Our True Value

Quotes in this post are by Elder Uchtdorf: Read His Talk Here

Elder Uchtdorf starts off  reminding us that we have just gathered in this conference as: "Sisters of all ages, backgrounds, nationalities, and languages united in faith and love for the Lord Jesus Christ."

I resonate with those words, "for the Lord Jesus Christ." because as we do everything we do "for the Lord Jesus Christ" we are using our abilities to become like him. And as we become like him and unite together we become a more powerful whole.

President Uchtdorf tells a story of three sisters, their personalities and how they dealt with their challenges and gifts:

"The first sister was sad. Everything from her nose to her chin and from her skin to her toes seemed not quite good enough to her. When she spoke, her words sometimes came out awkwardly, and people laughed. When someone criticized her or “forgot” to invite her to something, she would blush, walk away, and find a secret spot where she would let out a sad sigh and wonder why life had turned out to be so bleak and cheerless."

This is a perfect example of what some of us go through at times . . . and others all of the time. First she feels embarrassment, then she excludes herself, then she hides and starts to marinate on negative thoughts.

"The second sister was mad. She thought of herself as very smart, but there was always someone else who scored higher on tests at school. She considered herself funny, fair, fashionable, and fascinating. But always, there seemed to be someone who was funnier, fairer, more fashionable, or more fascinating.

She was never first at anything, and this she could not endure. Life was not supposed to be this way!

Sometimes she lashed out at others, and it seemed that she was always one breath away from being outraged by one thing or another.

Of course, this did not make her any more likable or popular. Sometimes she clenched her teeth, tightened her fists, and thought, “Life is so unfair!”"

This sister was truly gifted, but she lived life through the thought lens of "NEVER ENOUGH" She knew her talents, she was aware of them, but they would never measure up. When we don't VALUE our personal best, and seek to grow and challenge ourselves to level up, it will never be "ENOUGH." In the end here, even her body language showed how she valued herself. When we don't believe in our value it shows all over us and other people see it, notice it, and avoid it. 

Her circumstance: This sister has talents
Her thoughts: I am not the funniest, fairest, most fashionable, or most fascinating.

I'm not first. Life is not suppose to be this way. Life is so unfair.

Her feelings: Mad

Her actions: Clenching teeth, tightening fist

Results: She never held her value as enough

"Then there was the third sister. Unlike her sad and mad sisters, she was—well, glad. And it wasn’t because she was smarter or more beautiful or more capable than her sisters. No, people sometimes avoided or ignored her too. They sometimes made fun of what she was wearing or the things she was saying. They sometimes said mean things about her. But she did not allow any of that to bother her too much.

This sister loved to sing. She didn’t have great pitch, and people laughed about it, but that didn’t stop her. She would say, “I am not going to let other people and their opinions stop me from singing!”

The very fact that she kept singing made her first sister sad and her second sister mad."

This sister reminds me of the wemmick girl in the book, "You Are Special" by Max Lucado. This girl was happy from the inside out. The other Wemmicks couldn't put stars or dots on her. She already new her value. The dots didn't stick because she knew her value, the stars didn't stick because she already knew her value, she didn't need them to feel secure about herself.

"Many years passed, and eventually each sister reached the end of her time on earth.

The first sister, who discovered again and again that there was no shortage of disappointments in life, eventually died sad.

The second, who every day found something new to dislike, died mad.

And the third sister, who spent her life singing her song with all her might and a confident smile on her face, died glad."

The results. What ever our thoughts are about our circumstances in life will be our end result. King Benjamin warned us to watch our thoughts. (Mosiah 4:30) It is a worth while activity to participate in. And the results WILL BE  eternal.

Elder Uchtdorf is a great mentor for Jesus Christ. This story and article can provide an emmence amount of guidance for anyone struggling if they can learn how to apply what he is truly saying to each of us. If we will evaluate our circumstances and our thoughts about those circumstance and use his talk for a tool, I promice we can change our lifes!

He next evaluated each sister:

Sister #1:

• Had a victim mentality—"as someone who was acted upon.1"
• Everything made her miserable. Ask yourself, what are the things making you miserable right now? Can you change that? What are the solutions?
• This perspective on life (someone who is acted upon) gives others control over us and how we behave. "When we do this, we are driven about by every wind of opinion—and in this day of ever-present social media, those winds blow at hurricane intensity."

"Dear sisters, why should you surrender your happiness to someone, or a group of someones, who cares very little about you or your happiness?"

