This is a talk I gave in Relief Society. I brought in several shoe boxes and each shoe mentioned in the talk. It was again shared at a Stake Conference for our Young Women.
_ _ _ _ _
This talk is taken from:
"Our Fading Civility" Ch. 4 of Standing for Something, Gordon B. Hinckley
“Faith in Every Footstep” M. Russell Ballard, Ensign, Nov. 1996, 23
And “Come, Let Us Walk in the Light of the Lord¨ Mary Ellen Smoot, Ensign, Nov. 1998, 89
Imagine that you are in desperate need of shoes. You are barefoot and your feet are calloused, blistered and sore. You find yourself inside my Relief Sole-Society Shoe Store.I will be here to help and serve you today and from the looks of what I see, I must dub you “Sister Blister.
¨Sister Blister, it appears that your sole is hurting and in need of some support. It also appears that you have become calloused and refuse to believe that there is any hope for you in finding relief for your sole in this store. But, that's where you are wrong! You’ve taken a step in the right direction coming here. After all, this is the Relief Sole-ciety Shoe Store and we specialize in taking care of “de-FEET.¨ (point to the foot). But before I fit you, please realize that not just any pair of shoes will do. You have unique calluses, so I need to be selective in my decision as to which shoes will fit your best.
Let me introduce you to some of our most popular pairs:
LOAFERS
A lot of women purchase these, but upon closer inspection, they are just a pair of loafers. They want to be civil and friendly, but they just refuse to get instep with the other shoes. They hesitate to visit the other shelves and talk to the other soles. They feel they are often too busy to go out visiting and don’t have the time or energy to worry about the other soles, when in reality, they don’t do much of anything.
FLIP-FLOPS
Here’s another pair, but they may not be much support to your feet. Sometimes they say hi and sometimes they don’t. They flip-flop from week to week -. Should they go to church? I don’t know…. Should they magnify their calling? I don’t know….With these flip-flops, I don’t think you’d be able to jump into anything with both feet and get a task accomplished.
SNEAKERS
Now these here are the latest in technology. They are sharp-looking and fast, but honestly, they are just a couple of sneakers. You have to keep your eye on them because they sneak in and out of the Relief Sole-ciety Store so quickly that you might miss them. They know this is the right place to be and that your sole needs support, but it’ll be hard to catch them.
CONVERSE
Now these are a nice pair too, but I am not sure if you can trust them. If you look in the inside, you’d see that they have their share of calluses too. Oh, they're faithful in coming to church every week, but their tongues are strung-out, and they have a hard time tying them up. They converse, converse, and converse with each other, but not to the other soles on the different shelves. Between you and me, I think they are here only to socialize.
Ahhh, now these here! These HIGH HEELS!
Hmmm, these appear to look very uplifting. And I bet they’d help you set some high, lofty goals for yourself.Why yes, I bet they’d even raise your self esteem and boost your tired sole. And in a pinch, they’d be able to do double duty as pest control - killing a spider, mosquito, or annoying fly.
So now that we’ve decided on the highest, most uplifting heels we could find, let me move further into my talk, which is really about WALKING IN THE LIGHT OF THE LORD.
But before I begin, take a look at the shoeboxes I brought today and think to yourself: What kind of shoe have I been wearing lately? If it wasn’t in high heels, is my sole in need of some uplifting?
You and I will take many steps throughout this life and the next: As a toddler, we learn from our parents how to take those first, most important steps into the waiting and loving arms of those who hold us most dear. As an elementary student, we take the first steps towards a formal education, eventually leading onto a stage to receive our high school, then possibly our college and graduate school diplomas. When we are baptized, we take a giant step of faith. As adults, we may stand or kneel in front of an altar during marriage. We also take steps to shop, clean our homes, and if time permits, stroll through gardens and exercise.
And at the end of our road, we hope to successfully pass the sentinels that guard the grand mansions above to be reunited w. our Heavenly Father. For to spend time and eternity with Him would truly be to walk in the light of the Lord.
Do you think we learn to walk with God in the same way that we learned to walk as babies? The way our children learned to walk? By trial and error, standing across the room from our Father and taking wobbly footsteps towards Him as he calls to us from the distance "Come to Daddy, " and falling down repeatedly as we try to get it right?
