“In the Arms of His Love”
What touched your heart?
I wanted to open up the opportunity to those who had a chance to see the General Relief Society Broadcast last night to share thoughts and feelings about the meeting. What touched your heart the most? What stuck in your mind? What will you want to remember during the next few weeks and months? Did you find yourself setting any goals as a result of the counsel and inspiration we received?
Following are some of the things that touched me.
- I was so moved by the theme (selected by the Relief Society presidency, inspired by heaven): “I am encircled…eternally in the arms of his love.” I think one of the most important messages we can really embrace as women is that God loves us. We are never alone. The Savior stands with outstretched arms to help us, if we will make the effort to turn to and trust Him. We don’t have to be perfect to have that love, although we need to be reaching toward Him, seeking to follow Him. He is always reaching toward us.
- I appreciated Sister Hughes’ talk about remembering. At those times when heaven might feel far away, I can remember the times when I know I have felt God’s love for and awareness of me.
- I felt a desire to find ways to serve others, to be in tune to needs around me. I loved the song about reaching out “that other souls may feel His love through me.”
- I found myself (once again) pondering my role as mother and renewing my commitment to be there for my children. Sister Parkin’s words struck me: “Mothers, can you see how essential you are in teaching this truth [of God’s love] to your children? As you encircle your children with your love, they will catch glimpses of His love.” And, “Dear mothers, teach your children to always include the Lord in their lives and to help them recognize His loving influence.” President Hinckley also reminded us that nothing will matter more to me than how my children turn out. That means I need to make sure that nothing distracts me from that eternally important role.
- I was grateful to have the whole First Presidency there, as well as Elders Holland, Bednar and Dickson (who was in my area presidency when I was a missionary and also in our ward when we lived in New Jersey). Their presence alone showed that our leaders have a deep love and respect for us as women. I just felt that so strongly.
- I was thrilled to hear from the prophet. I feel his love and concern for us. I appreciate how sensitive he is to women with different needs and lives and family situations. I also hear him always inviting us to do a little better.
I’m anxious to hear your thoughts and feelings!
If you haven’t yet had a chance to listen, lds.org doesn’t currently have the broadcast archived. But if you have a high-speed Internet connection, you can go to byutv.org to watch it! Click on “Tune in Now” in the top left corner, and then download the Move Networks media player. Once you have that downloaded, you will receive the ‘live’ feed from byutv. You can adjust the date and time. Simply go to September 23, 6:00 p.m. (click on the little red arrow on the right of the player to skip ahead to the right time).
September 24th, 2006 22:31
OH I am excited that you put this up! I was hoping we could talk about the Broadcast! I took a little notebook with me to write down any impressions that came to me while watching. I came with an open heart… having been praying all day for answers to some burning questions that I had… wanting to get some direction for specific things that I need direction for in my personal life. And as you mentioned Michelle… I was BLOWN AWAY by the message. I was so totally unprepared for the message that GOD LOVES ME! I mean, duh I know that intellectually, but yes I FELT that too and I was so overcome by that feeling that I could hardly write anything and just sat there silly with crocodile tears pouring down my cheeks through the entire broadcast!
I did write down some impressions though and these were the ones that stood out most:
Bonnie D. Parkin:
*My children will learn about the love of the Savior through ME!
*God’s love is manifested through His little children!
Kathleen Hughes:
*REMEMBER His peace and love during overwhelming and frustrating times.
*”We will find Him in the details of our lives.”- Neal A. Maxwell
*If we don’t invite the Spirit into our home, our homes will be a reflection of that.
*Let our children HEAR us talk of Christ and rejoice of Christ.
*Make our home a place to rest, reflect, and prpare for the world.
Anne Pingree:
*Jesus can heal ALL emotional, physical, and spiritual ailments.
*Let your ACTIONS reflect your understanding.
*Look at eachother with a loving instead of critical eye.
President Hinckley:
*Each woman has the responsibility to get all the education that she can. {This is particularly interesting to me that the Prophet said this tonight as I felt he was speaking directly to me in answer to one of my prayers and I KNEW then what I have to do about it! Very cool.}
*Do the very best that you can. {I don’t know why but this brought me much comfort. He didn’t say, Be perfect and do everything right or else… he said do the best that YOU CAN. I love that.}
*The answer to this question will be the most important-”How have my children turned out?” This is what I need to put up on my fridge to remind me each day while I am constantly with my children and remember that this is my job, my duty, and a blessing to be with my children each day… because God manifests His love to us through these little children!
