John 14: 26-27, Peace I leave with you...

Stake Women's Conference

Presentation of the theme: John 14: 26-27

My intro talk about our theme

Our desire today is that you will feel our Savior’s love for you as a dear daughter of God who is valued and cherished and watched over and guided.  We hope that when you leave the conference later today, you will be buoyed up, with new ideas and ways of looking at the challenges in life.  We hope that you will be more appreciative of the joy that comes to you in your life.  Many of you are looking for peace and comfort and it is our fervent prayer that you will be inspired by the Holy Ghost to attend the classes today that will best meet your needs and give you the peace you are seeking.  Our presenters are all well prepared and have sought the guidance of the spirit.  One class will be taught in Spanish for those who would like to hear this beautiful language, either because it is their native  language or because it was their mission language.

After seeking the guidance of the spirit, our presidency has chosen the theme found in John 14: 26-27.  In this chapter, Jesus is preparing his disciples for the time when he will no longer be with them.  He has taught them well and then states in vs. 25: “these things I have spoken unto you, yet being present with you.”  But he wasn’t  always going to be present with them and of course he isn’t physically present with us either.  But then he tells them of a great gift he is going to leave with them and says “But the Comforter, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

The footnotes tell us what we probably already know, that the Comforter is the Holy Ghost.  Each of you here today who have been baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been give this gift!  Are you using it to bless your life?  Are you accessing the power and help that comes through this incomprehensible gift?  Are you underutilizing this precious gift and are you looking for help for challenges and answers elsewhere? Are you letting The Holy Ghost teach you and bring all things to your remembrance?  Are you letting it teach you how to deal with challenging children, stressful work situations, aging parents, unhappy marriages, financial difficulties, mental health issues, loneliness, infertility, too much fertility, and so on and so on?  Are you letting it bring to your remembrance all the good times of the past that you have enjoyed with family and friends, the joy of a wedding day, the time when you felt the spirit for the first time; the time when you knew that this church was Christ’s church restored on the earth for the last time, or the time when you read the Book of Mormon and felt the truthfulness of it burn into your heart and know that is was the word of God? 

How much time do we spend being taught by the Comforter and letting Him teach us continually the teachings of Christ?  How often do we invite the Comforter to comfort us?  Let the Comforter do his job!  Invite him to comfort YOU!

Going on in vs. 27 Jesus says:  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the word giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 

We receive peace through Christ!  He gives his peace in a unique and special way, tailored for our individual needs and circumstances.  But sisters, we have to ask for it.  We have to actively seek it.  We have to look for peace in places where he has said we will find it.  Places like our homes, the scriptures, through prayer, by going to the temple, at church, listening to general conference, doing Family History work, going on a family reunion and connecting with our loved ones, praying with our spouses or alone if no spouse is readily available for a time.  We may find answers and peace through chats with trusted friends, or through professionals who are trained in the skills of sorting out the challenges in life.  We find peace in The Savior’s words, following his example, and truly trying to be more like Him.  Peace is available to them who seek it.  Simple enough, right?  If only it were so.

The world cannot give us this peace, and it never will.  The world is lead by the great destroyer will tell you that you’re not good enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not desirable, not talented and that you have nothing to offer.  Don’t listen to this con artist, the teller of lies and the great deceiver.  He wants you to join his ranks and he will stay at it, chipping away at your peace and comfort with great skill and patience.  Turn him away and tell him that you’re on the Lord’s side!

We just sang a rousing hymn, “There is Sunshine in my soul today.”  I loved to hear you sing with gusto! Let that light, which is Jesus shine in your life!  Because as the next line says: And Jesus listening can hear, the songs I cannot sing.”  He is the only one who knows the songs you cannot sing, the desires of your heart and your innermost yearnings.  Reread Elder Holland April 2017 talk for valuable insights.  He says:

Brothers and sisters, we live in a mortal world with many songs we cannot or do not yet sing. But I plead with each one of us to stay permanently and faithfully in the choir, where we will be able to savor forever that most precious anthem of all—“the song of redeeming love.”¹¹ Fortunately, the seats for this particular number are limitless. There is room for those who speak different languages, celebrate diverse cultures, and live in a host of locations. There is room for the single, for the married, for large families, and for the childless. There is room for those who once had questions regarding their faith and room for those who still do. There is room for those with differing sexual attractions. In short, there is a place for everyone who loves God and honors His commandments as the inviolable measuring rod for personal behavior, for if love of God is the melody of our shared song, surely our common quest to obey Him is the indispensable harmony in it. With divine imperatives of love and faith, repentance and compassion, honesty and forgiveness, there is room in this choir for all who wish to be there.¹² “Come as you are,” a loving Father says to each of us, but He adds, “Don’t plan to stay as you are.” We smile and remember that God is determined to make of us more than we thought we could be.

Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal, cure or remove.*
(from the hymn, Come, Ye Disconsolate)

My testimony.