How many of you remember walking with your two year old? Maybe next to a busy street where the traffic makes it necessary to hold his hand? You try to point out to him the pretty gardens you are walking past; the beautiful flowers, the scampering squirrel, the pretty song bird; but he’s not interested. You see, he’s too busy trying to pry free from your hold. He can’t stand holding your hand. He’s a big boy now. He wants to walk free and on his own.
Instead of clinging to our Father’s hand, we too have this tendency to take off on our own wobbly two feet. There are so many things that take our attention from Him. Sometimes we don’t like the restrictions that holding His hand puts on our life.
Sometimes some of our Bible principles cramp our style. Sometimes we let the cares of this world pull us away from Him, and instead of holding tighter to His hand, we let go. And inevitably we fall down and hurt ourselves.
We sink into discouragement and we look to Him and we say "Father, what’s this all about? You know I love you and I don’t want to disappoint you, but how could You let this happen to me?" And He looks at us sadly and says "Child, you let go of My hand. You took off on your own. I am able to keep you from falling, but please keep your hand in Mine."
Our scriptures are full of promises of our Father’s willingness to hold us. Consider Jude 24-25: Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.
Now consider for a moment, what it really means to walk in the light of the Lord.
First of all, we’ll have light: light in our countenances, light in our outlook, light even when darkness surrounds us. And it also means we will walk with purpose and direction.
The Savior taught us the way when He delivered the parable of the 10 virgins, the parable of the talents, and the parable of the sheep and the goats during the last week of His life. As we listen and obey to the Lord, we become sisters of light and truth.
First, the parable of the 10 virgins teaches us to walk in His light by being spiritually prepared.The Savior likened the kingdom of heaven unto 10 virgins who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. In Matthew 25:1-10, five of the virgins took oil for their lamps and when the bridegroom came, they were prepared to receive him. While the foolish five were scurrying to find some more oil, the bridegroom came, and only they that were ready went in with him.
Are we ready? Are we individually and collectively in the process of preparing ourselves for the generous gifts that the Lord has promised to all who remain faithful? Are we prepared to receive His light?
President Kimball has given some direction on how to fill our lamps with oil: Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, visiting teaching, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures: each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store. Deeds of kindness, tithing, chaste thoughts and actions, and marriage in the covenant for eternity. These, too, contribute to the oil with which we can by midnight be ready.
One of the gifts God has promised to all who earnestly seek Him is faith.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained: Faith is a gift of God bestowed as a reward for personal righteousness. It is always given when righteousness is present, and the greater the measure of obedience to God’s laws, the greater will be the endowment of faith.
Faith and all spiritual gifts are available to everyone who is willing to live for them. Many times we think just being a member of this Church entitles us to all the Lord has promised. But each blessing requires obedience.
In D&C 130:21, The Lord declared, “When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated¨. We gain strength and lift ourselves up by living the commandments.
So if we desire to walk in the light of the Lord, we put one spiritual foot in front of the other. We must follow the path of spiritual preparedness as it is set forth in the scriptures and by our living prophet, and we fellowship with each other here in Relief Society to bring all of us and our families unto Christ.
The Lord would also have us walk in His light by developing our talents. Another parable the Savior shared during the last week of His life was the parable of the talents.
You all know the story and its message: The Lord likened the kingdom of heaven to a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
In Matthew 25:14-30: "And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one¡¨. When the master asked for an accounting of the talents, he was pleased with the one who had five talents and gained five more. He was also pleased with the servant who had two talents and gained two more. But he was not at all pleased with the servant who was given one talent and buried it in the earth. He took the talent from this servant and gave it to another.¨
I believe our talents are developed as we are called upon to serve. If we will faithfully accept the call, hidden talents will be discovered, such as love; compassion; being a good friend; teacher, leader; homemaker; writer; etc.. All of these are special talents.
If you walk in the light of the Lord, you will surely discover your individual strengths and develop them. You will find great joy & personal happiness as you share all that the Lord has given you.
Third, in the last of the three parables, the Savior extends an invitation to walk in the light of the Lord by serving the individual. Matthew 25: 34-40 shares the parable of the sheep and the goats, and to the sheep on His right hand He says: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me¨.
