Whitney Speaks

Whitney also had to give a talk in Church a couple of weeks ago. She wrote a beautiful talk, so I wanted to put it here.
In D&C ch. 88 verse 63 we read of Christ’s commandment to draw near unto Him.
63 aDraw bnear unto me and I will draw near unto you; cseek me diligently and ye shall dfind me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
When we obey his commandment we receive the blessing that he will draw near unto us. He also tells us how we are to do this. We should seek, ask, and knock.
Elder Doxey has taught that there are seven ways to seek, ask, and knock.
1. By emulating Christ’s life we draw near unto Him.
2. By praying to the Eternal Father in the name of Jesus Christ we draw nearer to the Savior. Without sincere prayer the chance of attaining the goals of gospel living would be impossible. As children of God, we are dependent upon Him for all that we have, even the very breath we take (see Mosiah 2:21). Our natural tendency as we come to know and love the Lord is a desire to express gratitude for these abundant blessings. Often we reflect on the innumerable blessings that have come to us and can’t wait until we can just be alone and express thanks, without any particular thought of further requests. It would seem awkward and lacking in respect to ask for more if we have failed to thank the Lord for blessings already received.
When I was about 4 or 5 and still living in Mexico, I discovered one day that I had lost my little Mexican doll. I searched everywhere possible in our apartment. What seemed like hours later, I just simply said a prayer asking Heavenly Father to help me know where I had left my toy. Immediately afterwards, I tried looking again but came up empty. I didn’t get discouraged though, I just put it out of my mind, sure that it would show up sooner or later. I never found my doll back in that apartment. Nine years later, during this past spring break in March, I went up to my grandma’s house for a mini-vacation away from home. While cleaning out an old, forgotten box in the back room, I found my favorite doll from my childhood trips to Texas for Christmas. The experience reminded me that prayers are never answered when we expect them to be. I used to think maybe I would get my answer a week or a month later, but it never crossed my mind that I would find what I lost nine years in the future. If we are near to the Savior, we will receive many blessings, even if they are as small as finding a lost toy.

3. By studying the scriptures we are seeking Him. If we are to draw near to the Savior, we must know what he requires of us. Our understanding of right and wrong without the benefit of the scriptures could lead us away from the pathway to salvation.
The new virtue value in my young women’s personal progress book has really helped me more than I ever thought it would. I finished all the experiences in that value and was ready to begin my project: to read The Book of Mormon. I started out small and just read a chapter a night until I was ready to pick up the pace. I was only reading a small amount a day, but the blessings were distinct. I didn’t notice them at all when they first appeared because the changes were so gradual. All it took, however, was one article in the New Era to bring it to my attention. In the story, a young woman about my age was trying to find the answer to her question if The Book of Mormon was true. She’d read it multiple times, praying each time she finished, but never got the answer she expected. One day, she looked around herself and noticed how lucky she really was. I looked around myself and notice the blessings around me; my family was closer, the amount of fighting had decreased and the caring given to everyone was spectacular. I was surprised by how much I’d missed. I realized that if we follow even only one of the commandments, the blessings around us will be astonishing.
4. By seeking the influence of the Holy Ghost we will draw near unto Christ. The Holy Ghost bears witness of the Father and the Son and gives enlightenment regarding them. The closeness one has with the Savior is manifest ofttimes by the Holy Spirit.
5. By following the Prophet and Church Leaders we draw nearer to the Savior. God’s authorized servants receive interpretation of scripture, solutions to present-day problems, and a reaffirmation of gospel teachings that lead to perfection. If we follow the inspired teachings of the General Authorities of the Church, we will be led toward a closer relationship with the author of our salvation (see Heb. 5:9), and hence to our ultimate goal of exaltation with him. President Hinckley recalls what happened when his father and mother followed the counsel of a living prophet.
In 1915 President Joseph F. Smith asked the people of the Church to have family home evening. My father said we would do so, that we would warm up the parlor where Mother’s grand piano stood and do what the President of the Church had asked.
We were miserable performers as children. We could do all kinds of things together while playing, but for one of us to try to sing a solo before the others was like asking ice cream to stay hard on the kitchen stove. In the beginning, we would laugh and make cute remarks about one another’s performance. But our parents persisted. We sang together. We prayed together. We listened quietly while Mother read Bible and Book of Mormon stories. Father told us stories from his memory.
Out of those simple little meetings, held in the parlor of our old home, came something indescribable and wonderful. Our love for our parents was strengthened. Our love for brothers and sisters was enhanced. Our love for the Lord was increased. An appreciation for simple goodness grew in our hearts. These wonderful things came about because our parents followed the counsel of the President of the Church.

6. By partaking of the sacrament we can grow closer to the Savior. This is one of the treasured ways in which we may come to a relationship with the Savior. A particularly opportune time to remember the Savior, to meditate on the meaning of taking his name upon us, and to seek for the Spirit, is the sacrament time.
7. By spiritual practices such as payment of tithing, fast offerings and other donations, and giving service of many kinds in our callings. These are opportunities for spiritual growth. They keep alive in us the desire to draw closer to the Savior.


As we seek, ask, and knock we will find Christ, receive blessings, and doors will be opened for us. The greatest blessing of the commandment to draw near to the Savior is that He will draw near to us.