Sister #2:

• Practiced blame and hatred. - Passive Action
• "Lashed out at people" - Emotional Action
• She was an angry person - Feelings
• Blinded by her thoughts and actions, they were true to her. Unaware of reality. 
• Living in emotional child hood.
• Her view/thoughts about others didn't serve her if she wanted to love unconditionally. Thoughts

"When someone opposes or disagrees with us, it’s tempting to assume that there must be something wrong with them. And from there it’s a small step to attach the worst of motives to their words and actions."

When we want to stand for something we think is right, we need to do it in love and righteousness. Hate and anger lead to problems.

Our thoughts lead to our actions, which determine the results we will get in life. One the subject of actions Elder Uchtdorf says: “Yes,” you might say, “I would be willing to love my enemies—if only they were willing to do the same.

But that doesn’t really matter, does it? We are responsible for our own discipleship, and it has little—if anything—to do with the way others treat us. We obviously hope that they will be understanding and charitable in return, but our love for them is independent of their feelings toward us."

It has to be independent. Unattached expectations. That's what makes it unconditional, that's what makes it more like the Saviors love. The act of love, no matter what, is what makes us like Christ.

Sister #3

• "Represents the authentic disciple of Jesus Christ.
• trusted God even in the face of ridicule and hardship.
• she maintained her faith and hope, despite the scorn and cynicism around her.
• lived joyfully
• not because her circumstances were joyful but because she was joyful."

The inspired counsled antidote: 

• "Remember who you are. 
• Remember that you are of the royal house of the kingdom of God, daughters of Heavenly Parents, who reign throughout the universe.
• You have the spiritual DNA of God. 
• You have unique gifts that originated in your spiritual creation and that were developed during the vast span of your premortal life. 
• You are the child of our merciful and everlasting Father in Heaven, the Lord of Hosts, the One who created the universe, spread the spinning stars across the vast expanse of space, and placed the planets in their appointed orbits.
• You are in His hands. Very good hands. Loving hands. Caring hands.
• Nothing anyone ever says about you can change [any of this]. Their words are meaningless compared to what God has said about you.
• You are His precious child. 
• He loves you.
• Fear not. The Good Shepherd will find you. He will lift you upon His shoulders. And He will carry you home.2
• The Atonement:The beloved Savior of the world gave His life so that you could choose to make that destiny a reality.
• Let these divine truths sink deeply into your hearts."

May I suggest that this list of inspired counsel helps us Stay on the Path, and stay at the tree. It is what helps us to stay out of hater and victim mode. That is where we want to be, that is where we will experience peace and joy.

Suggested activity: If you can honestly look at your life and see the misery that is caused by the lies of the world, copy and print the above list and review it every day until your whole soul believes these beloved truths sent straight to a prophet of god, then to each of us. It takes a lot of repetitions for our brains to grab hold on a new belief or concept.

Sometimes we might think we know and believe these things, but if we are living in misery, we really don't.

If the list looks to long. For sure, keep it simple. Rewrite some of the ideas in your own words. Or, use only 5 at a time.

Joy in the Journal:

Ask yourself: How do I keep my vision fixed on the glorious happiness promised to the faithful?

***All blog posts in this section are from LDS Conference Talks. All Quotes are from one individual talk with references to whom the speaker was also quoting. This is how I started recording my thoughts while reading Conference talks. Now I want to share them with you.***

Ready To Recieve and Worth

Quotes from Sister Joy D. Jones: Read Her Talk Here

How do you define your worth?                
Where do you choose to focus your mind?


Ready to Recieve includes your self worth. It is hard for God, our Father, to talk to us and show us he loves us if our belief is, "I'm not worth it." It is critical to do this work, to know and understand what you believe about yourself.

“The worth of a soul is its capacity to become as God.”1

"Let me point out the need to differentiate between two critical words: worth and worthiness." They are not the same. Spiritual worth means to value ourselves the way Heavenly Father values us, not as the world values us. Our worth was determined before we ever came to this earth." D. Todd Christopherson.

"On the other hand, worthiness is achieved through obedience. If we sin, we are less worthy, but we are never worth less!"

If we get educated and earn a million dollars we aren't worth more. Our value stays the same. We are already counted of worth in the sight of God our Father. The value we get from getting educated is in the increasing of our talents for which we can give value to other people and bless their lives.

