There are a lot of rumors circulating about changes coming this general conference.
I cannot tell you how many times I've heard the saying, "If changes last general conference were a snowflake, this year is going to be a blizzard."
Yes, there were a lot of changes last general conference and, yes, it's fun to speculate about upcoming changes. Some have even become a running joke in my family.
But when we turn all our focus on rumors this general conference weekend, we miss something.
If we were to attend the first general conference, do you think our focus would be on whether or not there would be a two-hour block or do you think we would be in absolute awe while hearing a living prophet of God speak?
After a gospel dearth that lasted more than a thousand years, do you think you would be focused on whether or not YSA wards would be absolved or do you think you would be grateful to hold the blessings of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ in your lifetime?
Do you think you would be more focused on 20 percent tithing or the Spirit that whispers divine revelation to your soul?
Why should this general conference be any different?
We all want to be the first to share good news and we all like the feeling of being right. But when we become consumed by these emotions, in any circumstance, we become blind to other, more important things happening around us.
A friend of mine shared with me this quote by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf and I think it fits with what's happening with the general conference rumors.
"Sometimes, well-meaning amplifications of divine principles—many coming from uninspired sources—complicate matters further, diluting the purity of divine truth with man-made addenda. One person’s good idea—something that may work for him or her—takes root and becomes an expectation. And gradually, eternal principles can get lost within the labyrinth of 'good ideas'" (Elder Uchtdorf, "The Love of God," October 2009 general conference).
When we focus too much on the rumors, we are "diluting the purity of divine truth." There could be an avalanche of changes this conference. There could be none. Does it really matter?
Or does it matter more that we get to listen to our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, and other inspired Church leaders share instruction for us as we journey farther and farther into the latter days?
I'm not trying to be holier-than-thou. But for this weekend, let's shift our focus from the unproven rumors to the divine truths we are about to receive from men and women of God.
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