My favourite conference talk

For the month of January I was asked to contribute a bit about one of my favourite conference talks to our was Relief Society newsletter. I took the time yesterday morning to sit and think about it and write it, and I'm grateful for the chance I got to do it. I don't know that I necessarily have a very favourite talk, but this one I think is the most vivid in my mind, and easiest for me to remember.

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One of my favourite conference talks - or at least one that always seems to come to mind - is The Way by Elder Lawrence E Corbridge, from the October 2008 session of conference. He says quite simply, and in many different ways, “there is only one way to happiness and fulfillment. Jesus Christ is that way.”
Jesus Christ plays so many roles in our lives. He is our perfect example of how to live our lives here on Earth, that we may be able to return to our Heavenly Father some day, Striving to live as He did and to develop Christlike attributes, helps us to overcome trials and struggles we are faced with in this life, and shapes us to become our best selves. 
He is our redeemer. When we make mistakes or we have challenges or we feel lonely, we know that He knows who we are and what we need. Elder Corbridge says, “ He is the Savior of the world. Either we accept the blessings of His Atonement and are made clean and pure, or we don’t and foolishly remain alone and filthy still.” All that is good and sustaining and holy comes from God. He is the source of these things, and in order to benefit from them and to be worthy of them, we must follow Jesus Christ.
My favourite part of the talk is in his conclusion. He says “The Lord’s way is not hard. Life is hard, not the gospel.” The Gospel is what helps us to overcome life when it is hard. That is sometimes a hard thing to remember. Life gets in the way of the gospel, not the other way around. The gospel is how we should be striving to live in all that we do, and when life creeps in and makes it hard to do, we have Jesus Christ and His example and forgiveness to turn to and lean on.
Elder Corbridge says, “Life is hard, but life is simple. Get on the path and never, ever give up. You never give up. You just keep on going. You don’t quit, and you will make it.” I love to hear the prophets speak so boldly and  with such conviction. When my testimony waivers in certain concepts or principles of the Gospel, I love to listen to these brothers speak - I know they know, and that helps me to remember and strengthen my own conviction as well. I am so grateful for living prophets and for the strength and direction they provide me in my life.