Harold B. Lee on blessings that follow sacrifice and faithfulness

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.

"As I look at the experiences of our brethren and hear their testimonies, I become persuaded of one great truth: Whenever the Lord has a great blessing for one of his children, he puts that son or daughter in the way to make a great sacrifice....

"If in this day the Church rises to the call of the First Presidency, and if Church members sacrifice of their means, their time, their talents for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God, not withholding their own lives, if that were necessary, then there will come to this people, and to that individual who thus is willing to consecrate himself, the greatest joy that can come to the human soul.

"God bless us that we might teach our youth the way by which this happiness will come, and let us plan our [activities] for youth in such a way to give youth the opportunity to [serve] their leaders rather than for their leaders to make all the sacrifice for the benefit of youth. Give them the joy of service and expect from them such sacrifices as may be necessary to build the faith necessary to lay hold upon eternal life (1 Tim. 6:19)."

- Harold B. Lee, "On Earning Salvation," Conference Report, Apr. 1947, pp. 45-51
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This is a powerful testimony from President Lee — the Lord prepares us for great blessings by putting us in position to make great sacrifices. It seems to me that a faithful servant who experiences challenges and difficulties in life will learn to anticipate the blessings that must follow. As our hymn teaches, "Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven."

President Lee also witnesses that "to that individual who thus is willing to consecrate himself, the greatest joy that can come to the human soul." Consecration is the ultimate and complete willingness to sacrifice, regardless of the circumstance or need. So it's not surprising that it should be linked to joy.

So then the final challenge President Lee offers is to teach youth how to sacrifice and serve—how to begin to learn consecration. That is the way to build faith in the rising generation.

Joseph B. Wirthlin on enduring times of challenge - "Sunday will come"

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.

"Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

"But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

"No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come."

- Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Sunday Will Come," Ensign, November 2006, pp. 26-30
Click here to read the full talk

Elder Wirthlin spoke in this address about the powerful blessing of the Savior's Atonement and Resurrection. He recounted events of that sacred weekend two millennia ago, with the despair that accompanied Friday's crucifixion followed by the glorious hope of Sunday's resurrection. He applied those emotions to our own feelings of grief, loneliness, and loss in life.

And then came this beautiful and reassuring testimony, likening the message to the struggles of our daily lives. When we feel we are in the midst of a "Friday" where all seems to be lost and the sadness far outweighs the joy, we must know that there will soon come a "Sunday" when everything will be made whole again. It's a glorious doctrine, this doctrine of hope!

Heber J. Grant on happiness and growth through acts of kindness

President Heber J. Grant (1856-1945) was ordained an apostle in 1882 when he was 25 years old.  He served as president of the Church from 1918 until his death in 1945 at age 88.  His tenure as president lasted over 26 years; only Brigham Young had a longer term (over 29 years).

"Every kind word spoken gives you greater ability to speak another. Every act of assistance rendered by you, through the knowledge that you possess, to aid one of your fellows, gives you greater ability to aid the next one. Good acts grow upon a person.

"I have sometimes thought that many men, judging from their utter lack of kindness and of a disposition to aid others, imagined that if they were to say or do a kind thing, it would destroy their capacity to perform a kind act or say a kind word in the future. If you have a granary full of grain, and you give away a sack or two, there remain that many less in your granary, but if you perform a kind act or add words of encouragement to one in distress, who is struggling along in the battle of life, the greater is your capacity to do this in the future.

"Don't go through life with your lips sealed against words of kindness and encouragement, nor your hearts sealed against performing labors for another. Make a motto in life: always try and assist someone else to carry his burden. The true key to happiness in life is to labor for the happiness of others."

- Heber J. Grant, "Have a Purpose in Life," Improvement Era, Feb. 1902, 289–90

I love this analysis of human behavior. Surely we don't really believe that we have limited amounts of kind words and deeds to dispense, so we must guard them frugally; but President Grant said we sometimes act like it! The interesting witness he offers echoes one of the themes of his life: things we persist in doing become easier to us because our ability to do them grows. The more we speak kind words and do kind deeds, the easier those things become for us.

