Sunday 20 October 2013

Elder Holland

What a breath of fresh air it was to hear from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the Saturday Afternoon session of General Conference. I was attempting to watch the session live. As I am in the UK, this session ran from 9:00pm. As I dosed, my wife pointed out that Elder Holland was addressing mental health issues. Having, half heartedly, tried to focus I realised I would need to revisit this talk. As I drove to work later in the week, I listened again. My interest was piqued right away. Elder Holland, as forceful as ever, spoke about mental health issues in black and white terms. It was liberating to hear emotional issues compared to some of the more socially acceptable physiological problems that can afflict us. I felt that it was a call not to lie down to mental health problems but to acknowledge and deal with things, as opposed to lying down to difficulties. It also meant that opportunities were given to priesthood leaders to see emotional issues as real. I'm grateful to the Lord for inspiring his servants to help so many sinking souls feel some hope.