Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant?” Who are you not to be? You are a child of God. You playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking So that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us: it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Nelson Mandela’s 1994 Inaugural Speech (fragment)
“The Tender Mercies of the Lord”
“We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient
to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and “made mighty even unto the power of deliverance (see 1 Nephi1:20).”
Elder David A. Bednar “The Tender Mercies of the Lord” Ensign May 2005
“Where do I make my stand?”
“As we live on earth we must walk in faith, nothing doubting. When the journey becomes seemingly unbearable, we can take comfort in the words of the Lord: ‘I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold I will heal thee’ (2 Kings 20:5). Some of the healing may take place in
another world. We may never know why some things happen in this life. The reason for some of our suffering is known only to the Lord.”
Elder James E. Faust, “Where Do I Make My Stand?” Ensign, Nov. 2004, 21
“Prophets in the Land Again”
To all of you who think you are lost or without hope, or who think you have done too much that was too wrong for too long, to every one of you who worry that you are stranded somewhere on the wintry plains of life and have wrecked your handcart in the process, this conference calls out Jehovah’s unrelenting refrain, “[My] hand is stretched out still.”12 “I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them,” He said, “[and even if they] deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, . . . if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts.”13 His mercy endureth forever, and His hand is stretched out still. His is the pure love of Christ, the charity that never faileth, that compassion which endures even when all other strength disappears.14
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Prophets in the Land Again.” Sunday Afternoon General Conference Session, October 2006
“Temptation”
The distinction between feelings or inclinations on the one hand, and behavior on the other hand, is very clear. It’s no sin to have inclinations that if yielded to would produce behavior that would be a transgression. The sin is in yielding to temptation. Temptation is not unique.
The New Testament affirms that God has given us commandments that are difficult to keep. It is in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 13: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles October 2006
“Go Forward in Faith”
“As you walk your various paths, walk with faith. Speak affirmatively and cultivate an attitude of confidence. You have the capacity to do so. Your strength will give strength to others. Do not partake of the spirit so rife in our times. Rather, look for good and build upon it. There is so much of the strong and the decent and the beautiful to build upon. You are partakers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel means ‘good news.’ The message of the Lord is one of hope and salvation. The voice of the Lord is a voice of glad tidings. The work of the Lord is a work of glorious accomplishment.”
Gordon B. Hinckley, “Be Not Afraid, Only Believe,” CES Fireside for Young Adults, Sept. 9, 2001
“Greatness”
Be not afraid of greatness, some are born great, some achieve greatness and others have greatness thrust upon them.
-William Shakespeare
“Find the True Spirit of Christmas”
“If you desire to find the true spirit of Christmas and partake of the sweetness of it, let me make his suggestion to you. During the hurry of the festive occasion of this Christmas season, find time to turn your heart to God. Perhaps in the quiet hours, and in a quiet place, and on your knees–alone or with loved ones–give thanks for the good things that have come to you, and ask that His spirit might dwell in you as you earnestly strive to serve Him and keep His commandments. He will take you by the hand and His promises will be kept.”
Howard W. Hunter, “The Real Christmas,” Ensign, Dec. 2005, 25
“The Atonement of Christ”
“Is it possible to reclaim a life that through reckless abandon has become so strewn with garbage that it appears that the person is unforgivable? Or what about the one who is making an honest effort but has fallen back into sin so many times that he feels that there is no possible way to break the seemingly endless pattern? Or what about the person who has changed his life but just can’t forgive himself? . . .”The Atonement of Jesus Christ is available to each of us. His Atonement is infinite. It applies to everyone, even you. It can lean, reclaim, and sanctify even you. That is what infinite means–total, complete, all, forever. President Boyd K. Packer has taught: ‘There is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the atonement of Christ’
Boyd K Packer, “The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness,” Ensign, Nov. 1995
“Be Not Afraid, Only Believe”
“Brothers and sisters, whatever your distress, please don’t give up and please don’t yield to fear. I have always been touched that as his son was departing for his mission to England, Brother Bryant S. Hinckley gave young Gordon a farewell embrace and then slipped him a handwritten note with just five words taken from the fifth chapter of Mark: ‘Be not afraid, only believe’ (Mark 5:36).”
Jeffrey R. Holland, “Broken Things to Mend,” Ensign, May 2006, 71
True Gratitude
“True gratitude is the ability to humbly see, feel, and even receive love. Gratitude is a form of returning love to God. Recognize His hand, tell Him so, express your love to Him. As you come to truly know the Lord, you will find an intimate, sacred relationship built on trust. You will come to know He understands your anguish and will, in compassion, always respond to you in love.”
Gene R. Cook, “Charity: Perfect and Everlasting Love,” Ensign, May 2002, 83
Righteous Living Builds a Strong Testimony
“Our motives and thoughts ultimately influence our actions. The testimony of the truthfulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is the most powerful motivating force in our lives. Jesus repeatedly emphasized the power of good thoughts and proper motives: ‘Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not’ (D&C 6:36).
“The testimony of
Jesus Christ and the restored gospel will help us in our lives to learn of God’s specific plan for us and then to act accordingly. It gives us assurance of the reality, truth, and goodness of God, of the teachings and Atonement of Jesus Christ, and of the divine calling of latter-day prophets. Our testimony motivates us to live righteously, and righteous living will cause our testimony to grow stronger.”
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Power of a Personal Testimony,” Ensign, Nov. 2006, 37
The Reality of Our Creator
“Just as a well-educated musician can recognize the composer of a symphony by its style and structure, so a well-educated surgeon can recognize the Creator of human beings by the similarity of style and structure of our anatomy. Individual variations notwithstanding, this similarity provides additional evidence and deep spiritual confirmation of our divine creation by our same Creator.”
Russell M. Nelson, “Jesus the Christ: Our Master and More,” Ensign, Apr. 2000, 6
The Atonement Is Infinite
“Is it possible to reclaim a life that through reckless abandon has become so strewn with garbage that it appears that the person is unforgivable? Or what about the one who is making an honest effort but has fallen back into sin so many times that he feels that there is no possible way to break the seemingly endless pattern? Or what about the person who has changed his life but just can’t forgive himself? . . .
“The Atonement of Jesus Christ is available to each of us. His Atonement is infinite. It applies to everyone, even you. It can clean, reclaim, and sanctify even you. That is what infinite means–total, complete, all, forever.”
Shayne M. Bowen, “The Atonement Can Clean, Reclaim, and Sanctify Our Lives,” Ensign, Nov. 2006, 33-3
Weakness
You cannot run away from weakness. You must sometimes fight it out or perish. And if that be so, why not right now and where you stand
- Robert Louis Stevenson
Believe
Believe in yourself, in the power you have to control your own life day by day. Believe in the strength that you ahve deep inside and the faith to help show the way. Believe in tomorrow and what it will bring. Let a hopeful heart carry you through. For things will work out if you trust and believe and there is no limit to what you can do.
-Author Uknown
Do Not Ask for…
Do not ask to have your life’s load lightened, But for courage to endure.
Do not ask for fulfillment in all your life, But for patience to accept frustration.
Do not ask for perfection in all you do, But for the wisdom not to repeat mistakes.
And finally, do not ask for more Before saying “Thank You” for what you have already received.
-Brenda Short
Being Offended is a Choice We Make
Certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However, it ultimately i impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.
-David A. Bednar, (”And Nothing Shall Offend Them,” Nov. 2006, 9)
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