Here’s a formula for having a mighty change of heart and turning to Christ—even when we feel that we have nothing left to offer him.
When we come unto Christ, returning as did the prodigal son, we often come back with broken hearts. We are desperate; we plead for Christ to help us return to him. But we often feel empty handed. How can we come back to Christ, the Savior of the world, when we have nothing more to give?
We can give him a mighty change of heart.
PHOTO BY MABELAMBER
In his general conference talk entitled “A Mighty Change of Heart: ‘I Have Nothing More to Give You,’ ” Elder Eduardo Gavarret lists the ways that we can obtain that mighty change of heart:
- Study the scriptures to obtain knowledge that will strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, leading to a desire to change.
- Cultivate that desire to change through prayer and fasting.
- Act according to the word that we studied or received and make a covenant with God to surrender our hearts to him.
As we follow these steps, Elder Gavarret states that we will receive “a feeling of freedom, trust, and peace” from this mighty change of heart. What Christ asks from us, this change of heart, is not tangible. We cannot offer it in the way the wisemen offered frankincense, gold, and myrrh to the baby Jesus. But it is what he has asked of us. Even if we have nothing of monetary value, or we are struggling with broken hearts and spirits, the steps that Elder Gavarret laid out are ones that we can all follow.
As we do so, we will find that perhaps we have something left to give, after all.
Read more about the steps Elder Eduardo Gavarret describes for obtaining, recognizing, and maintaining a mighty change of heart in his talk “A Mighty Change of Heart: ‘I Have Nothing More to Give You.’ ”
—Heidi Knapp, Latter-Day Saint Insights
Source: General Conference
FEATURE IMAGE BY JESSICAJOH
Find more insights
Read more about the beauty that can come from a broken heart in Elder Gerald N. Lund’s talk “Opening Our Hearts.”
Check out President Dallin H. Oaks’s talk “Cleansed by Repentance” to learn more about the process leading to a mighty change of heart.