The Church is True

i was so touched by a few messages in church today. i thought, especially if you're reading this, you might be too. read this talk from president uchtdorf. (the full talk is here, and you can watch the video of it by clicking the "watch" link to the right. i highly recommend watching it!)

"When Harriet prepares a meal, it’s a masterpiece. Her cuisine is as wide-ranging as the world, and she frequently prepares dishes from countries we have visited. The presentation of the food is awe inspiring. In fact, it often looks so beautiful that it seems a crime to eat it. It’s as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the sense of taste.

But sure enough, no matter how perfect everything is, looks, and tastes, Harriet will apologize for something she thinks is imperfect. “I’m afraid I used a touch too much ginger,” she will say, or, “Next time, I think it would be better if I used a little more curry and one additional bay leaf.”

To me it appears that our splendid sisters sometimes undervalue their abilities—they focus on what is lacking or imperfect rather than what has been accomplished and who they really are.

Perhaps you recognize this trait in someone you know really well.

The good news is that this also points to an admirable quality: the innate desire to please the Lord to the best of your ability. Unfortunately, it can also lead to frustration, exhaustion, and unhappiness.

(and the best part:)

The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside."


i found that observation of president uchtdorf's about undervaluing your abilities to ring so true to me, but i had never recognized that it's something important to not humor. it was eye-opening. 

and another talk, from neal a. maxwell: (find it here)

"Someone once said to a hesitant, prospective woodcarver who didn’t know quite how to begin, 

“Start making some chips!”

Our first feeble attempts at creativity are often no more than that. But they are a beginning. Beauty and truth are all about us, beckoning us to respond. But perspiration usually precedes inspiration, and pondering, reverentially, almost always occurs before we make any breakthrough. Creative work is sweet, but it is work!

While true creativity is something that can be shared by those who appreciate the works of creation, true creativity does not depend entirely upon “consumers” for its satisfaction. It is a highly personal experience in which we are grateful to the Lord for helping us to see beauty and truth and the order of things, for restructuring our understanding of things, if necessary, to accord with things “as they really are" (Jacob 4:13).

Creative experience is intrinsically satisfying. Then whatever appreciation comes from others for one’s efforts is an added blessing.

The greater our sensitivity to the Spirit, the greater our response to beauty, grace, and truth in all their forms as these exist about us.

I pray that each of us may truly see the wonder of all that our Father and His Son have created for us. And one of the best ways for you, or anyone, to begin that process, is by being creative yourself. If you don’t know quite where to begin, start making some chips. In your righteous desires, the Spirit will guide you."