When we walk in the light of the Lord, we do not walk alone. We also take the hand of our sisters and brothers. We teach our families and strengthen them. We also love and serve our ward families, reaching out to individual members we know that need our help, be it a spiritual or material need.
Last week I received an invitation to a friend’s wedding.Invitations are so special! I just love getting them in the mail, for it’s a call for celebrating, to gather for something special, .to gather with others at a most precious occasion.
By far though, invitations from the Lord are the most vital and special. They guide us back to our Heavenly Father and lead us in the way of truth and righteousness. They acknowledge our infinite worth as daughters of God.
They are so lovingly personalized. They come from our Heavenly Father, and He speaks to us in a language of invitations:
Come unto me
Follow me
Come ye
Walk with me
When we wholeheartedly accept the Lord’s invitation to walk in His light, we become spiritually prepared, we develop our talents, and we reach out to God’s family.As we walk in His light, we become women of courage and conviction. We become women of vision, women of destiny, and women of eternal value.
Kick up your heels! We galz are part of a worldwide circle of sisters. An unbroken circle filled with love, safety and protection.
Today, I’d like to extend an invitation to each of you, as found in Isaiah 2:5: Come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.¨
The words found in the hymn ”The Lord is My Light¨ further conveys my message to you today:
The Lord is my light; the Lord is my strength.
I know in his might I’ll conquer at length.
My weakness in mercy he covers with pow’r,
And, walking by faith, I am blest ev’ry hour.
Take time to walk in faith. Let’s put our hands in His Hand and walk with Him; He is the only one that can keep us from falling.
Let’s renew our commitments to spend time in scripture study and prayer. And let’s try to keep our thoughts directed always heavenward. Always move one step forward, and not one step back.
We’ll never know what’s ahead of us, but we will know without a doubt that there is safety is in walking with Christ, our hand in His, our hearts filled with perfect trust. Has He not said, "Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me"? Let us keep close to the Savior. Let us walk humbly with Him, filled with His meekness.I have a testimony that the Lord not only wants us to walk with him, but he often carries us in times of need. He is there even when we are not on the same paths, he stays by our side, whispering ever so softly to cross over and continue up the road with him.
May we always walk side by side towards the light of His redeeming love.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
_ _ _ _ _
This talk is taken from:
"Our Fading Civility" Ch. 4 of Standing for Something, Gordon B. Hinckley
“Faith in Every Footstep” M. Russell Ballard, Ensign, Nov. 1996, 23
And “Come, Let Us Walk in the Light of the Lord¨ Mary Ellen Smoot, Ensign, Nov. 1998, 89
Imagine that you are in desperate need of shoes. You are barefoot and your feet are calloused, blistered and sore. You find yourself inside my Relief Sole-Society Shoe Store.I will be here to help and serve you today and from the looks of what I see, I must dub you “Sister Blister.
¨Sister Blister, it appears that your sole is hurting and in need of some support. It also appears that you have become calloused and refuse to believe that there is any hope for you in finding relief for your sole in this store. But, that's where you are wrong! You’ve taken a step in the right direction coming here. After all, this is the Relief Sole-ciety Shoe Store and we specialize in taking care of “de-FEET.¨ (point to the foot). But before I fit you, please realize that not just any pair of shoes will do. You have unique calluses, so I need to be selective in my decision as to which shoes will fit your best.
Let me introduce you to some of our most popular pairs:
LOAFERS
A lot of women purchase these, but upon closer inspection, they are just a pair of loafers. They want to be civil and friendly, but they just refuse to get instep with the other shoes. They hesitate to visit the other shelves and talk to the other soles. They feel they are often too busy to go out visiting and don’t have the time or energy to worry about the other soles, when in reality, they don’t do much of anything.
FLIP-FLOPS
Here’s another pair, but they may not be much support to your feet. Sometimes they say hi and sometimes they don’t. They flip-flop from week to week -. Should they go to church? I don’t know…. Should they magnify their calling? I don’t know….With these flip-flops, I don’t think you’d be able to jump into anything with both feet and get a task accomplished.
SNEAKERS
Now these here are the latest in technology. They are sharp-looking and fast, but honestly, they are just a couple of sneakers. You have to keep your eye on them because they sneak in and out of the Relief Sole-ciety Store so quickly that you might miss them. They know this is the right place to be and that your sole needs support, but it’ll be hard to catch them.
