Upon viewing the 179th Annual General Conference, I found that the talk given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve left the biggest impression on me as a young adult in today's world. Sacrifice, the topic of his talk, is a familiar theme, but the single thing that made it unique was the different perspective he brought up. With every generation, the definitions of things change. For example, before the arrival of Jesus Christ on this earth, the Law of Moses stated that sacrifices should be made physically as opposed to sacrifices made with a broken heart and contrite spirit. In the world today, to sacrifice something, such as instant gratification, is unfortunately almost unheard of.
The message Elder Oaks portrayed was very clear, that as Latter-day Saints, we have unique, Christ-like sacrifices that can only be fulfilled with commitment. We as members are counseled to give up our time for things like community service. We are even advised to sacrifice our time to raise our families and "deny ourselves of selfish interests in order to serve others."
Elder Oaks stated that we should make decisions with the eternal perspective in mind. This undoubtedly makes it easier to give up the worldly goals and desires in our lives. As I am growing older, I am beginning to realize the important things in my life, the things that will be eternal. My relationships with my family members and friends, and the knowledge I obtain from others' testimonies are things of great importance. This perspective, and Heavenly Father's promise to us of eternal life, the greatest of all of His gifts, can only be ours by sacrificing worldly priorities. Personally, this talk has helped me see through the eyes of a general authority and understand the teachings of Christ with a new perspective.
Ashley Moser is a 17-year-old senior at Punahou School in Honolulu who is Miss Hawaii Teen USA 2009.