Titles: Confidence When All Else Fails, Good Enough for the Lord, Confidently Getting

Confidence
Kicker: It was the last area of my mission, and I just didnt feel good enough after a few
setbacks. Would the Lord accept my efforts?
Self-analysis is scary. Looking within yourself for the bad and the ugly is daunting
because you realize where you need to changeand change is hard. So when in October 2014 I
heard Elder Jrg Klebingats talk Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence, I was
terrified. But I was also inspired.
The October 2014 General Conference found me two months away from completing my
LDS mission and I was emotional to say the least. I had been in my favorite area for three
transfers, two of which were spent with my favorite companion. We had almost more
progressing investigators than we could handle, and we were genuinely struggling to contact
them all daily.
We had more than ten investigators who had committed to meeting us at the church to
watch the Saturday morning session of conference. We got to the church building early and put
frozen cinnamon rolls into the oven. As the rolls heated up, their sweet smell wafted through the
building and into the empty chapel where we watched conference without any investigators.
They never came.
Unfortunately, our plans to watch the afternoon session didnt pan out any better. We had
planned to watch with a recent convert in her apartment, but were running late and didnt arrive
until ten minutes after the session started. Then the Internet connection wasnt good, which
delayed the viewing even further. Despite the setbacks and the previous disappointment, my
companion and I tried to settle in and feel the Spirit. But it was frustratingly hard to do so.

I didnt understand why nobody had come, and my angry and confused mood was
impeding the presence of the Spirit. I wondered if this was a reflection on myself as a
missionary. Had I learned nothing in the past sixteen months? Was the Lord upset with me?
The first talk I actually remember from that afternoon session was Elder Klebingats. His
talk addressed the ideas and concepts I was having a hard time understanding, especially as I was
in the final months of my mission. Among other topics, he spoke about obedience, repentance,
forgiveness, and acceptance of personal trials. His words soothed me that I was good enough and
that the Lord accepted meif I worked hard. His talk didnt leave room for any excuses.
When these trials come, the adversarys minions begin broadcasting that you did
something wrong, that this is a punishment, a sign that Heavenly Father does not love you,
Klebingat says. Ignore that! Instead, try to force a smile, gaze heavenward, and say, I
understand, Lord. I know what this is. A time to prove myself, isnt it? Then partner with Him to
endure well to the end.
The disappointment and chaos and stress of the day didnt go away as I listened to him
speak, but they all went into perspective. All of those things are part of the mortal experience,
and if I do my best and accept when Im not good enough, then I allow myself to become good
enough to confidently approach the throne of God.
Kjersten Johnson, Eagle River, AK
Read or watch the entire talk here: https://www.lds.org/generalconference/2014/10/approaching-the-throne-of-god-with-confidence?lang=eng.
Source: https://www.lds.org/?lang=eng
Find more insights here: https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/cecil-o-samuelson_temper-trials-trust-2/,
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1984/06/our-acceptance-of-christ?lang=eng

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Tags: Kjersten Johnson, Klebingat, Jrg Klebingat, General Conference, Approaching the Throne
of God with Confidence, confidence, acceptance, missionary
SEO Keywords: Klebingat, Jrg Klebingat, Mormon, General Conference, missionary, LDS
Find more insights here: https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/cecil-o-samuelson_temper-trials-trust-2/,
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1984/06/our-acceptance-of-christ?lang=eng