Eyring - "Walk with Me" - April 2017

President Eyring speaks during the Priesthood Session of General Conference.  He talks about priesthood service and asks a series of questions meant to cause us to reflect on the service we are currently providing.

• Have I ever felt that the heavens have been opened to me? Would anyone use the phrase “ministering of angels” to describe my priesthood service? Do I bring the “power of godliness” into the lives of those I serve? Have I ever broken a mountain, defied an army, broken someone’s bands, or subdued worldly powers—even if only figuratively—in order to accomplish God’s will?
  
• Such introspection always brings a feeling that we could be doing more in the service of the Lord. I hope it also brings you a feeling that you want to do more—a longing to participate more fully in the Lord’s miraculous work. Such feelings are the first step toward becoming the kind of men that priesthood service is meant to produce.
  

President Eyring shares with us that we are all called to partner with the Savior when we are ordained to the priesthood.  We are invited to come unto Him and act as he acts, and do the things that he does.  When we do this, we recognize that we are doing His will and that we are not alone in our efforts to help those in need.

• Brethren, our ordination to the priesthood is an invitation from the Lord to walk with Him. And what does it mean to walk with the Lord? It means to do what He does, to serve the way He serves. He sacrificed His own comforts to bless those in need, so that’s what we try to do. He seemed to take particular notice of people who were overlooked and even shunned by society, so we should try to do that too. He testified boldly yet lovingly of the true doctrine He received from His Father, even if it was unpopular, and so must we. He said to all, “Come unto me,” and we say to all, “Come unto Him.” As priesthood holders, we are His representatives. We act not for ourselves but for Him. We speak not our words but His. The people we serve come to know Him better because of our service.
  

• As soon as we accept the Lord’s invitation “Walk with me,” the nature of our priesthood service changes. It becomes all at once higher and nobler but also more achievable, because we know that we are not alone.
  

President Eyring gives three things that come to us as we walk with the Lord through our Priesthood service.

• God notices and will support even the newest and youngest deacon. You need never feel that you are too small or too insignificant for Him to take notice of you and the service you are giving in His name.
  

• The Lord’s work is not just to solve problems; it is to build people. So as you walk with Him in priesthood service, you may find that sometimes what seems like the most efficient solution is not the Lord’s preferred solution because it does not allow people to grow. If you listen, He will teach you His ways. Remember that God’s work and glory is not simply to run an effective organization; it is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” This is, after all, why He gives His priesthood authority to flawed mortals like you and me and invites us to participate in His work. Our progress is His work!
  
• Walking with the Savior in priesthood service will change the way you look at others. He will teach you to see them through His eyes, which means seeing past an outward appearance and into the heart.
  

Continual effort to have the spirit be part of our priesthood service increases our potential to help people in need.  God will use us to accomplish His purposes as we strive to be more and more like the Savior in our service.

• If you walk with the Savior long enough, you will learn to see everyone as a child of God with limitless potential, regardless of what his or her past may have been. And if you continue walking with the Savior, you will develop another gift He has—the ability to help people see that potential in themselves and so repent.
  

President Eyring concludes with his testimony about seeing and recognizing the hand of the Lord in our every day lives.

• I testify that when we walk the path of priesthood service, the Savior Jesus Christ goes with us, for it is His path, His way. His light goes before us, and His angels are round about us. We may lack a full understanding of what the priesthood is or how to exercise it as He does. But if we pay close attention to those moments when our hearts “burn within us,” our eyes can be opened and we will see His hand in our lives and in our service.
  

Probably the thing that sticks out of me most in this talk is where President Eyring says God’s work and glory is not simply to run an effective organization; it is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”  In my service, I typically try to solve problems and deal with people quickly, efficiently, and in a manner that seems to make sense to me.  I need to consider what the Lord is trying to teach the people that I work with and consider if there is another way that the Lord would like me to work with these people.  I tend to bring my own vision of how to solve peoples problems and I haven't spent time thinking about what the Lord is doing to use this trial to build these people into eternal beings.  I am going to try to step back and consider the bigger picture and try to see if the Lord can teach me to look at people with eternal glasses instead of through my worldly views.  I think I have a lot of learning and growing to do in the area and look forward to learning from the spirit.