President Thomas S. Monson: “Follow the Prophets”
I served in the United States Navy toward the end of World
War II. I was a seaman, the lowest possible rank in the navy. Then I
qualified to be Seaman First Class, after which I qualified to be Yeoman Third
Class.
World War II ended, and I was later discharged. But I made
a decision that if ever I went back into the military, I wanted to serve as a
commissioned officer. I thought, “No more mess kitchens for me, no more
scrubbing the decks, if I can avoid it.”
After I was discharged, I joined the United States Naval
Reserve. I went to drill every Monday night. I studied hard that I might
qualify academically. I took every kind of examination imaginable: mental,
physical, and emotional. Finally, there came the beautiful news: “You have been
accepted to receive the commission of an ensign in the United States Naval
Reserve.”
I gleefully showed it to my wife, Frances, and said, “I made it!
I made it!” She hugged me and said, “You’ve worked hard enough to achieve it.”
But then something happened. I was called to be a counselor in
my ward bishopric. The bishop’s council meeting was on the same evening as my
navy drill meeting. I knew there was a terrible conflict. I knew that I didn’t
have the time to pursue the Naval Reserve and my
bishopric duties. What was I to do? A decision had to be made.
I prayed about it. Then I went to see the man who was my stake
president when I was a boy, Elder Harold B. Lee (1899–1973), then of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I sat down across the table from him. I told him
how much I valued that commission. In fact, I showed him the copy of the letter
of appointment I had received.
Illustration by
Paul Mann
After pondering the matter for a moment, he said to me, “Here’s
what you should do, Brother Monson. You write a letter to the Bureau of Naval
Affairs and tell them that because of your call as a member of the bishopric,
you can’t accept that commission in the United States Naval Reserve.”
My heart sank. He added, “Then write to the commandant of the
Twelfth Naval District in San Francisco indicating that you would like to be
discharged from the reserve.”
I said, “Elder Lee, you don’t understand the military. Of course
they will decline to give me that commission if I refuse to accept it, but the
Twelfth Naval District isn’t going to let me off. With a war brewing in Korea,
a noncommissioned officer will surely be called up. If called back, I would
rather go back as a commissioned officer, but I won’t if I don’t accept this
commission. Are you sure this is the counsel you want me to receive?”
Elder Lee put his hand on my shoulder and in a fatherly way
said, “Brother Monson, have more faith. The military is not for you.”
I went home. I placed a tear-stained commission back in its
envelope with its accompanying letter and declined to accept it. Then I wrote a
letter to the Twelfth Naval District and requested a discharge from the Naval
Reserve.
My discharge from the Naval Reserve was in the last group
processed before the outbreak of the Korean War. My headquarters outfit was
activated. Six weeks after I was called to be a counselor in the bishopric, I
was called to be the bishop of my ward.
I would not hold the position in the Church I hold today had I
not followed the counsel of a prophet, had I not prayed about that decision,
had I not come to an appreciation of an important truth: the wisdom of God
ofttimes appears as foolishness to men.1 But the
greatest single lesson we can learn in mortality is that when God speaks and
His children obey, they will always be right.
It has been said that history turns on small hinges, and so do
our lives. Decisions determine destiny. But we are not left unaided in our
decisions.
If you want to see the light of heaven, if you want to feel the
inspiration of Almighty God, if you want to have that feeling within your bosom
that your Heavenly Father is guiding you, then follow the prophets of God. When
you follow the prophets, you will be in safe territory.
Teaching from This Message
Not many members
of the Church will receive one-on-one counsel from an Apostle, as President Monson
did. But we can still be blessed as we follow the teachings of prophets and
apostles. Consider reading President Monson’s addresses from the last general
conference (remember his opening and closing remarks too). Look for specific
directions or calls to action. You could discuss what you learn with those you
visit and consider ways to apply President Monson’s counsel.
For ideas on how
to teach this message to youth and children, see page 6.
Youth
Counsel
for Hard Choices
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President Henry B.
Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, told about a time when he
followed prophetic counsel. During one general conference, President Ezra Taft
Benson (1899–1994) urged members to get out of debt—specifically mortgage debt.
President
Eyring said: “I turned to my wife after the meeting and asked, ‘Do you think
there is any way we could do that?’ At first we couldn’t.” But by that evening
he thought of a property they had unsuccessfully tried to sell for years. “We
trusted God and … His servant’s message, [so] we placed a phone call. … I heard
an answer that to this day strengthens my trust in God and His servants.” That
same day a man had placed an offer on the Eyrings’ property for an amount just
greater than their mortgage. The Eyrings soon became free of debt (see “Trust
in God, Then Go and Do,” Liahona, Nov. 2010,
72–73).
You may
not have a mortgage to pay, but prophetic counsel can guide you here and now
through difficult decisions regarding work, education, a mission, and dating.
Discuss with your family or
peers about how you can follow the prophet when you have to make decisions
“Be Obedient”
cji
1/1/15
In all things be
obedient
one cannot go
wrong/astray
if one listens and
follows
those called and chosen
to lead the Saviors
Church
on this earth at this
time
forever and ever the
same
Father and Son
unchanging
therefore their
Church too
we’ve to be obedient
always
each Commandment
knowing
living a life peculiar
to worldly
one cannot go
wrong/astray
if one is always
obedient!
Copyright © 2014 – cji
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