Ok, I was thinking this yesterday...complaining about what I didn't do doesn't change anything. Can I go back in time and change the lesson I taught? No. But I can work to share what I felt needed to be shared.
Spiritual self-reliance and agency.
What does it mean to be spiritually self-reliant? It means you know how to find answers and receive revelation. It means you are teachable, and you can learn to discern truth from falsehoods. It means you live by the law of witnesses, and are not getting all of your answers from one place.
On my mission, I had companions get mad at me for using the Bible in lessons. But I always used the Bible and the Book of Mormon together—two witnesses to establish truth. I even would on the rare occasion toss in verses from the pearl of great price or DyC. The scriptures are there to teach us. If I can get their words adding to my witness, why wouldn’t I? The Spirit is the converter, and he testifies of truth—and the scriptures are true. It just made sense to me, even if not my companions.
I used to catch myself, even, relying on the words and testimonies of prophets, apostles and other leaders of the church. One day, before I was a missionary, I got the feeling I needed to use my own words. Yikes. I thought, “but I can’t say it as well as they have.” Why reinvent the wheel, right? Wrong. My words, my testimony, have every bit of strength as prophets and apostles when I speak truth. Again, the spirit testifies of truth. It takes courage to do it though.
Look at Nephi.
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