• Home
  • Blog
  • Blog Archives
    • Post By Speaker >
      • Current First Presidency >
        • Nelson
        • Oaks
        • Eyring
      • Current Quorum of the Twelve >
        • Ballard
        • Holland
        • Uchtdorf
        • Bednar
        • Cook
        • Christofferson
        • Andersen
        • Rasband
        • Stevenson
        • Renlund
        • Gong
        • Soares
      • Previous Apostles and Prophets >
        • Monson
        • Hales
    • Posts By Conference >
      • April 2018 General Conference
      • October 2017 General Conference
      • April 2017 General Conference
      • October 2016 General Conference
      • April 2016 General Conference
    • First Presidency Messages >
      • Thomas S. Monson
      • Henry B. Eyring
      • Dieter F. Uchtdorf
    • Christmas Devotionals >
      • December 2016
    • Bookshelf Plus >
      • Devotional Talks
  • Stories
    • Stories - Apr 2017
    • Stories - Oct 2016
    • Stories - Apr 2016
  • Donate
LDSCONF.BLOG
Follow Us

Hales - “Come, Follow Me” by Practicing Christian Love and Service - October 2016

10/30/2016

Comments

 
Elder Hales speaks during the October 2016 General Conference.  He speaks about choices that we make in our lives and the effects that they have on ourselves and others.  He starts with a questions from a grandson to his grandfather.  This is a great lesson in this question and he uses it for the basis of his talk.
  • Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel was in the hospital recovering from open-heart surgery when he was visited by his five-year-old grandson. As the little boy looked into his grandfather’s eyes, he saw his pain. “Grandpa,” he asked, “if I loved you more, would you [hurt less]?” Today I ask a similar question of each of us: “If we love the Savior more, will we suffer less?”

He speaks about the Saviors call to turn from the rules of the Law of Moses to the higher law given during the Saviors earthly ministry.
  • The disciples were taught to turn from the ways of the natural man to the loving and caring ways of the Savior by replacing contention with forgiveness, kindness, and compassion.
  • As the Savior’s latter-day disciples, we come unto Him by loving and serving God’s children. As we do, we may not be able to avoid tribulation, affliction, and suffering in the flesh, but we will suffer less spiritually. Even in our trials we can experience joy and peace.

He provides advice to parents and grandparents to seize the moments we have to teach our families these Christlike principles.
  • Parents and grandparents, we tend to bemoan the state of the world—that schools are not teaching moral character. But there is much we can do. We can take advantage of the teaching moments in our own families—that means now. Don’t let them slip by. When an opportunity comes to share your thoughts about the gospel and the lessons of life, stop everything, sit down, and talk with your children and grandchildren.

We sometime feel we are not qualified to teach things that we struggle with ourselves.  Elder Hales makes clear that the greatest teacher we have is the Holy Ghost.
  • No training class or manual is as helpful as personally studying our scriptures, praying, pondering, and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Despite our best efforts, we sometimes have children that make decisions to live their lives contrary to the way that we would hope.  Elder Hales gives great advice to parents in these turbulent situations.
  • The scriptures tell us that when some of Heavenly Father’s spirit children chose not to follow His plan, the heavens wept. Some parents who have loved and taught their children also weep when their grown children choose not to follow the Lord’s plan. What can parents do? We cannot pray away another’s agency. Remember the father of the prodigal son, who patiently waited for his son to “[come] to himself,” all the while watching for him. And “when he was yet a great way off,” he ran to him. We can pray for guidance about when to speak, what to say, and yes, on some occasions, when to be still. Remember, our children and family members already chose to follow the Savior in their premortal realm. Sometimes it is only by their own life’s experiences that those sacred feelings are awakened again. Ultimately, the choice to love and follow the Lord has to be their own.

He concludes with words of encouragement for us to be more like the Savior.
  • If we have not fully done so yet, let us turn more toward forgiveness, kindness, and love. Let us renounce the war that so often rages in the heart of the natural man and proclaim Christ’s caring, love, and peace.

