Semana 58

Dear Elder Lutze,

I’ve loved General Conference. I hope you’ve been able to enjoy it as well! Bishop told us Emily was nervous  to speak when we met with him for tithing settlement on Wednesday. You sure couldn’t tell!

I spent time in the yard this week trimming bushes. More to go this coming weekend! Also went to the YM/YW activity and enjoyed scones from the Bishop’s professional deep fryer. Dad and I did more sealings on Friday night followed by Chinese and the BYU  game. We actually beat Cincinnati. I was surprised! 

This coming week is going to be very busy for me at work! We’ve enjoyed having everyone here for Conference, even Natalie for a few minutes yesterday. We just keep loving her. She’s coming over for Rachael and Foster’s birthday dinner tonight. 

Keep working hard! I truly believe you possess the gift to bring others to the gospel of Jesus Christ- to the truth! As Emily said, “Your generation is unusually gifted in the gathering of others to Him.”

2 scriptures and quotes I loved this week!

2 Corinthians 7

10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. 

11 O ye “Panamanians”, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) taught: “Godly sorrow is a gift of the Spirit. It is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God. It is the sharp and keen awareness that our behavior caused the Savior, He who knew no sin, even the greatest of all, to endure agony and suffering. Our sins caused Him to bleed at every pore. This very real mental and spiritual anguish is what the scriptures refer to as having ‘a broken heart and a contrite spirit.’ (See 3 Ne. 9:20; Moro. 6:2; D&C 20:37; 59:8; Ps. 34:18; 51:17; Isa. 57:15.) Such a spirit is the absolute prerequisite for true repentance” (“A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, Oct. 1989, 4).

Godly sorrow is different from worldly sorrow because it includes the workings of the Spirit in our hearts and causes real and lasting change. Worldly sorrow is a feeling of regret over being caught in a misdeed or having to face unpleasant consequences (see Mormon 2:12–14). 

Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles pointed out: “Pride prefers cheap repentance, paid for with shallow sorrow. Unsurprisingly, seekers after cheap repentance also search for superficial forgiveness instead of real reconciliation. Thus, real repentance goes far beyond simply saying, ‘I’m sorry’” (“Repentance,” Ensign, Nov. 1991, 31).

2 Corinthians 10

17 ​But he that glorieth, let him ​​​glory​ in the Lord.

​​​​​18 ​For not he that ​​​commendeth​ himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

Elder Marvin J. Ashton (1915–94) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the mistake of judging people by the wrong criteria:

“We also tend to evaluate others on the basis of physical, outward appearance: their ‘good looks,’ their social status, their family pedigrees, their degrees, or their economic situations. …

“When the Lord measures an individual, He does not take a tape measure around the person’s head to determine his mental capacity, nor his chest to determine his manliness, but He measures the heart as an indicator of the person’s capacity and potential to bless others” (“The Measure of Our Hearts,” Ensign, Nov. 1988, 15).

The Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) encouraged Church members to measure themselves through a comparison to God: “Search your hearts, and see if you are like God. I have searched mine, and feel to repent of all my sins” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 72).

Sister Patricia T. Holland, former member of the Young Women general presidency and wife of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, shared her personal insights about the importance of not comparing ourselves with others:

“My greatest misery comes when I feel I have to fit what others are doing, or what I think others expect of me. I am most happy when I am comfortable being me and trying to do what my Father in Heaven and I expect me to be.

“For many years I tried to measure the ofttimes quiet, reflective, thoughtful Pat Holland against the robust, bubbly, talkative, and energetic Jeff Holland and others with like qualities. I have learned through several fatiguing failures that you can’t have joy in being bubbly if you are not a bubbly person. It is a contradiction in terms. I have given up seeing myself as a flawed person because my energy level is lower than Jeff’s, and I don’t talk as much as he does, nor as fast. Giving this up has freed me to embrace and rejoice in my own manner and personality in the measure of my creation” (Jeffrey R. Holland and Patricia T. Holland, On Earth as It Is in Heaven [1989], 69–70).

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency taught about the pride that is related to self-commendation:

“At its core, pride is a sin of comparison, for though it usually begins with ‘Look how wonderful I am and what great things I have done,’ it always seems to end with ‘Therefore, I am better than you.’

“When our hearts are filled with pride, we commit a grave sin, for we violate the two great commandments [see Matthew 22:36–40]. Instead of worshipping God and loving our neighbor, we reveal the real object of our worship and love—the image we see in the mirror.

“Pride is the great sin of self-elevation. …

“This sin has many faces. It leads some to revel in their own perceived self-worth, accomplishments, talents, wealth, or position. They count these blessings as evidence of being ‘chosen,’ ‘superior,’ or ‘more righteous’ than others. This is the sin of ‘Thank God I am more special than you.’ At its core is the desire to be admired or envied. It is the sin of self-glorification” (“Pride and the Priesthood,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 56).

I love you!

 Mom