October
2013 – General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
“I Will
Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee”
In my journal tonight, I shall write, “This has been one of the
most inspiring sessions of any general conference I’ve attended. Everything has
been of the greatest and most spiritual nature.”
Brothers and sisters, six months ago as we met together in our
general conference, my sweet wife, Frances, lay in the hospital, having
suffered a devastating fall just a few days earlier. In May, after weeks of
valiantly struggling to overcome her injuries, she slipped into eternity. Her
loss has been profound. She and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple on
October 7, 1948. Tomorrow would have been our 65th wedding
anniversary. She was the love of my life, my trusted confidant, and my closest
friend. To say that I miss her does not begin to convey the depth of my
feelings.
This conference marks 50 years since I was called to the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles by President David O. McKay. Through all these
years I have felt nothing but the full and complete support of my sweet
companion. Countless are the sacrifices she made so that I could fulfill my
calling. Never did I hear a word of complaint from her as I was often required
to spend days and sometimes weeks away from her and from our children. She was
an angel, indeed.
I wish to express my thanks, as well as those of my family, for the tremendous outpouring of
love which has come to us since Frances’s passing. Hundreds of cards and
letters were sent from around the world expressing admiration for her and
condolences to our family. We received dozens of beautiful floral arrangements.
We are grateful for the numerous contributions which have been offered in her
name to the General Missionary Fund of the Church. On behalf of those of us
whom she left behind, I express deep gratitude
for your kind and heartfelt expressions.
Of utmost comfort to me during this tender time of parting have
been my testimony of the gospel of Jesus
Christ and the knowledge I have that my dear Frances lives still. I know
that our separation is temporary. We were sealed in the house of God by one
having authority to bind on earth and in heaven. I know that we will be
reunited one day and will never again be separated. This is the knowledge that
sustains me.
Brothers and sisters, it may be safely assumed that no person
has ever lived entirely free of suffering and sorrow, nor has there ever been a
period in human history that did not have its full share of turmoil and misery.
When the pathway of life takes a cruel turn, there is the
temptation to ask the question “Why me?” At times there appears to be no light
at the end of the tunnel, no sunrise to end the night’s darkness. We feel
encompassed by the disappointment of shattered dreams and the despair of
vanished hopes. We join in uttering the biblical plea, “Is there no balm in
Gilead?”1 We feel
abandoned, heartbroken, alone. We are inclined to view our own personal
misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We become impatient for a
solution to our problems, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of
patience is required.
The difficulties which come to us present us with the real test
of our ability to endure. A fundamental question remains to be answered by each
of us: Shall I falter, or shall I finish? Some do falter as they find
themselves unable to rise above their challenges. To finish involves enduring
to the very end of life itself.
As we ponder the events that can befall all of us, we can say
with Job of old, “Man is born unto trouble.”2 Job was a
“perfect and upright” man who “feared God, and eschewed evil.”3 Pious in
his conduct, prosperous in his fortune, Job was to face a test which could have
destroyed anyone. Shorn of his possessions, scorned by his friends, afflicted
by his suffering, shattered by the loss of his family, he was urged to “curse
God, and die.”4 He
resisted this temptation and declared from the depths of his noble soul:
Job kept the faith. Will we do likewise as we face those
challenges which will be ours?
Whenever we are inclined to feel burdened down with the blows of
life, let us remember that others have passed the same way, have endured, and
then have overcome.
The history of the Church in this, the dispensation of the
ullness of times, is replete with the experiences of those who have struggled
and yet who have remained steadfast and of good cheer. The reason? They have
made the gospel of Jesus Christ the center of their lives. This is what will
pull us through whatever comes our way. We will still experience difficult
challenges, but we will be able to face them, to meet them head-on, and to
emerge victorious.
From the bed of pain, from the pillow wet with tears, we are
lifted heavenward by that divine assurance and precious promise: “I will not
fail thee, nor forsake thee.”7 Such
comfort is priceless.
As I have traveled far and wide throughout the world fulfilling
the responsibilities of my calling, I have come to know many things—not the
least of which is that sadness and suffering are universal. I cannot begin to
measure all of the heartache and sorrow I have witnessed as I have visited with
those who are dealing with grief, experiencing illness, facing divorce,
struggling with a wayward son or daughter, or suffering the consequences of
sin. The list could go on and on, for there are countless problems which can
befall us. To single out one example is difficult, and yet whenever I think of
challenges, my thoughts turn to Brother Brems, one of my boyhood Sunday School
teachers. He was a faithful member of the Church, a man with a heart of gold.
