WEBVTT 00:00:04.440 --> 00:00:07.560 Paisley: Hey everybody, welcome back. PAISLEY imperfect. Here 00:00:07.560 --> 00:00:12.240 Today we are going to talk about elder Gregorio Casillas, talk 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:14.460 from this past general conference just a couple of 00:00:14.460 --> 00:00:19.020 weeks ago. It's called God loves all His children. The title is 00:00:19.020 --> 00:00:23.180 pretty self explanatory, and we could probably just use that as 00:00:23.180 --> 00:00:26.720 a reminder and say, Hey, everybody, Remember God loves 00:00:26.720 --> 00:00:30.860 all His children. But you know me, I like to talk, so we're 00:00:30.860 --> 00:00:36.440 gonna keep going. It doesn't matter what your family 00:00:36.440 --> 00:00:39.260 situation looks like. It doesn't matter whether you are on the 00:00:39.260 --> 00:00:41.800 covenant path or not, and it doesn't matter where you are on 00:00:41.800 --> 00:00:48.400 the covenant path, he still loves you for who you are, and 00:00:48.400 --> 00:00:51.640 because he loves you, He wants you to succeed. We've talked 00:00:51.640 --> 00:00:55.300 about that a little bit before. Elder Casilla said one of the 00:00:55.300 --> 00:00:58.420 greatest reasons your heavenly Father sent you here at this 00:00:58.420 --> 00:01:03.900 time is so that you can realize your full potential. To me, that 00:01:03.900 --> 00:01:07.920 says that we are here during this time in mortality, because 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:11.460 at any other time we would not have reached our full potential. 00:01:11.880 --> 00:01:16.260 We could have been super awesome Romans or Native Americans or 00:01:16.260 --> 00:01:23.300 Vikings or Japanese samurai. We could have been awesome in any 00:01:23.300 --> 00:01:26.840 other dispensation, but we were saved for this one because a 00:01:26.840 --> 00:01:30.320 loving Heavenly Father knew that this is the dispensation where 00:01:30.320 --> 00:01:34.280 we could reach our full potential. That's what that 00:01:34.280 --> 00:01:38.900 means to me. I want to go back for just a second to being one 00:01:38.900 --> 00:01:43.120 of the 99 like we talked about a couple of days ago, I talked 00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:47.260 about how, as one of the 99 it's our responsibility to help keep 00:01:47.260 --> 00:01:52.360 the other 98 together and stay in the flock. And elder Casillas 00:01:52.360 --> 00:01:56.260 gave us some good insight to help us remember this. He said, 00:01:56.800 --> 00:01:59.680 we have the privilege to watch over people who need a helping 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:04.320 hand and embrace a feeling of comfort, or for us simply to be 00:02:04.320 --> 00:02:08.340 with them in silence. If we can help lighten their burdens, even 00:02:08.340 --> 00:02:11.460 if only for a moment, then we will be able to see the great 00:02:11.460 --> 00:02:17.340 manifestations of the Savior's power in their lives. We will be 00:02:17.340 --> 00:02:20.960 able to see the love of our Savior in their lives as we 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:26.480 serve them. It is a privilege to serve others. He said, we can 00:02:26.480 --> 00:02:29.840 make a positive difference in the world. We can provide a 00:02:29.840 --> 00:02:33.500 sense of joy that is reflected in our countenance, a joy that 00:02:33.500 --> 00:02:38.000 we share with words of love and acts of kindness. Let us be good 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:41.560 neighbors, good employers, good workers. Let us strive to be 00:02:41.560 --> 00:02:46.300 good Christians at all times. I attended a women's conference a 00:02:46.300 --> 00:02:49.960 few years ago, and the theme for that conference that year was, 00:02:50.200 --> 00:02:55.960 what if your only motive was love? We do a lot of different 00:02:55.960 --> 00:02:58.420 things throughout our lives, and we have a lot of different 00:02:58.420 --> 00:03:02.400 motivators. Our motivation varies from time to time, 00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:04.860 depending on what what it is that we're trying to accomplish, 00:03:04.860 --> 00:03:10.620 what it is that we're doing. But what if our only motive was 00:03:10.620 --> 00:03:18.420 love? What if we could with the people that we come in contact 00:03:18.420 --> 00:03:24.560 with every day? What if we could see them as children of God, the 00:03:24.560 --> 00:03:29.540 person that cuts you off on the freeway, or the person who is 00:03:29.540 --> 00:03:32.420 speeding through the parking lot that you're trying to shuttle 00:03:32.420 --> 00:03:38.720 your kids through. Maybe they are the one that Jesus is 00:03:38.720 --> 00:03:46.960 looking for. Maybe they are actually one of the other 98 and 00:03:47.560 --> 00:03:53.080 they're just having a bad day. Maybe they just need a good, 00:03:53.080 --> 00:03:57.520 positive