2024 April General Conference, Saturday Afternoon Session
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Main Points
- May we all seek and find the higher joy that comes from devoting our lives to our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son.
- Profound joy and confidence comes from following the Savior and walking in His way.
- You were made for this – you were made to experience joy.
- To find greater joy in your life, draw near to Christ, look for joy and bear one another’s burdens.
Gospel Principles taught
Jesus Christ, Agency, Faith in Christ, Charity
Gospel Doctrine taught
Jesus Christ, The Plan of Salvation
Scriptures
2 Nephi 2:11, John 11:35, Moses 7:28–37, John 14:27, John 10:10, Luke 2:10, Matthew 11:28–30, 2 Nephi 2:25, Luke 15:11–32, Luke 15:11–32, 59:18,20; 88:63, James 4:8, Mark 5:24–34, Mark 5:28, Matthew 7:7, Galatians 6:2; Mosiah 18:8, Acts 20:35, 1 Kings 17:8–16, Mosiah 2:17, Romans 2:6–7, 10; Luke 6:38, Matthew 25:31–46, Luke 3:10, Philippians 4:7
Other Sources
- John Gillespie Magee Jr., “High Flight,” poetryfoundation.org.
- Christopher Klein, “10 Things You May Not Know about the Wright Brothers”
- Americans are the unhappiest they’ve been in 50 years
- “The Great Gloom: In 2023, Employees Are Unhappier Than Ever. Why?”
- “Clean and unclean.”
Footnote Commentary
- Twenty-four hundred years ago, Aristotle observed that happiness is the one thing all humans desire most. In his treatise Nicomachean Ethics, he taught that the greatest good in life is the thing we pursue as an end itself (as opposed to those things we pursue that are a means to some other end). Happiness, above all else, is just such a thing. “We always desire happiness for its own sake,” he said, “and never as a means to something else” (The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle, trans. J. E. C. Weldon [1902], 13–14).
- If you have any concerns about whether or not your Father in Heaven will accept you and allow you to receive His joy, I invite you to prayerfully read Christ’s parable of the prodigal son (see Luke 15:11–32). In that parable, we learn how our Heavenly Father feels about His children and how He awaits and celebrates our return after we have strayed from Him! From the moment we “come to ourselves” (see verse 17) and begin the journey home, He will see us, for He stands watching and waiting. And what is He waiting for? For us! As we draw near to Him, He will celebrate our return and call us His child.
- By bearing each other’s burdens, we “fulfil the law of Christ”
- In his Epistle to the Romans, Paul states that God “will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: … glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good”
Look for Jesus Christ:
- Testimony of Christ.
- I have learned that if we draw near to God and reach out to touch Him, we can indeed find healing, peace, and joy.
- Words of Christ.
- “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
- “Seek, and ye shall find.”
- “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Inspiring Words & Phrases
- “Higher, Orville, higher!”
- My purpose today is not to diminish or trivialize mental health issues. If you face such challenges, I mourn with you, and I stand beside you. For some people, finding joy may include seeking help from trained mental health professionals who devote their lives to practicing their very important art. We should be thankful for such help.
- Life is not an endless sequence of emotional highs.
- Feeling sad is not a sign of failure.
- The peace He gives us is not like what the world gives. It’s better. It’s higher and holier.
- Joy is the very purpose of God’s plan for His children. It’s what you were created for—“that [you] might have joy”! You were built for this!
- Our Father in Heaven has not hidden the path to happiness. It is not a secret. It is available to all!
- Our beloved Father in Heaven wants all His children to have as much happiness as possible, so He has filled this world with beautiful, wholesome pleasures and delights…By inviting everyone and sharing the Savior’s good news of great joy, we do not discount any of these sources of joy. We’re simply saying that God has something more to give.
- Worldly happiness, by contrast, does not last. It cannot. It is the nature of all earthly things to grow old, decay, wear out, or become stale. But godly joy is eternal, because God is eternal. Jesus Christ came to lift us out of the temporal and replace corruption with incorruption. Only He has that power, and only His joy is perpetual.
- Finally, she was within reach. She extended her hand. And she was healed. Aren’t we all somewhat like this woman?
