Elder M. Russell Ballard on increasing spirituality through strengthened testimony

Elder M. Russell Ballard (born October 8, 1928) was called as a Seventy in 1976, and has served as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles since 1985.

"And so it returns, as it always does, to your own personal faith and testimony. That is the difference-maker, my young brothers and sisters. That is how you know. That is how you avoid the mistakes of the past and take your spirituality to the next level. If you are open and receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit in your lives, you will understand the lessons of the past, and they will be burned into your souls by the power of your testimonies.

"And how do you get such a testimony? Well, there's no new technology for that, nor will there ever be. You cannot do a Google search to gain a testimony. You can't text message faith. You gain a vibrant, life-changing testimony today the same way it has always been done. The process hasn't been changed. It comes through desire, study, prayer, obedience, and service. That is why the teachings of prophets and apostles, past and present, are as relevant to your life today as they ever have been."

- M. Russell Ballard, "Learning the Lessons of the Past," Ensign, May 2009, pp. 31-34
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The keys to true success and happiness in life always come back to our personal faith and testimony. Elder Ballard mentions two significant goals: avoiding the mistakes of the past, and growing in spirituality. Those are both accomplished as we listen to the whisperings of the Spirit.

So how is a testimony gained and strengthened? Elder Ballard mentions contemporary technology to offer a warning, then reminds us of the things that have always made a difference.

This is a wonderful sequence to remember, to ingrain in our activities and habits:

• desire
• study
• prayer
• obedience
• service

Elder Neal A. Maxwell on the blessing of true friends

Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926-2004) served as a Seventy from 1976-1981, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve until his death from cancer in 2004.

"Remember that there are wheat and chaff in every life. A wise lady once said that what we hope our friends will do is to separate the wheat from the chaff and, with a breath of kindness, blow the chaff away. I am grateful now, as I have been over the years, for friends who have had strong lungs....

"Sometimes, in the mutual climb along the straight and narrow path, brothers and sisters, we need friends to shout warnings to us or to give us instructions, but we also need those moments when warm whispers can help us to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Good friends can give us the gifts of approval and acceptance and of perspective. How many of us have rendered that specific service for someone this month? How long has it been since you have been the recipient of such a gift? Perhaps too long in both instances. 'Deserved specific praise' is the ingredient of fellowship, of commending Christians."

- Neal A. Maxwell, "Insights from My Life," BYU Devotional October 26, 1976; see also New Era, April 1978
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Elder Maxwell speaks of some of the blessings of sincere friendship. The first is the ability friends have to overlook our faults and shortcomings, seeing the good in us:

The other blessing of a true friend is that they will walk with us, giving us warnings, instructions, and encouragement on the journey. It's impossible to understate the value of "the gifts of approval and acceptance and of perspective."

Then Elder Maxwell asks the pointed questions: are we giving that kind of friendship? Are we receiving it? He suspects not enough of that is happening, and we are missing some of the blessings of fellowship. We should seek to be "commending Christians." Perhaps as we make more efforts to offer that kind of sincere friendship, we'll receive more in return.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks on measuring personal progress

Elder Dallin H. Oaks (b. August 12, 1932) served as president of BYU from 1971-1980.  He was then appointed as a justice of the Utah Supreme Court, and resigned when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1984.

"How can we measure our progress? The scriptures suggest various ways. I will mention only two.

"After King Benjamin's great sermon, many of his hearers cried out that the Spirit of the Lord 'has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually' (Mosiah 5:2). If we are losing our desire to do evil, we are progressing toward our heavenly goal.

"The Apostle Paul said that persons who have received the Spirit of God 'have the mind of Christ' (1 Cor. 2:16). I understand this to mean that persons who are proceeding toward the needed conversion are beginning to see things as our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, see them. They are hearing His voice instead of the voice of the world, and they are doing things in His way instead of by the ways of the world."