He and his wife, Sadie, had eight children, many of whom were the same ages as those
in our family.
After Frances and I were married and moved from the ward, we saw
Brother and Sister Brems and members of their family at weddings and funerals,
as well as at ward reunions.
In 1968, Brother Brems lost his wife, Sadie. Two of his eight children
also passed away as the years went by.
One day nearly 13 years ago, Brother Brems’s oldest
granddaughter telephoned me. She explained that her grandfather had reached his
105th birthday. She said, “He lives in a small care center but meets
with his entire family each Sunday, where he delivers a gospel lesson.” She
continued, “This past Sunday, Grandpa announced to us, ‘My dears, I am going to
die this week. Will you please call Tommy Monson. He will know what to do.’”
I visited Brother Brems the very next evening. I had not seen
him for a while. I could not speak to him, for he had lost his hearing. I could
not write a message for him to read, because he had lost his sight. I was told
that the family communicated with him by taking the finger of his right hand
and then tracing on the palm of his left hand the name of the person visiting.
Any message had to be conveyed in this same way. I followed the procedure by
taking his finger and spelling T-O-M-M-Y M-O-N-S-O-N, the name by which he had
always known me. Brother Brems became excited and, taking my hands, placed them
on his head. I knew his desire was to receive a priesthood blessing. The driver
who had taken me to the care center joined me as we placed our hands on the
head of Brother Brems and provided the desired blessing. Afterward, tears
streamed from his sightless eyes. He grasped our hands in gratitude. Although
he had not heard the blessing we had given him, the Spirit was strong, and I
believe he was inspired to know we had provided the blessing which he needed.
This sweet man could no longer see. He could no longer hear. He was confined
night and day to a small room in a care center. And yet the smile on his face
and the words he spoke touched my heart. “Thank you,” he said. “My Heavenly
Father has been so good to me.”
Within a week, just as Brother Brems had predicted, he passed
away. Never did he dwell on what he was lacking; rather, he was always deeply
grateful for his many blessings.
Our Heavenly Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also
knows that we learn and grow and become stronger as we face and survive the
trials through which we must pass. We know that there are times when we will
experience heartbreaking sorrow, when we will grieve, and when we may be tested
to our limits. However, such difficulties allow us to change for the better, to
rebuild our lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us, and to become
something different from what we were—better than we were, more understanding
than we were, more empathetic than we were, with stronger testimonies than we
had before.
This should be our purpose—to persevere and endure, yes, but
also to become more spiritually refined as we make our way through sunshine and
sorrow. Were it not for challenges to overcome and problems to solve, we would
remain much as we are, with little or no progress toward our goal of eternal
life. The poet expressed much the same thought in these words:
Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees.
The further sky, the greater length.
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
Only the Master knows the depths of our trials, our pain, and
our suffering. He alone offers us eternal peace in times of adversity. He alone
touches our tortured souls with His comforting words:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly
in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, He is
with us. He has promised that this will never change.
My brothers and sisters, may we have a commitment to our
Heavenly Father that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our
lives. We should not need to experience difficulties for us to remember Him,
and we should not be driven to humility before giving Him our faith and trust.
May we ever strive to be close to our Heavenly Father. To do so,
we must pray to Him and listen to Him every day. We truly need Him every hour,
whether they be hours of sunshine or of rain. May His promise ever be our
watchword: “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”10
With all the strength of my soul, I testify that God lives and
loves us, that His Only Begotten Son lived and died for us, and that the gospel
of Jesus Christ is that penetrating light which shines through the darkness of
our lives. May it ever be so, I pray in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Hide
References
Notes
8.
Douglas Malloch, “Good Timber,” in Sterling W. Sill, Making
the Most of Yourself (1971), 23.
“A
Covenant”
cji
11/17/13
A
covenant has binds
both sides
to agree
predicated
on obedience
the
Scriptures are replete
over and
over stated
especially
in Matthew 11
and in
Joshua 1:5 read
therefore
we’re bound
as is
Heavenly Father
through
His Son with us
which
binding is eternal
wherever
worthiness to be
within
and without our souls
thus to
be fully obedient
these
covenants binding
for if
we love our Father
we’ll
keep fully each day
all of His
Commandments
never
wavering nor doubting
which
side we’re to be on
in a
covenant which binds!
Copyright
© 2013 – cji
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