An Easiness and a Willingness to Believe.

I logged on to Blogger this morning to check the traffic on this blog, only to see that the blog I posted yesterday didn't post! Also, it was gone forever everywhere! Dang it!

So, I started off by saying that we only have 4 more Mondays until April Conference (yea!) and that meant that we probably have 5 to post from October Conference. I'm assuming the new conference talks won't be available online the day after--but I've been wrong before, so we'll see! That means we have 4 weeks and more than 4 talks to choose from! I'm going to start getting really selective, so if you have a favorite we haven't talked about yet, leave a comment!

Our talk this week is "An Easiness and Willingness to Believe," by Elder Michael T. Ringwood. Since I've had an additional day to think about this ;) I have more to say now. Elder Ringwood's title is referencing the Lamanites that converted in Helaman. The scriptures say that the Spirit poured out upon the Lamanites because of their willingness to believe. I think the willingness to believe is both a gift of the Spirit and the fruits of obeying the law. Its a cycle that increases our ability to feel the Spirit--when we want to believe, the Spirit pours out. The presence of the Spirit strengthens our ability to recognize truth, to desire truth, and our willingness to obey. We then receive a greater outpouring of Spirit that builds and teaches and refines us, ultimately sanctifying us and preparing us to live a celestial law. I especially appreciate Elder Ringwood's observance that times of intense change or trial can be the times in our lives when we are most willing to believe. I hope they are. I've learned to try to look at my trials as an opportunity to see how the Lord blesses me, a time to stretch and grow, and to show Him I trust Him. This allows the Spirit to comfort me and boost my confidence.

Have a good week!