Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"When I think of the Savior, I often picture Him with hands outstretched, reaching out to comfort, heal, bless, and love. ...He loved the humble and the meek and walked among them, ministering to them and offering hope and salvation.  That is what He did during His mortal life; it is what He would be doing if He were living among us today; and it is what we should be doing as His disciples and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...Christ knows how to minister to others perfectly. When the Savior stretches out His hands, those He touches are uplifted and become greater, stronger, and better people as a result.  If we are His hands, should we not do the same?"  President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "You Are My Hands," April 2010

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"Looking back, I know for sure that the promises of the Lord, if perhaps not always swift, are always certain. ...Patience means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting rather than in the receiving that we grow the most."  President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Continue in Patience," April 2010

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"As the Lord is patient with us, let us be patient with those we serve. Understand that they, like us, are imperfect. They, like us, make mistakes. They, like us, want others to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Never give up on anyone. And that includes not giving up on yourself.
I believe that every one of us, at one time or another, can identify with the servant in Christ’s parable who owed money to the king and who pled with the king, saying, 'Lord, have patience with me.'
...It is my prayer that patience will be a defining characteristic of we who hold the priesthood of Almighty God." President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Continue in Patience," April 2010

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"Patience [is] far more than simply waiting for something to happen—patience require[s] actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results [don't] appear instantly or without effort.

There is an important concept here: patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!" President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Continue in Patience," April 2010

Comforting

You know how life is crazy?
You know how consistent, meaningful scripture study is hard to come by?
You know how that's sometimes frustrating?

I know I feel frustrated by that sometimes as a young mom.
Because praying and studying are how we connect, right?  They are the means we use to commune with our Father in Heaven.  Yes, they are.

But President Uchtdorf taught a profound truth two conferences ago in his talk on "The Love of God."
It's a truth I have treasured as a mother of small children:

"Listen for the voice of the Father in the bounties and beauties of nature, in the gentle whisperings of the Spirit.  In your daily interactions with others, in the words of a hymn, in the laughter of a child, listen for His voice."

In the laughter of  child.

Scripture study is so necessary.
And private, quiet prayer is truly powerful. 
Neither are to be neglected.

But when I fall asleep during my evening prayers or on top of my good intentions, Pres. Uchtdorf's words bring me comfort. They remind me that I can find my Father in Heaven in other moments, too. I can find him in the love and laughter of my children.  I just have to listen.

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"When our wagon gets stuck in the mud, God is much more likely to assist the man who gets out to push than the man who merely raises his voice in prayer—no matter how eloquent the oration. President Thomas S. Monson put it this way: 'It is not enough to want to make the effort and to say we’ll make the effort. . . . It’s in the doing, not just the thinking, that we accomplish our goals. If we constantly put our goals off, we will never see them fulfilled.'"President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Two Principles for Any Economy," October 2009

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"The first step to walking in righteousness is simply to try. We must try to believe. Try to learn of God: read the scriptures; study the words of His latter-day prophets; choose to listen to the Father, and do the things He asks of us. Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible—and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you."President Dieter F. Uchtdort, "The Love of God," October 2009