Post # 228 -- Come and Belong

Dear Family and Friends

Good afternoon everybody! I hope you are all healthy and doing

well on this fine day in June. I am doing much better today. I

have been under a bit of a crunch deadline with an online course

that I have been taking. I need to have so many clock hours

each year for our licensing. 

Today is a good day for a few reasons: the biggest one is that I

finished my class !!! yeah !!! I have been putting in a lot of hours

on this course because I'm such a slow reader. There are quite

a few changes going on at my work as well, so i have been trying

to get some things done there as well. 

I have been so focused on this class for these past couple of

weeks that I have put things on the back burner. Now that the

class is out of the way I can begin to make some plans to get

other things done that must be done in the next month. I guess

when it rains it really does pour some times:)

I am sitting here in chemotherapy watching the trees blowing

in the wind. Those trees are being tossed back and forth by

the wind, but their roots are strong. Their roots go deep into

the ground giving the trees a firm foundation that holds them

in place whenever the winds or storms come at them.

I believe that you can easily compare our lives to those trees

because as long as we have a firm foundation in Jesus Christ

and His gospel we too can withstand the storms that come at

us. We can hold onto Jesus Christ and His teachings, our faith

and trust placed in Him and His Father will hold us firm and

steadfast through any storm of life!!

Just like the song “Footprints in the Sand”, our Savior Jesus

Christ is there for each one of us. When we can no longer

manage things on our own strength and power it is then that

He takes over, it ‘was then that He carried us through the rest
of the storm. He carried us and made sure that we are on safe ground out of the storm, or in safe ground in the storm.

The storm will rage on but we will not fear because we know
that our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ are
watching over us and that They will be there to see us through
whatever storms our individual lives may bring us too. We need
only have a little faith to access their continuous blessings and
guidance for our lives.

I have been wondering what topic I should share with you
today. I found this video on youtube that you should watch you
can find it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5RKoCYi5p8

I have been getting a shot in my hip for the arthritis that the
doctor discovered I have. 

I went to the doctor for pain in my knee and I was worried that
something had gone awry with my knee surgery. The doctor did
x rays and found that my hip was the problem, not my knee. This
was good news that my knee surgery was still in good shape, but
not so good news that my hip was going bad. 

Now I go in every three months and get a shot in my hip for the
pain. It only lasts a few weeks but a few weeks is better than it
hurting all the time, right? I am so grateful for the advances
which our Heavenly Father has inspired man to make for our
comfort and benefit throughout the years.

I was writing along and I felt as if I should share the following
general conference talk with each one of you. I pray that
something within it will inspire and uplift each one of you in one
way or another for the bettering of your lives. It really was a
great talk when i heard it the first time and i felt just as
inspired as i read it through again. I hope you enjoy it!


Come and Belong

By Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

We invite all of God’s children throughout the world to join us in this
great endeavor.

My dear brothers and sisters, my dear friends, each week members of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all around the globe worship
our beloved Heavenly Father, the God and King of the universe, and His
Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. We ponder the life and teachings of Jesus Christ
—the only sinless soul who ever lived, the spotless Lamb of God. As often
as we can, we partake of the sacrament in remembrance of His sacrifice and
recognize that He is the center in our lives.

We love Him and we honor Him. Because of His profound and eternal love,
Jesus Christ suffered and died for you and me. He broke open the gates of
death, shattered the barriers that separated friends and loved ones,1 and
brought hope to the hopeless, healing to the sick, and deliverance to the
captive.2

To Him we dedicate our hearts, our lives, and our daily devotion. For this
reason, “we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, [and] we preach of Christ,
… that our children may know to what source they may look for a
remission of their sins.”3

Practicing Discipleship

However, being a disciple of Jesus Christ involves much more than talking
and preaching of Christ. The Savior Himself restored His Church to help us
on the path to become more like Him. The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints is structured to provide opportunities to practice the f
undamentals of discipleship. Through our participation in the Church, we
learn to recognize and act on the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We develop
the disposition of reaching out in compassion and kindness to others.

This is an effort of a lifetime, and it requires practice.

Accomplished athletes spend countless hours practicing the fundamentals of
their sports. Nurses, networkers, nuclear engineers, and even I as a
competitive hobby cook in Harriet’s kitchen become capable and skilled only
as we diligently practice our craft.

As an airline captain, I often trained pilots using a flight simulator—a
sophisticated machine that replicates the flying experience. The simulator not
only helps pilots learn the fundamentals of flying; it also allows them to
experience and react to unexpected events they could encounter when they
take command of the real aircraft.

The same principles apply for disciples of Jesus Christ.