Joseph F. Smith on God's rest: finding peace amid turmoil

President Joseph F. Smith (1838-1918) was the son of Joseph's brother Hyrum. He was ordained an apostle in 1866 at age 28, and served as a counselor to Brigham Young and the three presidents who followed.  He became the 6th president of the Church in 1901, and served until his death in 1918 at age 80.

"The ancient prophets speak of 'entering into God's rest'; what does it mean? To my mind, it means entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in His purposes and in His plans to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else; we are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine, or by the cunning and craftiness of men who lay in wait to deceive. We know of the doctrine, that it is of God, and we do not ask any questions of anybody about it; they are welcome to their opinions, to their ideas and to their vagaries. The man who has reached that degree of faith in God that all doubt and fear have been cast from him, he has entered into 'God's rest,' and he need not fear the vagaries of men, nor their cunning and craftiness, by which they seek to deceive him and mislead him from the truth.

"I pray that we may all enter into God's rest—rest from doubt, from fear, from apprehension of danger, rest from the religious turmoil of the world; from the cry that is going forth, here and there—lo, here is Christ; lo, there is Christ; lo, He is in the desert, come ye out to meet Him. The man who has found God's rest will not be disturbed by these vagaries of men, for the Lord has told him, and does tell us: 'Go not out to seek them. Go not out to hunt them: for when Christ shall come, He will come with the army of heaven with Him in the clouds of glory, and all eyes shall see Him.' We do not need to be hunting for Christ here, or Christ there, or prophets here and prophets there."

- Joseph F. Smith, Conference Report, October 1909, p. 9; see also Gospel Doctrine p. 58

We too often think about "entering into God's rest" as a distant reward in the life to come, once we have survived the turmoil and challenges of this mortal existence. President Smith helps us understand that there is a much more immediate interpretation. We can be blessed with that gift now, regardless of the circumstances of our life. It happens when faith is secure, when our knowledge of God and His plan are rooted in love and confidence, when our understanding of doctrine is solid and grounded. Doubt and fear no longer have a place in us. What a marvelous condition that is!

I found it particularly interesting that of the things that we might consider as dangers that take away peace, President Smith focused on doctrinal or spiritual distractions, including "every wind of doctrine," deceptions of men, false Christs, and false prophets. That certainly has become a challenge in our time!

Richard G. Scott on the principles behind acquiring spiritual knowledge

Elder Richard G. Scott (1928-2015) served as a Seventy from 1977-1988, when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.  He passed away in September 2015 at the age of 86.

"As you seek spiritual knowledge, search for principles. Carefully separate them from the detail used to explain them. Principles are concentrated truth, packaged for application to a wide variety of circumstances. A true principle makes decisions clear even under the most confusing and compelling circumstances. It is worth great effort to organize the truth we gather to simple statements of principle. I have tried to do that with gaining spiritual knowledge. The result is now shared in hope that it will be a beginning place for your study. That statement of principle is:

"To acquire spiritual knowledge and to obey it with wisdom, one must:

• In humility, seek divine light.
• Exercise faith in Jesus Christ. 
• Hearken to His counsel. 
• Keep His commandments.

"As spiritual knowledge unfolds, it must be understood, valued, obeyed, remembered, and expanded."

- Richard G. Scott, "Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge," Ensign, November 1993, p. 86
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There are two interesting aspects to this excerpt. The first is the challenge—identify principles that lie behind knowledge; separate them from details used to explain. The description of principles as "concentrated truth" should make them vitally important to us; understanding them enables us to make decisions quickly and easily.

Elder Scott then demonstrated his instruction by sharing his formation of the principle of how to acquire spiritual knowledge, encouraging us to consider its application. His principle provides a good summary of steps that can lead to the gift of knowledge. But obtaining knowledge is only the start; then the knowledge needs to be "understood, valued, obeyed, remembered, and expanded" in order to bring full benefits. That's a description that merits further pondering!

