Uplifted and Edified

....those are the words to describe how I feel right now.

After a weekend of General Conference, I always feel renewed.  But this conference particularly was a favorite of mine.  Every single talk spoke to me, inspired me, and re-motivated me to try harder to be better.

I know that there are many in the blogging community who feel that discussing religion is taboo.  It should be avoided on one's blog.  But it makes me wonder, how does one blog and leave out religion when their faith is literally who they are?  If my blog is supposed to be a reflection of me, my thoughts, my stories, my experiences - how can I avoid blogging about the one thing that encompasses all of what I do in my life?

Exactly.  I can't.  So I don't, and if you prefer not to read - that's okay.

I said last week that I was going to share a favorite conference quote every day leading up to conference.  Epic fail.  I shared ONE.  But it's all good, I decided to just share some of my favorite things from this past weekend's session.

The first thing came from President Uchtdorf (I seriously love that man).  He was talking about judging, and gossiping, and the ways we look at others.  He said really the sermon could be summed up in two words.  " 'Stop it'.  It's that simple."  I know he was talking just to me.  Another quote from his talk that I loved, "Don't judge me because you sin differently than I do."  It's so true.  We all have things we're working on, and something that comes easily to me, might be a real challenge for someone else, just as some things that are a big weakness for me to overcome, are easily handled by someone else.  It's not my place to judge anyone, and I find myself doing it far too often.  And do you know what?  It doesn't make my life better, or make me any happier to pass judgement on someone else.  So why?  Why do I?

I also loved Elder Ballard's talk, in which he said, "There can be no genuine happiness separate and apart from the home." (quoting Joseph F. Smith)

He went on to say that the most important "cause" of our lifetimes is our families.  He talked about prioritizing and reevaluating the things we do, to make sure that our families are the "cause" that we dedicate the most energy and effort into.  It was a wonderful reminder to me.  No matter what else I do or accomplish in life, it doesn't mean anything if I have failed my family.

The last one I want to share hit me very profoundly, because it addressed something that has been on my mind a lot lately.  I have shared privately with some of you my frustration with some of the misconceptions out there about my faith.  Particularly the idea that we aren't Christian.  It bothers me.  The name of our church is "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints."  We believe in, and worship Jesus Christ.  Elder Anderson addressed this topic and he referenced when Christ asked the Pharisees, "What think ye of Christ?".  Elder Andrson then said, "In the final assessment, our personal discipleship will not be judged by friends, or foes.... as Paul said 'we shall stand before the judgement seat of Christ' ...at that day the important question for each of us will be, 'What thinks Christ of me?'"  I want to live my life in such a way that when I meet my Savior, there will be no doubt in his mind that I am a Christian.

I loved sitting and listening to the messages of church leaders, and men whom I know to be prophets of God.  I especially loved sharing the experience with my family, and discussing the messages we heard afterward.  I feel uplifted and edified, and am rededicating myself to try harder to be better.