I encourage you to think about the following questions and answer them in your own time.
"What does faith means to you?" "How do you show your faith with others?"
"How do you apply faith each night?" and "How do you apply faith each day?"
This post is based on April 1994 General Women's Meeting talk called "Faith is the Answer" by Sister Virginia H. Pearce. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk. Sister Pearce mentioned,
“Why did it have to be me?” That’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves during hard times. Family difficulties, loneliness, awkwardness, problems with school “why did it have to be me?” What would help? What is the answer?
President Hinckley, said, “Of all our needs, I think the greatest is an increase in faith” Could faith be the answer? We all know that more faith won’t make our problems disappear. But I believe as our faith increases, we become more able to not only survive the hard times but become better because of them. I believe faith is the answer.
Faith is the first of the Young Women Values: “I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves me, and I will have faith in his eternal plan, which centers in Jesus Christ, my Savior”
When we bring that definition into everyday language, faith means that I really believe that:
I will obey the commandments, work hard, and trust in their plan. Sooner or later, everything will be okay.
When I was fifteen years old, my mother suggested that I get a patriarchal blessing. Although I hadn’t thought of doing so, her suggestion felt right, and preparations were made. I don’t remember the interview with my bishop or making the appointment, but I do remember an increasing sense of reluctance as the day approached.
My anxiety was all about my future. I had heard story after story of remarkable blessings with unusual promises. Some days I felt extraordinary as if there were special things ahead for me. But usually I felt ordinary even invisible some days. What if I didn’t have anything in my future? Better not to know. Maybe there wouldn’t be anything for the patriarch to say, and the blessing would only be one or two sentences long. I wondered if I would go on a mission, would I marry, would there be children, how many?
As you can see, I didn’t really understand the difference between a patriarchal blessing and a Chinese fortune cookie. But I did understand one important difference: I didn’t believe in messages in cookies, but I did believe in patriarchal blessings.
I was prepared to believe anything that was said, or not said. The anticipated day arrived. I went with my parents to the patriarch’s cozy little study. As he placed his hands on my head, there was a steadiness that vaporized all uncertainty. I remember the surprise and wonder of that day, but also of every other time I have read that blessing the startling news: He knows me. Heavenly Father knows me! And he has a plan for my future. I don’t need to know all the details, but if I do my part, it will turn out wonderfully well.
Faith is the answer. I need more faith. You need more faith. I encourage you to read the whole talk in your own time. Here's the link below.
www.lds.org/general-conference/1994/04/faith-is-the-answer
"What does faith means to you?" "How do you show your faith with others?"
"How do you apply faith each night?" and "How do you apply faith each day?"
This post is based on April 1994 General Women's Meeting talk called "Faith is the Answer" by Sister Virginia H. Pearce. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk. Sister Pearce mentioned,
“Why did it have to be me?” That’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves during hard times. Family difficulties, loneliness, awkwardness, problems with school “why did it have to be me?” What would help? What is the answer?
President Hinckley, said, “Of all our needs, I think the greatest is an increase in faith” Could faith be the answer? We all know that more faith won’t make our problems disappear. But I believe as our faith increases, we become more able to not only survive the hard times but become better because of them. I believe faith is the answer.
Faith is the first of the Young Women Values: “I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves me, and I will have faith in his eternal plan, which centers in Jesus Christ, my Savior”
When we bring that definition into everyday language, faith means that I really believe that:
- Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live, and they are in charge of this world.
- They know me.
- They love me.
- They have a plan for my future.
I will obey the commandments, work hard, and trust in their plan. Sooner or later, everything will be okay.
My anxiety was all about my future. I had heard story after story of remarkable blessings with unusual promises. Some days I felt extraordinary as if there were special things ahead for me. But usually I felt ordinary even invisible some days. What if I didn’t have anything in my future? Better not to know. Maybe there wouldn’t be anything for the patriarch to say, and the blessing would only be one or two sentences long. I wondered if I would go on a mission, would I marry, would there be children, how many?
As you can see, I didn’t really understand the difference between a patriarchal blessing and a Chinese fortune cookie. But I did understand one important difference: I didn’t believe in messages in cookies, but I did believe in patriarchal blessings.
I was prepared to believe anything that was said, or not said. The anticipated day arrived. I went with my parents to the patriarch’s cozy little study. As he placed his hands on my head, there was a steadiness that vaporized all uncertainty. I remember the surprise and wonder of that day, but also of every other time I have read that blessing the startling news: He knows me. Heavenly Father knows me! And he has a plan for my future. I don’t need to know all the details, but if I do my part, it will turn out wonderfully well.
Faith is the answer. I need more faith. You need more faith. I encourage you to read the whole talk in your own time. Here's the link below.
www.lds.org/general-conference/1994/04/faith-is-the-answer
Stay Tuned until next time.
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