Elder Ulisses Soares’ messages seem to be just what my spirit needs. He has a way of teaching that touches my spirit and this General Conference was no different. He spoke of spiritual submissiveness. This is a topic that I have had my own wrestle with through a lot of my adult life. I feel like I am improving – writing down my experiences really helps me – but it is something I have to be careful and aware about myself.
We live in a time when I think many shutter at the thought of being “submissive” to anyone or anything. We are taught to hold our ground and do what is best for us. And while there is perhaps a place for that at times, there is not a place for that when it comes to the Lord. It can be hard to admit to ourselves that someone else might know what is better for our lives. But the Lord does.
I can’t tell you how many times I have asked the Lord “why” in my life. And I have learned, at least for me, that this is an unproductive way to spend my time with the Lord. Not because He doesn’t love me or care about my concerns, but because deep down I already know the answer. The “why” to life’s struggles are because they are for our good. Because there are things we can learn only by walking through adversity. Because by walking through our own individual, painful paths, we can lift and empathaize with others who are doing the same. It is all for our good. And He doesn’t leave us alone to walk them. He sits with us and encourages us all along our way.
One of the hardest experiences for me to truly believe and then say with sincerity was “thy will be done” to the Lord. And while it was hard to get myself spiritually to that point, it was an incredibly freeing moment for myself. All of a sudden, I felt the weight of so much pain, fear, and uncertainty leave me, and what entered was an all consuming wave of peace. It is something I want to never forget and remind myself of often when doubts creep it.
Elder Soares so beautifully shares that struggle that we have. That temptation to seek after our own wants and desires and instead turn our life over to the Lord. That is a mark of a true disciple of Christ. In his message, Elder Soares states: “in things that truly matter, there is an inner space where we are free to choose whether or not we will decide to follow the pattern the Lord has prepared for our life.” This hit me so hard. It is up to us whether or not we will let the Lord lead our life.
Prompting
I want to submit my whole heart to the Lord. I want to do this daily, over and over again, so that His will becomes my own. I want to let Him transform me and shape me into who He needs me to be.
My Favorite Takeaways
“We should align our mind and desires with the will of the Lord and willingly do everything we can during our mortal journey to attain the eternal blessings of God’s kingdom.
To be worthy of this great reward, we certainly need…to give our best effort to set aside all self-centered pursuits and abandon any entanglement that holds us back from full commitment to the Lord and His higher and holier ways.
During our sojourn in mortality, we often wrestle with what we think we know, what we think is best, and what we assume works for us, as opposed to comprehending what Heavenly Father actually knows, what is eternally best, and what absolutely works for children within His plan. This great wrestle can become very complex.
My dear friends, when we choose to let God be the most powerful influence in our life over our self-seving pursuits, we can make progress in our discipleship and increase our capacity to unite our mind and heart with the Savior.
In things that truly matter, there is an inner space where we are free to choose whether or not we will decide to follow the pattern the Lord has prepared for our life .
As Christ’s disciples, we desire to walk the path He marked for us during His mortal ministry. We not only desire to do His will and all that will please Him but also seek to emulate Him.
It takes a courageous and a willing heart to pause and pursue an honest and meek introspection to acknowledge the presence of weaknesses of the flesh in our life that may impede our ability to submit ourselves to God, and ultimately decide to adopt His way rather than our own. The ultimate test of our discipleship is found in our willingness to give up and lose our old self and submit our heart and our whole soul to God so that His will becomes ours.
To decisively and unquestioningly make the Lord’s will our own requires majestic and heroic discipleship! At that sublime moment, we become consecrated to the Lord, and we totally yield our wills to Him. Such spiritual submissiveness, so to speak, is beautiful, powerful, and transformational.
I testify to you that following the Lord’s will in our life will enable us to find the most precious pearl in the world – the kingdom of heaven. I pray that each of us, in our time and turn, will be able to declare, with covenant confidence, to our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ that “what works for Thee works for me.”
FULL text and video of Elder Ulisses Soares’ message can be found HERE.
Other messages from the October 2024 General Conference that I found particularly impactful:
- The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again by President Russell M. Nelson
- The Triumph of Hope by Elder Neil L. Andersen
- Welcome to the Church of Joy by Elder Patrick Kearon
