge of Him and His plan for our mortal life. I had a limited understanding of the trials we face, the afflictions we endure, and the greater purpose for them all.
Surely, nothing we pass through is without purpose. We may not see it in the midst of the pain but it all comes around in the end. Sometimes it takes another pointing it out to us, sometimes He blesses us with that knowledge as we are helping another to pass through the same deep waters we once trudged so long ago. It’s heartbreaking both ways sometimes as we may find that those we are helping through those waters are our children, dear friend, or loved ones.
It takes faith, great focus upon the Savior, and trust in the Lord and those He speaks through to make it through hard times. Granted, you can pass through those times without all of that but believe me, it’s not easy. Consider those who have been faithful to Him in all seasons of their life. Think of Abraham, Noah, and Joseph of old. Think of Joseph Smith, his wife Emma, and the pioneers. Think of those you know personally in your life and the faith they seem to exude. Look to the person next to you, those behind you, and those before you, each with stories told and untold, none of us is without trials of some sort. Let us be a little kinder, more friendly, and loving towards those around us.
As we pass through this life let us do so with more cheer in our steps and greater joy in our hearts. It doesn’t make things easier but it does make things more bearable as we strive to focus on Him with joy. It will help to fill us with a deeper love for Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father.
I have found that attending church has made a significant impact on my relationship with God and my fellow neighbor, whoever they might be. As we come to know one another, sharing the realness of our lives, our minds are open to deeper understanding, greater compassion, and humility. I used to think that people who went to church were perfect. Mind you I was a child when I thought that.
What I needed was to see that they were real. That is something I learned as I began attending church at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints almost 10 years ago. Hearing that others, especially those of faith, had struggles, and difficulties with family, children, marriage, you name it, was refreshing. It helped me to see how having a relationship with our Savior and Heavenly Father could help me through the challenges of life.
Being worthy of a temple recommend and regularly attending or serving in the temple has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. I have done proxy temple ordinances for my ancestors. In some instances, I have felt the joy they feel as their work is being done on their behalf. I was there when my father’s temple ordinances were done on his behalf and let me tell you, that was an amazing experience. A dear friend of mine served as a proxy for my dad and the things he shared with me, words my father wanted to express to me…he had no idea what my relationship with my father was like and yet the words touched me in a way I struggle to express. There truly is healing beyond this life. I don’t understand how it happens but I know that it does.
Brothers and sisters, as Elder Rasband stated “We live in a time when we are “tossed to and fro,” when spirituality, decency, integrity, and respect are under attack.” We each have choices to make and what you choose is up to you but I plead with you to make those choices that will help you to cultivate a relationship with God. Ponder the things of your soul and weed out those things that seem to carry you in a direction that takes you farther from Him and those places you will find Him. Listen to and ponder on the words of living prophets and those He speaks through. Know that as you make those hard choices that Jesus Christ has promised “I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you.” (D&C 68:6)
I echo the words of Brigham Young as noted in Elder Christofferson’s talk, “my faith is placed upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and my knowledge I have received from him.” I have walked a stretch of this life without Him. Once I gained knowledge of who He is and what that means for me, I was able to look back and see His presence ever with me.
As you ponder the things of your soul I encourage you to get closer to God. Call upon your Heavenly Father in the name of the Son. Walk with them day by day, in every season of your life, and allow them to show their fidelity to you. As you come to know them you will gain a deeper knowledge of yourself, and will in turn come to have a greater love for yourself.
I hope that my words have in some small way conveyed to you what truly matters to me. The most important thing of my soul I have discovered this last week as I have prepared this talk is my relationship with God, my Heavenly Father, and Savior Jesus Christ.
I say these things in the name of our Savior, even the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
