He Knows

For whatever reason, I felt impressed to share my notes of this talk. It was given at the April 2014 General Conference by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here are my notes:

JEAN A. STEVENS - Primary General Presidency, 1st Counselor
(Great talk)
-Father in Heaven reaches out to [me] with His divine love; [I] reach back to him with [my] faith.
-God hears and answers [my] prayers. He watches over [me]. [I'm] not alone.
-God knows [me] and hears the pleadings of [my] heart.
-God accomplishes miracles one prayer at a time, one person at a time.
-God helps [me], not necessarily in the way [I] want but in the way that will help [me] to grow.
-Many people have put their trust in the Lord. (e.g. David escaped death by Goliath, Nephi escaped potential death from his brothers, Joseph Smith escaped the powers of darkness and received miraculous answers. Each person did so by relying on the Lord.)
-Some people who have trials, do all they can do and put their faith in God.
-Some people say, "I would never ask for this trial but I would never wish not to feel God's love."
-"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10)

I believe her words. I have reached out to God many times and know that He hears me and gives me peace. Sometimes all I can think of is to turn to Him and know that He will make it right.

Saying What I Mean

Sometimes I say "We", "You" and "They" when I really mean "I" and "Me." I want to be helpful but my words push people away...because they sound like lectures. I don't mean to sound annoying, self-righteous, perfect and judgmental but I do when I don't speak about myself. (I don't mean to sound 'preachy' but it's how I sound when I talk about anyone other than me.)

Sometimes lecturing is good (like when parents teach their young children, or when work leaders teach their employees), but my good intentions turn bad when unfairly I tell other people what to do. No one likes to see someone make a mistake or have a trial, but unless they're my young child I need to not lecture, turn my head, have faith in them, and hope for the best. Everyone has the right to make their own choices. Sometimes I learn the most when making the 'wrong' choice, and when I hear a person talk about themselves it inspires me to make a better choice.

(I have something to say about the word 'wrong.' The word 'wrong' is relative; what someone thinks is wrong someone else thinks is right. I think that focusing on someone's 'right' and 'wrong' choices distracts me from loving and having faith in them. Mother Theresa said that when you judge people you have no time to love them; that is so true! When I'm tempted to judge I need to not do it, let go of my control, tell myself, "It is what it is" and instead choose to love.)

I can hear moms saying to their young children, "We use our quiet voice in the house and save our loud voice for outside." I can hear dads telling their young families, "We don't do that in our family because we're the Joneses." I can hear managers saying to their employees, "At ABC Company we do this because that's who we are." None of those things sound 'preachy' because they're teaching and it's expected. But if that's not my situation no wants a lecturer but a friend.

Why I Say the Things I do

After reading my blog posts, I realized my intentions could be misunderstood. I want to clear up any misunderstandings and tell why I say the things I do.

My intention is never to hurt anyone. I say things about kids to help parents and I say things about what I notice to help people in their lives. I notice things and say them hoping my words will help someone when they truthfully consider them. I say things about myself because I have nothing to hide.

I think everyone thinks like me, but they don't. I like to consider things and constantly strive to become an improved person. I say things about myself not because I think I'm great, but because I hope someone will learn from my mistakes.

I never intend to say mean things, but because of my honesty some of my words sound either mean or that I think I'm better than others. I love people and perhaps say things wrong. My intention is always the hope that people will consider my words.