"Is it still Wonderful to You?" Bishop Gerard Clausse

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/is-it-still-wonderful-to-you?lang=eng

    This might be my new favorite talk from conference. Wow. I just loved it. It reminded me of one a few years ago... I had to look it up. It was called "Can ye Feel So Now?" by Quentin L. Cook. Both of these talks warn us of complacency towards the Gospel. The same complacency that gets all of us slowly. You may think you are immune, but it sneaks in. If you aren't constantly feeding your testimony and feeling the awesomeness of the Gospel, you are leaving cracks for the complacency to creep in. Let's remember Heber J. Grant saying, "O God, bless me that I shall not lose my testimony and keep faithful to the end!" If he needed constant feeding and awe, how much more do we, with our silly activities committee callings, need it?

    Just a few days ago one of the talks also reminded me that we need to be in constant amazement at the atonement. It is not something that can become everyday and mundane to us. Bishop Clausse says, "To marvel at the wonders of the gospel is a sign of faith." It means we understand and acknowledge the Lord's hand in our everyday life.

    Bishop Clausse goes on to give 3 ways to continue in our faith, with love and amazement for the Savior:

    1. Never tire of discovering the truths of the Gospel. I am sure there are some people out there that think they know everything there is to know about the Gospel. I am so far from there that this is no problem. I am an itty bitty seedling still trying to grow a tree of knowledge.

     2. Anchor our faith in the plain and simple truths of the Gospel. I love this. So many people could have the Gospel in their lives if they would heed this. Some of the complexities or history of the church can be distracting. Let's focus instead on the fruits that we bring forth. Let's focus on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and on the restoration of the Gospel in the latter days. Let's focus on the fact that we have the Priesthood, the very power of God, available for our use on earth.

    3. Seek and Cherish the companionship of the Spirit. I notice a difference almost instantly of when I have the Holy Ghost in my life. I have a very large swing. I don't just hover somewhere safely. I am either quoting scripture, on fire with the Spirit, or falling off of a cliff somewhere. Perhaps that is why I like this talk so much. It is reminding me to stay safely in awe of the Gospel, to marvel at the atonement and the simple truths of the Gospel. They may be simple, but they are wonderful.