I am personally touched by Elder Hales talk.  I have been thinking about the gift of agency recently and how we have to respect peoples decisions not to follow the path that our Heavenly Father has asked us to follow.  Elder Hales says "We cannot pray away another’s agency."  He also says, "our children and family members already chose to follow the Savior in their premortal realm. Sometimes it is only by their own life’s experiences that those sacred feelings are awakened again."  I am grateful to a loving Savior who suffered for all the decisions that people make that somehow teach them a life lesson.  The principle of agency is so vital that it was respected by our Heavenly Father in the premortal world.  I am sure it pained our Heavenly Father to see His children disregard His plan just as it pains me to see my children learn some hard lessons in their life.  But the gift of agency is real.  I am grateful to a loving Savior who allows us to make mistakes, and provides a way for all to be made right again when those mistakes help us come to a better place in our lives.  Let us take advantage of the great gift the Savior has provided for us and continue to love those that need our patience and understanding to learn the necessary lessons of life.
Comments

    Our Mission

    Wherefore we search the prophets... and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken. (Jacob 4:6)

    Upcoming Blogs:

    Oaks - October 2000
         The Challenge to Become
    Oaks - April 2001
         Focus and Priorities
    Oaks - October 2001
         Sharing the Gospel
    Oaks - April 2002
         The Gospel in Our Lives
    Soares - October 2005
         "Feed My Sheep"
    Picture
    Google
    Custom Search

    Categories

    All
    Aburto
    Alonso
    Andersen
    April 1975
    April 1976
    April 1979
    April 1980
    April 1981
    April 1983
    April 1985
    April 1986
    April 1987
    April 1988
    April 1989
    April 1990
    April 1991
    April 1992
    April 1993
    April 1994
    April 1995
    April 1996
    April 1997
    April 1998
    April 1999
    April 2000
    April 2001
    April 2002
    April-2003
    April-2004
    April 2005
    April 2006
    April 2007
    April 2008
    April 2009
    April 2010
    April 2011
    April 2012
    April 2013
    April 2014
    April 2015
    April 2016
    April 2017
    April 2018
    Ardern
    Arnold
    Ashton
    Ballard
    Bangerter
    Bassett
    Bednar
    Bingham
    Bookshelf Plus
    Bragg
    Brough
    Burton
    Bytheway
    Callister
    Carl B. Cook
    Causse
    Choi
    Christensen
    Christmas Devotional
    Christofferson
    Clayton
    Clayton-W
    Cook
    Cordon
    Cornish
    Costa
    Curtis
    Davies
    December 2016
    De Feo
    Duncan
    Dunn
    Durham
    Durrant
    Echo Hawk
    Ellis
    Esplin
    Eubank
    Evans
    Eyring
    First Presidency Message
    Godoy
    Gong
    Grow
    Guest Blogger: @pattypooh67
    Haleck
    Hales
    Hallstrom
    Holland
    Holmes
    Hoyos
    January 2017
    Johnson
    Jones
    Kearon
    Koch
    Marriott
    Maynes
    Mazzagardi
    McConkie
    Meurs
    Monson
    Nattress
    Nelson
    Oaks
    October 1975
    October 1976
    October 1978
    October 1980
    October 1981
    October 1983
    October 1984
    October 1985
    October 1986
    October 1987
    October 1988
    October 1989
    October 1990
    October 1991
    October 1992
    October 1993
    October 1994
    October 1995
    October 1996
    October 1997
    October 1998
    October 1999
    October 2000
    October 2001
    October 2002
    October 2003
    October 2004
    October 2005
    October 2006
    October 2007
    October 2008
    October 2009
    October 2010
    October 2011
    October 2012
    October 2013
    October 2014
    October 2015
    October 2016
    October 2017
    October 2018
    Oscarson
    Owen
    Palmer
    Parrella
    Pingree
    Rasband
    Reeves
    Renlund
    Richards
    Robbins
    Sabin
    Schmutz
    Snow
    Soares
    Stephens
    Stevenson
    Su'a
    Taylor
    The Living Christ
    Uceda
    Uchtdorf
    VCordon
    Waddell
    Wakolo
    Wilson
    Worldwide Devotional
    Yamashita
    Zivic
    Zwick

    Archives

    April 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Contact Us

    Contact SuperScriptures at SuperScriptures@gmail.com

    RSS Feed

    Visit our sponsors
    Missionary Care Packages by Called2Serve.com
    Freshly baked cookies, cinnamon rolls, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, candy, and much more. Create your own missionary care package including a free letter or greeting card. Free MTC and discounted FedEx delivery.
Home
About
Contact