Are You Still Willing?

*** I miss our monthly family picture. However, my Sundays have changed a lot with my calling and, sadly, family pictures have not been happening. So instead, you get this nice, moody picture that we took at Rocky Mountain National Park last summer. ***

Elder Kevin W. Pearson shared a beautiful and thought-provoking message about WILLINGNESS.

He spoke about the sacrament prayers – the two most quoted scriptures in the Church – and how partaking of the sacrament should never be some passive religious ritual. However, it should remind us of the willingness of our Savior to atone for us, which should create within us a deep willingness to follow Him.

He spoke about our spiritual foundation. Which immediately recalls thoughts to President Nelson’s message from a year ago. He spoke about making sure our spiritual foundations are not shallow or superficial. I loved this line: “Our willingness is directly proportionate to the amount of time we commit to be in holy places where the influence of the Holy Ghost is present.”

This was a good self-check for me. How am I using my time? Am I showing with my actions what is most important to me? Am I willing to truly put my spiritual foundation first?

“Heavenly Father loves us perfectly, but that love comes with great expectations.” I love that. We are accountable!

This made me reflect on my relationship with my children. I love my children with a love that never ends. But I do expect great things of them. I expect them to try each day. Try to be a little better than they were before. Try to stretch themselves to become who our Father in Heaven wants them to become. And I think that is very much how our Father in Heaven feels about us. He will never stop loving us – but we have to choose to follow Him. Mortality cannot be passive. We will never reach our full potential if we do not show up for Him.

As we progress on our path through mortality we will grow spiritually. Our commitment to Him and our willingness to follow Him will intensify. But we need to be consistent. We cannot rely on past testimony building experiences – we need to be showing our willingness every day. As Elder Pearson said, “the purpose of mortality is to prove our willingness” to place the Savior at the very center of our lives.

I want to be willing – I want to be determined and consistent in centering my life on Him.

Highlights

“How many times have we witnessed unto God that we are willing?

Keeping my covenants must be more than good intentions.

Partaking of the sacrament is not a passive religious ritual implying our mere consent. It is a powerful reminder of the reality of the Savior’s infinite Atonement and the need to always remember Him and keep His commandments. Understanding the truth of what Heavenly Father so willingly offers each of us through His Only Begotten Son should evoke our utmost efforts to always be willing in return.

The Church is a gathering place for imperfect individuals who love God and who are willing to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. That willingness is rooted in the reality that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. This divine truth can be known only by the power of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, our willingness is directly proportionate to the amount of time we commit to be in holy places where the influence of the Holy Ghost is present.

We would do well to spend more time in meaningful conversation discussing our concerns with a loving Father in Heaven and less time seeking the opinions of other voices.

The importance we place on our Sabbath day observance, paying an honest tithe, holding a current temple recommend, attending the temple, and honoring our sacred temple covenants are all powerful indicators of our willingness and evidence of our commitment.

Heavenly Father loves us perfectly, but that love comes with great expectations. He expects us to willingly place the Savior at the very center of our lives. The Savior is our perfect example of willingness to submit to the Father in all things. He willingly atoned for our sins. He willingly eases our burdens, calms our fears, gives us strength, and brings peace and understanding to our hearts in times of distress and grief.

Yet faith in Jesus Christ is a choice. “If [we] can no more than desire to believe” in His words, we have a starting point to begin or to reset our journey of faith. His words, if planted in our hearts like a seed and nourished with great care, will take root and our faith will grow into assurance and become a principle of action and power. The Book of Mormon is our most powerful resource for growing and restoring our faith. Willingness is the catalyst of faith.

Mortality, by divine design, is not easy and at times can be overwhelming. Focusing on the Savior and our covenants brings lasting joy! The purpose of mortality is to prove our willingness. True discipleship leads to a fulness of joy.

The covenant path is not a simple checklist; it is a process of spiritual growth and deepening commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. The central purpose of every commandments, principle, covenant, and ordinance is to build faith and trust in Christ. Our determination to center our lives on Christ, therefore, must be consistent – not conditional, situational, or superficial. Discipleship is not cheap, because the companionship of the Holy Ghost is priceless.

The most powerful spiritual influence in the life of a child is the righteous example of loving parents and grandparents who faithfully keep their own sacred covenants. Intentional parents teach their children faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Casual and inconsistent covenant keeping leads to spiritual casualty.

Today…there will be those who will turn back, unwilling to accept the price of discipleship. Our discipleship will require a greater willingness to straighten and strengthen or spiritual spines and heed them not.

If our spiritual foundation is built solidly on Jesus Christ, we will not fall and we need not fear.

May we always be willing.”

FULL text and video of Elder Kevin W. Pearson’s talk can be found HERE.

Other messages from the October 2022 General Conference that I have found particularly impactful: