I love General Conference. Every six months we get to hear from the leaders of our church, those whom we sustain as prophets, seers and revelators. Some people might find it strange to have prophets or think we may not need them in our time, but I think, if they had them in the old times, why not now? We're definitely not more righteous than those back in the Old Testament.
In Ephesians 2:19-20 it says that Christ's church was "built on the foundation of apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone..." and I believe thing were that way. I believe it is today, too.
The Bible also tells us that "By their fruits shall ye know them" and from the things I have seen these modern-day men do, I believe they are true followers of Christ. Thomas S. Monson has dedicated his life, since the age of 36 (I'm almost 35...) to going throughout the world and telling people about Jesus Christ and His mission. It's been 53 years since then, and he's been a busy man traveling the world over, helping people and sharing Christ's love.
Some people call our leaders "out-dated" or "old men," but Gordon B. Hinckley (the prophet before President Monson) said that they are old, but "isn't that wonderful?" They've seen more of the world and its trends and patterns. It seems our culture is all about the new, the exciting, but I also see that we don't really respect our elders as being wise as many other cultures do. We mock them for being "old fashioned" and "out of touch" and we all too often put them in nursing homes and "visit them weekly... or monthly... or just ignore them rather than bringing them into our own homes and making sure they are REALLY getting proper care. Granted, there are situations where they really do need extra attention from medical personnel or the safety provided in a nursing home, in which case nursing homes have their purpose.
I feel so blessed to know that Christ is guiding these leaders and encouraging us, through them, to follow Him and serve Him. We are to be His hands.
If we're struggling, they counseled us to seek direction from the Lord. Sometimes we don't get answers when we want them, but we should doubt our fears before we doubt our faith.
My favorite piece of wisdom from the prophet was "Choose the harder right, not the easier wrong."
It's easy to choose what everyone else is doing, even if you know it's wrong. But as Christians, we need to defend the right, especially in the last days as Satan gains more power over the earth. Dare to stand alone... for we're never really alone when we stand with our Savior.
