On my mission I learned of the story of a duck family wanting to learn to fly. The little duckling went to his father and asked if he would teach him how to fly. He saw the other ducks flying and he wanted to be like them. The father called a grand meeting and invited all the little ducks to join. He had the leader of all the ducks come and teach the ducklings how to fly. The leader of the ducks went through each step:
1st - Lift your right wing and flap really hard
2nd - Lift your left wing and flap as hard as you can
3rd - Lift both wings at the same time and flap as hard as you can
As the ducklings did this they began to fly. They were elated and loved the sensation of flying! They flew all day and into the night. The father called them all back together, congratulated each one, ended the meeting and told them to go home. All the little ducklings walked home.
This story quickly became my favorite story! I could use it for anything I was teaching and I did. I even came home and applied it to all my lessons or talks I was giving in church. But over time it faded and I forgot about the story till this morning.
I was pondering on how to keep the spiritual momentum going from General Conference last weekend. I was so inspired last weekend. I loved every talk I heard. I was filled with enlightenment and desire to become more. I wanted to be a better everyday disciple of Christ.
But the new week started, and quickly filled with work, family, doctors appointments, surgeries, and many other important day to day activities. By Friday, I was overwhelmed and exhausted. I just simply couldn't keep up with the demand on my time. The anxiety and overstimulation quickly took over which lead to mental fatigue. By Saturday, I crashed!! I gave up physically and mentally to do what was needed of me.
As I mindlessly scrolled through my social media feed at the end of the day, I saw Emily Belle Freeman's post with an invitation to change my prayers. It stemmed from President Nelson's plea to us at conference. It was the plea that stuck most in my mind General Conference weekend.
Pure Truth:
"Dear brothers and sisters, my message to you today is that because Jesus Christ overcame this fallen world, and because He atoned for each of us, you too can overcome this sin-saturated, self-centered, and often exhausting world."
Fundamental Questions:
1. What does it mean to overcome the world?
"What does it mean to overcome the world? It means overcoming the temptation to care more about the things of this world than the things of God. It means trusting the doctrine of Christ more than the philosophies of men. It means delighting in truth, denouncing deception, and becoming “humble followers of Christ.”6 It means choosing to refrain from anything that drives the Spirit away. It means being willing to “give away” even our favorite sins.7
Now, overcoming the world certainly does not mean becoming perfect in this life, nor does it mean that your problems will magically evaporate—because they won’t. And it does not mean that you won’t still make mistakes. But overcoming the world does mean that your resistance to sin will increase. Your heart will soften as your faith in Jesus Christ increases.8 Overcoming the world means growing to love God and His Beloved Son more than you love anyone or anything else. "
2. How do we overcome the world?
"Each time you seek for and follow the promptings of the Spirit, each time you do anything good—things that “the natural man” would not do—you are overcoming the world.
Overcoming the world is not an event that happens in a day or two. It happens over a lifetime as we repeatedly embrace the doctrine of Christ. We cultivate faith in Jesus Christ by repenting daily and keeping covenants that endow us with power. We stay on the covenant path and are blessed with spiritual strength, personal revelation, increasing faith, and the ministering of angels. Living the doctrine of Christ can produce the most powerful virtuous cycle, creating spiritual momentum in our lives."
3. What are the blessings from overcoming the world?
"The answer is clear: entering into a covenant relationship with God binds us to Him in a way that makes everything about life easier. Please do not misunderstand me: I did not say that making covenants makes life easy. In fact, expect opposition, because the adversary does not want you to discover the power of Jesus Christ. But yoking yourself with the Savior means you have access to His strength and redeeming power."
FIND REST UNTO YOUR SOUL
Blessing:
"The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our way. Those who live the higher laws of Jesus Christ have access to His higher power. Thus, covenant keepers are entitled to a special kind of rest that comes to them through their covenantal relationship with God."
GRACE
A Prophet's Plea:
"My plea to you this morning is to find rest from the intensity, uncertainty, and anguish of this world by overcoming the world through your covenants with God. Let Him know through your prayers and your actions that you are serious about overcoming the world. Ask Him to enlighten your mind and send the help you need. Each day, record the thoughts that come to you as you pray; then follow through diligently. Spend more time in the temple, and seek to understand how the temple teaches you to rise above this fallen world."
As we listen and apply the prophet's words into our personal lives, we will be able to learn how to fly, or in this case - overcome the world! We will find the strength we need to apply daily and become better disciples of Jesus Christ.
FIREWORKS OF FAITH
Painting by: Eva Timothy
Comments