This reminds me of the definitions of shame vs. guilt that I read in Brene' Brown's book, The Gifts of Imperfections. It looks like this:

• Shame = I am bad. (our worth)
• Guilt = I did something bad. (our worthiness)

So where do the negative thoughts about ourselves come from? Do we make them up? They seem to be around us at times and hard to shake off. In the scriptures it teaches "that which of God is light." A negative thought is NOT light. We are also taught that Satan is the father of all lies.* 

What does it mean to father something? This means he plants the seed of doubt in our minds. Shame thinking is one of those seeds and is NOT light. It is the, . . . I'm not good enough, I will never measure up, I'm undeserving. This kind of thinking does not serve us. Not only that, they are not "virtuous thoughts."***  Which, by the way, can be with us "unceasingly."

What can we do to change this kind of thinking? I believe we let way too much of these kinds of thoughts in, and allow them to marinate over and over again. The Prophet David O. McKay has stated, "The devil only has power over us, as we allow him to." As we marinate on these discouraging thoughts, we unconsciously give up our power.

How do we keep that power? How do we stay in a place of hope and worth? King Benjamin a prophet of the Book of Mormon suggests a way, he told us to be a watcher of our thoughts.* If we watch what we are thinking, I mean really be more awake and aware, we can SEE and notice what thoughts and feelings are lowering our self worth. We can't change the thoughts we aren't aware of.

If you need help learning how to watch your thoughts, I have a practice that makes all the difference. Which can lend to being more aware, more conscience of what it is we are actually thinking. Then being able to evaluate that, and decide what it is you really want. If you are interested in learning this, leave your email in the comments below and I will contact you.

President Spencer W. Kimball has said: “God is your Father. He loves you. He and your mother in heaven value you beyond any measure. … You are unique. One of a kind, made of the eternal intelligence which gives you claim upon eternal life.

“Let there be no question in your mind about your value as an individual. The whole intent of the gospel plan is to provide an opportunity for each of you to reach your fullest potential, which is eternal progression and the possibility of godhood.”2

In her talk Sister Jones quoted a scripture in D&C 50:34.

 “He that receiveth of God, let him account it of God; and let him rejoice that he is accounted of God worthy to receive.”8

When I reread this talk this verse seemed to make an impression on my mind. Then Later that day I was doing something, felt the love of the Lord and thought the thoughts, "I am ready to recieve."  When we are WORTHY TO RECIEVE, we are READY TO RECIEVE.

Alma the sr. was ready to receive when he did the work of righteousness and praying in behalf of his son. Then, an angel appeared to him and conducted the work, Alma had been asking for. Not that righteous, worthy people always get exactly what they want and pray for, we don't. But for sure, if we are worthy, we will be ready.

My great grandfather was ready to receive when on his mission  when he received a Loaf of bread, wrapped in a hand embroidered towel, from his wife. He was in Switzerland, she in Logan, Utah.

I hope I am ready to receive, from the actions I do every day and occasionally, for my sons and daughters family who have lost their testimonies. I plan to practice righteousness and use all those primary answers.

"No matter what, we always have worth in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. Despite this marvelous truth, how many of us struggle, from time to time, with negative thoughts or feelings about ourselves? I do. It’s an easy trap."

I think if Sister Jones struggles with this trap, we can all know that no matter how close to the Lord we are, we will all struggle with it from time to time. Some more than others. But it doesn't matter how much, we all can come to know and understand our worth. Which is the truth about us.

It is apart of our lives to over come this struggle.    

It is naturally part of our lives. 

We knew it before we came here. 

But we chose it.

I know we can conquer this trap. I know we can realize when it is in our lives and know what to do to steer our lives away from it. We all experience it and we can all work together to understand it, fight it, and win!

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent"

Eleanor Roosevelt.

 “Comparison is the thief of joy.” 

Theodore Roosevelt

"If the love we feel for the Savior and what He did for us is greater than the energy we give to weaknesses, self-doubts, or bad habits, then He will help us overcome the things which cause suffering in our lives. He saves us from ourselves." Where are we putting our energy right now? Can that change?

Reiterating what she just offered in that last quote, she added new light to it:
"If the pull of the world is stronger than the faith and trust we have in the Savior, then the pull of the world will prevail every time. If we choose to focus on our negative thoughts and doubt our worth instead of clinging to the Savior, it becomes more difficult to feel the impressions of the Holy Ghost."

Joy in the Journal:
"Let’s not be confused about who we are! While it is often easier to be spiritually passive than it is to put forth the spiritual effort to remember and embrace our 
divine identity, we cannot afford that indulgence in these latter days."

1. Journal about what is spiritually passive in your life.
2. Then declare the spiritual effort you will put forth. Not just out loud, write it down. 

Heavenly Father and Christ love you beyond measure. What will you declare to be able to feel it? When your thought matches your belief, it is easier to act in righteousness.  You will THINK IT, FEEL IT, AND ACT ON IT.

3. Write the declaration on a piece of paper and read it often through out the day, every day, until it becomes a part of your thinking and your life.

***All blog posts in this section are from LDS Conference Talks. All Quotes are from one indiviual talk with references to whom the speaker was also quoting. This is how I started recording my thoughts while reading Conference talks. Now I want to share them with you.***
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2017/10/value-beyond-measure?lang=eng

Practice Makes Progress

Practice Makes Progress
Quotes by Elder Holland: Read the talk here 

About 15 years ago I was sitting in a Sacrament Meeting listening to the bishops wife speak. I don't remember what her talk was on, but I Do remember bringing up the subject of her family and how she loved them and no matter where they were at in life, she loved them. She prayed for them, and she rejoiced in any progress they made in life. That resonated with me, very deeply and sincerely. 

I pondered on that principal for a long time and it has come to bless my life in ways I now look back and am so grateful that I understand to my core, the principal of progression, that we are all on a journey to perfection. That it is not necessary think I have to be spot on today, but that I am getting as close to it as I can, as I act on the principles of the gospel. And when I fall, I get back up again and check myself, and move forward.

Elder Holland starts off his talk like this: "The scriptures were written to bless and encourage us, and surely they do that. We thank heaven for every chapter and verse we have ever been given. But have you noticed that every now and then a passage will appear that reminds us we are falling a little short?" And then in his humourous way, that only Elder Holland can pull off, he comments on how these scriptures "remind us we are falling a little short" and make us want to go back to bed and forget it all, at times. That these "celestial goals" can seem even daunting.

And then he encourages and lifts each of us:

"Yet surely the Lord would never give us a commandment He knew we could not keep.

One insightful Latter-day Saint, Sister Darla Isackson, has observed that Satan has somehow managed to make covenants and commandments seem like curses and condemnations. For some he has turned the ideals and inspiration of the gospel into self-loathing and misery-making.3

I also know that, as children of God, we should not demean or vilify ourselves, as if beating up on ourselves is somehow going to make us the person God wants us to become. No! With a willingness to repent and a desire for increased righteousness always in our hearts, I would hope we could pursue personal improvement in a way that doesn’t include getting ulcers or anorexia, feeling depressed or demolishing our self-esteem."

"President Russell M. Nelson has taught, here in mortality

 perfection is still “pending.”

 Elder Holland describes how we can get discouraged from reading what God expects of us by way of commandments. We see our selves as not enough, not worthy enough, and never-going-to-make-it kind of people. Yet if we believe that we can become like God, if we believe he made it to a God through progression, can we not believe in what He has become? A being who loves His enemies, who can bless those who despitefully use Him and persecute Him, and who is merciful and a peacemaker.

"So I believe that Jesus did not intend His sermon on this subject to be a verbal hammer for battering us about our shortcomings. No, I believe He intended it to be a tribute to who and what God the Eternal Father is and what we can achieve with Him in eternity."

Ephesians 4:12 For the ^aperfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the ^bedifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the ^aunity of the faith, and of the ^bknowledge of the Son of God, unto a ^cperfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

Speaking on what the atonement has done for us Elder Holland says:

"We may not be able to demonstrate yet the 10,000-talent perfection the Father and the Son have achieved, but it is not too much for Them to ask us to be a little more godlike in little things, that we speak and act, love and forgive, repent and improve at least at the 100-pence level of perfection, which it is clearly within our ability to do."

"My brothers and sisters, except for Jesus, there have been no flawless performances on this earthly journey we are pursuing, so while in mortality let’s strive for steady improvement without obsessing over what behavioral scientists call “toxic perfectionism.” Read an article about Toxic Perfectionism

One time after teaching a Relief Society lesson a former bishop was standing out in the hallway and he had known it was me teaching in there. As I approached him he asked me how it went and then he asked me a question I will never forget, "was it "perfect"? I was a little taken back by the question but then with confidence, I was able to answer "it was perfect for me." I knew I was improving with each time I taught. 

Then he asked, "Do you know the definition of Perfect?" I did not. So he told me what the definition in the Bible dictionary was; Perfection means Finished and Complete. He was making a point. My lesson was finished and complete. So then I thought to myself, I was right, it was perfect for me. I had planned, prepared, practiced and taught to the best of my ability. And each new lesson would be an improvement on the last.

Of this Elder Holland says:  "If we persevere, then somewhere in eternity our refinement will be finished and complete—which is the New Testament meaning of perfection." 14

That Sabbath day I had "Finished and completed" a lesson I prepared and practiced. For that time I was finished and complete. Yet it doesn't stop there. It goes on and on, everyday is a day to finish and complete. It is up to us what we do with our time and how we use it to grow. Our time here IS a resource. 

