President Henry B. Eyring on the blessing of a change in nature

President Henry B. Eyring (born May 31, 1933) served in the Presiding Bishopric from 1985-1992, as a Seventy from 1992-1995, then was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. He has served in the First Presidency since 2007.

"The way to come unto Him is to feast upon His words, to exercise faith unto repentance, to choose to be baptized and confirmed by His authorized servant, and then to keep your covenants with God. He sends the Holy Ghost to be your companion, comforter, and guide.

"As you live worthy of the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Lord can direct you to safety even when you cannot see the way. For me, He has most often shown the next step or two to take. Rarely has He given me a glimpse of the distant future, but even those infrequent glimpses guide what I choose to do in daily life.

"The Lord explained:

'Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow … much tribulation.

'For after much tribulation come the blessings.' (D&C 58:3–4)

"The greatest blessing that will come when we prove ourselves faithful to our covenants during our trials will be a change in our natures. By our choosing to keep our covenants, the power of Jesus Christ and the blessings of His Atonement can work in us. Our hearts can be softened to love, to forgive, and to invite others to come unto the Savior. Our confidence in the Lord increases. Our fears decrease."

- Henry B. Eyring, "Tested, Proved, and Polished," General Conference October 2020, Sunday afternoon

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This life is replete with challenges. President Eyring's saintly mother taught him from his youth that life is supposed to be hard, in order to provide the opportunities for growth and learning that we all need. But God has promised help as we turn to Him. President Eyring's inspiring words give hope and encouragement to all of us as we face the difficulties of our lives.

This insight was especially meaningful to me. Blessings will come through our faithful obedience, and  the most important of those will be the change in our nature. Our faith allows the power of the Lord's Atonement to work in our lives, bringing about that change. It is by and through Him that our hearts are softened, and that we have power to forgive those who hurt us. Fears disappear through faith and healing. What a precious give.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2020)