The Sunday Morning Session of General Conference was amazing. But the message that has spoken to me a lot recently was Brother Bradley R. Wilcox’s messaged entitled “O Youth of the Noble Birthright“. He spoke of our birthright. He spoke of the trust that the Lord has in each of us. It was directed toward the youth, and now that I have a child in that age, these are the messages I want him to hear and internalize. But I also feel like these were words all of us to listen to.
In many ways, our family has had a month filled with a lot of tender spiritual experiences. For the first time, Mark and I felt prompted to share our patriarchal blessings in full with our children and that was a special experience for all of us. I can’t wait for the day when they receive theirs. But there has been a lot of discussions about what “work” the Lord would have each of us do.
Brother Wilcox begins his message with a question that he gets asked frequently, “Why? Why must Latter-day Saints live so differently from others?” As I pondered this, I realized this isn’t really a question I’ve thought about much. But I have wondered many times, in other aspects of my life, why I have been called or felt prompted to live my life in a way that is different than others.
Our family situation feels really unique. I have a son with autism, ADHD, anxiety, and OCD. I have a daughter with a rare neuromuscular condition that impacts nearly every aspect of her life. Our family looks different than most.
Our family has decided to homeschool. We began the homeschooling journey very much on our own and felt very different from everyone around us.
These things (and others) make me feel “different” sometimes. It makes me feel like I stand out or even am isolated at times. But I truly feel like it is all part of my story. It is part of my development to become the disciple our Savior needs me to be. And each of the things that make us “different” are unique – but they do serve a purpose. They mold us.
And I think what makes those things special is when we yoke ourselves with the Savior. That is what can transform these experiences and turn them into something beautiful. It doesn’t mean they won’t be hard at times. But it does show the Lord’s trust in us.
That was my very favorite part of Brother Wilcox’s message – his teaching about trust. He taught “Your commitments demand more of you because that is how God is making more of you.” “As you fulfill your birthright responsibilities, you are never alone. The Lord of the vineyard labors with you. You are working hand in hand with Jesus Christ.” “You’ve got this because Jesus Christ has got you!” “Because He is full of truth, He sees you as you really are – flaws, weaknesses, regrets, and all. Because He is full of grace, He sees you as you really can be. He meets you where you are and helps you repent and improve, overcome and become.”
His message is inspiring and has helped me to feel peace in the things I am called to be different in. It encourages me as I try and move forward in being a disciple of Christ and choosing Him.
Prompting
Accept with confidence the things the Lord asks me to do. Know that it is done out of love and the desire to bring me back home to Him.
My Favorite Takeaways
“Why do Latter-day Saints live so differently? There are many good answers: Because you are a child of God. Because you have been saved for the last days. Because you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.
When we use our moral agency to make and keep covenants with God, we become heirs of the everlasting covenant God has made with our foreberers in every dispensation…That sets us apart. That gives us access to the same blessings our forefathers and foremothers received, including a birthright.
We are talking about the inheritance you receive as a joint heir with Christ because of the covenant relationship you have chosen to enter with Him and your Father in Heaven.
Because of your choice to make and keep covenants, He offers you His trust. He trusts you to be different, peculiar, and set apart because of the important work He trusts you to do.
Think of it! God trusts you – of all the people on the earth, the children of the covenant, His crew members – to help with His work of bringing all His children safely home to Him.
Like Abraham of old, you receive greater happiness and peace, greater righteousness, and greater knowledge…It would be easy for Heavenly Father to simply give you all that He has. His desire is to help you become all that He is. Thus, your commitments demand more of you because that is how God is making more of you.
You are youth of the noble birthright. Your covenant relationship with God and Jesus Christ is a relationship of love and trust in which you have access to a greater measure of Their grace – Their divine assistance, endowment of strength, and enabling power…It is real.
As you fulfill your birthright responsibilities, you are never alone. The Lord of the vineyard labors with you. You are working hand in hand with Jesus Christ. With each new covenant – and as your relationship with Him deepens – you hold each other tighter and tigther until you are firmly clasped together. In that sacred symbol of His grace, you will find both the desire and the strength to live exactly how the Savior lived – differently from the world. You’ve got this because Jesus Christ has got you!
Because He is full of truth, He sees you as you really are – flaws, weaknesses, regrets, and all. Because He is full of grace, He sees you as you really can be. He meets you where you are and helps you repent and improve, overcome and become.
I testify that you are loved – and you are trusted – today, in 20 years, and forever. Don’t sell your birthright for a mess of pottage. Don’t trade everything for nothing. Don’t let the world change you when you were born to change the world.”
FULL text and video of Brother Bradley R. Wilcox’s 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
- Aligning Our Will with His by Elder Ulisses Soares
- Seeking Answers to Spiritual Questions by Sister Tracy Y. Browning
