Editor's note: "This week from the pulpit" highlights recent messages by General Authorities, General Officers, and leaders of the Church.
Perhaps one way to feel assured of our future potential is to make a point to recognize what either we or others have overcome in the past. President Russell M. Nelson took the time this week to highlight what Latter-day Saints have done across the world in the last few months. He acknowledged that while more help will be needed, members have already responded to many of the problems around them.
“So, my dear friends, I thank you for your efforts and your contributions. Together we will overcome this difficult time. The Lord will bless you as you continue to bless others,” President Nelson wrote on Facebook.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf encouraged members to believe in the future by reflecting on his own past. On Facebook, he shared how as a boy he watched airplanes in the sky and dreamed of flying them himself. But because of the circumstances of his family as two-time refugees, that dream seemed impossible. Through patience and perseverance, however, Elder Uchtdorf did become an accomplished airline pilot. He now offers this advice to those who wonder about the possibilities in their lives:
No matter how far away your destination feels, know this: you may not get to where you want to go in a day or a week or even a year. But if you continue to place one foot in front of the other and strive each day to follow your plan, things will work out and you will reach your goals. You will certainly find surprises and unexpected challenges during your adventure, but those are the things that make a successful story—your life story!
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Whether you feel like you relate more to the younger, unsure Elder Uchtdorf or to the older, confident Elder Uchtdorf of today, the Lord is aware of you and knows what you need in your life. Let the words of Church leaders this week bring you hope for the future and what you can still accomplish.
How this Relief Society general board member is blessed by the priesthood power as a single woman
In continuation of theChurch News series “Women of Covenant,” Relief Society general board member Kathryn Reynolds shares how she as a single woman is blessed by the power of the priesthood. Sister Reynolds may not have a priesthood holder in her home, but she writes how she has come to know that priesthood power “lives in us.”
Pivotal experiences with God’s love have led Sister Reynolds to this conviction. For instance, she shares that she went took a trip to Dunquin Pier in Ireland shortly after her father had passed away. As she enjoyed the beautiful scenery around her, Sister Reynolds’s thoughts turned to her father’s passing and she began to feel very alone. She felt her heart call out to both her earthly and Heavenly Father.
“Just then, a very clear phrase entered my mind: ‘I am right here. I am always with you,’” wrote Sister Reynolds. “To me, this message, which came through the Holy Ghost, is a manifestation of God’s priesthood power. My Father in Heaven healed my broken heart that day and helped me to feel and see Him so keenly. It was a direct message from Him to my heart. It wasn’t complex to understand.”
As Sister Reynolds reflects on that experience, she considers how to invite the Lord into other aspects of her life.
“As I consider His invitation to receive Him and His priesthood power, I remember: ‘I am right here,’” she says.
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Read other insights and experiences with the priesthood from Sister Reynolds’s life at Church News.
General Authority and Officer Social Posts
Lead image: Facebook screenshot.