interaction from someone whose motivation is love 00:03:58.600 --> 00:04:03.120 in the heat of an angry moment. That is really hard to do. But 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:08.640 is it impossible for some of us? It might be that's fine. I'm not 00:04:08.640 --> 00:04:12.540 here to judge. I'm probably impossible for me sometimes 00:04:14.160 --> 00:04:18.420 also, what if, when it came to our relationships with others, 00:04:18.420 --> 00:04:23.180 we could stop comparing ourselves to them, comparing 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:28.520 what they have or what they're showing on Instagram to who we 00:04:28.520 --> 00:04:34.160 are and what we have or what we don't have, comparing ourselves 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:43.600 to others does not foster a positive response. Even if we 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:47.920 have more, I think I've talked about this before, even if we 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:50.980 are comparing ourselves to others, and we're like, well, at 00:04:50.980 --> 00:04:54.040 least I'm not that, or at least I don't have to do that, or at 00:04:54.040 --> 00:04:59.500 least that's a comparison to someone else. And is it? 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:06.360 Prideful, or what becomes our motivation if we're comparing 00:05:06.360 --> 00:05:12.240 ourselves with others? For me, at least, it starts to foster 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:17.520 feelings of worthlessness. I can't do what she can do. So why 00:05:17.520 --> 00:05:23.420 even try? Or I can't offer what they can offer. Why bother? 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:27.920 Elder Casilla said we should avoid comparing ourselves to one 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:30.620 another. Your spiritual abilities are unique, personal 00:05:30.620 --> 00:05:34.340 and innate, and your heavenly Father wants to help you develop 00:05:34.340 --> 00:05:37.460 them. There will always be someone you can help feel the 00:05:37.460 --> 00:05:41.680 love of your heavenly Father. Your potential is divine. While 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:44.380 it's certainly important to prepare yourself to succeed in 00:05:44.380 --> 00:05:47.560 this very competitive world, one of your crucial missions 00:05:47.560 --> 00:05:49.840 throughout your life is to become a disciple of Jesus 00:05:49.840 --> 00:05:53.320 Christ and to follow the impressions of the Spirit as you 00:05:53.320 --> 00:05:57.160 do this, God will bless your life. He will bless your current 00:05:57.160 --> 00:06:00.480 or future family, and He will bless the lives of his children 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:06.720 who you encounter. So if our only motive is love and it's 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:15.060 love for others, as children of God, we stop comparing ourselves 00:06:15.060 --> 00:06:19.080 to others, then he says that heavenly Father will bless our 00:06:19.080 --> 00:06:25.160 lives. So while it is certainly important to prepare ourselves 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:29.180 to succeed in this very competitive world, what if the 00:06:29.180 --> 00:06:34.820 preparation is the blessing? What if the blessing is the 00:06:34.820 --> 00:06:40.600 preparation? So let's take a second to tie a couple of these 00:06:40.600 --> 00:06:43.960 things together. So elder Casillas told us that we have 00:06:43.960 --> 00:06:47.560 our own spiritual abilities that are unique, personal and innate. 00:06:48.280 --> 00:06:51.160 He also told us that we can make a positive difference in the 00:06:51.160 --> 00:06:55.780 world. Could it be then that we are to use our spiritual gifts 00:06:56.260 --> 00:07:01.020 and abilities in ways that only we can to make a positive 00:07:01.020 --> 00:07:06.000 difference in the world. Yes, I would venture to say that that 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:11.460 is our purpose. That is our purpose. So now we have our 00:07:11.460 --> 00:07:16.800 motivation, our purpose is to give. Our is to use our gifts, 00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:19.500 talents and abilities to make a positive difference within our 00:07:19.500 --> 00:07:23.240 own sphere of influence, to change the world. So we have our 00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:29.540 purpose and we have our motivation. Few things, at least 00:07:29.540 --> 00:07:33.260 to me, Few things are more motivating than knowing, than 00:07:33.260 --> 00:07:39.260 knowing what my purpose is, and that God has given me the 00:07:39.560 --> 00:07:45.220 spiritual abilities, talents and gifts that I need to achieve 00:07:45.220 --> 00:07:50.080 that purpose. The motivation part is the part that I struggle 00:07:50.080 --> 00:07:58.720 with, personally on myself. Now, if those are the things that are 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:03.480 motivating that God has given us gifts, talents, abilities to be 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:08.340 able to fulfill our purpose, which is to help keep the 98 00:08:08.520 --> 00:08:13.620 together and go after the one when we need to, if that's our 00:08:13.620 --> 00:08:17.760 motivation and our purpose, where do you think the enemy 00:08:17.760 --> 00:08:22.100 will attack First? He will attack our motivation and our 00:08:22.100 --> 00:08:25.220 purpose. Because if he can destroy our motivation, or if he 00:08:25.220 --> 00:08:30.140 can destroy our purpose, he thinks he leaves us hopeless. 