President Lorenzo Snow on our gradual growth towards perfection

Lorenzo Snow (1814-1901) was an early convert to the Church along with his sister Eliza R. Snow. He was called as an apostle by Brigham Young in 1849. He served as the 5th president of the Church from 1898 until his death in 1901.

"Let us be faithful and keep the commandments of God. Let us never allow our prospects to become dimmed; let them be fresh before us by day and by night, and I will assure you that if we will do this our growth from day to day and from year to year will be marvelous.

"We can look back new and we can see that we have advanced. We have not stood still, but we have been moving along and gradually increasing our growth. The child grows from childhood to boyhood, and from boyhood to manhood, with a constant and steady growth; but he cannot tell how or when the growth occurs. He does not realize that he is growing; but by observing the laws of health and being prudent in his course he eventually arrives at manhood.

"So in reference to ourselves as Latter-day Saints. We grow and increase. We are not aware of it at the moment; but after a year or so we discover that we are, so to speak, away up the hill, nearing the mountain top. We feel that we have faith in the Lord; that His providences are always beneficial; that we are connected with Him; that He is actually our Father, and that he leads us along in life."

- Lorenzo Snow, Conference Report, Apr. 1899, 2

President Snow challenged his listeners to keep their "prospects" in the eternal sense bright and "fresh" so that they could continue to grow and prosper. We can do much to influence those prospects in our lives as we strive to follow the Gospel path, obey the commandments, and remain faithful to our covenants. We will see that continual, steady growth is the result:

Our physical growth is very gradual, so as to be imperceptible when viewed from moment to moment or day to day. But as we compare over time, we see that much has changed. President Snow suggests the same is true in the life of a faithful disciple. Our spiritual growth should be always occurring, and over time, we will not profound and significant changes.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)

President Thomas S. Monson on the sacrifices of soldiers

President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) was sustained to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1963. He served as a counselor in the First Presidency with Presidents Benson, Hunter, and Hinckley and then became Church president in 2008. He led the Church for almost a decade until his passing in January 2018.

"One summer day I stood alone in the quiet of the American War Memorial Cemetery of the Philippines. A spirit of reverence filled the warm tropical air. Situated among the carefully mowed grass, acre upon acre, were markers identifying men, mostly young, who in battle gave their lives. As I let my eyes pass name by name along the many colonnades of honor, tears came easily and without embarrassment. As my eyes filled with tears, my heart swelled with pride. I contemplated the high price of liberty and the costly sacrifice many had been called upon to bear.

"My thoughts turned from those who bravely served and gallantly died. There came to mind the grief-stricken mother of each fallen man as she held in her hand the news of her precious son’s supreme sacrifice. Who can measure a mother’s grief? Who can probe a mother’s love? Who can comprehend in its entirety the lofty role of a mother? With perfect trust in God, she walks, her hand in his, into the valley of the shadow of death that you and I might come forth unto life."

- Thomas S. Monson, "Behold Thy Mother," General Conference October 1973
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

It is well to pause occasionally and consider the contributions and sacrifices of those who have gone before. In the United States, Memorial Day is intended to encourage us to remember the sacrifices of those who served, and died, in the military. President Monson, a veteran himself from his Navy service near the end of World War II, was very sensitive to those sacrifices. I loved this personal experience of his mourning in a military cemetery in the Philippines:

Beyond the sacrifice of the soldiers, President Monson also extends his thoughts to the mothers of those soldiers. We sometimes forget the contribution of those who supported a child, husband, or close friend in these efforts and was left with the burden of loss and sadness at the death of a soldier.

Certainly, we should always remember "the high price of liberty and the costly sacrifice many had been called upon to bear."

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)

President Heber J. Grant on the school of mortality

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).

"The Lord, knowing what is best for you and for me and for every individual, has given to us laws, which, if we obey, will make us more Godlike, will fit and qualify and prepare us to go back and dwell in the presence of our Heavenly Father and to receive that plaudit: 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant.'

"That is what we are laboring for.

"We are in a school, fitting, qualifying, and preparing ourselves that we may be worthy and capable of going back and dwelling in the presence of our Heavenly Father, and the man who claims that he knows the gospel is true and then does not live it, does not keep the commandments of God. Such a man will never attain to that strength, to that power, to that eminence, and to that capacity in the Church and Kingdom of God that he would attain if he obeyed the laws of God."

- Heber J. Grant, Era, 42:713; Gospel Standards, p. 40

One of the principles of eternity is that those who choose to obey the commandments of God receive blessings. President Grant lists one of those blessings: obedience to God's laws "will make us more Godlike" and prepare us to return to His presence. Mortality is a great "proving ground" during which we are proved or tested, and during which we prove our willingness to submit and obey.

How grateful we should be for this wonderful school, that qualifies and prepares us for eternity!

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)

President George Albert Smith on the sacred importance of scripture

President George Albert Smith (1870-1951) was the son of John Henry Smith (1848-1911) and grandson of George A. Smith (1817-1875), both of whom served as members of the Twelve. He was called as an apostle in 1903, and then served as the 8th president of the Church from 1945 until his death in 1951.

"I sometimes feel that we do not appreciate the Holy Bible, and what it contains, and these other scriptures, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price that have been referred to by our beloved President [Heber J. Grant] as letters from our Heavenly Father. They may be so received, at least they are His advice and His counsel to all the children of men given to them that they may know how to take advantage of their opportunities, that their lives may not be spent in vain. One of the sorrowful things in life is to see men and women laid away in Mother earth with a realization of the fact that they have refused the greater blessings that our Father offered to them and have continued grasping at the bubble that has itself disappeared. When I think of the millions of God's children in the world, and realize how little they are striving for the things that are really worth while, I feel sad; but when I see this body of people here today—representatives of the great Church that bears the name of the Redeemer—and realize that we who have accepted the Gospel have been chosen, as it were, from among the multitude of our Father's children to understand Him and to know why we are here, my heart is filled with gratitude and praise to Him for His blessings unto us."

