The Reality of General Conference
I had a lot of questions going into this October 2014's General Conference, some crucial to be answered and others...not so much. I've had a lot of people tell me to write down all of my questions before Conference and pray about receiving an answer through the sessions. This was the first time I had done this. While the speakers addressed some of the larger questions, I didn't quite feel like I grasped a full contextual answer for all of them. Now, of course, all of the sessions were wonderful and I learned a lot from each, but I was getting hung up on my questions. Then came along Neil L. Anderson Saturday Afternoon to drive a point home: I can receive answers in many ways than just one. During his address I was taught a lot by him, but even more so by the spirit, which I think is the case nine times out of ten. Neil L. Anderson successfully evokes the presence of the Holy Ghost, surprisingly, by logically approaching the topic of receiving answers.
Elder Anderson spoke of the controversy surrounding Joseph Smith and his ministry. There are many whose testimonies concerning Joseph aren't rock solid and are easily swayed by outside sources whose information and perception of certain aspects are likely skewed. Elder Anderson said that, as a church who began from asking questions, we welcome honest and genuine questions! (Frankly, I have many doctrinal questions that I'm not sure can be answered to me anytime soon, but I tend to--as President Uchtdorf said--doubt my doubts before I doubt my faith.) If we seek answers with faith and real intent, God will provide answers. He always does! One of my favorite quotes was the following: "Spiritual questions deserve spiritual answers provided by God." He listens to us and responds. However, the answer is dependent on God's timing and sometimes it's not necessarily what we're expecting or want to hear.
I learned that just because everyone else is finding answers one way, that way might not be the best way for me to find mine. In order for me to fully understand certain concepts and to ensure that the major (and minor!) decisions I am making in my life are compatible with God's plan, I have to put forth more effort than I am currently. I can't just write down questions and expect all of them to be handed to me on a silver platter--though sometimes God mercifully hands us blessings whether we expect them or not.
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