This is my second year participating in the LDS Writer Blogfest, and I happy to be! I look forward to this opportunity to share some of my beliefs as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and read what other writers thought about the amazing April 2013 General Conference.
Elder Holland's talk, Lord, I Believe, stood out to me. Wham! His words had such power! And he had such a unique way of looking at the stories and topics he shared.
In the New Testament, the father of an afflicted child approached Jesus and asked for him to have compassion on them. "Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief," the father said. (Mark 9) I guess I never realized what a humble man this was. He humbly acknowledged his weaknesses with the desire of increased faith. I underestimated the strength of this man!
Elder Holland says, "the father asserts his strength first and only then acknowledges his limitation. His initial declaration is affirmative and without hesitation: 'Lord, I believe.' I would say to all who wish for more faith, remember this man! In moments of fear or doubt or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won..."
Elder Holland goes on to say, "I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have. Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not!"
When I heard him say that, I thought, "yes!" He said it so well, and it needed to be said. Elder Holland bore an incredible and touching testimony at the end of his talk that has stayed with me. Very powerful.
And one last quote from his talk that I loved: "Honestly acknowledge your questions and your concerns, but first and forever fan the flame of your faith, because all things are possible to them that believe."
So I'm going to hold fast to faith and the hope that I will soon be published by a great publisher!
Thank you, Kayeleen, for inviting me to participate in the 4th Annual LDS Writer Blogfest!
Other blogfest participants:
I love Elder Holland, but I especially loved this talk, too. I teach early morning seminary, and since his talk I've tried to emphasize with the kids not to discount the testimony they do have. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteHow neat that you teach morning seminary. Way to go! I'm sure this is a talk our youth were and continue to be inspired by. Thanks for the comment!
DeleteI also love Elder Holland, his talks are so powerful and inspiring! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCami! I also enjoyed your post. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteHow many times have we all been in that situation? I believe...but I'm so human. Help me every moment that doubt comes in to cloud my belief.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
What a sincere comment, Charity. I think we all have moments when our faith could use a boost! Thanks for visiting my blog :)
DeleteThanks for the post! I love those talks. It's so good to hear from so many talented creative people who share my values.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ryan!
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