Scripture Squiggle: Doctrine and Covenants 21:4-6

"Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
    For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.
    For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory."


In the fall of 2006 my husband suffered from severe depression.  As a result of undiagnosed bipolar disorder and events from his teenage years, his thoughts revolved around suicide, which seemed to him to be the only avenue of escape from the terrible feelings that assaulted him.  We took several trips to the psychiatric emergency room in downtown Phoenix, visited with his primary care doctor, and even spoke with a lady provided for by his work's helpline.  But nothing helped.

I prayed fervently for something to lift him out of his depression, but I also prayed for strength to support and help him through his trials.  As general conference approached, I began to pray that one of the speakers would be inspired to address a topic that would help my husband in his quest to overcome his negative feelings.

Conference weekend arrived and we gathered in our home to listen to both the Saturday and Sunday sessions. I remember that not one speaker, but three speakers in that conference spoke on feelings of self worth, overcoming depression, and forgiving ourselves.  As that third speaker began his talk, covering items of great importance to me and my husband, my husband turned to me, a ghost of a smile on his face.

"You must have a direct line to heaven."

I realized at that moment, that I did; we all do.  Each of us can prepare ourselves to listen to the Lord's prophets and hear the words that He would speak to us if He were here.  Never before had I prayed to receive answers from conference.  I had never thought to.  But in 2006, I could not deny that the Lord had spoken directly to me.  The words that He inspired His servants to say brought me great comfort, and although the talks did not cure my husband of his depression, they helped to open communication between us about the subject, and that communication played a vital role in his eventual recovery.

I've had a lot on my mind lately; I'm anxious to hear what the Lord has to tell me this weekend.

1 Nephi 16:1-2

"And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of speaking to my brethren, behold they said unto me: Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear.
And it came to pass that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center."


This verse came to mind yesterday as I was reading some negatvie comments regarding President Packer's talk given during conference. How right Nephi was--the wicked do take the truth hard, and are unwilling to accept it as God's word; instead they try to justify themselves and find fault with a prophet of God.

I suppose such negative remarks shouldn't bother me so much, but President Packer has always been my favorite speaker out of all of the general authorities, and I really enjoyed his directness and openness as he spoke about purity. My husband told me not to worry about it--the unwillingness of others to accept God's truths doesn't prevent me from accepting it, but I keep hoping that somehow the rest of the world will get it! But the people of God have always stood against the world, and it will ever be so.

I am glad we are led by men who are not afraid to speak the truth, despite the opposition of the world. I thought of President Packer and the other prophets who spoke to us during conference weekend when I read 2 Nephi 8:7 this morning:

"Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings."

Those inspired men who lead the church are these righteous people that the Lord is referring to. I'd like to be one of them, too.