LDS Superbowl Weekend!!

I love General Conference!!  The talks are always so inspiring and uplifting; they help me feel directed in how I can be a better person.  There were several talks that really stood out to me and gave me a "Coming to Sarah" feel.  "Coming to Sarah" is something a wise friend taught me; sometimes you are so involved with the world that you start to lose yourself in it, and I don't mean that in a good way.  You start to try and change yourself so that you can fit in, so that you are like everybody else in the world instead of being you!  Oscar Wilde once said, "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken."  That is what "Coming to Sarah" is about.

The first talk that really struck me was President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.  I have always jived with his talks ever since I first heard him speak, so it is no wonder that his talk is one of the ones that is prompting me to "come to Sarah".  He mentioned a scripture in Alma 5:26 that says:
". . . if ye have experienced a change of heart . . . I would ask, can ye feel so now?"
I want to add something right here, a "change of heart" does not only happen once.  It is an ongoing process, a constant conversion.  But how many times to do stop ourselves from changing?  Maybe it isn't an intentional thing, but often times we stop ourselves from changing.  If you feel that there needs to be a change in your life, allow it to happen.  That being said, you must allow others to change as well!  You holding grudges against a person, you treating a person the same way because of something they did in the past, that is stopping their ability to change!
In the well known and loved book/musical Les Miserables there is a character, Jean Valjean, who is imprisoned because he broke into a house to steal a loaf of bread.  One of the police inspectors, Javert, has his heart set on keeping Valjean in prison.  Javert hunts Valjean after he is let out on parole and disappears.  When he finally finds him there is an incredible number performed called The Confrontation.  One of the things that Javert continuously says to Valjean is that "a man like you can never change."  Fortunately Valjean doesn't let this stop him from changing himself, but how often does the judgment of others stop people from moving forward.  Allow yourself as well as others to change!

The next two talks kind of go together.  The first is from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and the second is from Elder Russell M. Nelson.  I genuinely am not sure how to summarize what these incredible men said.  But I will tell you this much, they share their powerful testimony on the sanctity of womanhood, being a mother, daughter, sister, and wife.  Elder Holland speaks about the divinity of maternal love.  Both of these talks my thoughts switched back and forth between my own mother and what kind of mother I want to be.  Women everywhere, whether a member or not, these are talks that are designed to uplift and edify you!  I invite you to listen and pay attention to what/how you feel!  God is aware of you and He loves you very much!

The final talk is from Elder David A. Bednar.  He mentioned six of the brethren who have passed away since he had been called as an apostle:  President James E. Faust, President Gordon B. Hinckley, Elder Joseph B. Worthlin, Elder L. Tom Perry, President Boyd K. Packer, and Elder Richard G. Scott.
He took words from their final General Conference talks and shared them with the congregation and I have to say that it was so touching!  I could feel my heart swell as I remembered each of these sweet and powerful men share their final testimonies.  After sharing these Elder Bednar shared the scripture, "Whether by [the Lord's] voice or the voice of my servants, it is the same." (Doctrine and Covenants 1:38)  These brethren are truly called of God and I am so grateful to have received guidance from my Heavenly Father over these past few days!

I invite you, if you have any questions about anything in your life, if you wish to receive guidance listen to the voice of the Lord through his servants.  They are truly called of God.  I am grateful for the uplifting and strengthening words that I felt this weekend and for the opportunity I now have to change and become more like my Heavenly Father.