Boy I needed an attitude adjustment and this broadcast really helped me in a surprising way! I was expecting more specific guidance but instead left feeling like I was OK… that even though I don’t have all the answers or everything figured out that Heavenly Father loves me and has a plan for me. It is nice to be reminded of that and to feel that too.
September 24th, 2006 22:52
Wonderful, Stephanie! Thank you so much for sharing. Isn’t it amazing when we can receive answers in such clear, moving ways?
September 25th, 2006 08:12
Great post, Michelle, and equally great comments, Stephanie. Besides the messages already mentioned, one that came through strongly to me was that we will be blessed if we follow the counsel of the living prophet. I know this has been true in my life so far, and it makes me want to listen even more carefully to see how whatever the prophet says can apply to me right now.
September 25th, 2006 08:58
I cannot wait until I have a moment to listen to the talks from the broadcast. (I was deeply entrenched in a bit of an emergency here at home that evening, alas; all is well now, but I did not get to go to the conference.) I have a had several realizations, epiphanies, if you will, in recent days that I see echoed in everyone’s notes from the conference. Most specifically, is my recent impression that my children learn of His love by way of my love for them (which is a reflection of His love for them). Truly, this is a timely message for me.
Wow.
September 25th, 2006 16:27
Thank you for sharing this.
September 25th, 2006 16:43
RoAnn,
Thank you for adding that. I agree with you.
Stephen,
You are welcome. Thank you for visiting and commenting.
September 26th, 2006 13:15
A couple of things I remember clearly:
1-That soloist. I was not prepared for the way her voice would move me to tears…and it wasn’t anything particularly spectacular, but her perfect-pitch, clear-toned, and sweet voice just transfixed me. That was a particularly sweet moment –I felt the Spirit so strongly…
2-When Sister Pingree talked about either we “do” or we “don’t” and our individual course corrections. It was such a good reminder to me –that even though I am surrounded by the daily demands of my life, I can correct the course I am taking by simply praying more, or focusing on having the Spirit in my life MORE.
3-The overall theme. I know most people have already said this, but the fact that we are loved –individually –by our Heavenly Father and our Savior seems to be something that I can easily forget. And yet it is so important to my progression –I was very grateful to be reminded that He will never forget me. Which then reminded me that I should never forget Him.
4-Everything President Hinckley said. I just love to hear his words, because I know he says them with love and with the power of God.
It was a wonderful RS broadcast.
September 26th, 2006 14:40
I’m trying to approach this like “Boggle” in listing what hasn’t been touched on here yet.
~Sister Parkin recounting her pleas to know what the sisters of the Church needed, and the message she was to share was that reality of the love of the Lord. “He loves us…He sees the good in us…He cherishes us…”
~About sisters wondering how can He possibly love me?
“Do we frequently reject the love of the Lord…given with (?)…much more abundance than we are willing to receive?”
~About sisters being islands and feeling isolated in Relief Society
“Why do we do that to each other?”
~Each sister will feel His love in different ways.
I keep a little composition book with notes from these meetings =)
I’ll see if I can post more later…
September 26th, 2006 15:09
Cheryl and Téa,
When I listened to it again on Sunday, I was struck at how much I had already forgotten. It was a meaty meeting.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It’s great to read what struck others and be able to nod my head and say, “Yeah, I loved that, too.”
One of the main things that struck me that second time (which has been brought out in comments above) is the gentle reminder that sometimes it’s what we are or are not doing that keeps us from feeling the Lord’s love. Since He is the constant, we are often the variable. We can make choices that can invite the Spirit into our hearts, thus inviting His love into our lives more. I love this concept of agency and its power in our lives, and this meeting reiterated that to me.
October 8th, 2006 11:17
I am looking for a copy of the song, “In the arms of His Love” that was sung at the meeting. Does anyone know where I can purchase a copy?
Thanks
October 8th, 2006 12:15
Sharon,
I have the same question…please let me know if you find anything out and I will do the same.
October 8th, 2006 17:12
I’m not sure if this was the song you meant, but I know the song that we all sang with the choir was written by Janice Kapp Perry –we had the privilege of hearing her sing it to us during a RS Stake Fireside this past summer. I’m not sure where you can get it, but I figured just knowing the composer would help (if it’s the right song!).