- Dallin H. Oaks, "The Challenge to Become," Ensign, Nov. 2000, pp. 32-34
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It seems to be our nature to want to know how we're doing... how we're progressing. Am I growing? Am I learning? Am I moving forward in good ways?

Elder Oaks suggests two positive and practical ways of self-evaluation. The first is to notice that we're losing the desire to do evil; our hearts are being purified and our whole desire is do good. And the second is that we begin to see things the way God sees them; we begin to listen to His voice and ignore the world.

Another way of saying this is that we are becoming more like Him. His will becomes our will; His desires are our desires. As we start to notice more and more evidences of that in our lives, we know we are progressing as we should.

Elder Marvin J. Ashton on perspective and sensitivity in our accomplishments

Elder Marvin J. Ashton (1915-1994) served as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles from 1971 until his death in 1994 at age 78.

"How easy it is for man to believe that temporal success has been achieved by his own skills and labor. Everything good comes from the Lord.

"Consideration for the feelings of others should always be important to worthy Latter-day Saints. Rightfully we may be happy about the number of children with which we have been blessed, the missionaries who have served, the temple marriages of our offspring, and the accomplishments of family members; but others who are not so fortunate may have feelings of guilt or inadequacy. They may have been praying long and hard for the same blessings about which we are boasting. These people may feel that they are out of favor with God.

"For this reason our appreciation should be sincerely felt and gratitude expressed frequently to our Father in Heaven—but not too vocally to the world.

"May we all be gratefully aware of the source of our blessings and strengths and refrain from taking undue credit for personal accomplishments.

"Oftentimes when we dwell on where we have been and where we are now, and what we have now spiritually or financially, we can create resentment rather than respect.

"Boasting, whether it be done innocently or otherwise, is not good. Too frequently it creates an impression of more interest in self than in others."

- Marvin J. Ashton, "Neither Boast of Faith Nor of Mighty Works," Ensign, May 1990, p. 65
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Many years ago, not long before this conference talk was given, I attended a stake conference in Colorado at which Elder Ashton presided. One of the speakers in the meeting was a woman who was obviously very proud of her accomplished husband and her large family, and their many wonderful achievements; she spoke at some length about the joy of her family's successes.

When it was Elder Ashton's turn to speak, he gave a gentle but firm rebuke in much the same spirit of this quote—his decision to speak on this topic in conference was likely a result of this experience, and others like it. In our stake, he pointed out that as fortunate and blessed as the sister was, there were others in the room who, through no fault of their own and no lack of worthiness and effort, didn't have the same blessings; and did she recognize how truly fortunate and blessed she was, far beyond anything she had done to earn or merit the blessings? He went on to reassure all present that God loved them equally as much, and would bless them appropriately (in His own time and way) for their faithfulness.

Elder Ashton was a master teacher, and presented that message in a way that was not in any way hurtful or critical, but only offering loving counsel to all of us that we should be much more aware of those around us and sensitive to their feelings. I am one who has occasionally felt "feelings of guilt or inadequacy" when some of these kinds of things have been expressed, wondering why I was not deserving of the blessings that someone else was receiving. And I have likely been one who has made others uncomfortable as I have unwittingly expressed gratitude that came across as boasting.

This is the tender suggestion from Elder Ashton: "our appreciation should be sincerely felt and gratitude expressed frequently to our Father in Heaven—but not too vocally to the world." And this results naturally from remembering that God is the source of our blessings, and we should never take "undue credit for personal accomplishments."

President Thomas S. Monson on giving thanks for our blessings

President Thomas S. Monson (b. August 21, 1927) was sustained to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1963. He served as a counselor in the First Presidency with Presidents Benson, Hunter, and Hinckley until becoming Church president in 2008.

"My brothers and sisters, do we remember to give thanks for the blessings we receive? Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love.

"My beloved friend President Gordon B. Hinckley said, 'When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives.' (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley p. 250)...

"To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven."