CONVERSE
Now these are a nice pair too, but I am not sure if you can trust them. If you look in the inside, you’d see that they have their share of calluses too. Oh, they're faithful in coming to church every week, but their tongues are strung-out, and they have a hard time tying them up. They converse, converse, and converse with each other, but not to the other soles on the different shelves. Between you and me, I think they are here only to socialize.
Ahhh, now these here! These HIGH HEELS!
Hmmm, these appear to look very uplifting. And I bet they’d help you set some high, lofty goals for yourself.Why yes, I bet they’d even raise your self esteem and boost your tired sole. And in a pinch, they’d be able to do double duty as pest control - killing a spider, mosquito, or annoying fly.
So now that we’ve decided on the highest, most uplifting heels we could find, let me move further into my talk, which is really about WALKING IN THE LIGHT OF THE LORD.
But before I begin, take a look at the shoeboxes I brought today and think to yourself: What kind of shoe have I been wearing lately? If it wasn’t in high heels, is my sole in need of some uplifting?
You and I will take many steps throughout this life and the next: As a toddler, we learn from our parents how to take those first, most important steps into the waiting and loving arms of those who hold us most dear. As an elementary student, we take the first steps towards a formal education, eventually leading onto a stage to receive our high school, then possibly our college and graduate school diplomas. When we are baptized, we take a giant step of faith. As adults, we may stand or kneel in front of an altar during marriage. We also take steps to shop, clean our homes, and if time permits, stroll through gardens and exercise.
And at the end of our road, we hope to successfully pass the sentinels that guard the grand mansions above to be reunited w. our Heavenly Father. For to spend time and eternity with Him would truly be to walk in the light of the Lord.
Do you think we learn to walk with God in the same way that we learned to walk as babies? The way our children learned to walk? By trial and error, standing across the room from our Father and taking wobbly footsteps towards Him as he calls to us from the distance "Come to Daddy, " and falling down repeatedly as we try to get it right?
How many of you remember walking with your two year old? Maybe next to a busy street where the traffic makes it necessary to hold his hand? You try to point out to him the pretty gardens you are walking past; the beautiful flowers, the scampering squirrel, the pretty song bird; but he’s not interested. You see, he’s too busy trying to pry free from your hold. He can’t stand holding your hand. He’s a big boy now. He wants to walk free and on his own.
Instead of clinging to our Father’s hand, we too have this tendency to take off on our own wobbly two feet. There are so many things that take our attention from Him. Sometimes we don’t like the restrictions that holding His hand puts on our life.
Sometimes some of our Bible principles cramp our style. Sometimes we let the cares of this world pull us away from Him, and instead of holding tighter to His hand, we let go. And inevitably we fall down and hurt ourselves.
We sink into discouragement and we look to Him and we say "Father, what’s this all about? You know I love you and I don’t want to disappoint you, but how could You let this happen to me?" And He looks at us sadly and says "Child, you let go of My hand. You took off on your own. I am able to keep you from falling, but please keep your hand in Mine."
Our scriptures are full of promises of our Father’s willingness to hold us. Consider Jude 24-25: Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.
Now consider for a moment, what it really means to walk in the light of the Lord.
First of all, we’ll have light: light in our countenances, light in our outlook, light even when darkness surrounds us. And it also means we will walk with purpose and direction.
The Savior taught us the way when He delivered the parable of the 10 virgins, the parable of the talents, and the parable of the sheep and the goats during the last week of His life. As we listen and obey to the Lord, we become sisters of light and truth.
First, the parable of the 10 virgins teaches us to walk in His light by being spiritually prepared.The Savior likened the kingdom of heaven unto 10 virgins who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. In Matthew 25:1-10, five of the virgins took oil for their lamps and when the bridegroom came, they were prepared to receive him. While the foolish five were scurrying to find some more oil, the bridegroom came, and only they that were ready went in with him.
Are we ready? Are we individually and collectively in the process of preparing ourselves for the generous gifts that the Lord has promised to all who remain faithful? Are we prepared to receive His light?
