April 2014 General Conference: A Priceless Heritage of Hope

President Eyring addressed his remarks to those who have chosen to return to placing the covenants they have made with God back in the center of their lives.

When you are on the path to eternal life, you leave an inheritance of hope to those who follow.  These are family bonds that continue forever.

He referred to the example of Heinrich Eyring, a faithful ancestor.  “I name this in my history that my children may imitate my example and never neglect this … important duty [to assemble] with the Saints.”

For all of us, as they were for Heinrich, our duties are sometimes simple but are often difficult.  But remember, the duties must sometimes be difficult because their purpose is to move us along the path to live forever with Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in families.

And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever. (Abraham 3:24-26)

Keeping our second estate depends on our making covenants with God.

The blessings of Atonement bring us universal inheritance from Jesus Christ.

Parents sorrow over children who have chosen to break their covenants.  But there are miraculous examples from the scriptures to give hope, even when they resist his invitation.  Every parent shares in the desire for righteousness for their children.
God makes it attractive to choose the right by letting us feel the effects of our choices. If we choose the right, we will find happiness—in time. If we choose evil, there comes sorrow and regret—in time.  Those effects are sure.  Yet they are often delayed for a purpose.

We take both the short and the long view as we try to give the inheritance of hope to our family. In the short run, there will be troubles and Satan will roar. And there are things to wait for patiently, in faith, knowing that the Lord acts in His own time and in His own way.

They will remember.  Memories may bring them back.

We rely on faith, hope, and charity to guide us as we look at the long view.

Church leaders share a spirit of optimism - "Oh, things will work out".

Disappointment: How Well We Know the Feeling

Suffering from frustrated expectations can be much more bruising to the soul than physical pain is to the body.  This is a hard lesson, but most of us have more than ample opportunity to learn it first hand.

Not to obsess about my own life, but as one who has personally experienced perhaps the maximum possible pain at moments in my life, I can witness that I would much more willingly subject myself to the physical dimension of suffering than the mental and spiritual anguish that wrack my soul at other times.

One of the most vivid recollections from growing up is a vignette of my father standing next to my bed, saying with unfeigned anguish, "Oh, Jim - I'm so disappointed in you!"  I don't even recall what I did to let my Dad down, but I can never forget how miserable it made me feel.

I know how much it hurt my Dad, because I had other opportunities to watch him while he suffered from great physical pain resulting from accidents.  And I saw that the suffering from disappointed expectations was sometimes much worse.

Throughout my adult life one of my highest ambitions has always been striving to make my Dad feel proud of me.  For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to do what is right.  Not sure I even know what that is any more.

I know that I continue to disappoint my Dad, but I think he understands, now, when I am doing my best.

One of the coping mechanisms I have learned about for dealing with the hopeless problems we face and our so-oft disappointed expectations derives from Beck's Congnitive Theory of Depression.  Beck's theory posits that we create much of our internal mental state, that leads us into depression.  It has to do with errors in cognition, flawed thinking whereby we trap ourselves into hopelessness.  Through this understanding, and more objective self-analysis, we can learn to recognize cognitive errors.