- George Albert Smith, "Thanksgiving for Latter-day Saints' Blessings," General Conference, October 6, 1923; see Millennial Star 86:9:129
Click here to read the full talk

President Smith suggests we don't always appreciate the gift of the scriptures as we should. They can be considered "letters from our Heavenly Father" to us. If we were to receive a new "letter," wouldn't we be overwhelmed with eagerness to read it? But yet we take the existing ones for granted, even though they have so much to offer us.

How can we make the most of our life on this earth, to ensure that it is not "spent in vain"? By reading, studying, pondering, and following the counsel in the scriptures.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)

President David O. McKay on the personal nature of prayer

President David O. McKay (1873-1970) was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1906.  He served as a counselor in the First Presidency to Heber J. Grant and George Albert Smith beginning in 1945, then then as the president of the Church from 1951 to his death in 1970 at age 96.

"I have cherished from childhood the truth that God is a personal being, and is, indeed, our Father whom we can approach in prayer and receive answers thereto. I cherish as one of the dearest experiences of life the knowledge that God hears the prayer of faith. It is true that the answers to our prayers may not always come as direct and at the time, nor in the manner, we anticipate; but they do come, and at a time and in a manner best for the interests of him who offers the supplication.

"There have been occasions, however, when I have received direct and immediate assurance that my petition was granted. At one time, particularly, the answer came as distinctly as though my Heavenly Father stood by my side and spoke the words. These experiences are part of my very being and must remain so long as memory and intelligence last. Just as real and just as close to me seems the Savior of the world.

"I feel as I have never felt before that God is my Father. He is not just an intangible power, a moral force in the world, but a personal God with creative power, the governor of the world, the director of our souls. I would have all men, and especially the young people of the Church, feel so close to our Father in heaven that they will approach Him daily—not in public alone, but in private. If our people will have this faith, great blessings will come to them. Their souls will be filled with thanksgiving for what God has done for them; they will find themselves rich in favors bestowed. It is not imagination that we can approach God and receive light and guidance from him, and that our minds will be enlightened and our souls thrilled by his Spirit."

- David O. McKay, Conference Report, Apr. 1969, 152–53

What a wonderful thing it is to have learned and experienced, from early childhood, that God is real and that our communication with Him can bless our lives! President McKay shared his own personal faith in the power and blessing of that communication, and in the need we have to develop the faith and trust in God and in His timing as we wait for, and prepare for, responses to our needs. Those answers always come "at a time and in a manner best" for our interests.

I loved President McKay's testimony of the reality of his experiences, and the sense of divine love that permeated his very being! To truly understand, through personal knowledge, that our God is a "personal God" whom we can approach frequently and with confidence and gratitude, is a powerful aspect of our moral existence.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)

President Joseph Fielding Smith on serving with love like the Savior

Joseph Fielding Smith (1876-1972) was the son of Joseph F. Smith, 6th president of the Church, and grandson of Hyrum Smith, brother of the Prophet Joseph. He was called as an apostle in 1910, and served as the 10th president of the Church from 1970 until his death in 1972 at age 95.

"Our Savior came into the world to teach us love for each other, and as that great lesson was made manifest through his great suffering and death that we might live, should we not express our love for our fellowmen by service rendered in their behalf? Should we not show our appreciation for the infinite service he rendered us, by giving service in his cause?

"The man who does only those things in the Church which concern himself alone will never reach exaltation. For instance, the man who is willing to pray, to pay his tithes and offerings, and to attend to the ordinary duties which concern his own personal life, and nothing more, will never reach the goal of perfection."

- Joseph Fielding Smith, Conference Report, Apr. 1968, 12

Among the greatest messages of the Savior's gospel, as taught during His earthly ministry, is the call to love others. That love is best manifest through service on their behalf. As we reach out to one another, we can demonstrate our appreciation to the Great Giver:

President Smith points out that an inward-focused interpretation of the Gospel has no power to save. If all a man does is comply with commandments and guidelines, attending to the "ordinary duties which concern his own personal life," he will have missed the mark and fallen short.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)

Elder Neal A. Maxwell on eternal perspective for our trials

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 cares of the world that, on occasion, can rob us of cheerfulness are certainly real cares, but they are not lasting cares; they pass with the passing of the world. Like the pleasures of the world, the cares of the world are fleeting.

"Someday, when we look back on mortality, we will see that so many of the things that seemed to matter so much at the moment will be seen not to have mattered at all. And the eternal things will be seen to have mattered even more than the most faithful of the Saints imagined."

- Neal A. Maxwell, Even As I Am (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1982), p. 104

Elder Maxwell often wrote or spoke about very real-world situation. He dealt with his own share of struggles and trials in life, and I think spoke with sincerity and experience.

This perspective about "the cares of the world" is so important. Though they seem heavy and sometimes unending, Elder Maxwell testifies that they truly are "passing" and "fleeting" when we consider the perspective of eternity.

The blessing of perspective! As we look back on our past experiences, we can realize that some things that seemed to matter very much at the time did not deserve all the care we gave to them. But things of eternal worth matter so much more than we sometimes recognize! This principle can apply to the challenges and trials of our life as well, when we recognize the relative value of our learning experiences in the broader perspective.

The grand key to happiness is to learn to see with that divine perspective in the present, not just in retrospect. We must learn to truly value those "eternal things" that will prove ultimately to be the only things that really matter.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)