President Kimball has given some direction on how to fill our lamps with oil: Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, visiting teaching, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures: each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store. Deeds of kindness, tithing, chaste thoughts and actions, and marriage in the covenant for eternity. These, too, contribute to the oil with which we can by midnight be ready.
One of the gifts God has promised to all who earnestly seek Him is faith.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained: Faith is a gift of God bestowed as a reward for personal righteousness. It is always given when righteousness is present, and the greater the measure of obedience to God’s laws, the greater will be the endowment of faith.
Faith and all spiritual gifts are available to everyone who is willing to live for them. Many times we think just being a member of this Church entitles us to all the Lord has promised. But each blessing requires obedience.
In D&C 130:21, The Lord declared, “When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated¨. We gain strength and lift ourselves up by living the commandments.
So if we desire to walk in the light of the Lord, we put one spiritual foot in front of the other. We must follow the path of spiritual preparedness as it is set forth in the scriptures and by our living prophet, and we fellowship with each other here in Relief Society to bring all of us and our families unto Christ.
The Lord would also have us walk in His light by developing our talents. Another parable the Savior shared during the last week of His life was the parable of the talents.
You all know the story and its message: The Lord likened the kingdom of heaven to a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
In Matthew 25:14-30: "And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one¡¨. When the master asked for an accounting of the talents, he was pleased with the one who had five talents and gained five more. He was also pleased with the servant who had two talents and gained two more. But he was not at all pleased with the servant who was given one talent and buried it in the earth. He took the talent from this servant and gave it to another.¨
I believe our talents are developed as we are called upon to serve. If we will faithfully accept the call, hidden talents will be discovered, such as love; compassion; being a good friend; teacher, leader; homemaker; writer; etc.. All of these are special talents.
If you walk in the light of the Lord, you will surely discover your individual strengths and develop them. You will find great joy & personal happiness as you share all that the Lord has given you.
Third, in the last of the three parables, the Savior extends an invitation to walk in the light of the Lord by serving the individual. Matthew 25: 34-40 shares the parable of the sheep and the goats, and to the sheep on His right hand He says: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me¨.
When we walk in the light of the Lord, we do not walk alone. We also take the hand of our sisters and brothers. We teach our families and strengthen them. We also love and serve our ward families, reaching out to individual members we know that need our help, be it a spiritual or material need.
Last week I received an invitation to a friend’s wedding.Invitations are so special! I just love getting them in the mail, for it’s a call for celebrating, to gather for something special, .to gather with others at a most precious occasion.
By far though, invitations from the Lord are the most vital and special. They guide us back to our Heavenly Father and lead us in the way of truth and righteousness. They acknowledge our infinite worth as daughters of God.
They are so lovingly personalized. They come from our Heavenly Father, and He speaks to us in a language of invitations:
Come unto me
Follow me
Come ye
Walk with me
When we wholeheartedly accept the Lord’s invitation to walk in His light, we become spiritually prepared, we develop our talents, and we reach out to God’s family.As we walk in His light, we become women of courage and conviction. We become women of vision, women of destiny, and women of eternal value.
Kick up your heels! We galz are part of a worldwide circle of sisters. An unbroken circle filled with love, safety and protection.
Today, I’d like to extend an invitation to each of you, as found in Isaiah 2:5: Come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.¨
The words found in the hymn ”The Lord is My Light¨ further conveys my message to you today:
The Lord is my light; the Lord is my strength.
I know in his might I’ll conquer at length.
My weakness in mercy he covers with pow’r,
And, walking by faith, I am blest ev’ry hour.
Take time to walk in faith. Let’s put our hands in His Hand and walk with Him; He is the only one that can keep us from falling.
Let’s renew our commitments to spend time in scripture study and prayer. And let’s try to keep our thoughts directed always heavenward. Always move one step forward, and not one step back.
We’ll never know what’s ahead of us, but we will know without a doubt that there is safety is in walking with Christ, our hand in His, our hearts filled with perfect trust. Has He not said, "Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me"? Let us keep close to the Savior. Let us walk humbly with Him, filled with His meekness.I have a testimony that the Lord not only wants us to walk with him, but he often carries us in times of need. He is there even when we are not on the same paths, he stays by our side, whispering ever so softly to cross over and continue up the road with him.
May we always walk side by side towards the light of His redeeming love.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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