The Talk...Dun Dun Dun.

Em has requested that I share my talk in this lovely sister forum. What she doesn't know is that she was the inspiration of my talk, through her stirring "Box-breaking" post.

My topic was "To Rescue Someone." Odd, I know, but it's a theme our bishop really likes. The more I thought about this topic though, the more I thought about those times in our lives when we feel like we are the ones who need the rescuing! So in a nutshell, I focused my talk on how we can help ourselves get out of that funk through focusing on others - which I realize has been the topic of several of our posts.

Em, I tried to get your consent before sharing your experience, but I assure you that I painted you in the most favorable light. :) I shared the Neal A. Maxwell quote from your post (several people asked for that reference by the way).

Because I don't write out my talks word for word, this is the gist of what I said next:

Many of us who are or have been new or young parents can identify with my sister’s experience. But there are other life-changing events or circumstances that can also cause us to "take our own temperature" and question our happiness, or to long for different circumstances, to cry out for help and wonder if we have what it takes to stand up to the challenges before us.

In times like these, I have noticed something peculiar occur: When I go to the Lord pray for help with something I’m personally struggling with, He usually presents me with an opportunity to focus on and help someone else.

Elder Eyering explains this phenomenon:

"Most of us know of someone who needs attention. What touches me is to hear of an older widow whom I was intending to visit having been inspired to visit a younger widow to comfort her. A widow needing comfort herself was sent to comfort another. The Lord helped and blessed two widows by inspiring them to encourage each other. So He gave succor to them both."

"The Lord sent help in that same way to the humble poor in Alma 34. Once they had repented and were converted, they were still poor. But He sent them to do for others what they might reasonably have thought was beyond them and which they still needed. They were to give others what they would have hoped He would give them."

The Lord expects us to give to others what we hope to receive from Him.

1. If we desire financial security – we must pay an honest tithe and be generous with what we do have.
2. If we desire forgiveness, we must forgive those who offend us.
3. If we desire comfort, we must offer comfort to those around us.
4. If we desire happiness, we should be the means of bringing a smile upon someone else’s face.
5. If we desire a friend, we should reach out and be a friend to someone else.

Really, it’s simple. But sometimes I amaze myself with how slow I am at applying simple primary principles in my life.

Pres Uchtdorf sums this point up nicely:

"In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we ANSWER may be of even greater importance. Let us open our eyes and see the heavy hearts, notice the loneliness and despair, let us feel the silent prayers of those around us and let us be an instrument in the hands of the lord to ANSWER those prayers."

Christ is the ultimate example of selflessness. He reaches out to you and me, desiring to heal us of any infirmity, pain or weakness we experience, whether it be impatience, lack of motivation, frustration or heartache. As we turn to Him, he uplifts us and answers our prayers by showing us how to help answer the prayers of others. He provides the strength in this process, we only need to provide a willing heart.

Well, there you have it ladies. It was pretty short due to time constraints, but I felt confident it was what I needed to share and talk about. It was awesome to feel the Spirit speak through me again. I miss that.