General Conference Reminded Me That I Can Be More
I started to understand that Heavenly Father wants the best for us as a natural result of His perfect love.
Photograph from Getty Images
Several months ago, I posted a quote on social media about how God sees our potential for what we can become, and He wants us to grow and change to become more like Him. He loves us perfectly, and because He loves us, He wants us to become the best versions of ourselves.
Later, a friend who no longer attends church messaged me privately, saying that she does not believe that a loving God would expect more of us than we are already giving. She told me that my perception of God was cruel and unforgiving and that I should let go of my ideas of what God asks of me.
I’ve thought about this message a lot in the past few months. I didn’t have a great response to my friend’s concerns; though I sought to understand where she was coming from, I did not agree with her view of Heavenly Father. I pondered this for a while, wondering how I could strengthen my understanding of and ability to explain God’s love for His children.
God Sees Our Potential
This thought was still on my mind as I watched the October 2021 general conference. One of the messages that stuck out to me most was from Brother Bradley R. Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency. He said, “God loves us as we are, but He also loves us too much to leave us this way.”1
I used to look at the commandments and everything Heavenly Father asks us to do as a checklist, and it became very challenging to keep up with all the demands on my time. I began going to the temple because I felt like I was “supposed to,” not because I really wanted to. I started to be critical of my efforts when I fell short. And I struggled to feel the Spirit and was often sad and stressed out.
But Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ aren’t harsh beings who angrily expect us to be perfect right this instant. They simply invite us to become like Them because They know that’s how we will have the most joy—and the messages I heard at general conference reminded me of that. God loves us perfectly. He sees our struggles and successes. He is aware of our strengths and weaknesses. But He also knows that we have so much potential. The Lord blesses us according to our righteousness, and we forgo certain blessings if we make bad choices—but His perfect love for us is constant and undying.2
“Worthiness Is Not Flawlessness”
When my twin brothers were young and first learning to walk, they had to start slowly. As they took their first steps, we were overjoyed to see their progress. Sometimes they would fall and stumble as they tried to walk, but that did not take away any of our love for them. Instead, we would encourage them to get back up because we loved them and because we knew what they could become.
From a parental perspective, I believe that Heavenly Father looks at us, His children, in the same way. He wants the best for us as a natural result of His perfect love. And as we strive for growth and change in our lives, we can take “baby steps,” just as my little brothers did.
Brother Wilcox encouraged us to focus on incremental growth because that is what Heavenly Father focuses on.3 While Heavenly Father does want us to become the best versions of ourselves, we don’t have to do so all in one day. Brother Wilcox also stated that “worthiness is not flawlessness. Worthiness is being honest and trying. We must be honest with God, priesthood leaders, and others who love us, and we must strive to keep God’s commandments and never give up just because we slip up.”4 Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do not expect us to be flawless in this life as we learn and grow—They only expect us to keep trying.
For now, my friend might see the commandments as restrictive, but I am grateful to have a different perspective. Heavenly Father has given us stepping-stones to follow in order to improve—not so that we can earn His love but so that we can learn to be more like Him. We may fall and stumble, but He will always be there, ready to strengthen and lift us with His perfect love.