Our fabulous Relief Society president taught today about trying to change someone else and how only the Holy Ghost can change someone else's heart.
- When we ask the Lord how we can change someone else (a spouse...ahem, a child, a co-worker, a parent, etc.,) we are really asking Him to change their hearts. We can't change them, only the Holy Ghost can be the agent of change!
- We can pray to know what we need to change in ourselves in order to help them.
- Criticism kills love, it kills their desire to change. (Ouch!)
- Charity never faileth! We can't always get the outcome we want because we can't override some one's free agency. Instead it brings us a tiny bit closer to the Savior and we are changed.
- When we use criticism we are using Stan's tool to accomplish Christ's purpose and it will never work!
- We need to make the choice to continue on the path to the Savior.
- We need to ask ourselves what our motivation to change the other person is. Is it just an irritation or is it a major problem? We need to let go of the things that don't really matter.
- Pray for help and say "Heavenly Father, this is your child please help me to know how best to help them."
- Often the answer to conquering ill-feelings toward someone in our family is to serve them. "Serve him and be free" are the words that came to her mind one time while she was praying not to be frustrated with her husband. She said it doesn't add up but that's the arithmetic of heaven. When we lose ourselves in the service of others we actually find ourselves.
- 2 Nephi 32:2 When we have the Holy Ghost we speak with the tongue of angels.
**Thoughts??**
Comment Window Tidbit: It's not a very good idea to make a roast in the crock pot on a Fast Sunday...the smell is torturing me.
12 comments:
The smell...when you walk in the door! Love that!
I taught today on Hidden Wedges from a conference talk in 2002. Great insight from great leaders...
Love your Sunday thoughts posts each week! I admire all your note taking! Sounds like a great lesson!
I try to remember that our Heavenly Father knows them best and wants the best for them too - so I pray to see them (child or spouse or whomever ...) like HE sees them. It works in trying to change MY heart...
Thanks for always sharing your Sunday thoughts! Now go and enjoy your roast! :-)
Wahooooooooo!!!!!!!Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!weeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzaaaaaaa!!!!!
This post is the best! Do you know how much I love your lessons????
I have a new Visiting Teaching Family with three names who don't want to be contacted, only by mail. I've been thinking about them so much, and feeling a bit sad. This post fires me to not lose hope and rely on tgeclord to soften their hearts, not my creative good mail.
Rely on the Lord!!! Oh man, spell check on my phone which auto corrects.
Have you run into that with your phone yet???
It sounds like you have some incredible relief society lessons.
I love this thought: "When we use criticism we are using Stan's tool to accomplish Christ's purpose and it will never work!"
Ahhhh...the tantalizing smell of roast. I smell it as we type.
What a cool and applicable lesson. It is very liberating to realize the things we have no control over, like other people's agency.
I absolutely believe everything that you have written here. But sometimes it is hard to give up the desire to have control over someone else's life. Darn free agency! Kidding.
I really need to remember that criticism kills love and kills others' desire to change. I know that I can only change myself, so that is my goal!
I am just fascinated by the arithmetic of heaven. Good lesson.
This was a great post. I have learned over the course of this year that when we try to change someone else or take accountabllity for someone else's choices or let ourselves feel guilty about what someone else is doing, we are in Satan's territory. He wanted us not to have free agency.
But I think trying to change someone else is the same thing. Either the Spirit will touch them and they will have a desire to change, or they won't. I agreet hat the nagging and criticizing only drives away the Spirit...but it so easy to fall back into that trap..dang it!
I never thought about how criticism is using a tool of Satan's. You shared some good points. All of which I needed to read. It really is hard to pray and then just let go by using our faith in Heavenly Father to take care of things. I think one of the hardest things for me, is that it does not ever happen the way I would like it or in the time that I desire.
it's so hard not to criticize some times! ESPECIALLY when their rooms are NEVER as clean as i want them to be. eh. i have to learn to embrace it i guess. i also love the arithmetic of heaven. i have a testimony of that principal of losing myself in service to someone i had hard time with. i've never thought to try it with my husband?! this week...
thanks for sharing.
So true. I often have to ask myself what my motivation was when praying for something. I love your Sunday posts.
ditto on all the great comments- GREAT post!
I join the throngs in loving your Sunday Posts. I can hear my mother's voice saying every word your wrote. Tender mercies, indeed.
Thanks for the inspiration. I really have been praying for someone who I have worked closely with without too much success. This might just be the answer.
I like you. I like the things you say. Good words and good direction.
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