"Ponder the Path of Thy Feet" General Conference Mini-Anlaysis {8}

"As we look to Jesus as our Exemplar and as we follow in His footsteps, we can return safely to our Heavenly Father."

All of us at some point or another have had feelings of being lost as we embark upon our journeys of life. As a freshman student at Brigham Young University, I have had to make some major decisions recently concerning the path I will follow in my life. From picking a school to deciding what major my emphasis should be, I have had many questions on what I should do and where I should go with my life. I have often asked myself, “Am I heading in the right direction?” In the 2014 Sunday First Session of the October General Conference, President Thomas S. Monson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints presented the tools that will enable us to always be on the right paths in our individual lives. Through his use of storytelling President Monson was able to appeal to the pathos of his audience and invoke a spirit of action amongst them.

In his talk he used several stories to animate the principles he was trying to teach. His story of a woman who had visited the Holy Land and “Walked where Jesus had walked”, served as an example to teach the principle that we should pattern our lives in a manner that will enable us to walk as Christ walked. His emphasis on the fact that her physically walking where Jesus had walked was not important led his audience to uncover his true principle—the spiritual pathway we follow is more important than the physical experiences we attain. President Monson’s second story about the German immigrant family in Canada that had meager living circumstances appealed to the pathos of his audience as they envisioned the hardships that the financially burdened family experienced. He used this story to clearly depict the principle that spiritual gains are more important than those of a physical nature. President Monson described the impoverished German family’s home as a heaven on earth because of the abundance of the Spirit that resided there. He then challenged the audience to develop and abundant Spirit within their own homes as they sought to develop more Christ-like attributes.

President Thomas S. Monson’s “Ponder the Path of Thy Feet” speech was effective because he adequately used the tools of a polished orator while relying on the Spirit to guide him in the deliverance of his message. His descriptive and emotionally stirring stories united his audience and instilled within them a desire to follow his teachings. The underlying principles he was trying to convey were engrained within each individual that heard him speak because of the resounding nature with which he delivered him. President Monson’s challenge to ponder the paths of our lives was successfully received through the effective employment of his talk. Not only did his audience contemplate their individual paths but it led to an increase in public self-reflections through social media websites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.