James E. Faust on the Lord's love and awareness of our challenges

President James E. Faust (1920 - 2007) was called as a Seventy in 1976, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve in 1978. He served as a counselor to President Hinckley from 1995 until his death in 2007 at age 87.

"Remember, the Lord has said, 'The very hairs of your head are all numbered' unto the Father. 'Fear ye not therefore' (Matt. 10:30-31). He knows us, He loves us, and He knows our needs. He will comfort us if we will only trust in Him and His goodness and wisdom.

"There are many things that we cannot change. We all have difficulties and disappointments. But often these turn out to be opportunities. The Lord can measure how strong we are by how we handle these difficulties in our lives. As the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph Smith, 'Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good' (D&C 122:7).

"Sometimes the Lord allows us to have trials to shape us into productive servants. In our desire to achieve, we often fail to see that the Lord is trying to prune us away from false pride and vain ambition so He can teach us discipleship. His all-seeing eye is over us and ever watching us as our Eternal Heavenly Parent. When trials come, as surely they will to all of us during mortality, let us not sink into the abyss of self-pity but remember who is at the helm, that He is there to guide us through all the storms of life."

- James E. Faust, "Be Not Afraid," Ensign, October 2002, pp. 2-6
Click here to read the full talk

Can we trust and believe that "difficulties and disappointments" in our lives will "often... turn out to be opportunities"? That's one of those propositions that we might believe as we consider it from the vantage point of safety and comfort, but that almost always seems to be forgotten when we're in the midst of the actual trials. We have to learn to believe that the consolation offered to Joseph Smith applies to us as well—these things will give us experience and be for our good.

The key, as always, is how we respond to the challenges that will certainly come. As we grow in faith in the Savior and His plan, we will understand there is meaning and purpose in those trials.

LeGrand Richards on finding hope in a troubled world

Elder LeGrand Richards (1886-1983) served as the Presiding Bishop of the Church from 1938-1952, when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.  He died in 1983 at age 96.  Many today remember him fondly for his spirited, usually extemporaneous talks in conference about missionary work or the plan of salvation.

"A few weeks ago, a young lady phoned me for an appointment; and when she came to the office, she sat there and cried for a little while and then she said: 'Bishop, what is there for the young people today? We have war. They are taking all the boys; it looks like another great war is ahead of us. What do we young people have to live for?'

"I looked at her for a few minutes and said, 'Have you ever thought of the other side of the story?'

"She said, 'What side?'

"'Well,' I said, 'you remember the story of the two buckets that went down in the well; as the one came up, it said, "This is surely a cold and dreary world. No matter how many times I come up full, I always have to go down empty?" Then the other bucket laughed and said, "With me it is different. No matter how many times I go down empty, I always come up full."'

"I said, 'Have you ever stopped to realize that of all the millions of our Father's children, you are one of the most favored? You are privileged to live in the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times that the prophets of old have looked forward to, when there is more revealed truth upon the earth than there has ever been in any other dispensation of the world's history, and where we enjoy blessings and comforts of life that kings did not enjoy a few years ago. Have you ever stopped to think of that side of the story?'

"And before she left, she decided that probably it wasn't as cold and dreary a world, after all, as it might be.

"I said, 'You just go on, and live right, and don't you lose your courage, and don't think that life isn't worth while and isn't worth living. Whether you live or whether you die or whether you are permitted to live a long life or a short life isn't going to be the thing that is going to determine the success or failure of your life; it's how you live. And if we only live right, it will not matter whether the time is short or long; we won't have to worry much about it.'"

- LeGrand Richards, "Signs of the Times," Conference Report, April 1951, pp. 39-45
Click here to read the full talk

It's easy to despair when we focus on the world with all its troubles and challenges. Sometimes we fall into that trap of wondering, "What do we young people [or older people too] have to live for?" Elder Richards instead counsels that we focus on all the blessings and opportunities instead of the challenges or concerns. That only happens when we have a true understanding of the eternal plan and our individual place in it.

The great and eternal key is to "live right" — then the rest really will not matter.