O how each one of us needed this message from Elder David A. Bednar. In the Path of Their Duty was a message where each of us felt seen. It is something we all need on some level. Someone to notice what we are trying to do. I am learning (I hope!) more and more to be content. Content in the whys of what I do. To do good, to show up, to be Christlike – for HIM. Because at the end of the day, that is who matters.
And our loving Father in Heaven and our Savior, Jesus Christ, see each of us. They see us for who we are trying to become. They see us repenting and realigning our lives to Them. They see us trusting and acting in faith. They see the quiet things that we may not even acknowledge in ourselves that we are doing. They see it all.
We all matter. Sometimes it may feel like our offering is so small or insignificant. But it matters. It matters to Him. And it matters to those we love. And it matters to those we let into our lives. It matters to those we minister to.
Elder Bednar opened his message speaking of the Latter-day Saint pioneers. He spoke of those individuals who were key figures in that time period. But then he spoke of the thousands and thousands (including “they of the last wagon”), who went forward. Unknown to history, but not unknown to the Lord.
Our “trails” look different these days. Elder Bednar spoke of those “pressing forward on the covenant path in the last wagons of the our contemporary wagon trains.” But our mission is the same. Continue forward. Keep our covenants. Patiently endure. Be worthy disciples of Christ.
My prompting from this message is that I want to be content. I want to not seek or desire validation for what I am doing. The Lord sees it and that is enough. But I also want to look and be more aware of the silent, faithful souls in this world. They are all around me. And I want to SEE THEM. And do what I can to acknowledge the good that they are doing.
Elder Bednar always leaves us with a promise. And to those of the last wagon (that is ALL of us), he quoted in Helaman 3:35, the Lord’s promise of “all thrones and dominions, principalities and power, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Highlights
“I am grateful for millions of Church members who today are coming unto the Savior and pressing forward on the covenant path in the last wagons of our contemporary wagon trains – and who truly are no less serviceable. Your strong faith in Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and your unpretentious, consecrated lives inspire me to be a better man and disciple.
I love you. I admire you. I thank you. And I commend you.
I believe the phrase “in the path of their duty” describes discerning brothers and sisters who look for and sit next to people who are alone in Church meetings and in a variety of other settings.
The phrase “in the path of their duty” describes spouses and children who support a companion, parent, or child who serves in a leadership position in the Lord’s restored Church.
The phrase “in the path of their duty” describes individuals who, having turned away from God, humbly are re-turning to Him once again, repenting of their sins, and seeking the cleansing and healing power of the Savior’s Atonement.
The phrase “in the path of their duty” describes righteous individuals who yearn to become yoked to the Savior through the authorized covenants and ordinances of His gospel – but may be prohibited from doing so by factors beyond their control. I promise your personal anguish will be relieved and your obedience and faithfulness to patiently submit your will to God will be rewarded in “the own due time of the Lord.”
The phrase “in the path of their duty” describes the inspired translators and interpreters around the world who sere the Lord by helping friends and members to “hear the fulness of the gospel in [their] own tongue, and in [their] own language.”
The phrase “in the path of their duty” describes faithful married men and women who honor their covenant responsibility to multiply and replenish the earth and who are blessed with the strength and stamina to wrestle with their children in sacrament meetings. In an increasingly confused world beset with calamities and misplaced priorities, these courageous souls heed need the secular voices extolling self-centeredness; they reverence the sanctity and importance of life in Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness for His children.
The phrase “in the path of their duty” describes the thousands and thousands of nursery leaders and Primary teachers who love and instruct the children of the Church each Sabbath day.
Consider the eternal impact of the service rendered by these devoted disciples – and the marvelous blessings promised to those who minister to children.
The phrase “in the path of their duty” described dedicated children tenderly caring for aged parents, a sleep-deprived mother comforting a frightened child while standing guard as a “lioness at the gate” of her home, Church members who arrive early and stay late to set up and take down chairs, and inspired individuals who invite family, friends, and associates to come and see, come and help, and come and stay.
I have described only a few selected examples of covenant-keeping and devoted disciples of Jesus Christ like you who are pressing forward “in the path of [your] duty.”
You love and serve, listen and learn, care and console, and teach and testify by the power of the Holy Ghost. You fast and pray often, wax stronger and stronger in humility, and grow firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ.
They of the last wagon, all who are no less serviceable, and you who today are pressing forward in the path of your duty are the strength of the Savior’s restored Church. And as the Lord has promised, “all thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
I joyfully witness that Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son live and Their promises are sure.”
FULL text and video of Elder David A. Bednar’s message can be found HERE.
Other messages from the October 2023 General Conference that I have found particularly impactful:
- Think Celestial! by President Russell M. Nelson