My wish for all of us is that we make each day count, that we will "somewhere in eternity" become Finished and Complete.

"Every one of us aspires to a more Christlike life than we often succeed in living. If we admit that honestly and are trying to improve, we are not hypocrites; we are human."

I am learning so much about honestly admitting to our improvements. To count my successes along the path of mortality. We look too harshly at our faults, condemn ourselves and then forget to admit when we have improved. I encourage all of us to count our progress, and make it count. Live in the present and look forward to the future with hope, patience and Love for ourselves. 

Joy In the Journal

• Take a look at your past life and then where you are now and write at least one place of growth you see in yourself. (Small ones count!)
• Write a success at the end of each day! Count it! Take joy in it!
• Consider creating a "Celestial Goal."

***All blog posts in this section are from LDS Conference Talks. All Quotes are from one indiviual talk with references to whom the speaker was also quoting. This is how I started recording my thoughts while reading Conference talks. Now I want to share them with you.***

Is it Coincidence or Divine?

Quotes by Elder Ronald A. Rasband:Read the Talk Here

We have mentors all around us, They are given to us by God. This is no coincidence. They are our parents, our friends, our church leaders. There is a very prevalent lie going around that we don't need to ask these people for help. God put these people in our paths. Seek strength and help from them.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell once explained: "None of us ever fully utilizes the PEOPLE-OPPORTUNITIES allocated to us with in our circles of friendship. You and I may call these intersectings 'coincidence.' This word is understandable for mortals to use, but coincidence is not an appropriate word to describe the workings of an omniscient God. He does not do things by 'coincidence' but ... by 'divine design.'5

"Significant events unfold in the gospel and in the Church that further the kingdom of God on earth. They are not by accident but by God's plan. Events and associations unfold in each of our lives that further God's work on earth."

Dear Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin spoke of an occasion when President Thomas S. Monson said to him: "There is a guiding hand above all things. Often when things happen, it's not by accident. One day, when we look back at the seeming coincidences of our lives, we will realize that perhaps they weren't so coincidental after all." 7

• "What Should you be looking for in your own life?
• What are God's miracles that remind you that He is close, saying, "I am right here?"

Elder Rasband teaches us to answer these questions as he mentors us:

• "Think of those times, some daily, when the Lord has acted in your life--and then acted again.
• Treasure them as moments the Lord has shown confidence in you and in your choices, but allow HIm to make more of you than you can make of your self on your own.
• Treasure His involvement. Sometimes we consider changes in our plans as missteps on our journey.
• Think of them more as first steps to being "on the Lord's errand."13

Once during a Sunday School Lesson the teacher quote this quote to us: "There is no such thing as coincidences, only small miracles where God remains anonymous."

These are the moments of divine design! I know it! I have seen it in my life so many, many times!




"Saul was divinely redirected. When he was known later as Paul, his apostolic ministry reflected what the Lord already knew he was capable of doing and becoming, not what he had set out to do as Saul. In the same manner, the Lord knows what each of us is capable of doing and becoming. What did the Apostle Paul teach? “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”19

The Lord already knows what we are capable of becoming and doing, he knew all of us before we were born. He knows you! He will put the right people in the right place, at the right time to bless our lives. To bless your life. He wants us to succeed, He wants us all to return to him. 

When we have troubles and trials it is so easy to go to bed pull the covers over our heads and shut the world out, when we need exactly the opposite. There IS help. Start with the Lord, ask him to help you, then ask the question;

• What earthly being can I learn from?

I promise He will lead you to them, and them to you. And I am not saying that is it all going to magically happen. You have to keep your eyes open and look around you while you are asking the question. You may have to approach them, take the first step, let God know you are serious.


"When we are righteous, willing, and able, when we are striving to be worthy and qualified, we progress to places we never imagined and become part of Heavenly Father’s “divine design. Each of us has divinity within us."

This last statement reminds me of scripture that was quoted in this same General Conference:

D&C 50:34 He that receiveth of God, let him ^aaccount it of God; and let him rejoice that he is accounted of God worthy to receive.


Good luck my friend, there is divine guidance all around you.

Joy in the Journal
Q#1 What should you be looking for in your own life?  

Q#2 What are God’s miracles that remind you that He is close, saying, “I am right here”?

***All blog posts in this section are from LDS Conference Talks. All Quotes are from one individual talk, with references to whom the speaker was also quoting. This is how I started recording my thoughts while reading Conference talks. Now I want to share them with you.***