- We rarely find something we are not looking for.
- Are you looking for joy?
- True joy multiplies when it is shared.
Lists
The gospel of Jesus Christ is:
- the “good news of great joy”
- a message of matchless hope
- a message of yoke-bearing
- A message of burden-lifting
- A message of light-gathering
- A message of heavenly favor
- A message of higher understanding
- A message of holier covenants
- A message of eternal security
- A message of everlasting glory
Joy is promised to those who:
- walk the path of discipleship
- follow the teachings of the Savior
- follow the example of the Savior
- keep the commandments
- honor covenants they make with God
Godly joy:
- Higher
- More profound
- Transcendent
- endures heartbreak
- penetrates sorrow
- diminishes loneliness.
Worldly happiness:
- Does not last
- Is an earthly thing and therefore subject to corruption
- Grows old
- Wears out
- Becomes stale
Beginning steps to get more godly joy in your life:
- Draw near to God
- Look for it
- Bear one another’s burdens
Reasons we hesitate to draw near the Savior:
- We may face ridicule or condemnation by others.
- Pride.
- We may dismiss the possibility of something so simple being of so much value.
- We may think that our condition somehow disqualifies us from His healing
- We may think that the distance is too great
- We may think that our sins are too many.
Bring joy to others by:
- Doing simple things for them.
- Praying for someone with all your heart.
- Giving a sincere compliment.
- Help someone feel welcome.
- Help someone feel respected
- Help someone feel valued
- Help someone feel loved
- Share a favorite scripture and what it means to you.
- Just listen.
Invitations/Challenges
- If you feel there could be more of this kind of joy in your life, I invite you to embark on the journey of following Jesus Christ and His Way. It is a journey of a lifetime—and beyond.
- During the coming days, weeks, and months, may I invite you to spend time in a sincere, full-hearted effort to draw near to God.
- During the coming days, weeks, and months, may I invite you to seek diligently for everyday moments of hope, peace, and joy.
- During the coming days, weeks, and months, may I invite you to bring joy to others around you.
Equations
- The peace Christ gives us ≩ what the world gives
- IF you seek THEN you will find
- IF you don’t seek THEN you don’t find
Warnings
- If we seek reasons to be angry, to doubt, to be bitter or alone, we will find them too.
Blessings/Promises
- if we seek joy—if we look for reasons to rejoice and to happily follow the Savior, we will find [joy].
- Are you looking for joy? Seek, and ye shall find.
- “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God,” and God will repay your kindness generously.
- The joy you give to others will return to you in “good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over.”
- My dear brothers and sisters, dear friends, as you search the word of God for a deeper understanding of God’s eternal plan, accept these invitations, and strive to walk in His Way, you will experience “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,” even in the midst of sorrows. You will feel a greater measure of God’s unsurpassable love swelling within your heart. The dawn of celestial light will penetrate the shadows of your trials, and you will begin to taste the unspeakable glories and wonders of the unseen, perfect, heavenly sphere. You will feel your spirit lifting away from the gravity of this world.
- May we all seek and find the higher joy that comes from devoting our lives to our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son. This is my earnest prayer and blessing in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Stories:
- The story of Wilbur and Orville Wright. Their father had been afraid of losing both his sons in a plane crash, so they had never flown together. Their father, Milton Wright, finally gave them permission to fly together 7 years after the first successful flight at Kitty Hawk.Then Orville convinced Milton to go on a flight with him. He was exhilarated and shouted, “higher, Orville, higher!”
- The story of the woman with the issue of blood, touching the hem of Jesus’ clothes to be healed. She had reasons to hold back and not go near him.
Application Ideas
- Think about the phrase, “Reach out to Christ.” The woman with the issue of blood was able to literally reach out to Christ for healing. In your prayers this week, ask Heavenly Father how you can reach out to Christ for healing and peace. Write down any promptings or impressions you have and make a plan to act on them.
- Choose seven of the “Bring joy to others” list, and do one each day for the next week. Write your experiences in your journal.
- Take Elder Uchtdorf’s counsel to “seek diligently for everyday moments of hope, peace, and joy.” Consider studying the scriptures referenced here, here and here for guidance.