Actively participating in the Church of Jesus Christ and its great variety of
opportunities will help us to be better prepared for life’s changing
circumstances, whatever and however serious they may be. As members of
the Church, we are encouraged to immerse ourselves in the words of God
through His prophets, ancient and modern. Through sincere and humble
prayer to our Heavenly Father, we learn to recognize the voice of the Holy
Spirit. We accept calls to serve, teach, plan, minister, and administer. These
opportunities allow us to grow in spirit, mind, and character.

They will help us prepare to make and keep sacred covenants that will bless
us in this life and in the life to come.

Come, Join with Us!

We invite all of God’s children throughout the world to join us in this great
endeavor. Come and see! Even during this challenging time of COVID-19,
meet with us online. Meet with our missionaries online. Find out for
yourself what this Church is all about! When this difficult time has
passed, meet with us in our homes and in our worship places!

We invite you to come and help! Come and serve with us, ministering to
God’s children, following in the footsteps of the Savior, and making this
world a better place.

Come and belong! You will make us stronger. And you will become better,
kinder, and happier as well. Your faith will deepen and grow more resilient
—more capable of withstanding the turbulences and unexpected trials of life.

And how do we start? There are many possible ways.

We invite you to read the Book of Mormon. If you don’t have a copy, you can
read it on ChurchofJesusChrist.org4 or download the Book of Mormon app.
The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and a companion to
the Old and New Testaments. We love all of these holy scriptures and learn
from them.

We invite you to spend some time at ComeuntoChrist.org to find out what
members of the Church teach and believe.

Invite the missionaries to visit with you online or in the privacy of your home
where this is possible—they have a message of hope and healing. These
missionaries are our precious sons and daughters who serve in many places
around the world on their own time and money.

In the Church of Jesus Christ, you will find a family of people who are not
so different from you. You will find people who need your help and who
want to help you as you strive to become the best version of yourself—the
person God created you to become.

The Savior’s Embrace Extends to All

You might be thinking, “I have made mistakes in my life. I’m not sure I
could ever feel like I belong in the Church of Jesus Christ. God couldn’t
be interested in someone like me.”

Jesus the Christ, though He is “the King of kings,”5 the Messiah,
“the Son of the living God,”6 does care deeply about each and every one
of God’s children. He cares regardless of a person’s position—how poor
or rich, how imperfect or proven someone is. During His mortal life, the
Savior ministered to all: to the happy and accomplished, to the broken and
lost, and to those without hope. Often, the people He served and ministered
to were not individuals of prominence, beauty, or wealth. Often, the people
He lifted up had little to offer in return but gratitude, a humble heart, and the
desire to have faith.

If Jesus spent His mortal life ministering to “the least of these,”7 would He
not love them today? Is there not a place in His Church for all of God’s
children? Even for those who feel unworthy, forgotten, or alone?

There is no threshold of perfection you must attain in order to qualify for
God’s grace. Your prayers do not have to be loud or eloquent or grammatically
correct in order to reach heaven.

In truth, God does not show favoritism8—the things the world values mean
nothing to Him. He knows your heart, and He loves you regardless of your title,
financial net worth, or number of Instagram followers.

As we incline our hearts to our Heavenly Father and draw near to Him, we will
feel Him draw near to us.9

We are His beloved children.

Even those who reject Him.

Even those who, like a headstrong, unruly child, become angry with God and
His Church, pack their bags, and storm out the door proclaiming that they’re
running away and never coming back.

When a child runs away from home, he or she may not notice the concerned
parents looking out the window. With tender hearts, they watch their son or
daughter go—hoping their precious child will learn something from this
heartrending experience and perhaps see life with new eyes—and eventually
return home.

So it is with our loving Heavenly Father. He is waiting for our return.

Your Savior, tears of love and compassion in His eyes, awaits your return.
Even when you feel far away from God, He will see you; He will have
compassion for you and run to embrace you.10

Come and belong.

God Allows Us to Learn from

Our Mistakes

We are pilgrims walking the road of mortality in a grand search for meaning
and ultimate truth. Often, all we see is the path directly ahead—we cannot see
where the bends in the road will lead. Our loving Heavenly Father has not
given us every answer. He expects us to figure out many things for ourselves.
He expects us to believe—even when it’s difficult to do so.

He expects us to straighten our shoulders and develop a little resolve—a little
backbone—and take another step forward.

That is the way we learn and grow.

Would you honestly want everything spelled out in every detail? Would you
honestly want every question answered? Every destination mapped out?

I believe most of us would tire very quickly of this sort of heavenly
micromanagement. We learn the important lessons of life through
experience. Through learning from our mistakes. Through repenting and
realizing for ourselves that “wickedness never was happiness.”11

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died so that our mistakes might not condemn
us and forever halt our progress. Because of Him, we can repent, and our
mistakes can become stepping-stones to greater glory.

