This past Friday night, I had the amazing privilege and blessing to listen to one of my favorite people speak. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland is a leader in my church and he came to Atlanta to address the women in our area. It wasn’t easy for me to attend- Matthew had to leave work early and take Ella from me, I had to meet up with the girls I was carpooling with, there was crazy Friday rush hour traffic, and there were thousands of other women who wanted to be in the same room with this man and space was limited. But once we were finally seated and everyone was quiet, I was so, so happy that I made the commitment and effort to go.
Maybe we’re not supposed to have favorites but Elder Holland is mine. He delivers powerful messages in moving ways. He is also easy to relate to and understand. He made us all laugh and cry and he was just so real with us. I’d never felt so comfortable while simultaneously in awe. By the end, my wrist hurt from writing pages of notes but the words he spoke were absolutely ones I needed to hear. I want to spread the love and hope he so freely gave to the women in that meeting so I’ll share some of what he said here (some are direct quotations, others are impressions I had):
God loves you and we’re in this together.
Be kind to others in their limitations, as God is kind to you.
Whatever the question, the answer is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
When you feel like your life hasn’t turned out how you thought it would, trust that God knows the life you’re living and He still loves you.
God can fix everything. He can handle your problems.
Faith isn’t faith if you have anything else to hold on to.
If you want the destination, don’t complain about the trip.
Anyone can steer a ship in calm waters.
You have been happy and you will be happy again.
You’re stronger and more divine than you think you are.
He said a lot more than that but I think I’ll leave it there. I think something we all suffer from is not knowing our own strength or divinity. We underestimate ourselves and just feeling the love that Elder Holland had for every person in that room and within the sound of his voice, I knew that I was also loved by Heavenly Father and the Savior. And if the Master and Creator loves you, you must be worth so much more than you’ll ever know.
Happy Sunday, everybody.
