Dieter F Uchtdorf | Daily Restoration | Oct 2021 General Conference | Faith To Act

Daily Restoration
By Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

We need an ongoing, daily infusion of heavenly light. We need “times of refreshing.” Times of personal restoration.

We gather this beautiful Sabbath morning to speak of Christ, rejoice in His gospel, and support and sustain one another as we walk in “the way” of our Savior.1

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we assemble for this purpose every Sabbath day throughout the year. If you are not a member of the Church, we welcome you most warmly and thank you for joining with us to worship the Savior and learn of Him. Like you, we are striving—though imperfectly—to become better friends, neighbors, and human beings,2 and we seek to do this by following our Exemplar, Jesus Christ.

Christ's image
We hope you can feel the sincerity of our testimony. Jesus Christ lives! He is the Son of the living God, and He directs prophets on the earth in our day. We invite all to come, hear the word of God, and partake of His goodness! I bear my personal witness that God is among us and that He will surely draw near to all who draw near to Him.3

We consider it an honor to walk with you in the Master’s strait and narrow path of discipleship.

The Art of Walking in a Straight Line
There is an oft-repeated theory that people who are lost walk in circles. Not long ago, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics tested that theory. They took participants to a thick forest and gave them simple instructions: “Walk in a straight line.” There were no visible landmarks. The test subjects had to rely solely on their sense of direction.

How do you think they did?

The scientists concluded, “People really [do] walk in circles when they do not have reliable cues to their walking direction.”4 When questioned afterwards, some participants self-confidently claimed that they had not deviated in the slightest. Despite their high confidence, GPS data showed that they walked in loops as tight as 20 meters in diameter.

Why do we do have such a hard time walking in a straight line? Some researchers hypothesize that small, seemingly insignificant deviations in terrain make the difference. Others have pointed to the fact that we all have one leg that is slightly stronger than the other. “More likely,” however, we struggle to walk straight ahead “[because] of increasing uncertainty about where straight ahead is.”5

Whatever the cause, it is human nature: without reliable landmarks, we drift off course.

Straying from the Path
Isn’t it interesting how small, seemingly insignificant factors can make a major difference in our lives?

I know this from personal experience as a pilot. Every time I started the approach to an airport, I knew that much of my remaining work would consist of making constant minor course corrections to safely direct the aircraft to our desired landing runway.

You might have a similar experience when driving a vehicle. Wind, road irregularities, imperfect wheel alignment, inattentiveness—not to mention the actions of other drivers—all can push you off your intended path. Fail to pay attention to these factors and you may end up having a bad day.6

Car/Pool
This applies to us physically.

It also applies to us spiritually.

Most of the changes in our spiritual lives—both positive and negative—happen gradually, a step at a time. Like the participants in the Max Planck study, we may not realize when we veer off course. We may even have high confidence that we are walking a straight line. But the fact is that without the help of landmarks to guide us, we inevitably deviate off course and end up in places we never thought we would be.

This is true for individuals. It is also true for societies and nations. The scriptures are filled with examples.

The book of Judges records that after Joshua died, “there arose another generation … which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.”

General Conference Sunday Morning Session October 2021

Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ”
🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200

😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com

⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/

📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon

📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible

⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq

👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/

#GeneralConferenceOctober2021 #FaithToAct #Christian
#BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration