5 Quotes Plus Discussion-Promoting Questions

See also Teaching Helps

This exceptional lesson is about the power of Christ in our lives despite the setbacks we may experience with family members (and friends).

This lesson is set up differently than the other lessons; it says there are “four” quotes below, but there are really six. Because of how the quotes and questions are grouped, select more questions per quote than you usually do.

You can find her full talk here. Unless you opt to spend a lot of time on a particular quote, try to pick around 2-4 questions per quote. Choose the questions that resonate the most with you and make a meaningful discussion for your group of personalities. These highlights and questions fit with Lesson Template 1 or Template 2. You can also check out several other General Conference Talks with 5 Highlights.

All blue quotes by Amy A. Wright (unless otherwise noted).

Lesson Prep

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• Please don’t worry if you only get through a couple of quotes. Spiritual discussion is golden; it resonates and teaches more than a lecture covering all points will.
• If the discussion gets too secular, pull it back to the quotes and a spiritual tone…naturally and with tact.
• Encourage discussion by accepting all reasonable answers. Validate people for participating and be thankful they spoke up. Engage with the answer in a conversational way whenever it feels natural. Never say, “We haven’t got to that part of the lesson yet.”
• Roll with it. Let the Spirit guide the lesson’s direction.

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Printable Files

• Teacher Master Copy (quotes and questions)
• 5 Quotes (just quotes)

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Quote #1 (abide)

Possible engagement idea: Sister Wright uses the term “abide the day,” meaning “endure the troubled last days.” Invite your group to listen for some pieces of advice on how we can “abide the day.”

Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to “abide the day.” Abiding the day does not mean adding to an ever-increasing to-do list. Think of a magnifying glass. Its sole purpose is not simply to make things appear bigger. It can also gather and focus light to make it more powerful. We need to simplify, focus our efforts, and be gatherers of the Light of Jesus Christ. We need more holy and revelatory experiences.

Pieces of advice:

• simplify
• focus our efforts
• gather Jesus’s light
• have more holy and revelatory experiences

Possible discussion questions: Which pieces of advice stood out for you from this quote? Do we live in a complex world? How can we simplify? In what ways can we gather the Light of Jesus Christ? Why do we need to have more revelation and holy experiences? How can we have more?

Quote #2 (3 parts)

Introduction: Explain that Sister Wright just finished up with a description of a high-functioning Latter-day Saint family and then says…

(This quote is meant to be read all together. Three people, one for each part, should work nicely. I would consider having people stand together up front and read these. Assign the quotes ahead of class so the readers are familiar with them.)

Part A – Now, you may be thinking, “But Sister Wright, you do not know my family. We are really struggling and do not look anything like this.” You are correct. I do not know your family. But a God with infinite love, mercy, power, knowledge, and glory does.

The questions you may be asking are questions of the heart that ache in the depths of your soul. Similar questions are found in the holy scriptures:

• “Master, carest thou not that [my family] perish?”
• “Where is now my hope?”
• “What shall [I] do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing [me]?”
• “Where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?”
• “How is it possible that [I] can lay hold upon every good thing?”
• “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

Part B And then ever so sweetly come the answers:

• “Believest thou in the power of Christ unto salvation?”
• “Hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness?”
• “Believe ye that [He is] able to do this?”

“Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, … and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.

“And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border.”

Part C – Jesus Christ is the “hope in thine end.” Nothing we have or have not done is beyond the reach of His infinite and eternal sacrifice. He is the reason why it is never the end of our story. Therefore we “must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if [we] shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: [We] shall have eternal life.”

Possible discussion questions: What does Sister Wright mean by “Nothing we have or have not done is beyond the reach of His infinite and eternal sacrifice?” How would you explain Sister Wright’s quote to a friend who is grieving over her wayward children? Do we sometimes think the choices and paths our family members and friends take in this life are final and the end? Why is it important to maintain hope, love, and optimism in our families and with our friends?

Quote #3 (reminded)

My dear friends, we cannot share our oil, but we can share His light. Oil in our lamps will not only help us “abide the day” but can also be the means of illuminating the path that leads those we love to the Savior, who stands ready “with open arms to receive” them.

Possible discussion questions: What does “share His light” mean to you? Does light include love, warmth, and kindness?

Quote #4 (now)

Possible engagement tool: Invite your class to listen for the promises made to us because of Christ’s power.

Eternal life is eternal joy. Joy in this life, right now—not despite the challenges of our day but because of the Lord’s help to learn from and ultimately overcome them—and immeasurable joy in the life to come. Tears will dry up, broken hearts will be mended, what is lost shall be found, concerns shall be resolved, families will be restored, and all that the Father hath will be ours.

Christ’s promises about our heartaches:

• we will learn from them
• we will overcome them
• we will have immeasurable joy in the next life
• tears will dry up
• broken hearts will mend
• the lost shall be found
• concerns shall be resolved
• families will be restored
• all the Father hath will be ours.

Possible discussion questions: Which promises especially stood out for you? Are we meant to have great joy in this life, right now? Sister Wright is suggesting that our disappointments can become opportunities. How? Can Christ heal and save even challenging family members?

How does Sister Wright’s quote echo this famous quote?

Only GOD can turn a mess into a Message,
a test into a Testimony,
a trial into a Triumph,
and a victim into a Victory.
(author unknown)

Summary

Summarize class discussion highlights and/or share your testimony and feelings about Sister Wright’s talk. Thank your class for their excellent contributions and insights.

Final Comment

This talk greatly impacted both my husband and me. We both cried. I’m so glad you are preparing this lesson. Please feel good about what you feel drawn to teach. You were called and chosen to deliver this lesson for a reason! Your experiences and insights matter. If you would like some tips on how to feel more confident while teaching – try “9 Tips for More Class Participation.” Please put the quotes in any order that makes sense to you.

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PDFs for Download – click the blue link to view online.

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