You don’t have to walk this road alone. Our Heavenly Father has not left us
to wander in darkness.

This is why, in the spring of 1820, He appeared with His Son, Jesus Christ,
to a young man, Joseph Smith.

Think of that for a moment! The God of the universe appeared to man!

This was the first of many encounters Joseph had with God and other
heavenly beings. Many of the words these divine beings spoke to him are
recorded in the scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. They are easily accessible. Anyone can read them and learn for
themselves the message God has for us in our day.

We invite you to study them for yourself.

Joseph Smith was quite young when he received these revelations. Most
of them came before he was 30 years old.12 He lacked experience, and to some people, he probably seemed underqualified to be the Lord’s prophet.

And yet the Lord called him anyway—following a pattern we find throughout
the holy scriptures.

God didn’t wait to find a perfect person to restore His gospel.

If He had, He would still be waiting.

Joseph was a lot like you and me. Though Joseph made mistakes, God used
him to accomplish His great purposes.

President Thomas S. Monson often repeated these words of advice: “Whom
the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies.”13

The Apostle Paul reasoned with the Saints in Corinth: “Consider your own
call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards,
not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.”14

God uses the weak and the plain to bring about His purposes. This truth
stands as a testimony that it is God’s power, not man’s, that accomplishes His
work on the earth.15

Hear Him, Follow Him

When God appeared to Joseph Smith, He introduced His Son, Jesus Christ,
and said, “Hear Him!”16

Joseph spent the rest of his life hearing Him and following Him.

As with Joseph, our discipleship begins with our decision to hear and
follow the Savior Jesus Christ.

If you desire to follow Him, gather your faith and take upon yourself
His cross.

You will find that you do belong in His Church—a place of warmth
and welcoming where you can join in the grand pursuit of discipleship
and happiness.

It is my hope that, in this bicentennial year of the First Vision, as we
contemplate and learn of the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ,
we will realize that it is not just a historical event. You and I play a
crucial part in this great, continuing story.

What, then, is your and my part?

It is to learn of Jesus Christ. To study His words. To hear Him and
to follow Him by actively participating in this great work. I invite
you to come and belong!

You don’t have to be perfect. You only have to have a desire to develop
your faith and draw nearer to Him each day.

Our part is to love and serve God and to love and serve God’s children.

As you do so, God will encircle you with His love, joy, and certain guidance
through this life, even under the most serious circumstances, and even beyond.

Of this I testify and leave you my blessing in deep gratitude and love for each
one of you, in the sacred name of our Savior, our Master—in the name of
Jesus Christ, amen.

I just love the invitation in this talk, it is to each one of us
whether we are members of the church or not the invitation
is still ours. Why as members of the church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints are we too, invited, you ask? We are
invited because no matter how long we have been a member,
we can still improve right? 

We each need to learn of Him. We can each learn more of
Joseph Smith and how the Lord uses plain, ordinary, unlearned,
simple, people to build His kingdom here on earth. How we, each
one of us have a specific role that only we, alone can play. Just
as Jesus, alone, was the only one who could fulfill His role in the
Atonement of Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself was the only one who
could perform such a feat.

Just as the young Joseph Smith, alone, could fulfill his role as
the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator who translated the Book of
Mormon by the gift and power of God through the Holy Ghost,
who organized the Lord’s Church, even The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

We, too, wxh one has a specific role that we, alone, individually,
can fulfill -- if we choose to do so, in building the Kingdom of
God here upon this earth. Each one of us have been blessed with
specific gifts and talents which we are to use in sharing the
gospel of Jesus Christ with others whom the Lord has put in our paths.

Those He has put in our paths, in our loves, because we, alone,
might be the only ones who can reach them at this time in their
lives. They need us. They need YOU!!! They need your gifts and
talents. They might only relate to your experiences. you , alone,
have experienced. 

You could have exactly what they need to understand their
specific role in the building up of the Kingdom of God here on
this earth at this time.This too, is true of non-members as well,
I think. Because you too, have had experiences that a member
may not have had which could help them better understand
another person along their path.

I believe that fact is that our Heavenly Father has put us here
on this earth together because frankly we truly need one another.
That is why we should all love one another.  I guess I have rambled
on for enough today. Continue to pray every day  even morning and
night. There is such great power in prayer!!!

Please do remember who you are!!!  Continue to study the
Book of Mormon with me, and our cyber study buddies out there in
cyberspace. I will continue to share what I am inspired to share
with you. I am sure that at least one of you will benefit from my
sharing. Until my next post, please do all you can to stay safe!!!!