Sunday Thoughts

The talks at church today were all centered around The Character of Christ...

It was a wonderful sacrament meeting . I hardly realized that the time was coming to a close until the bishop stood up to conclude the meeting...I love those kind of days!

My dear friends, Heather and Rob Merrill both gave the talks--

(from Heather's)

“ Perhaps the greatest indicator of character is the capacity to recognize and appropriately respond to other people who are experiencing the very challenge or adversity that is most immediately and forcefully pressing upon us. Character is revealed, for example , in the power to discern the sufferings of other people when we ourselves are suffering; in the ability to detect the hunger of others when we are hungry; and in the power to reach out and extend compassion for the spiritual agony of others when we are in the midst of our own spiritual distress. Thus, character is demonstrated by looking and reaching outward when the nature and instinctive response is to be self-absorbed and turn inward. If such a capacity is indeed the ultimate criterion of moral character, then the Savior of the world is the perfect example of such a consistent and charitable .” Elder Bednar


from Rob's:

"For those who are discouraged by their circumstances and are therefore tempted to feel they cannot serve the Lord this day, I make you two promises. Hard as things seem today, they will be better in the next day if you choose to serve the Lord this day with your whole heart. Your circumstances may not be improved in all the ways which you desire. But you will have been given new strength to carry your burdens and new confidence that when your burdens become too heavy, the Lord, whom you have served, will carry what you cannot. He knows how. He prepared long ago. He suffered your infirmities and your sorrows when He was in the flesh so that He would know how to succor you. The other promise I make to you is that by choosing to serve Him this day, you will feel His love and grow to love Him more.

I appreciated the reminder that when we serve others, we tend to forget about our own trials and the burdens that we're carrying...Some of the best times in my life have been when through my service to others, I have been a tool in Heavenly Father's hands.

**Do you agree?