David B. Haight -Faith of Our Prophets
- Isn't it interesting to reflect in our own lives and in the lives of the many people who may hear me at this time--those whose violin or lives may be a little out of tune--that we are able to come to a general conference of the Church and hear the marvelous messages that are spoken? Those of us who have the opportunity to speak here pray mightily that we would have the energy and the strength and the vitality even as I do, as I enter the twilight of my life, to stand and bear witness of the truthfulness of this work--because I am a witness of it.
- We all are going through different life experiences. While some are filled with joy today, others feel as though their hearts could burst with sorrow. Some feel as though the world is their oyster; others feel as though they were the oyster itself, plucked from the ocean, cracked open, and robbed of all that is precious to them.
- If we will consider the blessings we have, we will forget some of our worries.
- Keep your mind focused. Don't let all that doubt and fear and frustration sort of get in the way.
- "Just take each day step by step."
- Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.
- We don't have to be fast; we simply have to be steady and move in the right direction. We have to do the best we can, one step after another.
- "Don't worry much about trying to be better than someone else."
- "Learn from others, yes. But don't just try to be better than they are. You have no control over that. Instead try, and try very hard, to be the best that you can be. That you have control over."
- We don't have to be perfect today.
- Though you may feel weary, though you sometimes may not be able to see the way, know that your Father in Heaven will never forsake His righteous followers. He will not leave you comfortless. He will be at your side, yes, guiding you every step of the way.
- Each day we decide what we will do and what we will not do, among myriad alternatives. When we choose to obey the commandments cheerfully as our first priority, neither murmuring about nor measuring the things He commands, we become the handmaids of the Lord and fishers of men and cast our nets on the right side of our own ships. We simply go and do the things the Lord has commanded, eve when we are weary, trusting that He will help us to do exactly as He asks. As we do so, the Lord help our unbelief, and our faith becomes powerful, vibrant, and unshakable. The Prophet Joseph wrote from Liberty Jail, "Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all thins that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance [or faith], to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.
- Remember that genuine fasting fosters strong faith.
- We are not left alone to find our way back home.
- In the Lord's loving care, He has provided us with all of the essential resources required to forge our way through the many pitfalls placed before us by the evil one.
- Those of us who are first-generation Church members also feel great gratitude for our nonmember parents who took time to teach us righteous principles which prepared us to recognize and welcome the gospel message.
- If I did not pay my tithing, I should expect the Lord to withhold His blessings from me. I pay my tithing, not only because it is a law of God, but because I expect a blessing by doing it. [I need a blessing.] By keeping this and other laws, I expect to ... be able to provide for my family."
- Living in a world that emphasizes material acquisition and cultivates distrust for anyone or anything that has designs on our money, we shed that self-absorption to give freely, trustingly, and generously. By this act, we say--indeed--we are different, that we are God's peculiar people. In a society that tells us money is our most important asset, we declare emphatically it is not."
- Paying tithing is not a token gift we are somehow charitably bestowing upon God.
- Perceptions and assumptions can be very dangerous and unfair. There are some of our members who may fail to reach our with friendly smiles, warm handshakes, and loving service to all of their neighbors. At the same time, there may be those who move into our neighborhoods who are not of our faith who come with negative preconceptions about the Church and its members. Surely good neighbors should put forth every effort to understand each other and to be kind to one another regardless of religion, nationality, race, or culture.
- I have never heard the members of this Church urged to be anything but loving, kind, tolerant, and benevolent to our friends and neighbors of other faiths.
- While it is true we declare to the world that the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith and we urge our members to share their faith and testimonies with others, it has never been the policy of the Church that those who choose not to listen or to accept our message should be shunned or ignored. Indeed, the opposite is true.
- "Each of us is an individual. Each of us is different. There must be respect for those differences."
- " ... We must work harder to build mutual respect, an attitude of forbearance, with tolerance one for another regardless of the doctrines and philosophies which we may espouse. Concerning these you and I may disagree. But we can do so with respect and civility."
- For the most part, our neighbors not of our faith are good, honorable people--every bit as good and honorable as we strive to be. They care about their families, just like we do. They want to make the world a better place, just like we do. They are kind and loving and generous and faithful, just like we seek to be.
- Friendship should never be offered as a means to an end; it can and should be an end unto itself.
- If neighbors become testy or frustrated because of some disagreement with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or with some law we support for moral reasons, please don't suggest to them--even in a humorous way--that they consider moving someplace else. I cannot comprehend how any member of our Church can even think such a thing! Our pioneer ancestors were driven from place to place by uniformed and intolerant neighbors. They experienced extraordinary hardship and persecution because they thought, acted, and believed differently from others. If our history teaches us nothing else, it should teach us to respect the rights of all people to peacefully coexist with one another.
- To all those who are not of our faith. If there are issues of concern, let us talk about them. We want to be helpful. Please understand, however, that our doctrines and teachings are set by the Lord, so sometimes we will have to agree to disagree with you, but we can do so without becoming disagreeable.
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
The Dream
I was in the church gym/auditorium area where the ward was having a big ward party though it was also like some children's program like you see in schools. And while we were doing this and that, I remembered that I had agreed to sign (not sing) a song that the children were going to sing, and I hadn't prepared at all for it. I'd gotten too busy to try, so I hoped that they would have forgotten that I'd agreed to help. Not quite. I looked at the program and saw that I had agreed to teach the people and children there some animal signs. But I didn't know how long it would take. The program basically said "Sarnic, dressed in her medical scrubs will teach the children some animal signs." I wasn't dressed totally in scrubs but I could see how they'd mistake that. Then the moment came, a couple of guys dressed up in Dalmatian costumes came up to me, and my name was announced, but everybody started gesturing to their throats that they were thirsty, so I told them all to go get a drink first and I would show them signs afterwards. One of the chair people in charge of the event told me that people were wanting to leave, that the event had gone on for too long. So I told him I would keep it short and sweet....I never got around to showing signs though. I ended up going through a haunted maze full of blood and skeletons and other Halloween things.....
Then the unholy tones of daylight pulled me away....
and I became myself again. :)
-S.N.D
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