For this blog post I'm not going to write as much about the talks we discussed in Relief Society because you really just need to check them out yourself. The words of these two men are powerful and have much truth.
Sister Hollett began her lesson with "You Matter to Him" by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. When Moses was a Prophet upon the earth he was raised by Pharaoh's daughter and so he was able to experience the life as a royal. Years later while he was away from the grand living in Egypt he was upon a distant mountain and was in the presence of the Lord and saw Him face to face. After much visitation from the Lord, Moses was fatigued and started to realize that "that is nothing."(Moses 1:10).
We are less then we suppose and it is said that "astronomers have attempted to count the number of starts in the universe. One group of scientists estimates that the number of starts within range of our telescopes is 10 times greater than all the grains of sand on the world's beaches and deserts." So, when compared to God we are less then we suppose, however, to our Heavenly Father we are greater than we suppose. "For the worth of souls is great in the sight of God." (Doc. and Cov. 18:10)
With this knowledge of our worth in the sight of the Lord, Satan will try to deceive us in many ways. Two of the ways are through pride and discouragement. With pride he will try to puff us up and make us think that we are able to do all on our own with out the help of the Lord. However, we know that, we are nothing compared to God and we need His help way more then we even know. Sometimes Satan will place discouragement in our path. "He attempts to focus our sight on our own insignificance until we begin to doubt that we have much worth. He tells us that we are too small for anyone to take notice, that we are forgotten-especially by God." This happens to all of us from time to time but sisters I know that we truly matter to our Father in Heaven!
Here are four principles President Uchtdorf gives us to remember and ponder:
1. God loves the humble and meek
2. The Lord entrusts "the fulness of [His] gospel [to] be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world."
3. You are not invisible to your Heavenly Father
4. Understand that what you see and experience now is not what forever will be.
"We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to him. God sees you not as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season-He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him."
Because we matter so much to our Father in Heaven we know that we are blessed with the Savior and His redeeming sacrifice he has made on our behalf. Elder Curtis explains how throughout the scriptures the Lord continually reminds us about the people of Israel being redeemed from bondage. "Often this is done to remind the people of the Lord's goodness in delivering the children of Israel from the Egyptians. But it is also done to teach them that there would be another, more important, redemption for Israel. Lehi taught, 'And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall.' (2 Nephi 2:26)"
Through this redemption we are redeemed both from physical death, meaning the temporal death in which we will all overcome and be resurrected. We will also be redeemed over spiritual death. "Through His suffering and death, Christ paid for the sins of all mankind on condition of individual repentance." If we make sure that we repent we will be forgiven for our sins because the price has been paid by our Redeemer. We all are in need of this redemption and can all take part in it. "This loving redemption allows the laws of justice and mercy to be satisfied in the lives of all who repent and follow Christ." Elder Curtis quotes President Boyd K. Packer, "There is a Redeemer, a Mediator, who stands both willing and able to appease the demands of justice and extend mercy to those who are penitent."
"Although we can never repay the Redeemer what He paid on our behalf, the plan of redemption calls for our best efforts to fully repent and do the will of God." May we all remember that we are of much worth to our Father in Heaven and because of that worth we are blessed with the plan of happiness and the redeeming sacrifice that was made by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Links to talks:
"You Matter to Him" http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/you-matter-to-him?lang=eng&query=matter+him
"Redemption" http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/redemption?lang=eng&query=redemption+legrand
**Stake Conference in next Sunday starting at 10:00a.m. at the church** Our next lesson will be out of The Daughters in My Kingdom book and it is on Chapter 7: "Pure Religion": Watchcare and Ministering through Visiting Teaching.
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