Guys, in THREE weeks time, we will be able to tune in to General Conference again. Those of us who have participated in GCBC will have read ALL of the talks delivered from the pulpit during the four main sessions of April’s General Conference. It’s awesome. Living prophets are amazing. God’s word is so great. Thanks so much for your participation in this ride. You guys keep me on track.
Next up is:
“The Atonement Covers All Pain”
by Elder Kent F. Richards
of the Quorum of the Seventy
This quote about the Savior made me think deeply about what his saving role means, and how it’s really not as “done” as I’ve often thought of it.
“Perhaps His most significant work is in the ongoing labor with each of us individually to lift, to bless, to strengthen, to sustain, to guide, and to forgive us.”
What stood out to you as you studied this talk? Share your thoughts in the comments below. If you’re new to General Conference Book Club, check us out here.
Diapers and Divinity 
Thank you for always posting this regularly. It is always a treat to revisit talks from conference. I often don’t post because personal things are so hard for me to share. But what a beautiful talk this is. And how excited I am for conference again in 3 weeks! I finally ordered my temple prints from my house and this week I will get them framed and hung. (That was what I felt like I needed to do after last conference – better late than never.)
There are many beautiful quotes in here. I think my favorite right now is this one: Elder Orson F. Whitney wrote: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. … It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.” And I completely agree.
This was one of my favorites, for sure. I appreciated his second witness to many quotes that have become anchors for me in dealing with my chronic health issues.
(Three weeks? Can’t believe it!)
It’s hard to believe that a new general conference is right around the corner; there’s still so much I need to learn from the last one! This was a great talk to read again, and I also like the Orson Whitney quote. However, it’s the following phrase that I need to ponder: “I came to understand that during His mortal life Christ chose to experience pains and afflictions in order to understand us. Perhaps we also need to experience the depths of mortality in order to understand Him and our eternal purposes.” Once again, thanks for doing these posts!
“there’s still so much I need to learn from the last one!”
And I really thought that phrase about passing through mortality to understand the Savior and our eternal purposes was really interested, too. What a different way to look at trials!
I meant to also say that I agree with you on there still being so much I need to learn from April conference. Must have erased it without realizing! 🙂
President Henry B. Eyring taught: “It will comfort us when we must wait in distress for the Savior’s promised relief that He knows, from experience, how to heal and help us. … And faith in that power will give us patience as we pray and work and wait for help. He could have known how to succor us simply by revelation, but He chose to learn by His own personal experience.”
This quote is so humbling. Would any of us willing submit to going through pain and suffering just so we could be more compassionate and helpful to someone else? This is what the Savior did for us. In turn, I suppose if we want to be more like Him, we need to allow the pain and difficulty we experience to be used to bless others. This talk makes me stand in awe of the Atonement all over again.
This talk left me in awe of the atonement all over again, too! I have such a testimony of the atonement – it is so broad and covers all pain. Having dealt with pain caused by the actions of others, I can testify that the atonement can help us forgive, and that it can help heal our broken hearts when we have been wronged.
My favorite part was the scripture Elder Richards quoted from Hebrews that said “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Wow! Let us come BOLDLY to the Savior! The reason we can have this boldness as we approach the Savior is because we should know that “The Savior is not a silent observer. He Himself knows personally and infinitely the pain we face.” When we know this truth, we can come boldly to Him for healing!
What a powerful testimony from Elder Richards.
Here are the rest of my comments.
This talk is so amazing. While I was reading it the spirit was so strong in my heart. I’m so grateful for the Atonement and so humbled by Christ’s willingness to suffer for us. For ALL of us. I have felt encircled in the arms of his love when struggling just as Elder Richards described.