How Will You Spread the Good News?

 

It is that glorious time of year again when we get to prepare for General Conference! Of all the events and holidays over the years, this is one that I find myself consistently posting about. Perhaps that should demonstrate the level of my excitement and love for the privilege of listening to and learning from prophets of God.

I posted last October about the flood of questions I received from Conference and in the months following I have studied and pondered upon these talks over and over again. Common themes during the October 2014 conference included Jesus Christ, agency, the atonement, prayer, prophets, family and service, as well as temples and testimonies. A few quotes that have really encouraged and inspired me include:

"It is His plan and His will that we have the principal decision-making role in our own life’s drama."
-Elder Christofferson

"The gospel of Jesus Christ opens the path to what we may become. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His grace, our failures to live the celestial law perfectly and consistently in mortality can be erased and we are enabled to develop a Christlike character."- Elder Christofferson

"The Church is not just for perfect people, but it is for all to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.” The Church is for people like you and me. The Church is a place of welcoming and nurturing, not of separating or criticizing. It is a place where we reach out to encourage, uplift, and sustain one another as we pursue our individual search for divine truth."- President Uchtdorf

"When these trials come, the adversary’s minions begin broadcasting that you did something wrong, that this is a punishment, a sign that Heavenly Father does not love you. Ignore that! Instead, try to force a smile, gaze heavenward, and say, “I understand, Lord. I know what this is. A time to prove myself, isn’t it?” Then partner with Him to endure well to the end. Spiritual confidence increases when you accept that “often trials and tribulations are allowed to come into [your life] because of what [you] are doing right”- Elder Klebingat

"We must never let the noise of the world overpower and overwhelm that still, small voice."
 - Elder Perry

I could go on because I love each and every one of those talks for the guidance and peace they bring me. One thing I love about conference is that just as I've had time to apply the directions for improvement in my life, it's time for more! Heavenly Father is all about progression. He allows us time to grow and apply modern revelation then gives us more to help us grow further.

So in thinking again about preparing for conference, there are a lot of potential components to that- activities for children, praying about my questions and concerns, looking for themes, and how to share what we learn. It is on the latter that my thoughts are dwelling today. In recent months, Elder Bednar counseled Latter-day Saints to "sweep the earth with a flood of goodness" inspiring the hashtag #sharegoodness as we share gospel messages on all forms of social media. On lds.org I found a link to a list of Mormon Hashtag Recommendations so we can appropriately hashtag events and quotes. However, on the other hand, I do not want to live tweet general conference and sacrifice the focus on the messages in order to share. We have been counseled to make the gospel the center of our lives, but not to shove it in other's faces--there is a call for moderation in all things. What is natural and right for me may not work for everyone. Case in point- I enjoy blogging while others shy away from it. Others love Instagram and I haven't added it to my repertoire of social media yet. I'm still new to the Twitter and hashtag realm. I would say that you should do what is comfortable, but I think it's a little more than that, because sometimes we will be asked to share beyond our comfort zones. We are asked to be bold disciples declaring the gospel far and wide. So I guess what I would say is that this year as I'm preparing for conference I am going to be prayerful about how I need to share what I learn. In what ways does Heavenly Father need me to spread the good news? I invite all of you to do the same.