00:08:31.760 --> 00:08:36.080 Elder, Cassia said, one of the crafts of the adversary today is 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:38.660 to make us think and believe that there is no way for us to 00:08:38.660 --> 00:08:42.760 change or that we no longer have hope, this destructive thinking 00:08:42.760 --> 00:08:46.900 causes many of us to stop trying, and it is at this moment 00:08:46.900 --> 00:08:50.440 when our love, our words of encouragement and support, our 00:08:50.440 --> 00:08:54.700 time and our help can give someone hope enough to try once 00:08:54.700 --> 00:08:58.840 more. So it's when we feel like we are at the very, very bottom, 00:09:00.640 --> 00:09:04.440 when he is attacking and attacking and attacking, that's 00:09:04.440 --> 00:09:09.660 the moment when we have the opportunity to help someone else 00:09:10.320 --> 00:09:13.620 and give them the hope that they need to try one more time. Then 00:09:13.620 --> 00:09:16.800 he said, please remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is your 00:09:16.800 --> 00:09:21.260 Savior and understands you personally. He knows what it is 00:09:21.260 --> 00:09:24.080 to have to fulfill a calling and leave things behind to help the 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:28.580 children of God. He has the power to bless you in everything 00:09:28.940 --> 00:09:34.400 if you believe in Him and do not doubt so let's take all of this 00:09:34.400 --> 00:09:38.420 and put it together again. We are the 99 sheep, and we are 00:09:38.420 --> 00:09:42.640 here to help each other stay in the flock. God has given us 00:09:42.640 --> 00:09:46.900 spiritual abilities, talents and gifts that we are you, that we 00:09:46.900 --> 00:09:53.020 are to use to provide this help to each other, and while you may 00:09:53.020 --> 00:09:56.620 not be the only person that God has given that specific 00:09:56.620 --> 00:09:58.360 spiritual gift to 00:09:59.559 --> 00:10:04.079 you. The only one that can use it in the way that you can use 00:10:04.079 --> 00:10:08.759 it, nobody else is you. Nobody else has all of your same 00:10:08.759 --> 00:10:13.799 experiences. Nobody else can use that spiritual gift or talent or 00:10:13.799 --> 00:10:19.139 ability in the exact same way that you can that makes you 00:10:19.259 --> 00:10:24.559 necessary, that makes you needed. That makes you unique 00:10:24.559 --> 00:10:30.799 and important to me and to everyone else, anybody that you 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:36.079 have not met yet, and lots of people that you have. Those 00:10:36.079 --> 00:10:44.139 things make you important, needed and necessary. Let love 00:10:44.199 --> 00:10:48.699 be your motivation. Remember your purpose to help the rest of 00:10:48.699 --> 00:10:54.699 us stay where we need to stay right here within the 99 and 00:10:56.619 --> 00:11:00.419 don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to use your spiritual gifts and 00:11:00.419 --> 00:11:03.599 abilities. It might feel a little weird at first. 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:09.299 Sometimes, when I think I want to develop a spiritual gift, and 00:11:09.299 --> 00:11:11.639 I look into it a little bit, feels like it's going to be a 00:11:11.639 --> 00:11:17.159 little awkward to start. But do you want it? Do you want to 00:11:17.159 --> 00:11:22.579 help? I think we all do. I think we all want to to feel those 00:11:22.579 --> 00:11:28.159 feelings of love from our Savior. And while those, while 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:34.039 that love is always there, we don't always feel it. We can 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:36.859 feel it as we serve others, as we do things for others, as we 00:11:36.859 --> 00:11:40.039 use those spiritual gifts, talents and abilities that we 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:45.219 have been given to help the other 98 anyway, thank you so 00:11:45.219 --> 00:11:48.339 much for being here with me again today. Keep learning, keep 00:11:48.339 --> 00:11:53.019 growing, keep trying. You are doing great and be of good 00:11:53.019 --> 00:11:55.419 cheer. Thanks, everybody until next time you.