President Harold B. Lee on acting on the inspiration we receive

President Harold B. Lee (1899-1973) was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1941. He served as a counselor in the First Presidency from 1970-1972, then as Church president from July 1972 until his passing less than 18 months later in December 1973.

"President [David O.] McKay taught us this in the temple one day.... 'I want to tell you one thing: When the Lord tells you what to do, you've got to have the courage to do it or you had better not ask him again.'

"I've learned that lesson, too. Sometimes in the middle of the night I've been awakened and am unable to sleep until I've gotten out of bed and put down on paper the thing that I have been wrestling with. But it takes a lot of courage to act when directed as an answer to prayers."

- Harold B. Lee, "Qualities of Leadership," address to the Latter-day Saint Student Association convention, Aug. 1970, 5; see also Teachings: Harold B. Lee, 54.

This is a great message from two prophets. First, quoting President McKay, the challenge that we must act on inspiration when we receive it, if we want to continue to receive it:

President Lee expanded on the thought of his mentor by sharing his own personal confirmation of the principle. Sometimes the answers to our questions come at inconvenient times; and during the night is a time when often the mind is freed from other cares and can be more open to receiving inspiration. President Lee's message is to always take time to record impressions, so that they will not be lost and can then be acted on fully as soon as possible.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland on keeping perspective through life's struggles

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (born December 3, 1940) served as Church Commissioner of Education from 1976-1980, as the president of BYU from 1980-1989, as a Seventy from 1989-1994, and as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles since 1994.

"Also let us remember that through any illness or difficult challenge, there is still much in life to be hopeful about and grateful for. We are infinitely more than our limitations or our afflictions! ...

"Whatever your struggle, my brothers and sisters—mental or emotional or physical or otherwise—do not vote against the preciousness of life by ending it! Trust in God. Hold on in His love. Know that one day the dawn will break brightly and all shadows of mortality will flee. Though we may feel we are 'like a broken vessel,' as the Psalmist says (Psalm 31:12), we must remember, that vessel is in the hands of the divine potter. Broken minds can be healed just the way broken bones and broken hearts are healed. While God is at work making those repairs, the rest of us can help by being merciful, nonjudgmental, and kind."

- Jeffrey R. Holland, "Like a Broken Vessel," General Conference October 2013
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

There are many ways that we sometimes feel "broken" in life, as Elder Holland notes—emotionally, physically, mentally. But no matter the cause or the source, he reminds us there is yet much to be hopeful about in our lives, and much for which we should be grateful. If we allow our eternal perspective to take priority, we'll realize that "our limitations or our afflictions" are such a small part of the eternal picture. And so the key is to trust in God:

Elder Holland warns us that sometimes repairs take a little time. We need to be patient and trusting. And we also need to be "merciful, nonjudgmental, and kind" while we watch repairs take place in the lives of others. We only add to the pain of the damage when we are critical or insensitive to those in recovery. It's a great part of our ministry to support one another in all things, at all times and situations while God works his restoration miracles.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin on opening the spiritual windows of revelation

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917-2008) served as a Seventy from 1976 to 1986, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles from 1986 until his passing in 2008 at age 91.

"If we configure our hearts and minds properly with faith, disciplined obedience, prayer, and scripture study, we can access the network of divine and eternal truths. We can receive the teachings and counsel of God’s prophet, opening to us knowledge and revelation from our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

"The Lord counsels us to become skilled in using these spiritual windows so we can seek and receive personal revelation for ourselves and our families. When the storms of life leave us confused, the windows of revelation can guide us safely home to our Heavenly Father....

"To open the windows of heaven, we must conform our will to God’s will. Diligent, enduring obedience to God’s laws is the key that opens the windows of heaven. Obedience enables us to be receptive to the mind and will of the Lord. 'The Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient' (D&C 64:34) are those who receive the blessings of revelation through the open windows of heaven."

- Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Windows of Light and Truth," General Conference October 1995
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

We are blessed in our time to have living prophets and seers who can help reveal God's will to us, based on the current needs and challenges of the world we live in. But Elder Wirthlin reminds us that each of us can personally "open the windows of heaven" in our life, enabling spiritual counsel to also flow directly to us. The process begins as we "configure our hearts and minds properly with faith, disciplined obedience, prayer, and scripture study," and heed the counsel that comes through the living prophets, to set the foundation. That word "configure" is especially interesting; through the actions of our habits and choices, we are in a very real way preparing our hearts and minds for the things that will follow.

