During our recent conference, a lot of the talks focused on our spirituality. More specifically, our commitments to the covenants we make and how focused we are in staying on the path. In the Sunday morning session of the October 1985 General Conference, Dallin H. Oaks spoke on the topic of Spirituality. This is an important topic for us today.
On social media, people seem quite upset with Pres. Oaks because of his blunt talks; one of trusting the Lord and the other, keeping the two great commandments. I remember listening to these talks thinking how well he explained things. He was careful yet thorough, truthful yet loving, and he backs everything up with what the scriptures teach us. And still, people claim to be offended and angry at what they view as harsh, unloving words.
Thirty-four years ago, (then) Elder Oaks explained what spirituality looks like.
“Spirituality is a lens through which we view life and a gauge by which we evaluate it.”
Quoting scripture next, he recited, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18).
His talk distinguishes worldly and temporal logic from eternal and spiritual revelation. Specifically, ignoring the naysayers and having faith in the unseen and accepting eternal truths.
I didn’t realize there were so many scriptures that warn us against worldly attitudes, but he lists many of them. If the scriptures warn us so heavily, why do we reject a modern-day prophet for saying the same thing? Latter-day Saints have a responsibility to recognize truth from worldly lies. This has become difficult in our day.
We are hearing more and more about mental illness, anxiety, and bone-shaking pain. It is real and can be debilitating. I’ve experienced this in my own life. But here is the secret to life: By turning to Jesus Christ, we can be made whole—no matter how broken we are.
Have we forgotten that we came down to earth fully aware that we were to be tested? Likely, we had little understanding exactly how that would make us feel and how painful and immobilizing it would be, yet this is what we came down to experience. A large part of our purpose in coming to earth is to overcome this pain by turning to the Savior.
“See with the perspective of eternity, a temporal setback can be an opportunity to develop soul power of eternal significance. Strength is forged in adversity. Faith is developed in a setting where we cannot see what lies ahead. … Those who can look upon their afflictions in this manner have spirituality.”
The answers we need really are in the scriptures and in our conference messages. This is where we learn again about faith, repentance, forgiveness, service, true worship, keeping covenants, and everything that aligns us with Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ has given us the means by which we may be cleansed of our sins, our pain, our weaknesses, our sorrows, and our illnesses. It is our responsibility to seek after that eternal perspective; to claim our spirituality. By doing so we will be able to sanctify ourselves, or in other words, turn our lives over to our Savior, so He can do the rest.
The only way to understand why members of the church dislike what Pres. Oaks preaches is through the scriptures that describe similar situations.
1 Nephi 16:2 – “And it came to pass that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; . . . wherefore the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center.”
2 Nephi 9:40 – “. . . Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you; for it ye do, ye will revile against the truth; . . . I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken.”
Mosiah 13:7,8 – “. . .Yea, and I perceive that it cuts you to your hearts because I tell you the truth concerning your iniquities. Yea, and my words fill you with wonder and amazement, and with anger.”
Helaman 13:24 – “Yea, wo unto this people, because of this time which has arrived that ye do cast out the prophets, and do mock them, and cast stones at them, and do slay them, and do all manner of iniquity unto them, even as they did of old time.”
Concerning the verse from Helaman, it seems to me that many who disregard and criticize the prophets and apostles are guilty of casting them out of their own lives, casting verbal stones at them, and verbally slaying them in posts on the internet.
The Book of Mormon is the handbook for our times showing what happens to individuals and groups who won’t follow the Lord’s commandments through His prophets. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life! If the prophets words discomfort me in any way, perhaps it is a sign that I’m out of harmony and need a course correction, not the other way around.
Well said. This is exactly what we’re seeing.