- Thomas S. Monson, "The Divine Gift of Gratitude," Ensign, Nov 2010, pp. 87-90
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The person who learns to "walk with gratitude" or "live with gratitude" is doubly-blessed. In recognizing and acknowledging blessings, he not only "unlocks the doors of heaven" but learns to "feel God's love." It changes the way we perceive the world around us, and the circumstances of our lives, in a profound way.

I think President Monson is a wonderful example of this principle. His joyful life of service demonstrates an awareness of who he is in God's eyes, and his deep and sincere gratitude for the blessings he has been given. He truly has touched heaven, and invites us to follow that example.

President Gordon B. Hinckley on recognizing our magnificent blessings

President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008) was called to the Quorum of Twelve in 1961. He served as a counselor in the First Presidency from 1981-1995, then as Church President until his death in 2008.

"Our society is afflicted by a spirit of thoughtless arrogance unbecoming those who have been so magnificently blessed. How grateful we should be for the bounties we enjoy. Absence of gratitude is the mark of the narrow, uneducated mind. It bespeaks a lack of knowledge and the ignorance of self-sufficiency. It expresses itself in ugly egotism and frequently in wanton mischief....

"Where there is appreciation, there is courtesy, there is concern for the rights and property of others. Without appreciation, there is arrogance and evil.

"Where there is gratitude, there is humility, as opposed to pride.

"How magnificently we are blessed! How thankful we ought to be! ...

"Cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving for the blessing of life and for the marvelous gifts and privileges each of us enjoy. The Lord has said that the meek shall inherit the earth. (See Matt. 5:5.) I cannot escape the interpretation that meekness implies a spirit of gratitude as opposed to an attitude of self-sufficiency, an acknowledgment of a greater power beyond oneself, a recognition of God, and an acceptance of his commandments. This is the beginning of wisdom. Walk with gratitude before him who is the giver of life and every good gift."

- Gordon B. Hinckley, "With All Thy Getting Get Understanding," Ensign, Aug. 1988, 2
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There is so often a contrast between society at large, and those who strive to follow the Lord's way. President Hinckley identifies one important root case of that contrast: the "spirit of thoughtless arrogance" that comes when we fail to acknowledge the source of our blessings in life. When we fail to recognize how "magnificently" we are blessed by God, thinking that we are self-sufficient and not dependent on God, we develop instead arrogance, ugly egotism, and pride.

President Hinckley's warning and counsel is to "walk with gratitude" before God in all we do!

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf on having gratitude in times of trial

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (1940- ) served as a Seventy from 1994-2004, when he was called as a member of the Quorum of Twelve.  He has served as second counselor in the First Presidency since 2008.

"Sooner or later, I believe that all of us experience times when the very fabric of our world tears at the seams, leaving us feeling alone, frustrated, and adrift.

"It can happen to anyone. No one is immune.

"Everyone's situation is different, and the details of each life are unique. Nevertheless, I have learned that there is something that would take away the bitterness that may come into our lives. There is one thing we can do to make life sweeter, more joyful, even glorious.

"We can be grateful!

"It might sound contrary to the wisdom of the world to suggest that one who is burdened with sorrow should give thanks to God. But those who set aside the bottle of bitterness and lift instead the goblet of gratitude can find a purifying drink of healing, peace, and understanding."

- Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Grateful in Any Circumstances," Ensign, May 2014, pp. 70-77
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President Uchtdorf uses dramatic language to describe some of the times of great challenge we encounter in life, when we feel like "the very fabric of our world tears at the seams, leaving us feeling alone, frustrated, and adrift." For most of us, times of such extremity are rare; but we may, from time to time, feel portions of that depth of emotion as we face the various challenges that mortality presents to us.

So how to we "take away the bitterness" of those times? President Uchtdorf suggests that the key lies in gratitude; and he acknowledges the apparent paradox this presents:

Finding ways to be grateful in times of challenge is an important skill to cultivate during the smaller challenges of everyday life, so that when a larger crisis hits, we'll be prepared with the skills that we have practiced. When we learn to live in gratitude daily in any circumstance, we are truly blessed.