Once the foundation is established and configured, we can build on it personally:

It's comforting to know we have help in navigating "the storms of life" that will come to each of us. The great key comes in humble, whole-hearted obedience that "enables us to be receptive to the mind and will of the Lord."

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)

President Ezra Taft Benson on gratitude for our blessings

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994) was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1943, and served as the 13th President of the Church from 1985 until his death in 1994 at age 94.

"The Prophet Joseph is reported to have said at one time that one of the greatest sins for which the Latter-day Saints would be guilty would be the sin of ingratitude. I presume most of us have not thought of that as a serious sin. There’s a great tendency for us in our prayers—in our pleadings with the Lord—to ask for additional blessings. Sometimes I feel we need to devote more of our prayers to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving for blessings already received. Of course we need the daily blessings of the Lord. But if we sin in the matter of prayer, I think it is in our lack of the expressions of thanksgiving for daily blessings.

"President Brigham Young uttered very much the same warning as the Prophet Joseph—that this would be one of our great sins as Latter-day Saints. I do not think this is because we’re less grateful than other people—but we have so much more to be grateful for. I remember this was driven home to me as a young man when I heard of a visit made to the home of my grandfather, who was then bishop of a little country ward at Whitney, Idaho. In those days it was not uncommon to have stake conferences run for three days. And it was not uncommon for the visiting authority to take advantage of the opportunities to visit in the homes, not only of the stake presidency, but of some of the bishops. The story is told that Elder Joseph F. Smith—I think he was not then president (he may have been a member of the Twelve)—was visiting the old Oneida Stake of Zion, and true to custom, he had arranged to honor my grandfather and to take a meal at his home. In telling the story, Grandfather said that they were seated in the living room/dining room combination of the farm home. The table was laden with good things to eat. The family was gathered around—I don’t know how many (there were 13 children in that wonderful family and I presume some of them were away on missions as they usually were).

"Just before they were ready to start the meal, President Smith stretched his long arms over the table and turned to my grandfather and said, 'Brother Benson, all this and the gospel too?' What did President Smith mean? All this and the gospel too? The food represented the good things of life—food, clothing, and all the rest—the material blessings of life. This family of children—home, family, loved ones—all that the world has and the gospel too. I think that’s what the Prophet Joseph had in mind."

- Ezra Taft Benson, "Receive All Things with Thankfulness," New Era, Nov. 1976, p. 4
Click here to read the full article

Are we truly aware of our blessings—of how much we receive from the Lord each day? Do we take much for granted, forgetting the source of the joy and richness in our life? It's so easy to get caught up in the busy nature of life and forget to express thanks to God for all we have:

I love the simple message of the story President Benson shared from his grandfather. "All this and the gospel too"—how frequently we should recognize both our temporal and spiritual blessings, and be led to thank God for them!

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)

President Spencer W. Kimball on having an eternal perspective in choices and decisions

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985) was ordained an apostle in 1943 and served as President of the Church from 1973 to 1985.

"I remember reading a message that Grandfather [Heber C.] Kimball wrote to his children, in which he said, 'I only care for the things of eternity. When I behold the great things of God and the glory which awaits the righteous, and when I reflect that the road is so straight that but few find it, I feel to pray the Lord to bless my children and save them. I am thankful to God because I live in a day when some will find it and will become Gods.' (Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, Bookcraft, 1945, p. 513.)

"If we live in such a way that the considerations of eternity press upon us, we will make better decisions. Perhaps this is why President Brigham Young once said that if he could do but one thing to bless the Saints, he believed it would be to give them 'eyes with which to see things as they are.' (Journal of Discourses, 3:221; italics added.) It is interesting to note how those last words reflect the words of the scripture in which truth is described as 'knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.' (D&C 93:24.) Jacob reminds us also that 'the Spirit speaketh the truth … of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be.' (Jacob 4:13.)

