I started picking up The New Era after Kathryn entered YW's in the fall. I could be wrong but it seems the magazine is more powerful and much more direct now than when I was a youth. Or is it I'm more open to spiritual messages as an adult? Or is it the strength of the youth today understand deeper messages? I would probably say yes to both of those two questions. Anyway, the February issue is chock full of articles on service, testimony and conversion. Good reading material found
here.
We have talked about conversion in quite a few FHE's this past year. I love this quote from Russell T. Osguthorpe, Sunday School general president. A lifelong quest to be more like my Savior. Lifelong quest. You could look at that as a long drudgery but I see it as a chance to get it right. And I'm going to need a good, long life to even get close to the mark. The quest is not over once I feel truly converted. That's just the beginning. I'm asked to
stay converted with my more than just my words. My conversion grows and is strengthened in the doing for others, just like my Savior did. That's what I want the kids to know and what I want to remember for myself every single day. I am in charge of my own conversion and mine alone. And while it's my charge to guide them to their testimonies and conversions, ultimately they must decide for themselves their own level of conversion. It's a journey they will always be on and one in which they will always find peace if they work at being truly converted.
I went to print this out to hang up in the kids room and on our fridge but still have the dumbest printer/ink issues. So, I called up my own personal Kinko's (my mom and all her printer ink) to get the job done. I ordered a few copies for here, a couple small ones for my visiting teaching ladies (the message is on conversion this month) and what do you know, they'll be ready tomorrow. Thanks mom!
A few more quotes from a different article (Don't Forget to Do)~
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has linked true conversion to when “you make the gospel of Jesus Christ not just an influence in your life but the controlling influence and, indeed, the very core of what you are.”
“Our spiritual journey is the process of a lifetime. We do not know
everything in the beginning or even along the way. Our conversion comes
step-by-step, line upon line. … But we are not alone.” ~Neil L. Andersen
“Your happiness now and forever is conditioned on your degree of conversion and the transformation that it brings to your life.” ~Richard G. Scott
“Wherever you see an opportunity to do good, do it, for that is the way to increase and grow in the knowledge of the truth.” ~Brigham Young
I love the church magazines. Just what I need to read every. single. month.
2 comments:
This is one of those topics I've been thinking about a lot as well. By the time it's all said and done, we'll all be converted to something. I want to be converted to the Gospel, a conversion to any other thing/idea/person/philosophy will be pointless and powerless in the end. Neal A. Maxwell said it best when he said that if we do not put God first in our lives, in the end it will not matter what we put there instead.
I also like how David A. Bednar said that a testimony is God's gift to us and our conversion is our gift to God, thanking Him for that testimony.
Thanks for writing this today Melanie.
You should have heard Jane's talk at the evening session of stake conference last week. Almost made me want to start over raising my kids....but not quite....haha. It was about teaching our children how to become converted. It was an inspiring talk.
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