Oaks - Powerful Ideas - October 1995

President Oaks speaks about ideas that set us clearly on the path to following our Heavenly Father. He gives us several examples of powerful ideas that inspire us and encourage our discipleship of the Savior. He begins by tell us we should be always thinking of eternal things and what we need to do to return to our Father in Heaven.

• Saints should be constantly concerned with teaching and emphasizing those great and powerful eternal truths that will help us find our way back to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

He speaks about the sacred hymn "I Am a Child of God" and the eternal truths that are taught in that song. He uses this song as an example of powerful ideas.

• Consider the power of the idea taught in our beloved song “I Am a Child of God,” sung so impressively by the choir at the beginning of this session. Here is the answer to one of life’s great questions, “Who am I?” I am a child of God with a spirit lineage to heavenly parents. That parentage defines our eternal potential. That powerful idea is a potent antidepressant. It can strengthen each of us to make righteous choices and to seek the best that is within us. Establish in the mind of a young person the powerful idea that he or she is a child of God and you have given self-respect and motivation to move against the problems of life.
• All men and women on this earth are the offspring of God, spirit brothers and sisters. What a powerful idea! No wonder God’s Only Begotten Son commanded us to love one another. If only we could do so! What a different world it would be if brotherly and sisterly love and unselfish assistance could transcend all boundaries of nation, creed, and color. Such love would not erase all differences of opinion and action, but it would encourage each of us to focus our opposition on actions rather than actors.

He speaks about love being a powerful idea but it becomes more powerful when children see that love demonstrated by someone they love and respect. Parents should strive to be the perfect example of love to their children.

• The eternal truth that our Heavenly Father loves all his children is an immensely powerful idea. It is especially powerful when children can visualize it through the love and sacrifice of their earthly parents. Love is the most powerful force in the world.

He speaks about mortal life and that death is not an end but a transition to something more to come.

• Another powerful idea we should teach one another is that mortal life has a purpose and that mortal death is not the end but only a transition to the next phase of an existence that is immortal.

Another powerful idea is that we have a work to do in partnership with our Heavenly Father to help His children return to Him. This should motive us to look after one another.

• Another idea that is powerful to lift us from discouragement is that the work of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “to bring to pass the … eternal life of man,” is an eternal work. Not all problems are overcome and not all needed relationships are fixed in mortality. The work of salvation goes on beyond the veil of death, and we should not be too apprehensive about incompleteness within the limits of mortality.

His last example of a powerful idea is that we can pray directly to our Heavenly Father and be heard and answered. The thought that the most powerful being in the universe cares about me specifically overcomes any form of discouragement that could ever set in on our lives.

• A powerful idea with immediate practical application is the reality that we can pray to our Heavenly Father, and he will hear our prayers and help us in the way that is best for us. Most of us have experienced the terrible empty feeling that comes from being separated from those who love us. If we remember that we can pray and be heard and helped, we can always withstand that feeling of emptiness. We can always be in touch with a powerful friend who loves us and helps us, in his own time and in his own way.

He gives us advice on how to use our time more wisely. We should be always following the example of the Savior.

• Remember, our Savior, Jesus Christ, always builds us up and never tears us down. We should apply the power of that example in the ways we use our time, including our recreation and diversions.

Finally, President Oaks encourages us to follow the gospel teachings and help others do the same.

• Let us follow the commandments of God and the examples of his servants. Let us focus our teachings on those great and powerful ideas that have eternal significance in promoting righteousness, building up the children of God, and helping each of us toward our destiny of eternal life.

The simple truths of the gospel inspire and motivate us to become better disciples of the Savior. Knowing our eternal destiny, understanding our relationship to God, and knowing that we can have our prayers heard and answered by God are some of the most powerful thoughts available to man. How great it is to know who we are and how we fit into God's overall plan of eternal life. As I reflect on my life, I realize how blessed I am and that motivates me to want others to share in those same blessings. Today, I'm going to share a little bit of the light that I have in my life with someone that seems to need a little encouragement. I would encourage you to look for an opportunity like that today in your own life.