"The more clearly we see eternity, the more obvious it becomes that the Lord’s work in which we are engaged is one vast and grand work with striking similarities on each side of the veil."
- Spencer W. Kimball, "The Things of Eternity—Stand We in Jeopardy?," Ensign January 1977, p. 3
Click here to read the complete article

This was a marvelously thought-provoking talk by President Kimball. Even the title alone gives pause: "The Things of Eternity—Stand We in Jeopardy?" Too often, our  attention is narrowly focused on the challenges of life, and we neglect the long-term implications of decisions or directions. We must never allow that to happen; our priorities must focus first on those "things of eternity" if we are to be truly happy! Then, President Kimball suggests, we will make better decisions on the more immediate challenges:

The statement President Kimball quoted from his grandfather, Heber C. Kimball, sets the tone for the message. The earlier President Kimball had the proper perspective; he knew that focusing on those things that matter most is the only safe course. And I love Brigham Young's insight too: if only we could see things as they really are, not as we suppose or believe they are. That kind of spiritually-enhanced perspective will bless our lives in profound ways.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)

Elder Neal A. Maxwell on the benefits of scripture study

Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926-2004) served as a Seventy from 1976-1981, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve until his death from cancer in 2004.

"The advantages flowing from scholarship in the scriptures include not only the truthful content and the useful insights to be gleaned and that can be brought to bear on problems of today (personal or institutional), but also the reality that the very reading of the scriptures puts us in touch with what God said to others in other days. It thereby creates an atmosphere into which new inspiration can come, if needed.

"It is all very much like a composer's being sufficiently inspired by hearing great music to create additional great music. An artist may stumble upon a scene of great beauty that sparks in his mind a painting that has never before been on canvas. Previous revelations in the scriptures are like the 'clean sea breeze of the centuries' that can be played by us, putting things in a perspective as they really are—much as a person with a few aches and pains can, by visiting a hospital, put his own physical problems in fresh and grateful perspective."

- Neal A. Maxwell, Things as they Really Are, p. 106

This statement from Elder Maxwell has always intrigued me. Clearly we learn much as we read the scriptures from the content, messages, and instructions that are recorded there. But what other intrinsic benefits do we derive from the process? Elder Maxwell suggests it creates an "atmosphere" in our lives that invites other blessings:

The comparisons with composers and painters help us to understand the suggestion Elder Maxwell is making. When we read and ponder the scriptures, seeing the inspiration and instruction God has given to man in the past, we are opening our minds and hearts to receiving the same kind of blessings and divine influence in our own lives. By focusing our thoughts and attention in that way, excluding the distractions and influences of the world, we become prepared and ready for God's influence in a much greater degree.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)

Elder Neil L. Andersen on testifying to children

Elder Neil L. Andersen (born August 9, 1951) served as a Seventy beginning in 1993, and was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 2009.

"Although there may be times when a child does not listen with a believing heart, your testimony of Jesus will remain in his or her mind and soul....

"If a child is not listening, don’t despair. Time and truth are on your side. At the right moment, your words will return as if from heaven itself. Your testimony will never leave your children.

"As you reverently speak about the Savior—in the car, on the bus, at the dinner table, as you kneel in prayer, during scripture study, or in late-night conversations—the Spirit of the Lord will accompany your words.

"As you do your best, the testimony of Jesus will gently distill upon your children’s hearts. They will go to their Heavenly Father in humble prayer and feel His influence through the power of the Holy Ghost. A stronger personal faith in Jesus Christ will prepare them for the challenges they will most surely face."

- Neil L. Andersen, "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus," General Conference April 2010
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

The influence we have on children, either more formally as parents or teachers, or through less formal contact, has profound impact. Elder Andersen encouraged all of us to make the most of those opportunities. But sometimes, we wonder if we are making any difference. And at times, it appears that our efforts are "a lost cause" in the face of apathy or other concerns. Elder Andersen reassures us that no testimony or no sincere effort to teach and inspire is wasted:

We should find more opportunities to "reverently speak about the Savior" in those less formal times. That can make more difference in the long run than formal lessons or talks. When the Lord's Spirit accompanies our words, testimony will "distill" upon the hearts of children as they listen, and they will be strengthened with every instance to better confront the challenges of life.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)