Think Celestial!

<Artwork by Yongsung Kim>

General Conference

This General Conference I did not prepare for as much as I have in the past – and I felt the difference. It’s disappointing when you have felt the goodness of preparation and then feel the change when that preparation is absent. Our family had come home earlier the week prior to Conference from a trip to Kentucky and my preparation for conference just fell through the cracks.

I will say, this makes me incredibly motivated to make sure I dedicate time the next six months to deeply dive into these messages and learn and take in what I need to.

This conference, as all of them, focused on our Savior, Jesus Christ. But if I were to pick one theme, it would be our covenant relationship with our Savior. The topic of COVENANTS came up again and again for me. And it made me think how I want to dive more into what a covenant is. Not the basic definition of “covenant” that I tell me kids who are just learning, but maybe looking deeper into what a covenant relationship looks like.

Maybe it was because of my lack of preparation, or maybe it really was this way, but I felt like this conference had a great diversity of topics. Even within a single talk I felt like they would speak about many different things. But overall, the feeling of conference I had was a need to rise up. I felt like we were being encouraged and pleaded with over and over to dig a little deeper and to push ourselves to become more. Better in our discipleship, better in our covenant keeping, better in our obedience of the commandments (tithing came up twice), better in our service to one another, and better in our trusting of our Savior. And when we do those things – when we stretch ourselves to change our perspective, and in turn, our very natures – we experience true abiding joy.

The BIG THEMES I saw this conference were:

• Jesus Christ (always)
• Covenants
• Love <– This was the main theme I felt last conference and this felt like a continuation of that
• Adversity
• Service
• Joy

Thinking Celestial!

This title is so President Nelson – he loves his exclamation points and it made me smile when I saw it. I was worried beforehand that we might not get a message from our prophet and was grateful that we were able to hear and learn from his words.

Our living prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, spoke of so many things. I felt an urgency and pleading in him, more than I ever have before. It was like he had so much to say about so many different things and just laid it all out there for us. But if I were to narrow it down to one thing, it is PERSPECTIVE. He asked us to view things with different eyes – celestial eyes.

It reminded me of his message he gave in the autumn of 2020 – Let God Prevail. He shared what it meant to see “myopic” – or nearsighted. We need to build faith within ourselves to be able to see beyond our mortal eyes.

This conference, President Nelson spoke of the Atonement. He shared that it is because of the Atonement that the Plan of Salvation is possible. He warned us of the dangers of being too casual with the decisions we make in this life. We get to choose. We get to choose what our forever looks like – and those decisions are made now.

I pray that I can do the work to keep my mind spiritually focused. To put a stop to the “natural woman” in me to immediately react to the challenges of life. A great friend of mine gave me some advice when I began my calling in the Relief Society. She reminded me that the Savior never ran. He never rushed. Even when His friend, Lazarus, was dying He took days to respond. This was not because He didn’t care. He loved Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. We read that He wept when He joined them. But He knew greater things were in store.

This is the perspective I want to make my default. Trust in a loving Father in Heaven and Savior, who will make all things right. Who has something glorious in store for each of us.

Highlights

“May I share one of the most crucial lessons I have learned.

I have learned that Heavenly Father’s plan for us is fabulous, that what we do in this life really matter, and that the Savior’s Atonement is what makes our Father’s plan possible.

Because of Jesus Christ’s Atonement, our Heavenly Father’s plan is a perfect plan! An understanding of God’s fabulous plan takes the mystery out of life and the uncertainty out of our future. It allows each of us to choose how we will live here on earth and where we will live forever.

Here is the great news of God’s plan: the very things that will make your mortal life the best it can be are exactly the same things that will make your life throughout all eternity the best it can be! Today, to assist you to qualify for the rich blessings Heavenly Father has for you, I invite you to adopt the practice of “thinking celestial”! Thinking celestial means being spiritually minded.

Mortality is a master class in learning to choose the things of greatest eternal import. Your choices today will determine three things: where you will live throughout all eternity, the kind of body with which you will be resurrected, and those with whom you will live forever. So think celestial.

My dear brothers and sisters, how and where and with whom do you want to live forever? You get to choose.

When you make choices, I invite you to take the long view – an eternal view. Put Jesus Christ first, because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement. It is also dependent upon your obedience to His laws. Obedience paves the way for a joyful life for you today and a grand, eternal reward tomorrow.

As you focus on thinking celestial, expect to encounter opposition.

As you think celestial, your heart will gradually change. You will want to pray more often and more sincerely. Please don’t let your prayers sound like a shopping list. The Lord’s perspective transcends your mortal wisdom. His response to your prayers may surprise you and will help you to think celestial.

Our prayers can be – and should be – living discussions with our Heavenly Father.

As you think celestial, you will find yourself avoiding anything that robs you of your agency…Please do not let an obsession rob you of your freedom to follow God’s fabulous plan.

Thinking celestial will also help you obey the law of chastity.

When you make decisions regarding morality, please think celestial.

As you think celestial, you will view trials and opposition in a new light. When some you love attacks truth, think celestial, and don’t question your testimony.

There is no end to the adversary’s deceptions. Please be prepared. Never take counsel from those who do not believe. Seek guidance from voices you can trust – from prophets, seers, and revelators and from the whisperings of the Holy Ghost…Please do the spiritual work to increase your capacity to receive personal revelation.

As you think celestial, your faith will increase.

Paying tithing requires faith, and it also builds faith in God and His Beloved Son.

Choose to live a virtuous life in a sexualized, politicized world builds faith.

Spending more time in the temple builds faith. And your service and worship in the temple will help you to think celestial. The temple is a place of revelation. There you are shown how to progress toward a celestial life. There you are drawn closer to the Savior and given greater access to His power. There you are guided in solving the problems in your life, even your most perplexing problems.

The ordinances and covenants of the temple are of eternal significance.

The Lord is directing us to build…temples to help us think celestial. God lives. Jesus is the Christ. His Church has been restored to bless all of God’s children.”

FULL text and video of President Russell M. Nelson’s talk can be found HERE.