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With the days getting shorter, I’m using a headlamp as I walk my dog in the dark predawn hours. It is a powerful light, illuminating the whole street ahead and showing where to step safely. 

However, as the battery’s charge runs out, the once-bright light gets fuzzy around the edges and grows dim. If I don’t do anything about it, the light eventually flickers out like a candle.

Thankfully, the light has a rechargeable battery. With a little charging, the light is bright and clear again. 

Similarly, we each have spiritual batteries that need recharging. Sometimes we think that we should be able to just push ahead on the strength of past spiritual experiences, but that is not the case. Just like my headlamp, spiritual batteries need to be recharged. 

One way to recharge spiritual batteries is to hear the words and testimonies of people of faith. We recently had that opportunity at the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as modern-day prophets and apostles, as well as other Church leaders and officers, delivered messages of hope and inspiration centered on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Apostle David A. Bednar praised Church members everywhere for countless hours of service they provide to their congregations and communities. 

“Your strong faith in Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and your unpretentious, consecrated lives inspire me to be a better man and disciple,” he said. “I love you. I admire you. I thank you. And I commend you.” 

Another apostle, Elder Ronald A. Rasband, spoke of the urgent need for senior couples to serve as missionaries throughout the world. Like young missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, thousands of senior couples also serve extended missions away from home. These faithful couples provide service in a variety of ways such as offering medical care, teaching English, assisting with temple construction, digitizing family history records, and supporting local congregations. 

Elder Rasband taught: “You may be on unfamiliar ground; however, the power of the Spirit will make you feel right at home. Senior missionaries change the very landscape with their testimony of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.” 

Emily Belle Freeman, the Young Women General President, described her journey on the Jesus Trail in Israel and encouraged all to walk the covenant path with Christ. 

She testified: “Begin where you are…Remember, pace or placement on the path are not as important as progress. Ask someone you trust who is on the covenant path to introduce you to the Savior they have come to know. Learn more of Him. Invest in the relationship by entering into covenants with Him. It doesn’t matter your age or your condition. You can walk with Him.” 

These and other testimonies of hope recharged my spiritual batteries. 

To see more of the messages of faith and inspiration from General Conference, visit http://conference.ChurchOfJesusChrist.org. 

Dr. Brent Roberts is the Branch President in the Sandy River Branch, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and also Dean of Greenwood Library at Longwood University. He can be reached at brentsroberts@hotmail.com.